RIP Fred Smith of Television — one of the coolest bassists of all time.

Wrong Speed Records is rapidly becoming my favourite UK label

Now playing: very late to the party but this is lovely thetubs.bandcamp.com/album/cotton...

Now playing: Heard a Long Gone Song by the incomparable Lisa O’Neill, possibly one of my favourite singers 😍

Tom Verlaine, gone two years. Here’s Television live in Cleveland in 1975 youtu.be/j8Q-niwYFcw?...

Now paying: River of Amber/Frozen Waterfall by CUBS on Rusted Rail Records from 2021. Gorgeous psych folk from Ireland with Ghost Box-like hauntological underpinnings. Lovely. rustedrail.bandcamp.com/album/river-...

RIP Sly Dunbar, who played on so many of my favourite reggae tracks, including this banger youtu.be/A3PjURr7lb4?...

Now playing: Bandas Sonoras by Elizabeth Still and Dominic Plucknett - a gorgeous album of guitar duets, found sounds and field recordings from 2021. Amazingly there are still CD copies available in a lovely sleeve by David Hand stillplucknett.bandcamp.com/album/bandas...

Second gig of the year with my pal @jacklikesfilms.bsky.social was the mighty Haress. Transcendental rural psychedelia with a sprinkling of folky magic! The interplay between Elizabeth & David’s guitars was a thing of great beauty.

Loving this mix from @cravenfaults.bsky.social - I bought a copy of the Cherry Red reissue single of the Misunderstood track in 1982 after hearing it on Peel www.dublab.com/archive/crav...

Just caught up with @jacklikesfilms.bsky.social for my first gig of the year, The Wran at Gullivers. They were brilliant and the atmosphere was so good. Also how does one person sing, play accordion and play drums simultaneously? youtu.be/8XTduUhlvPw?...

Now playing: catching up on a few of the many interesting albums that I missed in 2025. This one by Willie Lane is fantastic - irresistible, spaced-out psychedelic folk-blues. With Ryan Jewel and SBHOTM’s Rob Thomas as a bonus! willielane.bandcamp.com/album/bobcat...

I do miss Jen Powers’ Aural Thicket. Completely the wrong season, but episode 40 was a banger www.mixcloud.com/auralthicket...

The gorgeous Riverdance by Rapunzel & Sedayne from the 2011 album Songs From The Barley Temple youtu.be/PRAwuMa4yHU?...

The Woodbine & Ivy Band’s version of the song Gently Johnny from the Wicker Man soundtrack is still one of the tracks I’m most proud of having released on Folk Police. folkpolicerecordings.bandcamp.com/track/gently...

It makes me unreasonably happy to know that there are English folk bands out there that base their entire look on the fellow from this Matt Bors cartoon

The Reader’s Lamp, the first track available to preview on the forthcoming release by @theleaflibrary.bsky.social, After The Rain, Strange Seeds, is gorgeous. Really looking forward to the rest of the album shop.fikarecordings.com/album/after-...

I made a playlist for my band mates about my thoughts on potential musical ingredients for a psych folk rock band and I like it so much I’m sharing it here www.mixcloud.com/TheFolkPolic...

Now playing: Grass. Such a beautiful album. I could listen to this sort of heavy psych folk rock all day

I always forget how brilliant early Siouxsie & the Banshees were youtu.be/PnqJ0buQosE?...

Veeery noice!

It’s not adding up. Nature in England is in freefall, yet today’s Office for Environmental Protection report warns the Government is at serious risk of missing its legally binding targets to restore it. That must be a wake-up call. ‼️ (1/2)

Charity Shop bargain! The vinyl is pristine and the sleeve is a thing of beauty

Not usually one for self-referential quote-posting, but c’mon you drummers out there within rehearsing distance of Manchester. We need you!

Post a picture of the venue where you saw your first concert and name the band or artist. The Clash supported by The Slits, Wolverhampton Civic Hall, 20th December 1978

The new collaborative album by Steve Malley of Horse Loom/Unit AMA etc and Elizabeth Still & David Hand of Haress is gorgeous. Highly recommended! haress.bandcamp.com/album/measur...

Bands I wish were still going #1 Heron Oblivion heronoblivion.bandcamp.com/album/heron-...

Can’t believe I only heard Kate Nash’s GERM for the first time today - what a brilliant single youtu.be/q2MoQJP-PhA?...

Now playing: Starry Mind by PG Six. IMHO, opening track ‘January’ is a textbook example of 21st century folk rock at its most thrilling

Hey heavy-psych-folk-rock-loving drummers in the North West of England! Get in touch…

Still, imo, one of the greatest albums ever made

Now playing: The Trimdon Grange Explosion’s self titled debut from 2018. A fantastic album, especially their version of the traditional ‘The Bonnie Banks of Fordie’ which is easily in my top five folk-rock songs

Favourite albums of 2025 in no particular order, Part 3, featuring: Polaroid Notes; @dj-surgeon.bandcamp.com; @philfrodsham.bsky.social; The Green Kingdom; Kenji Kihara; Francesca Marongiu; Gamardah Fungus; Ai Yamamoto; @matthewhiram.bsky.social; @whitelabrecs.bsky.social; @ctatsu.bsky.social

Favourite albums of 2025 in no particular order, Part 2, featuring: @jo-johnson.bsky.social; @chloeharris.bsky.social; @polypores.bsky.social; @flcartographer.bsky.social; @quietdetails.bsky.social; @silver-threads.bsky.social; @worriedaboutsatan.bsky.social; Wil Bolton. More to follow…

Favourite albums of 2025 in no particular order, Part 1, featuring: @fuzzylightsband.bsky.social; @johnswanke.bsky.social; Dylan Golden Aycock; Weirs; Phantom Spell; Haress; @adamhipwell.bsky.social & @kasperkiewicz.bsky.social; Joseph Decosimo. Part 2 to follow!

Still obsessed with Fen Creatures by @fuzzylightsband.bsky.social - I’ve already played it a ridiculous number of times. Love it when a record grabs you like that

Solidarity with the hunger strikers. It is an egregious violation for them to be held on remand - without trial or conviction. All for protesting against a genocide. Shameful.

Please support Prisoners for Palestine prisonersforpalestine.org

A great song by someone I share a birthday with… youtu.be/0TawPJWZRtw?...

As it’s my birthday I also snuck in a little present I bought for myself…

Turns out they were from the West Midlands and the album was released in 1979…

Just heard about Electric Folk by Blackthorn, an Irish album recorded in 1972 and produced by Dave Pegg and now I really need to hear it

This has sent me down a small rabbit hole - Erik Moggridge aka Aerial Ruins is 1/3 of Stygian Bough - his latest solo album Loss Seeking Flames is gorgeous acid folk - strangely reminiscent of Perry Leopold’s Christian Lucifer aerialruin.bandcamp.com/album/loss-s...

My pal @jacklikesfilms.bsky.social just pointed me in the direction of Stygian Bough and they are *so* good - 12 minute funerial doom/shoegaze/psych epics with strangely angelic vocals. bellwitch.bandcamp.com/album/stygia...

RIP Martin Parr. Loved his work. I always thought this one would make a brilliant album cover (Pant Shrapnel was a terribly named band that nearly existed)

I do wish FSA had explored their folk rock leanings more thoroughly youtu.be/gJsoWyd1f3A?...

Always a pleasure to start the day with Flying Saucer Attack youtu.be/yR7QnNgwTFo?...

Still playing Fen Creatures to death. This made me wonder what other bands lurk in my collection who are in a similar vein to @fuzzylightsband.bsky.social? First up, this self-titled behemoth from Meg Baird’s Heron Oblivion. heronoblivion.bandcamp.com/album/heron-...

QTP an album you’d rate a perfect 10/10

Heather & Hearth by Phantom Spell has snuck into my albums of the year. Incredibly well-crafted heavy prog, takes me right back to arguments over the 6th form record player in 1981. Old Pendle is straight up folk rock, which should always be encouraged. phantomspell.bandcamp.com/album/heathe...