Folk duo return in fine form

Oct 27 2006 By Steve Johnson, Birmingham Mail

ONE of the most well-known, long-running and popular duos on the folk scene make a welcome appearance in Birmingham tomorrow.

Chris While and Julie Matthews have been at the forefront of folk music for a decade and their gig at the award-winning Red Lion Folk Club in Kings Heath should guarantee a bumper crowd.

Their visit to the popular Birmingham club - voted the BBC Radio 2 Folk Club of the Year in February - coincides with the release of an excellent "Best Of" compilation which is a glorious celebration of their glittering career.

The Best of While and Matthews is the seventh album from the duo and includes 15 of their greatest songs.

The selection, personally chosen by Chris and Julie, stand out not only because they are favoured by the song-writing duo themselves, but have also been singled out for their continuing popularity with live audiences across the globe.

Chris and Julie's musical partnership began in the mid-90s, when they were both members of the Albion Band.

They left that band in 1997 to concentrate on their work as a duo and have gone on to terrific success, receiving six nominations in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards since the prestigious ceremony was introduced in 1999.

Their lovely songs have been covered by top artists including Mary Black, Frances Black, Christine Collister and the evergreen Fairport Convention and the likeable pairing have toured throughout the UK, Europe, North America, New Zealand and Australia.

Chris, who also teams up with Julie for the seasonal band St Agnes Fountain, together with Blue Tapestry - a celebration of the glorious songs of Joni Mitchell and Carole King - was recently invited to take the late and sadly missed Sandy Denny's role as lead singer with Fairport for the 40th anniversary of the groundbreaking Liege and Lief album.

And Julie recently wrote 10 new songs for the excellent Radio Ballads series on Radio 2.

Doors at the Red Lion open at 7.30pm for an 8.15pm start. You can pay on the door or to guarantee admission book in advance on 0121 202 5000.