There are those who argue that traditional folk and new folk should never come together. This is despite the fact they’re different branches of the same tree growing from the same roots.

The problem I’m told is they can’t come together and must grow apart. Why? Because what many traditionalists accept as folk will no longer meet his or her standards once ‘tainted’ with the new. Having said that many audiences could cope happily with both. So if the audience doesn’t have a problem why do different parts of the style?

Folk rock was not traditional when it arrived. The bands that delivered folk rock ran into many of the same problems, criticism and cliquism that purveyors of psyche folk do today. However something strange happened to folk rock between Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and all the other folk rockers. Folk rock matured, became acceptable on some undefined level and a huge number of ‘trads’ said: “That’s all right it’s been around long enough to become established.” There is now a tradition of folk rock, within which folk rock bands and styles are traditional.

So we have a folk rock tradition that’s every bit as much a tradition (and every bit as valid) as the ‘traditional folk’ tradition. It might one day even become as averse to innovation as the traditional scene.

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