mynte howard

In a fair world Fernhill would be as big as any “world music” act, and their cds must haves for even casual music fans. The world, alas, is not fair, and in order to hear them live you must take a a three hour train from London to Flint, Wales and then walk 6 miles through the Welsh countryside to the town of Mold (and back) to see them perform as part of a Welsh folk festival. There, in a tent with a couple of hundred folk music fans, next to a truck selling Welsh lamb, I saw one of the great bands on the planet. Their lead singer Julie Murphy has got an unbelievable voice, pure, powerful and evocative. The band, led by Ceri Matthews on guitar and flute, are intimate enough with tradition that they are unafraid to stretch its boundaries. A truly magical evening.

All of the songs on their myspace page are worth savoring.

weds 6th. gig with burum at cafe jazz in cardiff

7th 8th 9th. gigs with burum at brecon jazz festival. thursday gig possibly to be broadcast on bbc

tuesday 12th. gig with diarmuid johnson in aberystwyth. two flutes

weds 13th. ty siamas. dolgellau

15th 16th. gig with fernhill at tegeingl folk festival