live music – Folk Horror Revival & Urban Wyrd Project ⨘

Folk Horror Revival Presents Winter Ghosts 2021.

October 20, 2021October 20, 2021 tombofthegoatlordLeave a comment

Saturday line up.

Solitaire International | Solitaire & Jewellery Magazine- GJEPC India

Sarah Caldwell Steele – Proprietor of The Ebor Jetworks, Gemologist, Jewellery Designer and expert in all things Jet from its chemistry, through its history to its folklore

The Doc Rowe interview: "I've gone to places and missed the ceremony by 19 years because they only do it every 20 years and I'd got the date wrong" - Jon Wilks

Dr Rowe – Folk lore expert. Dr ‘Doc’ Rowe has been documenting British Cultural tradition for nearly sixty years using video, film and photography as well as audio. His unique collection of contemporary and historical material on the traditional culture of the British Isles and Ireland is now housed in Whitby. The strength of the collection lies in its ongoing ‘serial’ fieldwork and regular contact with communities where individual events flourish – hence the material is at once wide-ranging, first hand and constantly updated. A long-term council member of the Folklore Society and Oral History Society, he regularly broadcasts on aspects of folklore and tradition he has also written a number of books and his photographs are regularly published. A teacher, photographer, broadcaster and performer, one major inspiration stems from working with Charles Parker in Radio documentary from the early sixties and in later theatre productions. . As well as a number of one-man exhibitions, he joined artists Alan Kane and Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller in a British Council travelling exhibition ‘Folk Archive: Contemporary Popular Art from the UK’ [2005 and still touring internationally]; he contributed to ‘British Folk Art’ [Tate Britain, 2014] and, more recently, ‘Lore – the Living Archive’ is an Arts Council funded travelling exhibition that curated material from the archive alongside contemporary artists who drew creative inspiration from the archive itself. www.docrowe.org.uk

Shrouded Republic – A performance piece inspired by Rev. Robert Kirk of Aberfoyle author of “The Secret Commonwealth: A Study in Folklore and Psychical Research.” Project Lono is a collaborative collective of musicians and poets experimenting with audio scapes that blend verse, storytelling, song, music and live and recorded sound effects. The Shrouded Republic has been created by Bob Beagrie, Sara Dennis, Kev Howard, Peter Lagan, John Dunleavy and SJ Forth. https://projectlono.bandcamp.com/album/the-shrouded-republic-the-whole-trip

THE DRAGONS OF ALBION by Richard Freeman - The Archaeology and Metal Detecting Magazine

Richard Freeman – Herpetologist, Cryptozoologist and leading expert all things Dragon.

Richard Freeman is a former zookeeper who has worked with over 400 species of animal and has a special interest in crocodiles. He is a full-time cryptozoologist and is the Zoological Director of The Centre for Fortean Zoology, the world’s only professional organization dedicated to searching for unknown species. He has searched for cryptids n five continents and has investigated creatures such as the yeti, the Tasmanian wolf, the orang-pendek, the giant anaconda, the Mongolian deathworm the almasty, the ninki-nanka, the gul and many others. He is currently planing a series of trips in search of giant,man-eating crocodiles. He has lectured widely on cryptozoology at venues such as The Natural History Museum and the Grant Museum of Zoology. He has written a number of books on cryptozoology and folklore as well as horror fiction. His interest in strange creatures stems from a love of classic Doctor Who.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Freeman_%28cryptozoologist%29

Hazelsong Theatre – Talk on John McKinnell with attendant, vaguely tame Wyrm or two. Tales of Wyrms and Dragons have woven their way through the folklore of the North of England and of the borders for generations. Drawing upon a multitude of sources Andy Bates and Linda Richardson will explore these stories and their origins and will track them to their roots in Norse, Anglo Saxon and Celtic literature and iconography Andy and Linda will be accompanied in their presentation by an imposing and unpredictable Wyrm of significant sinuousness.Andy Bates is an archaeologist, a craftsman, a musician, a puppet maker, a writer and performer. He has walked the hills of Northumberland, its fields and its river valleys for decades. He has listened to the voices of wind and water telling their stories and those of folk long gone and those still vital. He has delved into its earth and has witnessed its cradling of the bones of the ancestors. He dug at the Bowl Hole. For Andy and for the troupe, rock cut spirals and waterfalls are songs waiting to be sung. https://bamburghbones.org/projects/hazelsong/

Chris Lambert of The Soulless Party.
A solo piece from the wordsmith and wanderer of The Black Meadow. A mystical place that lies within the wilds of Yorkshire. Author of the Wyrd Kalendar, Chris will fright and delight with his dramatic and immersive storytelling.
Chris is part of the soundscape collective The Soulless Party which also features Kev Oyston.

https://thesoullessparty.bandcamp.com/
https://wyrdkalendar.blogspot.com/

Stream Everyday Dust music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud

Everyday Dust. Electronic musician using synthesizers and mosstronics to soundtrack strange stories. https://soundcloud.com/everyday-dust

Nathalie Stern. Of Swedish origin but now living in Newcastle, Nathalie served her apprenticeship in guitar-based bands such as Candysuck and Lake Me, before looking to traditional Swedish folk roots and more experimental sounds for her debut solo album ‘Firetales’ in 2010. https://nathaliesternmusic.bandcamp.com/music

ATTRITION are pioneers in a darker electronica…Carving out a unique slice of the creative underground for over two decades, fueled by a succession of critically acclaimed albums…selling over 50,000 to date…the band has toured all Europe and North America, Mexico and Asia, appeared at major festivals and had their music included on a number of film soundtracks….
Formed in 1980 by Martin Bowes and Julia Waller in Coventry, England, influenced by a mix of punk ideology and experimental art aesthetics, they emerged as part of the early ’80’s UK Industrial scene alongside contemporaries Test Department, Coil, Legendary Pink dots, In The Nursery, Portion Control et al.
Their music is an undefinable marriage of dark and light…of futures and pasts…probing unexplored sonic landscapes with an eclectic marriage of experimental and traditional sound, of electronics and acoustics, of male and female…. https://attritionuk.bandcamp.com/

Art Exhibition at Flowergate Hall from 30 Oct, please note that all pieces exhibited will be for sale. More information about the art exhibition can be found in the following article. https://folkhorrorrevival.com/2021/10/15/in-search-of-wyrms-and-other-beasties/

Sunday – Ghost story readings at Flowergate Hall.

Tickets are £13.00 and can be bought from https://bit.ly/3rfnLXj

Winter Ghosts 2021 :Wyrms I

October 7, 2021October 7, 2021 fertilitycultLeave a comment



Whisht! Lads, haad yor gobs,An' Aa'll tell ye  'boot the wyrms  ...

On the weekend of 27th & 28th November 2021 Folk Horror Revival are proud to present Winter Ghosts 2021 ~ a veritable feast of Cryptid inspired wonders at Whitby North Yorkshire.
On Saturday 27th 2021 the Metropolitan Ballroom (The Met) will present a fantastic mixture of Talks and Live Music.
Whilst on Sunday 28th 2021, there will be session of story-telling in the Flowergate Hall which will also be hosting a phenomenal Folk Horror Revival otherworldly cryptid Art Exhibition at the time …

In the first of several posts let us introduce you to the wealth of talent that will delight your senses …

A T T R I T I O N

“Inside a cage of sound, Cold waves of electronics are juxtaposed against voices that seep through cracks in the walls of machinery and wires. Lyrics dart out in bullets from soundscapes peppered in sharp vocals and sound bites. A viola plays in the distance, giving life to this inorganic mass…
Such is the imagery that spawns Attrition, who, with its marriage of the classic and modern, has brought to music the equivalent of a surrealist painting. From its earlier sparse and stark soundscapes, to a more expansive palette of orchestral work, Attrition has successfully melded several genres into one. The music flows – from gothic to industrial to experimental to classical – so smoothly, they might as well be making their own category.
With more than twenty albums of constant variety, and an ever-expanding sound, they remain one of music’s darker and fascinating lights.” Akane

ATTRITION are pioneers in a darker electronica. Formed in 1980 in Coventry, England, influenced by a mix of punk ideology and experimental art aesthetics, they emerged as part of the early ’80’s UK Industrial scene alongside contemporaries Coil, Test Department, Legendary Pink Dots, In The Nursery, Portion Control et al.
Founder Martin Bowes has steered the band through a 40 year career, fuelled by a succession of critically acclaimed albums…

The band has regularly toured Europe, North America and South America, Russia and Asia, appeared at major festivals and had their music included on a number of TV and film soundtracks….

Through their career Attrition have worked with musicians as diverse as Wolfgang Flur, psychedelic veterans The Legendary Pink Dot’s , punk legend TV Smith to Franck Dematteis of the Paris Opera.

Attrition’s music has featured on countless releases – from 1984’s “Bullshit detector 3” on Crass records to the hugely successful “Animal liberation” album alongside Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Smiths, Nina Hagen & Lene Lovich etc…

Their song “Acid Tongue” featured on KTEL’s Industrial story CD – a who’s who of industrial music with Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, Ministry, Nitzer Ebb, Neubauten et al…

In Germany Orkus magazine’s Best of the 90’s collection featured their darkwave classic “A girl called harmony”…
Martin’s increasing studio production work at his studio, The Cage, has included mixes for The Damage Manual (Martin Atkins, Jah Wobble, Geordie Walker, Chris Connelly et al…), Die Form, In the Nursery, Black tape for a Blue girl, Mona Mur/En Esch and mastering for countless bands and labels…
He contributes synths and vocals on a song on the last Pigface album, is the narrators voice on US horror series, “C for Chaos”, has written the score to US horror film G.H.O.S.T from Mutantville productions …
Their most recent album, Millions of the Mouthless Dead (inspired by Martin’s grandfathers experiences on the Western Front in 1917) includes collaborations with Anni Hogan (known for her work with Marc Almond through the 80’s) and the legendary Wolfgang Flur (ex-Kraftwerk)…

ATTRITION toured in the UK, Italy, New Zealand, Transylvania, Canada and Japan in 2018/19, and are currently working on an all new album for release later in 2021: The Black Maria.
Meanwhile setting up shows around the world in support of it…

“Attrition have always been a nexus of industrial fury, gothic drama, ambient structural finesse and classical chamber orchestrations. Stunning in scope, character and intellect, Martin Bowes has been a paragon of true creative prowess, holding in two hands the past and future of music, and smashing them together with a calculated and charismatic menace. Bowes builds his dark industrial music with all the compassion and attention to detail of a classical musician…”

Official website
w ww.attrition.co.uk
Facebook
www.facebook.com/ATTRITIONMUSIC

Dr ‘Doc’ Rowe has been documenting British Cultural tradition for nearly sixty years using video, film and photography as well as audio. His unique collection of contemporary and historical material on the traditional culture of the British Isles and Ireland is now housed in Whitby. The strength of the collection lies in its ongoing ‘serial’ fieldwork and regular contact with communities where individual events flourish – hence the material is at once wide-ranging, first hand and constantly updated. A long-term council member of the Folklore Society and Oral History Society, he regularly broadcasts on aspects of folklore and tradition he has also written a number of books and his photographs are regularly published. A teacher, photographer, broadcaster and performer, one major inspiration stems from working with Charles Parker in Radio documentary from the early sixties and in later theatre productions. . As well as a number of one-man exhibitions, he joined artists Alan Kane and Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller in a British Council travelling exhibition ‘Folk Archive: Contemporary Popular Art from the UK’ [2005 and still touring internationally]; he contributed to ‘British Folk Art’ [Tate Britain, 2014] and, more recently, ‘Lore – the Living Archive’ is an Arts Council funded travelling exhibition that curated material from the archive alongside contemporary artists who drew creative inspiration from the archive itself. www.docrowe.org.uk

‘Wyrms and Dragons of the Northlands’

By Andy Bates and Linda Richardson of Hazelsong Theatre

Tales of wyrms and dragons have woven their through the folklore of the North of England and of the Borders for generations. Drawing upon a multitude of sources, Andy Bates and Linda Richardson will explore these stories and their origins and will track them to their roots in Norse, Anglo Saxon and Celtic literature and iconography.

Andy and Linda will be accompanied in their presentation by an imposing and unpredictable wyrm of significant sinuousness.

Andy Bates is an archaeologist, a craftsman, a puppet maker and a performer. Linda Richardson is an artist, a costume maker, a performer and a writer. Together they are half of Hazelsong Theatre, whose work is rooted in the songs, stories, myth and folklore of the North and the Borderlands. The troupe creates performances which bring together storytelling, music, puppetry, theatre and ritual and all borne of the knowledge that these stories and songs are vital and very much alive. Hazelsong is working at the edge of the village, where the human world meets the wild and the imaginal, and where there is so much at stake.

Hazelsong

Chris Lambert of The Soulless Party presents:

March of the Meadow Hags

“I bit into a pear once and tasted nothing but blood and gristle.” (from a conversation with an old man by Stanley Coulton.)

An audio visual and musical experience in which one of the strangest and darkest chapters in the history of the Black Meadow is explored.

Stay out of the mist…

Chris Lambert has been writing since 1991, creating plays for Tilt, Voice, Workswell Productions and his own company Exiled Theatre. He won the 2012 Reading playwright competition, Off the Block. Since then he has turned his hand to short stories and is completely stuck on his novel. Chris is part of The Soulless Party and has been working with Yorkshire musician Kev Oyston on the Black Meadow project inspired by the strange folk tales surrounding the North York Moors. He is founder member of experimental Mummer troupe The Mummers and the Pappers who have made appearances at two Delaware Road festivals. He has curated two albums “Songs from the Black Meadow” and “Wyrd Kalendar” for Mega Dodo that include tracks by The Hare and the Moon, Tir Na Nog, The Rowan Amber Mill, Alison O’Donnell, Concretism and Keith Seatman. He has had the pleasure of being Master of Ceremonies for Folk Horror Revival at the British Museum, Edinburgh and Whitby Winter Ghosts and for Mega Dodo and Fruits de La Mer at Séance at Syds. Chris is also a secondary school Drama and Film Teacher and occasionally dabbles in sound art.

Published works by Chris Lambert include: “Tales from the Black Meadow”, “The Black Meadow Archive – Volume 1”, “Christmas on the Black Meadow”, Songs from the Black Meadow” and “The Comic Mystery Plays” published by Exiled. His selection of short stories “Wyrd Kalendar” (illustrated by Andy Paciorek) is published by Wyrd Harvest Press. The plays “Ship of Fools”, “The Simple Process of Alchemy”, “Ugga (A play about a boy with a paper bag on his head)” and “Loving Chopin” are all published by Stagescripts. His short stories “First Step” and “Treehouse” have been published in “The Dead Files” anthologies volumes IV and V; “The Catalogue” and “Pilot” in “Tales of the Damned”; “The Eight Words” in “Dark Spirits”; “The Patient” and “The Most Precious Possession” in The Ghastling.

More to come …
Book Tickets – Here £13
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/winter-ghosts-2021-folk-horror-revival-has-wyrms-tickets-162971928425

For Further Information contact Kt Mehers at folkhorrorrevival@gmail.com

Wyrms at Winter Ghosts ~ T-Shirts and Live Event

August 30, 2021August 30, 2021 fertilitycult

Wyrm logo & poster by Cobweb Mehers. Sun symbol by Andy Paciorek

Winter Ghosts at Whitby returns this year at the Metropole ballroom on Saturday 27th November featuring talks and live music & performances.

There will also be ghost story readings at Flowergate Hall on Sunday 28th November.

There will also be a Cryptid / folkloric creature themed art exhibition running at Flowergate Hall from October 30th to November 28th.

Participating artists are ~

The Art of Valerie Herron

The Art of Andy Paciorek

David Seed fine art

Eolith Designs

Laura Jeacock Artwork

Kelda Sprotson

John Chadwick

Jane Barnett – Brigante Textile Arts

Debra Snow

Katie Metcalfe

Tanith Hicks

Tickets for Winter Ghosts Available Here

T-shirts featuring the Winter Ghosts 2021. Ouroboros Wyrm design are available mail order.

Universal T in Black with yellow front print which have a fluorescence under UV light
Sizes available are:
M L XL XXL

UK price
T Shirt =£15.00
P&P= £4.00

Pricing in USD:
T Shirt = $21.00
Shipping = $5.50

Contact Kt. Mehers by email at folkhorrorrevival@gmail.com
To order T Shirt and / or for more information about the Winter Ghosts Event.

The Gallows Pole & The Shining Levels : Review and Interview

January 15, 2020January 15, 2020 fertilitycultLeave a comment

Never judge a book by its cover or so ‘they’ say … whomever ‘they’ are, ‘they’ don’t always get it right. The cover artwork of Benjamin Myer’s 2017 novel ‘The Gallows Pole’ designed by Delaney Williams captivated me at first sight. Instant reaction was that this wasn’t a new book but was one of Penguin books vintage green mystery and crime series and indeed though differing in time setting from the 20th Century noir of the majority of the Penguin books, ‘The Gallows Pole’ would be a more than worthy addition to the series. There is a ‘folk horror’ sensibility also to the artwork and within the novel itself there is an element of this sub-genre. Telling the tale of ‘King’ David Hartley, leader of the Cragg Vale Coiners, a troop of currency forgers living and working on the West Yorkshire Moors in the 18th Century, the sense of place and landscape is integral to the tale and this would in itself lend itself well to the folk horror reader but the visions of David Hartley and his reverence to a stag entity tie a tighter knot – as does the unfolding brutality as an outside agency heads north to the barren heaths to investigate the crimes against the crown. Myer’s writing itself is visionary and atmospheric, transporting the reader to the time and place of the harsh drama, which itself is inspired by true events. The dark mystique of the cover indeed is highly evocative of the tale that Myers spins with great craft and gravity.

Benjamin Myers’ roots lie in the soil of County Durham, as does those of Folk Horror Revival and also of The Shining Levels, a band that inspired by Myer’s novel have created a beautiful album of music and lyrics also entitled The Gallows pole.
Having had the good fortune to see The Shining Levels perform live at The Old Cinema Launderette in Durham and at the lovely Victorian library in Darlington as part of the Hark music and literature event, I urge anyone who gets chance to see The Shining Levels in concert to do so as their live performance brings a further element of beauty and depth to the stunning creation that is The Gallows Pole.

Folk Horror Revival were honoured to have The Shining Levels answer a few of our queries …

Folk Horror Revival: How did the collaboration with Ben Myers to produce a concept album inspired by his book The Gallows Pole come about?

The Shining Levels: The idea was first mentioned by Dan as a solution to me (Davey) whining about going through a creative void. It was a real light-bulb moment and the obvious thing was to create the album together which is exactly what we did once we had Ben’s permission and blessing to do so. He’d actually forgotten all about it and was genuinely shocked when I said it was nearly finished and could I get him to do a short piece of spoken word on it. Thankfully he really liked what we’d done and was happy to be associated with it. He was also very flattered that his book had inspired others to create their own work. Then we were then lucky enough to be taken on by our fantastic label Outre who did a great job of releasing a beautiful vinyl for us.

FHR: What is it about The Gallows Pole novel that you find particularly evocative and inspirational?

TSL: There is so much to delve into, the story of these poor people being able to stick it to a government that doesn’t care for them really resonated with us. There are so many defined characters with their own interesting storylines and there are several themes running through the book that really matter to people, like corruption, solidarity, treachery… I could go on. But when you add the thread of the supernatural, King David’s frightening visions of Stag Men and the alchemy of the coin replication it takes it to another level. And I shouldn’t forget to mention the way Ben writes and describes the landscape, it’s like another character, as a songwriter it’s a gift to turn a landscape into a soundscape.

FHR: Yourselves and Ben Myers hail from Durham (as incidentally do the founders of the Folk Horror Revival project); what is it about the county and / or city that you think inspires art of such a nature?

TSL: As I mentioned landscape is very important and we are lucky to have such beautiful surroundings here. From rich woodland to beautiful moorland and rolling hills, all mixed together. I’m a regular visitor to it all and I think you can feel its history coming up through your feet. Whether that is strolling the riverbanks in the city or moving further to the outskirts and hills, there are ghosts of our past right there. One day we’ll all be ghosts of it too so creating art out of that inspiration is very satisfying.

Not to forget the people, Durham has unique character and references. The city is very small so there are many cross connections and small degrees of separation. It’s a place with a full spectrum of characters to draw inspiration from.

FHR: Does your band name relate to the book ‘The Shining Levels’ by John Wyatt about his transition to rural life in the Lake District, or indeed the name applied to the lakes and tarns of Cumbria? Is this a book of any significance to you or did you come about the band name for a different reason?

TSL: Ben gave me a copy of that book about 20 years ago and I loved it. We’d virtually finished the album before we arrived at our name. We were throwing names back and forth over text and email, between me and Dan and then myself and Ben and that one came up. I believe it was one of Ben’s ideas as I’d asked him for his thoughts and we immediately all agreed on that. The imagery it evokes and the fact it has a literary connection. It sounds bright, hopeful and grand to me. Ben gifted it to me twice.

FHR: You recently performed live at the Hark event at Darlington Library which brought music and literature together as its theme and of course The Gallows Pole revolves around Ben’s novel; Are there any other books that you find of great inspiration or influence? Would you consider doing other albums pertaining to particular books?

TSL: I love the concept of art forms connecting and crossing over. Art inspiring art. I think we’re going to see more cross pollination in the future so it feels natural that we would follow up on the success of The Gallows Pole album with another literary connection which is what we are doing now.

Personally, I buy/receive more books than I have time to read which is ridiculous. I’m a bit of a geek so my go to choice is generally sci – fi/fantasy fiction though I do read other genres and non – fiction too. I think music could be written to any book you like. That’s why we’re careful to use the term ‘Inspired by’ rather than suggest it’s a soundtrack.

FHR: What plans lie ahead for The Shining Levels?

TSL: In 2020 we plan on playing many more live events and will hopefully both finish and release our next album which we’re hard at work with now. Something different but it will still very definitely sound like us.

(A little birdy has chirped that The Shining Levels may be seen and heard at Folk Horror Revival’s Winter Ghosts event in Whitby in November … touchwood … keep watching this space …)

To listen to and buy a digital download of The Shining Levels – The Gallows Pole visit here – https://theshininglevels1.bandcamp.com/album/the-gallows-pole-ost

To purchase the album on vinyl –
www.piccadillyrecords.com/counter/product.php?pid=129015

or www.normanrecords.com/records/175729-the-shining-levels-the-gallows-pole

Contact – theshininglevelsband@gmail.com
outredisque.com/the-shining-levels
Twitter
Facebook

Image © Kevin McGonnell

The Gallows Pole book is published by Bloomsbury and is available here and other on and offline bookshops.

Ben Myers website
Twitter

Contact – Ben Myers : For all literary enquiries please contact Jessica Woollard: jessicawoollard@davidhigham.co.uk

For all publicity enquiries (interviews, review copies, events) please contact Philippa Cotton at Bloomsbury Publishing: Philippa.cotton@bloomsbury.com

For all TV/radio/broadcast rights enquiries: clareisrael@davidhigham.co.uk

Also available …

Winter Ghosts ~ 2019 ~

December 19, 2019 fertilitycultLeave a comment

Just to say a huge Thank You to Kt & Cobweb Mehers, Darren Charles, John Chadwick – The Doorman, The Met Lounge & Ballroom, Esk Audio Ltd, The Ballroom at Hetty & Betty, George Cromack, Sarah Caldwell Steele, Peter Kennedy, Professor Barbara Ravelhofer (and team), Al Ridenour and Lauren from LA Krampus Run, Elaine Edmunds and Laurence Mitchell for The Whitby Krampusae and The Threshold Art Exhibition, Chris Lambert, Bob Fischer, Nigel, Kev Oyston of The Soulless Party, Burd Ellen, Big Hogg, Unearthing Forgotten Horrors, Hombre Verdąd, Scarlett Amaris, Melissa Saint-Hilaire, Gary Parsons, Mark Goodall, George Firth and finally our Founder The Art of Andy Paciorek

Big Thanks also to everyone who braved the cold nights, sea fret, Transylvanian vampires, gytrashes, amorous seamen, Padfoot, Bearded Fred and other perils to attend Winter Ghosts.
Hope you enjoyed it.

FOLKLORE ON SCREEN: Conference reflection

September 16, 2019September 16, 2019 fertilitycultLeave a comment

Friday 13th 2019 came with the Hunter’s Moon and Scooby Doo and the gang were celebrating 50 years of ghost-busting and so too began the 2 day Folklore On Screen Convention organised by David Clarke, Diane Rodgers and Andrew Robinson of the Centre For Contemporary Legend at Sheffield Hallam University.

Folk Horror Revival were honoured to have a presence there in form of myself founder Andy Paciorek talking about British Dystopia in relation to our side project the Urban Wyrd. Therefore it would be biased for me to pen a review as such but instead I present this as a reflection on what was a fantastic weekend.

The event kicked off with Mikel Koven’s talk Return of The Living Slave: Jordan Peele’s Get Out as a Zombie Film, which gave a very interesting consideration on the subject matter with relation to both traditional magical beliefs and also modern culture.
Get Out Topples The LEGO Batman Movie at the Box Office - IGN

Image: Get Out

Image ; Mikel Koven by Centre for Contemporary Legend

From there we entered into the Monster Mash the first featured panel of the weekend with Matthew Cheeseman’s Dracula’s Fangs talk leading us from the vampire’s dentiture into Derby’s utterly bizarre House of Holes – an adult entertainment crazy golf club and bar. Housed in a haunted building that in a previous incarnation many moons earlier was one of the first theatres to present the stage play adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula. From the images of the ‘murder hole’ the surreal, quirkily disturbing featuring a host of punctured inflatable sex dolls, it would seem the spirit of the vampiric count maybe got a shock sinking his fangs into the necks of these ‘voluptuous’ maidens.

Photo: Matthew Cheeseman by Diane A. Rodgers

Sneak peek inside adults-only crazy golf course opening in ...

House of Holes. Derby – photo via https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/

Craig Ian Mann then followed this with Pack Mentality: A Cultural Approach to the Werewolf Film in the 1970s, which as well as reminding me of some films I haven’t seen since I was a child and introducing me to a few unfamiliar ones, brought a smile to my face in seeing the fantastic poster Werewolves on Wheels (1971) displayed in the presentation. It is not a film that was really in the Oscars running of that year but I do think it deserves more than its 4.3 IMDB rating … well maybe… With its dark age of Aquarius subtext and the presence of a satanic cult, Werewolves on Wheels deserves to be more widely known among the folk horror community too, if only as a peculiar guilty pleasure.

Image: Werewolves on Wheels

Rebecca Bannon then brought us Ghost of the Past Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Liminality which discussed the haunting of the titular character and director Tim Burton’s aesthetic approach in bringing what was a rather corporeal down and dirty tale of cannibalism to the screen as an opulently Gothic ghostly musical.

Related image

Image: Sweeney Todd

Then followed the parallel panels of the day. As it was unfortunately not possible to see all talks and difficult to choose which to watch, I will give the running list here but can only pass comment on those I saw; but from the engaged and enthusiastic conversations which surrounded the breaks in the event, it would appear that all the talks went down well and touched aspects of different people’s psyches.

Capture

From the birth of a modern mass panic that arose from a strange piece of to the cursed tales of Crying Boy paintings (which although being rather kitsch in style and with a grisly reputation of misfortune surrounding them I’d rather quite like one) to finding out about a dark artist previously unfamiliar to me but one whose work has intrigued me since and is something I brought away from the conference in my mind and perhaps under my skin.

Image result for crying boy painting

Image by Bragolin

Photo by Centre For Folklore, Myth & Magic

Image by Peter Booth

Photo: Momo from Stella Gaynor’s talk

Then the talks ended for the day but not the entertainment as the night treated us to excellent music sets by Hawthonn, Phil Tyler and Sharron Kraus

And also a specially brewed beer for the weekend!!

Photo by Diane A. Rodgers

The next morning brought the Haunted Generation of which I was delighted to be a part. Talking about nuclear war and the end of the world should perhaps not be so enjoyable but sharing the panel with the founding father of Hookland David Southwell and Fortean Times The Haunted Generation’s Bob Fischer was an absolute pleasure and the talks they both gave were fantastic.

Photo: Bob Fischer by Centre for Folklore, Myth & Magic

Photo: David Southwell by Diane A. Rodgers

Photo: Andy Paciorek by Centre for Folklore, Myth & Magic

Photo: The Haunted (Re)Generations by Adam Spellicy
Capture2
Capture3

Then followed the Parallel Panels, which again it would’ve been nice to bi-locate like Padre Pio to see all, but between the two lecture halls were discussions on topics ranging from Cat People to the Wickerman to Invisible Women to the Children of the Stones. Devils, Witches, Fairies, Foundlings, Holy Fools and UFOs all put in an appearance in some fantastic talks.

Photo: Tom Clark – The Devil Made me do it by Centre for Folklore, Myth & Magic

Photo: Evelyn Koch by Diane A Rodgers

Photo: Andrew Robinson by Diane A. Rodgers

The convention was rounded off with Helen Wheatley’s Haunted Landscapes: Trauma and Grief in the Contemporary Television Ghost Story which featured some of the beautiful cinematography and aesthetics that accompany modern telly’s tales of haunted places and haunted minds.

Photo: Helen Wheatley by Diane A. Rodgers

A great weekend filled with intriguing talks, evocative music and some very interesting and fun conversations.

A big Thank You and Congratulations to Centre for Contemporary Legend for hosting a great event and hopefully more to come.

Photo: Diane A. Rodgers by Paul Dorrington

Urban Wyrd: Folklore On Screen

September 10, 2019September 10, 2019 fertilitycult

via GIPHY

Folk Horror Revival founder Andy Paciorek will be talking at the Centre For Contemporary Legend’s Folklore on Screen conference on

Friday 13^th– Saturday 14^th September 2019,

Sheffield Hallam University, South Yorkshire, England, UK.

Andy will be appearing on the Saturday speaking about Urban Wyrd: Dystopia and Apocalypse on British TV and will be forming part of a Hauntology panel alongside Hookland’s David Southwell and The Haunted Generation’s Bob Fischer.

Full line-up and ticket details here – https://contemporarylegend.co.uk/events/
The Friday night also includes a great music event featuring Sharron Kraus, Hawthonn and Kath & Phil Tyler

Witch Cults – The Melmoth the Wanderer mix

June 27, 2018June 30, 2018 skaldsummerisle

This mix has been compiled to mark the forthcoming Folk Horror Revival event – Witch Cults. It fatures all the artists who will be appearing at the event plus samples from the films and dramatic performances that will be featured –

Marcus H
Hokano
Black Mountain Transmission
Georgia Seddon
The Heartwood Institute
Nathalie Stern
Peg Powler

Witchcraft 70, Simon the King of the Witches and Tracey Norman’s WITCH.

The event takes place at Star and Shadow cinema in Newcastle on 14th July.
Full Day Tickets are now available for £17.50
Individual Afternoon and Night tickets are £12.50 each,
Available now from Eventbrite.

Witch~Cults ~ Bargain Savings

June 22, 2018June 25, 2018 fertilitycultLeave a comment

Great news!! Witch~Cult Tickets are now available at a great discount rate.

Full Day Tickets are now available for £17.50
Individual Afternoon and Night tickets are £12.50 each,
Available now from ~ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/folk-horror-revival-presents-witch-cults-tickets-45698031041

Theatre – Art – Performance …
Sumer is icumin in …
Star & Shadow Cinema – Newcastle upon Tyne – Saturday 14th July 2018

Speakers: Diane Purkiss –
Gail-Nina Anderson –
Darren Charles –

Poetry reading by Bob Beagrie

Music from: Black Mountain Transmitter, The Heartwood Institute, Nathalie Stern, Georgia Seddon, Hokano, Peg Powler, and Marcus H.

Feature Films: Simon King of the Witches and Angeli Bianchi…. Angeli Neri (Witchcraft 70)

Short Films: Bella in the Wych Elm, Thelema, Conjuration, and American Witch

Theatre: Tracey Norman’s WITCH – performed by Circle of Spears Productions

compere ~ Andy Paciorek, with the launch of The Wytch Hunters’ Manual ( a new book by Dr Bob Curran + Andy Paciorek)

5 hours of film including 2 full length features and a number of shorts with 2 showings, 12pm to 5pm and 7pm to 12am.

A wide variety of fascinating talks and lectures on Witches and Witchcraft running from 12pm to 5pm.

An array of musical talent performing live for your delectation from 7pm to 1am.

Over 18s only.

Tickets available now from here

The Witch~Cults are calling …

June 16, 2018 fertilitycultLeave a comment

Gather one … gather all …
The witches are gathering –
Folk Horror Revival is proud to present Witch~Cults – a day and night of wondrous entertainments at the Star & Shadow in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Featuring –
Talks by the eminent writers and lecturers ~
Diane Purkiss – Gail Nina Anderson – Darren Charles

Poetry by Bob Beagrie (with musical accompaniment by Peter Lagan).

Theatre – Tracey Norman’s ‘WITCH’

Live Music – Black Mountain Transmitter – Georgia Seddon (+ hopefully a very special guest) – Nathalie Stern – The Heartwood Institute – Peg Powler – Hokano – Marcus H

Movies – Simon. King of the Witches – Witchcraft 70
Short Films – Who Put Bella in the Witch Elm – American Witch – Thelema – Conjuration.

Compere – Andy Paciorek – featuring the book launch of ‘The Wytch Hunter’s Handbook’ by Dr Bob Curran and Andy Paciorek. Wyrd Harvest Press.

There are 3 types of ticket available –
Afternoon Ticket – £12.50 (Talks, films and poetry + Peg Powler )
Evening ticket- £15.00 (Live Music)

All Day Ticket – £25.00

To book tickets –

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/folk-horror-revival-presents-witch-cults-tickets-45698031041

Please come along … we won’t burn you …