Mic Darling and Nicholas Dow. Photographer: Jo McGuire.
TRADITIONAL AND FOLK MUSIC
The UK has historically had an uneasy relationship with its own indigenous folk cultures. The traditional music that helped express and enrich the lives of working people in rural areas has often been ridiculed and may have been lost completely but for the heroic work of collectors in the 19th and 20th Century. It finally blossomed in the 1960s when the brief skiffle boom spawned interest in folk song and, fuelled by the era's protest song movement, a large network of folk clubs were established. This in turn led to many fusions from folk rock bands to rural dance music and the music has continued to grow with a recent upsurge of young talent playing modern folk music.
Colin Irwin, Music Journalist (Traditional and Folk Music Specialist)
Mic Darling and Nicholas Dow. Photographer: Jo McGuire.
How We Work What We Do Music Genres Music Education Music Events Selector Radio Publications and Resources What work does the British Council do in this area?
Music based on the traditions of the UK and its constituent parts has, in recent years, reasserted itself as a strong part of the modern British music scene. Many artists are refreshing the traditions often with a contemporary twist. This art form has proved to have a lot of opportunity for collaborations with artists overseas, especially in countries where there is still a strong instrumental tradition. Our work in this area ranges from Welsh bagpipe and drum quartet to Kathryn Tickell and band performing in Uganda, to using traditional music from Wales and Vietnam to address human rights and gender issues in Vietnam.
Archived projects
Pibau Bach - Credit: ASK CATHY
In September 2002 we held our first British music event in Libya in thirty years when Welsh folk band Pibau Bach participated in the fifth Drj desert festival.
Pibau Bach in Libya. Credit: Pibau Bach.
