Richard Stewart, Kimpton Folk Festival Trustee, looks forward to seeing Ewan McLennan...
I first saw and heard Ewan McLennan at Watford Folk Club in 2015. Steve and I had just turned up at Watford on that Friday night, not being sure who was performing – and we were taken aback by Ewan’s skill as a guitarist and singer, and the unique (somewhat spell-binding) atmosphere he created through his songs. His distinctive freestyle guitar wove around his thoughtful lyrics and we were a bit captivated.
Ewan has written outstanding songs (my strong favourite is ‘Out on the Banks’ – a story about ‘growing up in Edinburgh’ remembered) and performs refreshingly imaginative versions of old Scottish and other songs. He’s won the prestigious Horizon Award at the BBC Folk Awards, two Spiral Earth awards, the Alistair Hulett Memorial Prize for Political Songwriting and has taken part in the acclaimed Transatlantic Sessions. Ewan’s songs are rooted in the tradition of folk music as social commentary.
Ewan’s most recent project, entitled Breaking the Spell of Loneliness, is a collaborative tour and album with renowned author and journalist George Monbiot, seeking to use music and word to open up the issue of loneliness and community.
We are very fortunate to have booked Ewan for the 2017 Kimpton Folk Festival – so don’t miss him! Ewan is headlining the final Concert in the Church (4.30-7.00pm).
Richard Stewart
