Finding Out What’s On
There are two main web-sites for the area. The LFD (Leicester Folk Diary) concentrates on folk song and music sessions. Sounds Alive incorporates events from LFD alongside other musical genres. On a six-monthly basis the Leicestershire & Rutland District Folk Committee (EFDSS) produce a dance diary covering social dance clubs and traditional dance sides. The Leicester Mercury includes a daily summary of music events with a weekly pullout on Thursday. Local Radio has deserted folk music in Leicestershire, but there are a couple of local community radios with folk coverage - The Eye and Hermitage FM.Main Venues
The larger concert venues are the Y Theatre, Leicester Guildhall, De Montfort Hall, Century Theatre and Loughborough Town Hall. Each produce their own publicity magazines covering music of all styles.If you are seeking folk clubs with guests then have a look at the Musician (Leicester), Bar W (Barwell), Bingham, Grand Union (Barrow), Hinckley ACT, Naseby Square (Market Harborough), National Forest (Moira), Scrag End (Oakthorpe), Styvechale (Coventry), Folk at the Swan (Bedworth) and the Tump (Brinklow). There are free "daytime" guest venues in Leicester at the Criterion (Saturday) and the Richard Attenborough Centre (RAC - Tuesday and Thursday during University term-time).
For singarounds or sessions try Bingham, Dunton Bassett (confusingly at the Red Admiral, Broughton Astley), Grand Union (Barrow), Gretton, Kilby or Scrag End (Oakthorpe). For those more interested in singer/songwriters (with PA) seek out the "Acoustic clubs" at the Musician, White House, Loughborough and Harborough. For World Music check out Farside.
Looking slightly over the border a visit to Black Diamond (Birmigham), Brew Town (Burton on Trent), Carrington (Nottingham), Derby Gaol, Robin Hood (Nottingham), Poppy Folk (West Bridgford), Tiger (Nottingham) or the Great Knight (Northampton) can all be recommended.
Festivals, Dance and Folklore
Festivals include the National Forest Folk Festival in June, Heather near Ashby de la Zouch in July, Moira Furnace in August and the Acoustic Avalon guitar show at Leicester Racecourse in November. Morris and related teams are numerous and diverse. At least fifteen teams dance in different styles, seven Cotswold, three Border and two NW in addition to clog dancing and mummers. Two teams perform different dances in the Winter (Border and Molly) and one team only appears around Plough Monday.Folklore of the area is described in Roy Palmer‘s "The Folklore of Leicestershire and Rutland". Tales and legends abound and ancient sites are scattered across the county. At the Selling of the Wether, you would have been able to a bid for the crop off a piece of land given by John O‘ Gaunt. The Rose & Crown, Leicester, paid its annual peppercorn rent of a penny and a Damask Rose. Whilst these are in abeyance, one custom that is most certainly alive and well is Hallaton Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking. Held on Easter Monday, the Bottle Kicking is a contest between Hallaton and its neighbour Medbourne. Three barrels are fought over and the victors have the glory and the beer contained within one of the barrels. The Hare pie is distributed in front of the church and up on the field of combat. A fine example of a traditional "Ball Game" is Hallaton and there is no place for the feint hearted in the fray. Plough plays have been collected in the Vale of Belvoir and its environs. The Sproxton Play was collected by members of Leicester Morrismen some five decades ago and is still performed by them today.