Scene: Finn Forster

Having broke into the top five of the iTunes pop charts with his previous single, Fly, Teesside solo artist Finn Forster returns with his latest single Call You Mine, a warm and snappy indie-pop ditty with atmospheric folky guitar sounds and catchy chorus showcasing Finn’s distinctive, impassioned vocals.

Here, the artist tells us more about the local folk scene that inspired him…

I’d love to talk about the North-East folk scene. the scene that started me in music and one regardless of where my music goes down in a genre sense, I feel I’ll always have huge respect and a sense of nostalgia when I think of it and the memories that stick with me. 

I’m fortunate to be a part of a large musical family. One that was started by my Grandad & Terry, whose influence from Irish folk and the local folk scene has managed to run off on three generations. I was in and out of folk festivals and folk gigs as a child, notably Saltburn Folk Festival, Cambridge folk Festival, Vin Garbutt many a time, and my first ever gig I ever experienced, the Levellers. The sense of community, the all-round atmosphere and vibe they all seemed to have in common sticks with me. We know all musicians and fans of music have a reason their love for it started in the first place. 

My first ever gigs were in Guisborough Folk Club held at Guisborough Rugby Club, you could hear a pin drop in the room whenever myself and anyone else got up and performed, it’ll always stay with me and I’m thankful I was able to come through such respectful audiences that made up my local folk scene. It’s hard to find these days, especially with how easy it is to whip out a mobile phone which a massive flashlight on and see the full concert through a screen or find yourself in the row behind a large group of people who are hammered and talking through every song, but thinking about those first live performances I was a part of, whether I watched, played or both, the storytelling, the way pretty much anyone can be part of it, they just have to head down to the nearest folk club to begin with, the ability to captivate and also chat to an audience like you’ve known them your whole life. That’s what made me want to start music, and so I’ll be forever grateful to the folk scene.