Phil Gillam: It takes all kinds of folk

Seat belts secured?

Okay. Here we go.

Leonard Cohen (writer of hauntingly beautiful songs like Suzanne, Bird On A Wire, and Hallelujah) was never everyone’s cup of tea.

Famously, many found his music miserable and, frankly, depressing.

But I’ve always had a soft spot for old Leonard, a great and perhaps under-rated songwriter who married thought-provoking poetry to arresting melodies.

So when I heard his name mentioned in the same breath as a band coming to Shrewsbury next month, I sat up and took notice.

You see, the acclaimed Canadian indie-folk band, The Fugitives, are set to play at Shrewsbury’s historic Lion Hotel on October 4 as part of their three-week UK tour.

It has to be said that their press release is (as our dad might have put it) not backwards in coming forwards.

It reads: "Based in Vancouver, they bring brilliant musicianship, top-notch song-writing, complex vocal harmonies and a funny, uplifting vibe to their live performances.”

And this is the bit where they mention old Leonard: "Described as ‘the missing link between Leonard Cohen and The Pogues’, they have been nominated for Best Vocal Group at the Canadian Folk Music Awards, Best Roots Album at the Western Canadian Music Awards, opened for Canadian folk icon Buffy Sainte-Marie and also played a slot at Glastonbury Festival as part of their UK tour in 2014.”

Impressive, eh?

Since their last visit to these shores in 2015, the band have recorded a new album entitled The Promise Of Strangers, which will be on sale at their concerts (fair enough, I reckon - every band does that!), and their singer Adrian Glynn, who is also an accomplished actor, recently starred in his first full-length feature film: Volition.

A highly talented bunch, clearly.

Commenting on the forthcoming tour Brendan McLeod, spokesperson for The Fugitives, said: "We had a blast the last time we were in the UK and performed to very appreciative audiences. However, apart from the fantastic reception and friendly promoters, the real reason we’ve decided to return is because of the beer. We imbibed some particularly appealing brews last time and made a point of remembering them. In fact, we’re playing some of the same locations again so we can reunite our taste buds with a decent pint!”.

Well, you can’t say fairer than that.

Tickets for The Fugitives concert at The Lion Hotel on Wednesday, October 4, are £12 (+ £1.20 booking fee) in advance from www.wegottickets.com/TheFugitives or £14 on the door.

Now then. If thoughts of lovely Canadian indie-folk music has put you in mind of falconry, fishing, archery, bushcraft sessions, mountain biking, canoeing, and – wait for it – water zorbing (messing about in one of those giant plastic balls like you’re a human hamster), then read on!

Travelling just a few short miles from Shrewsbury (and possibly stretching just a tad the remit of this column!) I want to quickly mention the Merefest festival at Ellesmere on September 16.

Organisers reckon this promises to be Shropshire’s best-value festival this year.

The annual event celebrates all there is about the Meres and Mosses area of north Shropshire and south Cheshire and brings people from all over the surrounding counties together for a range of events and activities to entertain people of all ages. New to the festival this year is water zorbing on The Mere, and climbing wall and mountain biking. There will be the usual craft fair, canoeing, Rowton Brewery bierkeller, falconry, fishing, archery and bushcraft sessions.

Merefest is a festival of two halves; the daytime activities run throughout the day, then from 5pm the site will become the Merefest Twilight Zone, featuring more live music, a Wild Shropshire pop-up restaurant and entertainment from Fizzgigs.

In addition to craft marquees and food stalls, there will be over 30 activities for children and adults to enjoy.

Sounds amazing.

Visit the Merefest website for details at shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/merefest