New Music: June Swoon – Queen of Hearts

Followers of the blog will know I’m a big fan June Swoon, real name Juli Lydell. Back in 2019, I discovered her through premiering her awesome track Marrying Kind. This was followed by a review of her album, which I still listen to today, This Town Could Be Big Enough For The Both Of Us. There’s been more reviews since and she was even a guest on our podcast. Now she’s back with a new track called Queen of Hearts. Continue reading “New Music: June Swoon – Queen of Hearts”

Review: The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff at York Theatre Royal

Hailed as a ‘new and unique piece of modern Folk Theatre’ The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff celebrates working-class activism. It is a true story of the struggle against poverty and unemployment beginning in Stockton on Tees but reflects the history of all the country and the suffering felt by those involved in the depression. The tale tells of Hunger marches, the mass Trespass Movement and the battle of Cable Street against Mosley and the British fascists. Johnny Longstaff is the working-class hero of the times and through his personal experiences, gives a terrific insight into the reality of Britain before the Second World War.

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