Folk In A Box

If you spot someone in tears in the Spitalfields Market area between June 18 and 21, chances are they'll have just experienced Folk in a Box. A one-on-one folk gig that takes place in a special, hut-like performance space with a front door for the audience member and a back door (replete with whisky bar) for the performer, this is the brainchild of the wonderful Aussie folk singer Emily Barker (she of the UK 'Wallander' soundtrack) and her husband Dom Coyote. Borrowing the craze for intimate, bespoke performances from theatreland, it's already seen Sam Lee, Ragu Dixhit and, erm, Newton Faulkner face fans eye-to-eye, and travelled from Tate Britain to Venice. Now they're planning an epic journey from Land’s End to John O’ Groats. But first Londoners can catch it as part of the Spitalfields Summer Music Festival. Confirmed performers include flamboyant ‘circus swing’ and lounge pop artist Gabby Young, country singer Lotte Mullan, purveyor of brittle, political lo-fi guitar pop Chris T-T, and Barker herself, whose new album 'Dear River' is out on July 8.