English 'folk' music is wrapped in aspic, stuck in a museum and guarded by Folk Riot Police

I don't know when you last went out, Lizzie, and had a listen to what's around the clubs these days. It's not the music that stuck in a museum - the old songs are as lovely as they ever were - and it's all down to the way in which they placed in front of the audience and to the skill of the performer.

I suppose I've heard "A Blacksmith Courted Me", in its various incarnations, by a number of people over the years. I didn't think another version of it could tempt me - and then I heard Chris Bartram do it recently on the "New Midsummer's Day" CD. No accompaniment, just Chris's beautiful, unaffected, direct delivery. Beautiful and timeless.

The said CD, by the way, contains some lovely Shropshire tunes dug out by Neil Brookes and performed by Neil, Chris and Tony Weatherall. The "old stuff" is still evolving, still producing lovely music for those that want to discover it.