Welcome to the next in the Podcast Showcase series, where we share podcasts with you in the words of the podcasters themselves. This time, we talk to Feral Hymns.
Sum up your podcast in three sentences
My favourite sounds.
Who is your ideal listener? Who loves your show?
People looking for music of all sorts that isn’t exactly well covered in most places. Curious folk looking for more stuff to explore. I’m very lucky that I have a few regular listeners who contact me with feedback and who have discovered artists and songs that they’ve become just as obsessed with as I am.
What made you start this podcast?
I had a Feral Hymns radio show at university (University of Hull’s Jam Radio) in 2007 and 2008. I just wanted to play stuff that I liked, hoping that others would like them too and maybe go on a journey to discover more bands and artists that aren’t exactly well known. That actually happened. The show was more popular than I expected and I’ve made really good close friends from it.
I just always really enjoyed doing it and when I finished uni I wanted to keep on going. 12 years later in the middle of a pandemic and lockdowns and with a baby having just arrived I finally got my act together and did it.
There are no and never have been any great ambitions. Just really enjoy doing it and enough people listen to make it feel worth continuing.
What have you learned about your subject thanks to this podcast?
I’ve learned that I’m still on a journey discovering more and more stuff I like and want to shout about. I’ve learned that the world of music that I enjoy is almost infinite.
What has your experience of podcasting been? What do you love / hate about the process?
I love curating tracklists and providing info about the artists (often, I learn something about them). Even though I play quite different stuff each episode, it all follows quite a considered and coherent path but it’s mostly in my head and so far it hasn’t been identified by any listeners.
I hate technical issues, I’ve had quite a few. That definitely bums me out and I’m somebody who is quite easily discouraged.
If someone wants to start listening to your podcast, which episode would you recommend they start with? Why?
I’d recommend episode 2 (which is over two parts, so it’s quite long). It has a good representation of the broad church of sounds that Feral Hymns is all about.
Which other podcasts do you love listening to?
I’m an avid podcast listener. I love and listen to regularly, Revisionist Histories, Cautionary Tales, Book Shambles and Off Menu. I don’t actually tend to listen to music podcasts at all really. Which I guess is odd.
If people want to find you online, where can they do so?
All episodes (21 so far, 22 will be up soon, maybe even not long after I write this) and the other podcasts I do (Dead River, Crack In The Basement and Ist Krieg) can be found at theferalhymnsnetwork. I can be found on Twitter @Mark_Falconer.
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Image credit: Eric Nopanen