With “folky” pop bands such as Fleet Foxes and Mumford & Sons currently enjoying mainstream popularity, it’s easy to forget that folk music runs much deeper than just beards and banjos.

The three-act bill at the Prince Albert served as a reminder that folk artists are still mining the wealth of traditional songs that exist, each giving the material new life.

Opener Jo Burke demonstrated her versatility with challenging and inventive musical arrangements on violin, piano and hardanger fiddle accompanying sweet melodies, Burke offered a contemporary, almost jazzy, take on traditional songs.

Devonian Jim Causley followed, combining some dextrous accordion playing with a rich, warm baritone to produce a set that continued to offer variety. Causley moved from Ralph McTell to Welsh-language traditional song, via an amusing rhyme – passed on to his dad from “a lady at the pub” – concerning the exploits of a menacing pet ferret.

Mary Hampton maintained the steady pace of the evening with a set of ornate arrangements on four-string guitar, violin and piano. The music provided a suitably delicate backing to her voice, which reached some impressively high notes in a young-girl tone reminiscent of Joanna Newsom.