“The music is transcendent, the sense of place is transporting and if you need escape...​it’s a restorative breathing space in sound.”
The Telegraph

Welcome to Folk On Foot

Latest episode: Fiona Soe Paing in Aberdeenshire

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When the Scottish Burmese sound artist Fiona Soe Paing discovered that one of her ancestors was a traditional singer, she resolved to make a contemporary electronic album reflecting the music and folk tales of her home county of Aberdeenshire.

On this walk up Bennachie and then along the coast, she sings some of the songs on the very spot where they were inspired, including John Hosie’s Well (said to have sprung from the ground where his tears fell when he returned from a long imprisonment to find his lover was married to another) and the rock where Maggie Machlin is said to have died from exposure after being ostracised for falling pregnant out of wedlock.

Then it’s off to the fishing village of Pennan, for an atmospheric performance of The Fisher’s Lullaby on the beach and a 40th anniversary screening of the classic film Local Hero in the village hall.

Find out more about Fiona at https://www.fionasoepaing.co.uk/

Walk with Fiona's album via the Echoes app: https://explore.echoes.xyz/collections/sov0xzgBQYdoAfFr

Previous episode: The Music of the Big Walk

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On August 4th 2023, Folk on Foot host Matthew Bannister set off on his biggest walk yet. Over two weeks, he covered 186 miles from Wickham Festival in Hampshire to Folk East in Suffolk, raising thousands of pounds for the charity Help Musicians. Every evening he was met (in a pub, of course), by some of the folk world’s finest musicians. This bonus episode treats you to the musical highlights that spurred Matthew on his way. You will hear:

Day 1: Rosie Hodgson and Rowan Piggott of The Wilderness Yet: “The Bee Boy Song”

Day 2: Steve Knightley, Johnnie Kalsi and Eliza Marshall: “Dakota” (by Kelly Jones)

Day 3: Eliza Marshall: “The Rhythms of Migration”; Jon Wilks: “Greek Street”

Day 4: Martin Simpson: “Skydancers”

Day 5: Janice Burns and Jon Doran: “As I Roved Out”

Day 6: Kirsty Merryn: “The Larks They Sang Melodious (Pleasant and Delightful)”

Day 8 (breakfast!): Honey and the Bear with Toby Shaer: “Around the World”

Day 8 (evening): Megson: “And Finally”

Day 9: Sid Goldsmith and Danny Pedler of Tarren: “Sunk”

Day 10: Bird in the Belly: “Neighbours and Sisters”

Day 11: Katie Spencer:”The Edge of the Land”

Day 12: Knight and Spiers: “Halsway Schottische”

Day 13: Bella Hardy: ”Rhapsody on the Peak of Derbyshire”

Day 14: The Young Uns: “Three Dads Walking” and “John Ball”

Make a donation to support Help Musicians

Tonight: Official Folk Albums Chart Show—5th September 2023

This month’s Official Folk Albums Chart Show from Folk on Foot features live performances by The Eliza Carthy Trio (filmed at Sidmouth) and The Young’Uns (filmed in the back room of the Duck pub in Campsea Ash, Suffolk during host Matthew Bannister’s Big Walk for the charity Help Musicians.) There’s also music from Breabach, Skerryvore, Karine Polwart and Kris Drever, Lankum and Gaz Brookfield.

Watch from 7pm BST on Tuesday 5th September

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Folk on Foot on Film is an amazing – and growing – archive of more than 150 unique performances of songs filmed on location during our walks, featuring many of the artists showcased in our podcasts.

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Festivals

The four Folk on Foot Festivals have raised an astonishing £327,000 for musicians during the COVID 19 lockdowns. Half the money has been donated to the charity Help Musicians and the rest was divided equally between the scores of performers who took part.

Listen to the highlights