theartsdesk in the Faroe Islands: G! Festival 2016

THEARTSDESK IN THE FAROE ISLANDS: G! FESTIVAL 2016 A sense of communion at the North Atlantic festival where rain never stops play

A sense of communion at the North Atlantic festival where rain never stops play

Familiar words pepper the lead item on the 9am radio news: "Brexit", "Theresa May", "Boris Johnson". Yet the bulletin is delivered in the first language of the 49,000-population Faroe Islands. The self-governing region of Denmark may be a remote cluster of 18 North Atlantic islands, but the Britain-watching contagion has spread to a place which has never been a member of the EU. Denmark is. The Faroes aren't.

Becca Stevens Band, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

BECCA STEVENS BAND, SAM WANAMAKER PLAYHOUSE Sensational performance from Lauren Laverne's Wonder Woman

Sensational performance from Lauren Laverne's Wonder Woman

Becca Stevens’ limpid, luscious and artful fusion of Appalachian folk, jazz and indie rock found a perfectly empathetic setting in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, in an inspired choice for Lauren Laverne’s Wonder Women series of summer gigs. Stevens’ band began honing their connoisseur's stylistic melting pot more than a decade ago, and has been a fixture on the New York scene for some years. As she begins to make a name over here, British audiences are due for a treat.  

CD: Jim Causley & Luke Thompson - The Clay Hymnal

The Great Cornish poet set to music

Devonian singer and accordionist Jim Causley released Cyprus Well, settings of his relative Charles Causley's poems, in 2013. What may be his finest album to date, Forgotten Kingdom, came early this year, and now he has released a second album of poems, this time by the great 20th century Cornish poet Jack Clemo.

Reissue CDs Weekly: Folque, Undertakers Circus

A pair of Seventies albums confront Norway with its identity

The names may be unfamiliar, but Folque and Undertakers Circus are as good as better-known bands. Despite being musical bedfellows neither Norwegian band is as esteemed as, say, Trader Horne and Trees or Colloseum and Lighthouse. Folque issued their eponymous debut album in 1974. Despite line-up changes, the band was active until 1984. Undertakers Circus issued two albums, the first of which was 1973’s Ragnarock. The original band ran out of steam around 1976. Original pressings of Folque fetch between £40 and £80.

Donovan, London Palladium

Pixie-like troubadour celebrates his 70th birthday

"Sunshine came softly through my window today..." How fortuitous that veteran Scottish tunestrel Donovan should have picked London's glorious first day of summer to stage his "Beat Cafe" event at the Palladium. The plan was to rove across his back catalogue to celebrate his 70th birthday (which actually falls on Tuesday) as well as his half-century in the music business.

Unamplifire Festival, The Master Shipwright's Palace, Deptford

UNAMPLIFIRE FESTIVAL, THE MASTER SHIPWRIGHT'S PALACE, DEPTFORD The Nest Collective celebrates a decade of the best in folk and world music

The Nest Collective celebrates a decade of the best in folk and world music

Set in the grounds and rooms of the Master Shipwright’s Palace on the Thames at Deptford, Unamplifire brought together more than 30 artists over eight hours, with new and ancient folk and world music stirring from the riverside wing of the building – a stripped-to-the-plaster-and-floorboards palace, one you might find yourself in after a revolution. Built by master shipwright Joseph Allin in 1708, it’s a rich historical anomaly bordering the bleak remains of what was once the King's Wharf, established by Henry VIII in 1513, and about to be redeveloped by a Hong Kong investment company.

Reissue CDs Weekly: Sandy Denny

REISSUE CDS WEEKLY: SANDY DENNY Collection of acoustic recordings is an indispensable primer on one of Britain’s most important voices

Collection of acoustic recordings is an indispensable primer on one of Britain’s most important voices

Is there anything left to say about Sandy Denny? Sadly, she cannot say anything herself, as she died in 1978. So it’s left to what she released during her lifetime, posthumous appraisals and reappraisals, and packages and repackages to do the talking.

CD: Miracle Legion - Portrait of a Damaged Family

The reformed US rock band finds rich form with 'lost' album

The post-Christmas headlines could barely contain themselves: HMV sells one turntable per minute! UK vinyl sales set to hit two million in 2016! Tesco stocking records! Vinyl was officially back.

Basia Bulat, Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen

BASIA BULAT, HOXTON SQUARE BAR & KITCHEN Consummate display of musical urgency from Canada’s revitalised singer-songwriter

Consummate display of musical urgency from Canada’s revitalised singer-songwriter

The cape is not an everyday item of clothing. Worn by magicians, it brings an air of the extraordinary. It billows in the path of superheroes. The cloak of invisibility confirms the cape’s singularity. Basia Bulat was first seen in a sparkly gold cape on the sleeve of her recent Good Advice album and last night it was integral to the renewed vigour of her music and stage persona. Moved to say how hard it was play guitar with its folds fluttering, she nonetheless did not take the easy path and discard it.

theartsdesk in Estonia: Tallinn Music Week 2016

THEARTSDESK IN ESTONIA: TALLINN MUSIC WEEK 2016 A Presidential exhortation to save our Europe and our freedom

A Presidential exhortation to save our Europe and our freedom

“If we want to keep this free and democratic Europe of ours free and democratic, we must enlist ourselves, our skills and our commitment to liberty and justice. The problems we face are too great to simply say let the politicians do it.