Spirogyra has been played on NTS shows including Corticeps w/ Minus Kendal, with A Canterbury Tale first played on 8 February 2019.

ChatGPT said:Spirogyra were a British folk rock/prog band that released three albums between 1971 and 1973. Formed in the late 1960s by Martin Cockerham in Bolton, the band took shape after Cockerham moved to the University of Kent at Canterbury, where he recruited vocalist Barbara Gaskin, bassist Steve Borrill and violinist Julian Cusack. Their sound blended acoustic folk with progressive structures and chamber-style arrangements, often described as distinctly English and unconventional for the era.

The debut album St. Radigund’s (1971) earned strong critical attention for the interplay between Cockerham’s intense lyrical style and Gaskin’s clear, expressive voice. Old Boot Wine (1972) introduced a more polished approach that continued to expand their cult following, though mainstream attention remained limited. Their third and final album, Bells, Boots and Shambles (1973), recorded with a reduced lineup and guest musicians, later became widely regarded as the band’s artistic peak — a dark, ambitious and emotionally charged work that would later be praised as a lost masterpiece.

Despite a loyal audience and a final wave of touring across the UK and Europe, commercial struggles and internal pressures weighed heavily on the group. With the progressive folk movement fading and their momentum exhausted, Spirogyra disbanded in 1974. Many years later, Cockerham revived the name and released two further albums, Children’s Earth (2009) and Spirogyra 5 (2011), offering a coda to the band’s legacy.