Keeping track of new music, media and industry news.

We’ve championed Theo Bard’s Woodburner folk nights in Stoke Newington for some time, as they invariably feature a varied mix of great artists from across the genre’s spectrum (plus there’s always good beer). However, the best nights tend to be the ones when Bard plays himself, and this live video recorded for Warehouse Sessions shows why.

Accompanied only by guitar and his own two feet on percussion duties, Bard’s rendition of ‘Never Alone’, perhaps his best track to date, is no less engrossing for being stripped back to its bones. The fingerpicking is stunning and defined, while the “I’m never alone” refrain manages to feel both strident and haunting. Having supported himself through Woodburner and regular busking sessions in Hackney’s markets for some time, Bard is now working on a new album. While it stands to enjoy a wider sonic palette and more musicians than this video, on this evidence we’d be happy even if it only featured him alone.

Kier Wiater Carnihan