After its broadcast by BBC Radio 6 on Christmas Day the rather fine Folk Horror Christmas Special episode of Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone show is currently available to listen to online:
“Light the fire and huddle round for two hours of eerily beautiful experimental music on a dark winter’s night. Telling spooky tales at Christmas time originally became a tradition in Victorian England, as it gave people something to do during the long, dark evenings before electricity, and people didn’t necessarily have to be literate to retell the local ghost story. Stuart nods to this custom of yesteryear with two hours of haunting folk gems from The Wicker Man, Shirley Collins, Matt Berry and more.”
And in a bonus Christmas present kind of a way, the A Year In The Country track “Where Once We Wandered Free” from the 2016 album The Forest / The Wald is included as the final track in the episode. Cheers Santa Maconie, Brooke Telford Scaife and all at the Freak Zone, much appreciated (!)
Thanks also to every body who created work for The Forest / The Wald, including Bare Bones, Magpahi, Polypores, Time Attendant, David Colohan, Sproatly Smith, The Hare And The Moon, Alaska, The Séance, Lutine and Cosmic Neighbourhood and also Rob Young for the inspiration and words.
For the next 27 days the show can be listened to at its BBC website page and via the BBC Sounds app and site.
More details on The Forest / The Wald album can be found here.
