Here's a great article that Clare wrote for Unstrung Heroes... it ensured a full to overflowing evening - it appears by kind permission of The Western Evening Herald.

An illustrious folk trio by the name of Unstrung Heroes makes its debut headlining appearance at Folk On The Moor at the Westward Inn, Lee Mill this Sunday. ( March 21st )

Newly formed they may be, but with over 100 years of playing experience, not to mention thousands of gigs between them, these "old timers" offer a wealth of musical expertise in a plethora of forms.

The Westward Inn will most probably echo to the sound of Irish jigs and reels as well as pure English folk, hornpipes, blues and ragtime ditties plus Appalachian songs, Texan-swing/waltzes and even a bit of jazz.

Followers of the folk scene will recognise most of the band members.

On lead vocals concertina, and spoons there's Geoff Lakeman, father of folk's leading lights Seth, Sean and Sam.

Geoff and his wife, the boys' mum, Joy, were stalwarts of the London folk scene in their youth, before moving west in the Eighties. Quickly integrating into the folk scene here they became residents of the Navy Pub folk club on the Barbican and Folk On The Moor, as members of the much loved Dockyard and Warships.

In recent years, Geoff has been performing Twenties and Thirties Tin Pan Alley tunes as a member of Speakeasy, but was keen to get back into playing folk again.

"The excuse to form a band came about when we discovered Pete Acty, 'hiding' down the road from us in Dousland. He moved there to be on Dartmoor with his wife who is an artist, but hadn't performed for about five years," says Geoff.

A wonderful guitarist and five-string frailing banjo player, he was a founder member of Magpie Lane, played on at least 15 albums.

Completing the trio is Steve Potter, who also performs in Speakeasy, has been a regular of the local scene for 35 years and is a hugely versatile musician capable of playing everything from Renaissance to rock.

"It was a question of starting back at the beginning," says Geoff. "We weren't arrogant enough to think otherwise, so we had to do some floor spots around the folk clubs to get ourselves known."

As a result, they secured themselves several gigs including the Barleyfolk at Liskeard on May 26, the Exmoor Folk Festival, Dulverton on May 29, and they've even been booked to play Plymouth Pavilions – for the beer festival on July 16.

"There are all sorts of different styles of music in the set," enthuses Geoff, "up-tempo rag-times and reels, but also slow ones – what we call listening tunes. We do traditional Cornish and Devon songs, there's also some Irish stuff in there, plus I'm a big fan of Jimmie Rogers – we play his songs in Speakeasy and we also do his tunes Blue Eyed Jane and Any Old Time, in this band, but with more of a folk/country feel."

Ye Lovers All by Len Graham plus Richard Thompson's Waltzing's For Dreamers are also likely to receive an airing.

"We came across a rare Dylan song, which he wrote in 1963 and has only ever performed twice in public. Called Lay Down Your Weary Tune, it strikes a real chord and will hopefully become our signature tune…"

Geoff is a mean songwriter himself, so will they be including any of his tunes?

"I think we may resurrect a few that I wrote years ago," says Geoff, "which people will have either not have heard before, or will have forgotten, so they'll seem new!"

One self-penned track he is particularly looking forward to performing – which was written about an accident at the Drakewall's Mine, Gunnislake, in 1908 – hints at where Seth's passion for preserving true life tales in song comes from.

"It's a fantastic story, which I researched in the library, about two men, John Rule and William Bart, who were buried alive in the mine. For some reason no one told the mining inspector and they were left down there for days. But then the local blacksmith came up with a way of putting a piece of two inch pipe down so they had oxygen, while they figured a way to get them out. They were eventually liberated at midnight and thousands gathered with candles to observe, but they were all told to remain absolutely silent, so as not to further traumatise the pair. It must have been very eerie to emerge to total silence. Despite their rescue, they both died young anyway, as not many years later, one guy drowned himself and the other was blown up in an explosion in a gold mine in South Africa."

CLARE ROBINSON interviewing GEOFF LAKEMAN

Here's a fine review that Clare did for Vin's last gig - it appears by kind permission of The Western Evening Herald.

When the man who first introduced me to folk music as the last bastion of free speech arrives in the region, wild horses wouldn't keep me from the gig.

As a fledgling folkie, having dared to quit the security of the day job at ICI, Vin Garbutt performed some of his first gigs at my school in the home town of Middlesbrough we both share.

So heartfelt, sincere and powerful were those performances that flagged up the issues that mattered, like unemployment and pollution, they have stayed with me ever since.

In the intervening years Vin has gone on to fulfil that early potential and to stamp his mark indelibly not only on the British folk scene but around the world.

So it was a thrill for me to be able to catch him at The Westward Inn, Lee Mill, the relatively new and wonderfully atmospheric home of Folk On The Moor, playing to a sell out crowd on Sunday.

Floor spots from club stalwarts Ben Campbell - singing a couple of finely crafted compositions - writing partner Graham Searle - who gave us a beautiful poem, completed only the day before - and Hilary from Dorset - delivering a couple of exquisite unaccompanied trad ditties - got the evening off to a flying start.

Leading with his 'theme song' of 'The Land of Three Rivers 'where the Tyne, Wear and Tees meet the north rolling sea…', Vin proceeded to take us on his usual emotional rollercoaster ride throughout his set.

Stand out track Morning Informs, the heart-wrenching tale of marital break-up and consequences, was superbly articulated and movingly delivered - as was Punjabi Girl, the equally powerful tale of cross-cultural marriage that united two young people but divided both families. New track The Bloom of the Broom attacked the unnecessary use of harmful herbicides to eradicate unwanted shrubs while a funky folk tune, gently highlighted the plight of Philippino maids.

Thought-provoking and often emotive though his songs were, and always delivered with every last emotional sinew in his body, Vin's ability to lighten the load with hilarious inter-song patter proved yet again well worthy of any stand up comedian.

Themes this time around were less to do with his heart op, and more about local identity - are we from Teesside or Cleveland? No, now it's Tees Valley apparently!

Wherever it is, this consummate composer, performer and all-round entertainer demonstrated to his Devon fans that he is still one of the very best the folk scene has to offer.

Book early for his next visit.

CLARE ROBINSON