Martin Carthy Celebrates His 85th Birthday With Massive Box Set

June 30, 2026

One of the most respectable figures in British folk and folk rock circles, Martin Carthy somehow remains more of a hidden treasure in comparison to such his colleagues as Ashley Hutchings and Dave Swarbrick both of whom shared a stage and record space with this singer-songwriter. Many people don’t even remember Carthy’s stints with STEELEYE SPAN and THE ALBION BAND, yet Martin’s solo work is well-loved, and though there’s only so many times one may want to listen to “Sovay” that’s became a staple of his repertoire, following its permutations through the years must be part of the pleasures “Along The Road Forever: Live At The BBC 1965-2022” – a forthcoming box set, comprised of twenty CDs – offers.

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THE SPECIALS Remember Their Hometown Run Of Shows

June 29, 2026

Terry Hall’s untimely passing in December of 2022 signaled the end of THE SPECIALS, yet the English ensemble’s fans can’t let go of their memories, and when Sky Arts aired the “Live From Coventry Cathedral” film in December 2024, the demand for the recording of the band’s return to the two-tone hometurf to be issued became obvious. And where’s demand there’s supply, so July 10th will see the release of the “Live From The Cathedral” collection.

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AGITATION FREE Return To Their Old Stomping Ground To Record A Concert

June 28, 2026

There’s a few AGITATION FREE on-stage report in existence, yet most of them capture the Krautrock ensemble’s past, rather then the veterans’ latter-day endeavors, 2011’s "Shibuya Nights" being a notable exception. Fans may also recall “Live At Kesselhaus” from 2016, although that seemed to be a digital-only release, as the CD-R variant wasn’t aimed at large audience. Which is why “Live In Berlin” – hailing from the same venue in German capital, too, and scheduled for July 10th – feels so important.

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Peter Hammill Laments Temporal Fissures

June 27, 2026

Peter Hammill has never seemed to be in a hurry to surrender to his followers’ expectations, and he’s not about to change such an approach even at seventy-seven, the age when anyone’s sense of mortality is apt to get heightened. Still, the British artist always demonstrated an uncanny ability to locate himself in sequential and spatial terms, from “Afterwards” onwards to here and now. It’s hardly surprising that the titles of the veteran’s last records – including “In Disequilibrium” and “In Translation” as well as a recent reissue of “In A Foreign Town” – contained the same preposition. And the “In” is also present in the title of his forthcoming album, although there’s an ambiguity about “Tears In Time” where the first word can mean different things and sound differently too.

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TEN YEARS AFTER Add Mysterious Demo To The “Cricklewood Green” Reissue

June 26, 2026

A steady reissue programme of TEN YEARS AFTER‘s classics – which featured a fresh reassessment of "A Space In Time" and "Ssssh" – is to bring forth a belated 55-anniversary edition of the British band’s first album from 1970, “Cricklewood Green” (presumably, “Watt” that was their second in that year will be next in line and fill the gap in it). Out on August 28th, the deluxe variant looks great – and feels like a missed opportunity.

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