I've never knowingly heard any of the groups you recommend here

Well you have probably at least heard of one of the Show Of Hands musicains, Phil Beer. I gather Miranda Sykes plays (only sometimes???) with them too - not sure if you would have come accross her but she is a superb bass player and singer.

It's one of those bands to me, excellent musicains but I don't care much for much of the material which to me is more "accoustic pop" than folk music but that's another debate in itself...

Anyway, here is thier site.