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| Rhiannon Giddens, Unthanks and Young'uns take top honours in BBC Folk awards | Rhiannon Giddens, Unthanks and Young'uns take top honours in BBC Folk awards |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Rhiannon Giddens was named folk singer of the year in the annual BBC Folk awards at a packed Royal Albert Hall, with a strong lineup of winners including the Unthanks and Sam Lee. | Rhiannon Giddens was named folk singer of the year in the annual BBC Folk awards at a packed Royal Albert Hall, with a strong lineup of winners including the Unthanks and Sam Lee. |
| Hosted by Mark Radcliffe and Julie Fowlis, the ceremony on 27 April was interspersed by live performances by acts including John McCusker – who also won the Good Tradition award – Dublin quartet Lynched, and Mark Knopfler. Rufus Wainwright performed a tribute to folk rock legend Sandy Denny (1947–78), who was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Backed by musicians including Ashley Hutchings and Simon Nicol, founder members of Fairport Convention, the band with which she found fame, Wainwright gave an affecting version of one of Denny’s most enduring tracks, Who Knows Where the Time Goes. | Hosted by Mark Radcliffe and Julie Fowlis, the ceremony on 27 April was interspersed by live performances by acts including John McCusker – who also won the Good Tradition award – Dublin quartet Lynched, and Mark Knopfler. Rufus Wainwright performed a tribute to folk rock legend Sandy Denny (1947–78), who was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Backed by musicians including Ashley Hutchings and Simon Nicol, founder members of Fairport Convention, the band with which she found fame, Wainwright gave an affecting version of one of Denny’s most enduring tracks, Who Knows Where the Time Goes. |
| “I’m a huge fan of folk music. Or, as I call it, bloody good music by folk who can sing,” said guest presenter Penny Smith. Each speaker talked of their love of the genre: “Folk songs are inherently perfect for telling stories,” said author Michael Morpurgo; “The other day someone confidently informed me that folk was now uncool again,” said actor Matt Berry. “I took this as fantastic news as the only place to be is right in the centre of uncool. The best art is always created in the middle of the uncool.” | “I’m a huge fan of folk music. Or, as I call it, bloody good music by folk who can sing,” said guest presenter Penny Smith. Each speaker talked of their love of the genre: “Folk songs are inherently perfect for telling stories,” said author Michael Morpurgo; “The other day someone confidently informed me that folk was now uncool again,” said actor Matt Berry. “I took this as fantastic news as the only place to be is right in the centre of uncool. The best art is always created in the middle of the uncool.” |
| Sixties icon Sandie Shaw presented the folk singer of the year award to Rhiannon Giddens. “I didn’t know that I liked folk music,” Shaw confessed, “but [tonight] you’ve [all] completely converted me!” She plaid tribute to Giddens: “Your sheer artistry defies all known genres.” | Sixties icon Sandie Shaw presented the folk singer of the year award to Rhiannon Giddens. “I didn’t know that I liked folk music,” Shaw confessed, “but [tonight] you’ve [all] completely converted me!” She plaid tribute to Giddens: “Your sheer artistry defies all known genres.” |
| Giddens, best known as the singer and multi-instrumentalist of Carolina Chocolate Drops, is also a successful solo artist, whose 2015 album Tomorrow is My Turn was Grammy-nominated. Giddens took to the stage accompanied by her young daughter. Her acceptance speech included thanks to Peggy Seeger, Joan Baez ... and “the folk singers who taught me what folk is all about”. “Folk belongs to the next generation,” she concluded. | Giddens, best known as the singer and multi-instrumentalist of Carolina Chocolate Drops, is also a successful solo artist, whose 2015 album Tomorrow is My Turn was Grammy-nominated. Giddens took to the stage accompanied by her young daughter. Her acceptance speech included thanks to Peggy Seeger, Joan Baez ... and “the folk singers who taught me what folk is all about”. “Folk belongs to the next generation,” she concluded. |
| But it was also an evening that looked back at one of the greatest figures from a previous generation:Norma Waterson, honoured with the lifetime achievement award. Looking frail but luminous in bright pink, the 76-year-old musician was greeted with a standing ovation. “I’ve had the most fantastic life,” she said. “I’ve played and sung [with] and watched the most amazing musicians ... wonderful people who’ve carried this music for years and years, sometimes nobody even knowing they had these songs.” Backed by the Gift Band (who include her husband Martin Carthy, daughter Eliza, and nieces and nephews), she performed a moving version of the traditional song Bunch of Thyme. Presenting her with her award, Richard Hawley revealed he had once asked Waterson if she and her peers embraced the rock’n’roll lifestyle back in the day: “No, not drugs, but we ate a lot of pickled onions,” she’d told him. | But it was also an evening that looked back at one of the greatest figures from a previous generation:Norma Waterson, honoured with the lifetime achievement award. Looking frail but luminous in bright pink, the 76-year-old musician was greeted with a standing ovation. “I’ve had the most fantastic life,” she said. “I’ve played and sung [with] and watched the most amazing musicians ... wonderful people who’ve carried this music for years and years, sometimes nobody even knowing they had these songs.” Backed by the Gift Band (who include her husband Martin Carthy, daughter Eliza, and nieces and nephews), she performed a moving version of the traditional song Bunch of Thyme. Presenting her with her award, Richard Hawley revealed he had once asked Waterson if she and her peers embraced the rock’n’roll lifestyle back in the day: “No, not drugs, but we ate a lot of pickled onions,” she’d told him. |
| We're immensely proud of our name because it reminds us of where we come from … the folk clubs of the north-east | |
| The best group gong went – for the second year running – to the Teesside trio the Young’uns. “We were overwhelmed to win this award last year ... but now it’s just much of a muchness,” the band joked. “We’ll say something entertaining and funny next year.” | The best group gong went – for the second year running – to the Teesside trio the Young’uns. “We were overwhelmed to win this award last year ... but now it’s just much of a muchness,” the band joked. “We’ll say something entertaining and funny next year.” |
| On a more serious note, they paid tribute to their roots in the north-east of England. “We’ve had this ridiculous name for 12 years now. But we’re immensely proud of it because it reminds us of where we come from – the folk clubs of the north-east ... where it’s about standing together in solidarity and singing. Folk can be translated into one word, and that word is welcome,” said Sean Cooney. | On a more serious note, they paid tribute to their roots in the north-east of England. “We’ve had this ridiculous name for 12 years now. But we’re immensely proud of it because it reminds us of where we come from – the folk clubs of the north-east ... where it’s about standing together in solidarity and singing. Folk can be translated into one word, and that word is welcome,” said Sean Cooney. |
| Northumbrian group the Unthanks were the popular winners of the best album award, voted by Radio 2 listeners. Adrian McNally urged the crowd to “keep buying recorded music, it’s an art form in itself,” and he also made a special mention for the un-nominated 2015 album by Lau, The Bell that Never Rang - “for me, the best folk album by a British band made in the last 10 years, let alone the last year.” | Northumbrian group the Unthanks were the popular winners of the best album award, voted by Radio 2 listeners. Adrian McNally urged the crowd to “keep buying recorded music, it’s an art form in itself,” and he also made a special mention for the un-nominated 2015 album by Lau, The Bell that Never Rang - “for me, the best folk album by a British band made in the last 10 years, let alone the last year.” |
| The Unthanks closed the ceremony with a sumptous version – complete with string quartet, brass, and clog dancing – of the title track on their winning album, Mount the Air. | The Unthanks closed the ceremony with a sumptous version – complete with string quartet, brass, and clog dancing – of the title track on their winning album, Mount the Air. |
| Full list of winners | Full list of winners |
| Folk singer of the year: Rhiannon Giddens.Best group: the Young’uns.Best album: Mount the Air by the Unthanks.Musician of the year: Andy Cutting.Best duo: Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman.Horizon award: Sam Kelly.Young folk award: Brighde Chaimbeul.Best original song: Mackerel by the Rheingans Sisters.Best traditional track: Lovely Molly by Sam Lee.Lifetime achievement awards: Joan Armatrading and Norma Waterson.Good Tradition award: John McCusker.Hall of fame inductee: Sandy Denny. | Folk singer of the year: Rhiannon Giddens.Best group: the Young’uns.Best album: Mount the Air by the Unthanks.Musician of the year: Andy Cutting.Best duo: Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman.Horizon award: Sam Kelly.Young folk award: Brighde Chaimbeul.Best original song: Mackerel by the Rheingans Sisters.Best traditional track: Lovely Molly by Sam Lee.Lifetime achievement awards: Joan Armatrading and Norma Waterson.Good Tradition award: John McCusker.Hall of fame inductee: Sandy Denny. |