This month’s episode focuses on folk songs from the British Isles where the main character dresses, acts, or lives in a way that challenges gender norms. It also offers a glimpse into the work of “Queer Folk”, an English organization that highlights traditional songs with LGBTQIA+ themes.
Host: Olivia Harding
Special thanks to: Shiloh DeFabia, Lafayette Matthews, and Aaron J Morton.
Learn more about Queer Folk: https://www.queerfolk.co.uk/
Join the Folk Files Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FolkFilesPodcast
Musical excerpts:
ARTIST: Sophie Crawford and George Sansome (Queer Folk)
WORK: Jack Went A-Sailing
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sRO-DVLprA
ARTIST: Philip Langridge, arr. Benjamin Britten
WORK: Sweet Polly Oliver
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ7ulITPfqs
ARTIST: Gog Magog Molly
WORK: The Polychromatic Parrot (at Sidmouth)
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVELKeXEf8Q
ARTIST: TransAction Theatre
WORK: The Ballad of the Female Husband
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbKZuYRL5VM&t=0s
ARTIST: Sophie Crawford (Queer Folk)
WORK: Our Captain Calls All Hands
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9e7nWijLR0
ARTIST: Ian Robb
WORK: The Female Rambling Sailor
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdWBhmsktJU
ARTIST: Gavin Atkin
WORK: Short Jacket and White Trousers
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FDJsEtgrns
ARTIST: A.L. Lloyd
WORK: Sovay the Female Highwayman
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh_KXPXmgI8
ARTIST: Cilla Fisher and Artie Trezise
WORK: Billy Taylor
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34HIv_MgH54
ARTIST: Finbar Furey
WORK: New York Girls
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGqSEFaa94Y
ARTIST: Nic Jones
WORK: Barrack Street
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nmS1iCbqe4
ARTIST: Bryony Griffith and Alice Jones
WORK: The Tailor’s Breeches / New Year’s Day
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqjiL7PWUZA
ARTIST: Amy Thatcher and Holly Clarke (Queer Folk)
WORK: That Lulu Business