Tradfolk X FolkEast Squash Court Sessions, 2024

Was the latest edition of FolkEast the best yet? It certainly felt like a weekend that’ll be tough to top, in part because it was the last at Glemham Hall, but mainly because theirs is a unique formula so hard to beat.

Take two extremely personable and welcoming organisers (Becky and John Marshall-Potter), give them a plot of land imbued with its own sense of magic, get Becky to empty the charmingly bizarre contents of her head and house across the land (laser cow in a woodland clearing, anyone?) and then trust them to bring the best artists and musicians year in, year out. Other festivals book similar acts, but no other festival feels quite like this one. And it’s a trusted formula, too: pre-sales for 2025 have reportedly been immense… even though nobody knows who’s playing, or where the dickens the festival is likely to be.

For the third (and final) year in a row, the Tradfolk team (Jon Nice, Kai Wilks, Grace Burgoyne & Claire Patterson) pitched up in the lovely old Victorian squash court for what are now informally known as The Squash Court Sessions. You can find sessions from 2022 here, and 2023 here. For this year’s videos, scroll below.

In this article, you’ll find…

• Martin Carthy, High Germany
• Maddie Morris, The Wee Weaver
• Jim Moray, The Nightingale
• Jennifer Reid, There’s Nowt Like Spinning Shoddy
• Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, Sweet William and Lady Margaret
• Hedera, Sterretje & She’s Sweetest When She’s Naked
• Goblin Band, Hard Working Boater
• Awake Arise, Good As Gone

Martin Carthy, High Germany

Martin Carthy performs ‘High Germany’ [Roud 904] for the Tradfolk cameras at FolkEast 2024. Martin says he first performed this song at Usher Hall in around 1962, where he made up the final verse on the spot because he felt it needed something extra in the moment. He’s keen to point out that he previously thought he made up the last three verses, but he’s recently found the book he originally learned it from and it turns out that’s not the case.

Maddie Morris | The Wee Weaver

Maddie tells us that when they first heard ‘The Wee Weaver’ [Roud 3378], they assumed it referred to “Lily and Mary” and thought they’d hit upon a queer tale for the ages. Somewhat disappointed to find that the lyrics actually referred to “Willie and Mary”, they changed it anyway, bringing the song into the hearts of a whole new audience.

Jim Moray, The Nightingale

Jim Moray performs ‘The Nightingale’ [Roud 1093], a traditional song collected by Frank Kidson. He tells us that he tune and first two verses come from Kidson’s Traditional Tunes, based on Charles Lolley’s rendition from Howden, East Riding of Yorkshire. Additional verses are from a Broadside version in Kidson’s collection, available on the VWML website (see the Roud link above).

Jennifer Reid, There’s Nowt Like Spinning Shoddy

Jennifer Reid performs ‘There’s Nowt Like Spinning Shoddy’ by Joseph Burgess. Harry Boardman recorded this song on his 1973 Topic Records album, A Lancashire Mon, and the sleevenotes tell us: “Joseph Burgess (d.1934), who wrote this angry piece of verse, was a journalist and political pamphleteer of the Labour movement. This description of the tyranny of factory life, especially for children, is second to none. Shoddy was a rough mixture of shredded cotton and wool, hard on both spinner and weaver.”

Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, Sweet William and Lady Margaret

Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne performs ‘Sweet William and Lady Margaret’ [Roud 253] for the Tradfolk X FolkEast Sessions, 2024, delivering a poignant rendition of this deeply historical ballad. The song is one of the two collected from Sinda Walker, a Black American singer from Hyden, Kentucky, by folk song collectors Cecil Sharp and Maud Karpeles during their Appalachian expedition between 1916 and 1918. The ballad, dating back to at least the early seventeenth century, shares a thematic connection with ‘Lord Thomas and Fair Annet’, another song Walker sang.

Hedera, Sterretjie & She’s Sweetest When She’s Naked

The first tune that Hedera performed for us in the FolkEast Squash Court this year is ‘Sterretjie’ (pronounced “ste-ri-kee”), composed by Maisie Brett. Brett wrote this piece while living in a small South African fishing village last year, where she was collecting data for her entomology PhD. To maintain her musical inspiration and stay connected, Brett and Tamsin Elliott engaged in a tune-writing exchange via WhatsApp voice notes. ‘Sterretjie’ is one of the beautiful results. The tune is named after the local term for the tern seabird, which translates to “little star.” The second tune was an impromptu and unplanned performance of ‘She’s Sweetest When She’s Naked’, a piece thought to describe the ideal way to enjoy whiskey. Although widely considered a Scottish tune, the earliest written reference is believed to be from Northumberland. Tamsin, who typically plays it on the harp, took to the box for this spontaneous rendition, adding a fresh twist to the performance.

Goblin Band, Hard Working Boater

‘Hard Working Boater’ is a song that captures the essence and spirit of life on the working narrowboats of the English canal system. Written by David Blagrove, the song is a tribute to the boatmen he encountered and worked with during the 1960s, a time when the canals retained much of their authentic character despite the gradual decline in commercial use. Set to the traditional Irish tune ‘The Limerick Rake,’ the song is performed here by Sonny and Rowan of Goblin Band.

David Blagrove composed ‘Hard Working Boater’ in 1963, inspired by the end of the British Waterways carrying fleet, marking a significant moment in the history of the UK’s inland waterways. Although some boatmen continued working with Willow Wren Canal Transport Services for a few more years, this enterprise ultimately ceased trading in September 1970. The song serves as a nostalgic homage to a disappearing way of life, reflecting the hardships, resilience, and camaraderie of the canal boatmen who once navigated the waterways, transporting goods across the country. For more info, see Songs of the Inland Waterways.

Awake Arise, Good As Gone

Awake Arise perform ‘Good As Gone’, written by Robin Williamson and originally recorded on the eponymous 1966 Incredible String Band debut album. To Sid Goldsmith, the song speaks to the freedom of travelling in the summer.

We’ll be back for more videoing shenanigans next year, wherever FolkEast may be…