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December 2020

Cover Story: (53) Arthur McBride is back courtesy of Sir Mark Rylance (and Christmas)

Again, I hear regular readers groaning. Not that Arthur McBride once more. Hasn't Salut! Live finally exhausted its interest in the song? I suppose the answer to those three actual or implied questions are, in order: yes, yes and no.... Read more →


Cover Story (52): The Testimony of Patience Kershaw. The Unthanks, Roy Bailey, Joy Dunlop or Ian Campbell Folk Group

Rachel Unthank was on her way home from Kings Cross. I was thousands of miles away in Abu Dhabi. As the train headed north, she answered my clutch of questions with great candour and eloquence. We didn't speak but Rachel... Read more →


Cover Story (32) revisited : Fairytale of New York. The Pogues, of course, but also O'Hooley and Tidow's extraordinary remake

A troubled journey from London to the south Midlands was made slightly grimmer by my daughter's choice of a radio station which had decided that the afternoon of December 2 was a good time to bombard listeners with Christmas hits,... Read more →