29 f B
y my calculations, Boden is already the most decorated artist in the history of the awards with nine gongs on the shelf already, including Bellow- head and the duo with John Spiers – quite a significant measure of the influ- ence he’s wielded since making his first appearance winning the Horizon Award with Spiers in 2003.
A few years ago Cornwall’s Fisher-
man’s Friends performed in the foyer wel- coming guests at the awards and, more used to singing for tourists in the harbour at Port Isaac, can scarcely have imagined they’d now have a million pound contract with EMI propelling them into mainstream music circles, TV promotion and all. Profile counts and despite largely negative reviews of the smooth production tech- niques and bombastic instrumentation that has suddenly appeared around their earthy songs of the sea, Fisherman’s Friends will be up there slugging it out with Bellowhead for the Best Group gong alongside another band with a big sound, Scotland’s Breabach – twin bagpipes and all – and the hardy unaccompanied trio Coope, Boyes & Simpson. Lau, who’ve won this category for the last three years, have failed to gain a nomination this time, which surely leaves a clear run at Best Group for Bellowhead, who might also walk off with the Best Live Act prize. This finds them pitched against the 2009 win- ners Demon Barbers, Shetland string extravaganza Fiddlers’ Bid and The Unthanks, largely and somewhat bizarrely overlooked by these awards in the past but who surely deserve some sort of com- mendation for their own bold, big band exploits this year around some of the country’s biggest stages.
Which leaves two other awards for Bel- lowhead to compete for. Hedonism is their most obviously commercial recording so far so they must be favourites to repeat their fRoots poll feat and pick up Best Album, but never underestimate Chris Wood’s pow- ers of hypnosis, which give his Handmade Life a serious shot. The close harmonies and barbed songs of Coope, Boyes & Simpson
could pull off a surprise with As If… though it was strangely ignored by fRoots voters. It’s their first new studio album for five years, and Lester Simpson is perhaps unlucky that his sparky Who riposte We Got Fooled Again hasn’t been nominated as Best Original Song. But surely this particular award has the name of Eliza Carthy and Norma Waterson written all over it for their sublime Gift album. It’s good enough to need no emotional reasoning, but given Norma’s recent health problems, it would be a hugely popular winner.
Despite having to curtail their tour due to illness, Eliza and Norma might also pick up the Best Duo award. Always a problematic category (two of the nomina- tions are seemingly reserved each year for Chris While & Julie Matthews and Meg- son), it pitches Eliza against the artist she first performed regularly with, Nancy Kerr. Interestingly (but only for triv fans and sad geeks), Nancy Kerr, Norma Waterson and Eliza Carthy are the only nominated acts here who won gongs at the very first BBC Folk Awards in 2000 – Norma and Eliza won Best Traditional Track for Rag- gle Taggle Gypsies with Waterson:Carthy, while Nancy Kerr took the Horizon Award with James Fagan, a duo which also took the Best Duo prize in 2003 and, on the back of their rather fine self-written Twice Reflected Sun album, may well do so again eight years later.
Eliza and Norma have a third crack at a 2011 trophy with their distinctive arrange- ment of Poor Wayfaring Stranger – a song that keeps cropping up at these awards and is the opening track on Gift – nominated in the Best Traditional Track category. Hard one to call this with Andy Irvine and Heidi Talbot flying the flag for Ireland with The Demon Lover and Willie Taylor respectively, against Bellowhead’s blistering New York Girls. Tried and trusted songs, all given a nicely laundered new set of clothes, but the emotional vote goes with Mr Irvine.
If Richard Thompson formed a band with Andy Cutting, Mike McGoldrick and Brian Finnegan, it would certainly be worth hearing. Maybe it’ll happen, too, either at the Awards or the after-show
Chris Wood
party as they are thrown together this year in the Musician Of The Year category. McGoldrick won it in 2001 and 2006, Cut- ting in 2008 and it’s a bit of a shock to dis- cover that Thompson has never won this particular gong (though he has got a Life- time Achievement Award) so maybe it’s his turn this year. Flute ace Finnegan is firmly in the frame, however, following his inventive solo album The Ravishing Genius Of Bones.
Four very different graduates of New-
castle’s Traditional Music Degree course – Emily Portman, Fay Hield and the Jonny Kearney & Lucy Farrell duo – compete for the Horizon Award. Yet, given the exten- sive airplay and regular gigging he’s undertaken recently, they may all be thwarted by the endearing mix of clever new arrangements of familiar old songs and the loaded original material of young Scots guitarist/ singer Ewan McLennan
There are some disappointing absen- tees, of course there are – Moray, Lake- man. Still no place at the big table for Alasdair Roberts. No crumbs for the rene- gade republics of Trembling Bells and The Owl Service. And certainly no whiff of psych folk, whatever that is.
But it’s still a list that waves the flag for the genre with vigour, conviction, intelligence and pride. Bring on the sar- dine sarnies…
Oh come on Bellowhead, cheer up, you’ve got loads of nominations. Isn’t Hedonism supposed to be fun…? F
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