May 2021 update: Mná na H-éireann in Gaelic, Women of Ireland in English, is a thing of beauty, whether as song or tune. The idea of republishing this instalment of Cover Story, a popular and long-running series comparing different versions... Read more →
With his reminiscences on falling in love with British (and Irish) folk and folk-rock while an American serviceman stationed in London, Peter Obermark delighted followers of the Facebook Richard Thompson group, and a few more when they were reproduced here.... Read more →
Some variations of the phrase add overfed and overdressed. It goes without saying that I have no idea whether Peter Obermark was excessively remunerated when serving as a US marine in Britain in the 1970s nor indeed whether he ate... Read more →
May 2021 update: Ralph McTell’s second most famous song. I have been an admirer of his music for decades. I first saw him at the Sunderland Empire, taking the stage a little nervously after a pulsating support set from Lindisfarne,... Read more →
May 2021 update: this was only the third instalment of our Cover Story series, one now stretching to around 70. At the time, I was wondering aloud whether the place Iris DeMent had in mind when writing and singing about... Read more →
Before the pandemic, I was pondering the future of Salut! Live and questioning whether it even had one. I had already transferred my football site, Salut! Sunderland, to a new owner because, partly because the cost and trouble of keeping... Read more →
