A chat with a friend this morning prompted this post. He was talking about a beautiful Martin OM-28V he'd recently pulled out of storage and fallen in love with all over again. It got me thinking about guitars that get hidden away. We don't mean to forget about them, but life happens, and they stay in the shadows until their moment comes round again. I always feel a bit guilty about that – they deserve to be played and celebrated all the time, but I've only got two hands and 10 fingers.

'Geordie' is a new recording of the traditional ballad long associated with Martin Carthy, learned properly for the first time on the Songs of Martin Carthy tour. It stays close to Carthy's arrangement but carries a jaunt and a swing of its own – a song played from the heart rather than in tribute.

On 24 August I'm on a panel at Cecil Sharp House talking Martin Carthy, alongside Eliza Carthy and Kevin Boyd, with Mark Radcliffe hosting – plus a short musical interlude and Martin himself in the room.

'Greek Street' has become my most-played, most-requested, most-spoken about song (at the merch stand at least). I think it has something to do with the universality of the subject. It's about a young lad falling head over heels with a young lass who has other plans. That it's set in London's Soho means that a lot of people have had very similar experiences. Here's how it came about.

I’m off to Patreon. Here’s what you need to know…

Jon Wilks previews Strange Heavens: Abbey Road sessions, an IR reading of Sandham Chapel, and new songs inspired by Stanley Spencer's murals.

Maria Mihailik supported me at Croydon Folk Club last autumn, and I made a mental note to listen to her as soon as she released an album. That's happened now, and I'm delighted to say it shows huge promise. In fact, it has prompted me to shake off my writing slumber and knock a review together. It has been a while.

Jon Wilks on Strange Heavens — a new long-form musical work inspired by Stanley Spencer’s paintings at Sandham Memorial Chapel in North Hampshire, with a tour and album planned for 2027. He explains how it began, who’s involved, and what it sounds like.

I left Spotify on ethical grounds. A year on, I've put a handful of tracks back. Here's where things actually stand, and why.

What follows covers five things: what I actually had on Spotify before I left, what happened to my streaming income afterwards, how Apple Music and YouTube have performed in the gap, what I’ve genuinely lost, and the questions I still can’t answer. I’ve tried to be as specific as possible throughout.

My recording of 'Blues Run the Game' — the Jackson C. Frank song that became the unofficial anthem of Les Cousins — is out today on Bandcamp and all major streaming platforms.

The Second Cousins stage returns to FolkEast on Saturday 22nd August — and this year it's taking the spirit of Les Cousins somewhere altogether more unpredictable. Featuring The Waeve, Jim Ghedi, Emily Portman, Gwenifer Raymond, Spitzer Space Telescope and Cara Elin.

The Life and Songs of Martin Carthy is a concert film celebrating six decades of one of British folk's most beloved figures — now available to stream worldwide for one month only. Featuring Billy Bragg, Graham Coxon, Eliza Carthy, Maddy Prior, John Kirkpatrick, Nick Hart, Angeline Morrison and more, this is a night of extraordinary music you won't want to miss.

I’ve been performing ‘Geordie’ on the Songs of Martin Carthy tour — this version filmed, mixed and edited at Riverhouse Barn in Walton-on-Thames. A medieval ballad in a tithe barn feels about right. The guitar is Martin Carthy’s Fylde Falstaff — one of the earliest made by Roger Bucknall, and the instrument heard across Right of Passage. The first time I played it, Martin listened, smiled, and said quietly, “She likes you.” I’ve reached for it ever since.

I’m out playing quite a bit this year — a mixture of solo shows, plus a one-off full-band date in Sheffield with The Grizzly Folk. Alongside that, I’ve also become involved in the Songs of Martin Carthy tour, which I’m genuinely delighted to be part of. The tour brings together family, friends and long-time collaborators to sing Martin’s songs, and I’ll be appearing on a number of dates. Below is the full performer listing by date and town.

Bones is a new, download-only release gathering together unreleased songs, outtakes, demos and live recordings from the last few years — things that slipped between albums or didn’t quite belong anywhere else. Seventeen tracks, left more or less as they were.

From Daniel Ek’s AI weapons investment to low payouts and fake AI albums, more musicians are leaving Spotify. Here’s what it means for listeners.