Well, they tell me the end of Lockdown is just around the corner, but...we ain't there yet. So the Midsummer celebration and Eisteddfod of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids takes place in the virtual universe this year.

In December of 2020 I took part in the Midwinter Eisteddfod, performing a new song called 'Black Shuck'. I'd been extremely wary of 'virtual gigs'; it seemed a poor substitute for the real thing, and a very impersonal one at that (though throughout the Lockdown period many of my fellow musicians had made the very best of it and kept their careers afloat by embracing it. Typical that, as Lockdown appears to be drawing to an end, I'm only just getting on board...), but at Midwinter, reuniting with the Tribe and seeing faces old and new, there was a genuine sense of fellowship and of sharing the moment. Not for the first time, I realised I'd dismissed an idea without actually trying it. We live, we learn. We hope. Many thanks to Hilde Leisens and Liv Torc for saying "get off your arse, Poplar. People wanna hear you".

Long story short (I know I rabbit on but, hey, it's been three years) when the invitation came to contribute a set for the Midsummer gathering I was...slighty more amenable. Many thanks to Damh The Bard for saying...yeah, you've guessed.

So The Duchess and I recorded a twenty-minute set, to be broadcast on June 19, 2021. The video will afterward be added to this site, along with lyrics to the songs. It was an invigorating and healing journey, and I am grateful for the love and good will that made it happen.