Folk on Foot

Suntou Susso, the griot and kora player from Gambia, now lives in Devon. On a glorious sunny day he takes Matthew for a walk through the beautiful gardens at Dartington Hall, explaining that this place often inspires him to compose new music. Suntou talks about the griot tradition handed down from generation to generation of his family, demonstrates how to play the West African harp - the kora - and sings his uplifting songs against the backdrop of flowers, trees, birds and insects. We also hear about the extraordinary history of Dartington Hall - set up as an experimental arts and crafts centre by one of the world’s richest women.

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This month’s show features music from Spell Songs, The Mary Wallopers, Elanor Moss, Rusty Shackle, Gilroy Mere, Colin Stetson and Brighde Chaimbeul, Andy Irvine and Blind Yeo. Lucy Shields previews forthcoming album releases and live music and Matthew Bannister reveals the next episode of Folk on Foot.

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We rely on support from our listeners to keep this show on the road. If you like what we do please either...

Become a member and get great rewards: patreon.com/folkonfoot

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Enjoy this classic episode from October 2019.

For twelve years, the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nancy Kerr lived on a narrow boat, travelling the length and breadth of England’s inland waterways. As she walks on the towpath with Matthew Bannister, she tells how the experience inspired many of her songs – and performs two of them: “Queen of Waters” and “Tiller Song”. Nancy explains that folk music was part of her upbringing, with her mother Sandra Kerr a well-known performer and her father a Northumbrian pipe player. Did she ever fall in to the canal? “Yes, about once a month!”

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We rely on support from our listeners to keep this show on the road. If you like what we do please either...

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Join us on a spectacular walk with the band Stornoway in the glorious Gower Peninsula. Lead singer Brian Briggs is an ornithologist who - when he’s not touring with the band - works in a nature reserve in this beautiful area of South Wales. He guides us through woodland rich in bird life to a salt marsh and then on to the beach. Along the way, Brian, Jon and Oli’s voices blend seamlessly as they perform unique acoustic versions of their nature-inspired songs.

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We rely on support from our listeners to keep this show on the road. If you like what we do please either...

Become a member and get great rewards: https://www.patreon.com/folkonfoot

Or just buy us a coffee: https://www.ko-fi.com/folkonfoot

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Find out more about Stornoway at https://www.stornowayband.com/

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This month’s show features music from Gwenifer Raymond, Cinder Well, Robyn Hitchcock, Arun Sood and Angeline Morrison, Nick Parker and the False Alarms, Joshua Burnside and Dove Ellis. Matthew Bannister reveals the next episode of Folk on Foot and Lucy Shields previews forthcoming releases and gigs.

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We rely on support from our listeners to keep this show on the road. If you like what we do please either...

Become a member and get great rewards: patreon.com/folkonfoot

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Enjoy this classic episode from July 2019.

Regularly voted one of the world’s greatest guitarists, Martin Simpson has been nominated for an astonishing 23 Radio 2 Folk Awards – and won artist of the year twice. He was brought up in the North Lincolnshire steel town of Scunthorpe and takes Matthew on an emotional journey back to his childhood home, explaining how he hid from his formidable mother in the apple tree in the garden, went on imaginary expeditions through a pile of maps he found under a work bench in the garage and was introduced to the natural world on rambles through the local woods with his father. He sings his heartfelt tribute to his Dad, “Never Any Good” as well as “Toy Soldiers” and “Creeping Jane”.

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We rely on support from our listeners to keep this show on the road. If you like what we do please either...

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Find out more about Martin at https://martinsimpsonmusic.com/

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Come for a wild and windy walk in the Scottish borders with the brilliant guitarist Jenn Butterworth. We visit the remote farmhouse where she grew up, the pub where she worked as a teenager, the otter statue commemorating Gavin Maxwell and the ancient archaeological site which dates back to 397 AD and the founding of Scotland’s earliest Christian community. There’s time for plenty of music - both traditional and original.

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We rely on support from our listeners to keep this show on the road. If you like what we do please either...

Become a member and get great rewards: https://www.patreon.com/folkonfoot

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Find out more about Jenn at https://www.jennbutterworth.co.uk/

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On this month’s show, Kellie While joins Matthew Bannister to launch a call for entries for the 2026 Folk Album of the Year Award. There are also songs old and new from Emily Portman, Peggy Seeger, Natalie Wildgoose, Phil Odgers and John Kettle, Fink, Sam Carter and Damien Dempsey. Lucy Shields has news of forthcoming releases and gigs and Matthew announces a new episode of Folk on Foot set in the Scottish Borders.

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We rely on support from our listeners to keep this show on the road. If you like what we do please either...

Become a member and get great rewards: patreon.com/folkonfoot

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Enjoy this classic episode from September 2018.

The multi award winning singer Cara Dillon and her husband and musical collaborator Sam Lakeman take Matthew on a walk through the countryside around the Northern Irish town of Dungiven where she was born and brought up. Standing on an iron bridge over the River Roe, Cara sings “The Winding River Roe” with the water rippling by in the background. Then they climb the local mountain known as “The Hill of Thieves” which is also the inspiration for one of Cara’s songs. As the rain begins to fall, they take refuge in a local sibin where Cara and Sam perform “The Leaving Song” about the living wakes held by families before their children emigrated to the United States.

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We rely on support from our listeners to keep this show on the road. If you like what we do please either...

Become a member and get great rewards: patreon.com/folkonfoot

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Find out more about Cara at https://www.caradillon.co.uk/

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We’re going back to Neolithic times with the award winning author Rob Cowen (“Common Ground” and “North Road”) and his friend the actor and singer Johnny Flynn. For two thousand years the Thornborough Henges in what is now Yorkshire were used as ceremonial spaces and later became Bronze Age burial grounds. As we walk through these enormous circular monuments, Rob explains why he’s fascinated by their history and Johnny sings songs of burial and deep time. The pair reflect on their approach to creativity and shared passion for music.

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We rely on support from our listeners to keep this show on the road. If you like what we do please either...

Become a member and get great rewards: patreon.com/folkonfoot

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Find out more about Rob at https://robcowen.net/

Find out more about Johnny at https://johnny-flynn.com/

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