It’s been a very enjoyably busy festive season for us and it’s no where near over yet! Firstly we’d like to remind you that the documentary we have been working on recently was broadcast on the 28th December 2014 and, if you didn’t manage to catch it first time around, it will be available on “Listen Again” for the next four weeks. The documentary is an hour long and details the life of Frank Kidson and the significant contribution that he made to the world of folk music. It also follows the process of researching and recording “The Search for Five Finger Frank” album that we released back in April 2014. You can find the full programme here:

The Search for Five Finger Frank BBC Leeds Radio Documentary

There is another chance to hear some of the highlights from our album launch concert that took place at Square Chapel Centre for the Arts in Halifax. This is also available on “Listen Again” on the BBC Radio Leeds website:

Highlights from “The Search for Five Finger Frank” CD Launch Concert

We featured in the 2014 BBC Radio Leeds Christmas Service recorded at The Halifax Minster in December singing a couple of folk-y carols if you missed it this too is available on the BBC Leeds website:

“Carols from Halifax” BBC Leeds Radio Christmas Service

On Sunday 28th December The Mike Harding Folk Show podcast featured a selection of tracks from his top 20 albums of 2014. We were proper chuffed to find out that he played a track from The Search for Five Finger Frank CD! The podcast (#105) is available to listen to on his website.

If you’re interested in finding out even more about Frank Kidson and our quest to celebrate and commemorate his incredible legacy then you can read the interview we did with the fabulous Tim Chipping of fRoots magazine. The article features in the latest issue Jan/Feb #379/380 and you can purchase your copy here or you can sign up and subscribe to future issues too!

Photo by Judith Burrows

And finally… We’ll be sweeping away the old year and bringing in the new one over the next week with The Long Company Mummers in various locations throughout Calderdale and the Ryburn Valley. Dates and locations (pubs) as follows:

2nd January The Hinchliffe Arms, Cragg Vale, HX7 5TA (01422 883256)

3rd January The Navigation, Sowerby Bridge, HX6 3LF (01422 316073)

5th January The Alma, Cottonstones, HX6 4NS (01422 823334)

6th January The Old Bridge Inn, Ripponden, HX6 4DF (01422 822595)

The performances start at 8pm prompt and we always begin with the singing of our Wassail Song inside the pub before the massed band then lead the audience outside to watch the mummers play. The whole night is then rounded off with a night of singing, playing and dancing in the pub. Hooray! Come and join us – it certainly is a sight to behold!!

In case you wanted a sneaky practise of The Wassail Song have a look at this…

Click here to view the embedded video.

And in case you just wanted a laugh have a look at this…

Click here to view the embedded video.

We’ve got lots of exciting things going on over this festive period. Recently we completed THE SEARCH FOR FIVE FINGER FRANK: a radio documentary about Frank Kidson and based around our research project. It traces the life & folk song collecting of Leeds man Frank Kidson (1855 – 1926). The documentary, produced by David Crickmore, is narrated by Pete Coe & includes interviews with John Francmanis & staff at The Mitchell Library (where the collection resides) plus quotes from Kidson, voiced by Richard Stead & niece Ethel, Alice Jones. Pete & Alice are heard to discover & arrange an alternative version of Scarborough Fair, collected by Kidson in Goathland. We hope that this documentary will remind listeners that Frank Kidson, often overlooked in the past, even the present, was truly ‘a pioneeer of the folk revival’.

It is scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday 28th December at 8pm and it will also available on Listen Again for the following 30 days at www.bbc.co.uk/radioleeds

Talking of BBC Radio Leeds… we also had the great honour of performing a few folk-y carols at this year’s BBC Leeds Christmas Service held at the Halifax Minster. It was a fabulous evening including music from The Minster Choir, Graham Gribbin and Jonathon Clegg and The Hebden Bridge Brass Band.

The service will be broadcast on 92.4FM/95.3FM BBC Radio Leeds on Christmas Eve at 6.00pm and repeated again on Christmas Day at 2.00pm.

We have a couple of feature interviews published in the current editions of Tykes News magazine and in fROOTS magazine. We were also very pleased to find that we have been listed amongst the Runners Up for the “Best New Album in the fROOTS Critics Poll 2014″

Bookings for 2015 are rolling in and our next Yorkshire dates are;

ILKLEY Friday 16th January- Manor House Art Gallery & Museum- Contact 01943 609393
SHEFFIELD  Wednesday 11th March- Rivelin Folk Club- Contact 0114 2665638
WHITBY FOLK WEEK  22 – 28 August

Other dates outside the Yorkshire region include;

LONDON Saturday 7th February- Cecil Sharp House as part of 50th anniversary celebrations for Halsway Manor.
WASHINGTON Saturday 18th April- Davy Lamp Folk Club
BARROW ON SOAR Monday 27th April- Grand Union Folk Club
WATFORD Friday 8th May- Watford Folk Club
TREDEGAR HOUSE FESTIVAL
LYMM FESTIVAL (associated event) Thursday 18th June
NORWICH Friday 10th July- Norwich Folk Club
HALSWAY MANOR 17 -19th July- Kidson weekend, workshops & concert.

We’re also in the process of planning a few more in-depth Frank Kidson events and study days for 2015:

We will hopefully be collaborating with Leeds University in conjunction with Leeds Central Library to put on a “Kidson Day” with presentation, workshops and concert in the latter part of 2015.

We are also currently negotiating dates with The Royal Conservetoire Of Scotland and The Mitchell Library to include a presentation and workshops with RCS folk music students and a concert in The Mitchell Library Concert Hall.

And finally… those of you from the Ryburn and Calderdale area (and anywhere else for that matter) are very welcome to join us at the Ryburn 3 Step Folk Club Christmas party taking place on Wednesday the 17th December at The Works starting at 8pm prompt where we will be singing many seasonal songs and indulging in a bit of festive frolicking!

The double CD THE SEARCH FOR FIVE FINGER FRANK is available at £16 (inc p&p) from:

Backshift Music
103 Oldham Road
RIPPONDEN
West Yorkshire
HX6 4EB
01422 822569

or Paypal from
www.backshift.demon.co.uk