LATECOMERS to the summer festival line-up are still hovering, and none more worthy of our attention is the event right on our doorstep this weekend.

Sedgefield Parish Hall is the centre point for concerts, singarounds and folky goings-on, starting with a Friday concert featuring John Wrightson, Flossie Malliaville and John Wright, and a Saturday concert with myself, Martin Nesbitt, Rob Guest and The Doonans.

There are still a few tickets left, so we hope to see you there.

Readers of the UK's leading folk magazine Froots may have seen the American songwriter Devon Sproule on a recent front cover. We get a chance to listen to her in person at Newcastle's Cluny on Friday, the first of many top-rated American performers coming to this venue in the weeks ahead, many of which should appeal to folk fans and country fans alike, so I'll try and keep you up to scratch on who's coming and when. Meanwhile the region's folk clubs are full of goodies too, with Trevor Bond at Skelton's Duke William tonight, zany comedian Sid Kipper at Washington's Davy Lamp on Saturday, and a Sunday choice between Joe Topping at Guisborough Rugby Club or Napper and Bliss at Westoe Club in South Shields.

Tuesday brings Peter Wood to Darlington's Britannia and Jim Bainbridge to Cramlington's Comrades Club, after which Wednesday winds down our week with Liz Law and Terry Conway at Birtley RAOB Club.

All in all, a week well up to the usual standard of fine music and variety enough to appeal to all tastes.