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A guide to the folk and acoustic scene, with information about UK folk gigs, folk concerts, folk festivals and hundreds of links!
Despite rain overnight the morning dawned bright and sunny and after a cold shower [not through choice!] I made it to the Club tent for a discussion on Britishness and folk. This was led by Billy Bragg, Chris Wood, Simon Emmerson and Martin Carthy, who sat on stage and chatted. It was a packed tent and the conversation was fascinating, the audience appreciative, though rather quiet- maybe due to the early start…
Next to Stage One, open for the first time this festival, and kicked off by the marvellous Quebecois band Mauvais Sort. Five French- Canadians wearing black and red and kicking off proceedings in a style more suited to 1am than 1pm. Flamboyant, theatrical and unstoppably cheerful, they had the whole tent clapping, stamping and singing along.
I stayed put for the afternoon in Stage One, the music being so good there seemed little point moving. Cherryholmes were next- I'd missed them on Thursday, so was glad to see this bluegrass Grammy Award winning family from Nashville. Pa Cherryholmes leads the band, resplendent in ZZ Top style long beard, black hat, sequinned suit, and cut down double bass. He introduced his wife and four of his six children, all in gold and silver, lurex and sequins. Unbelievably talented as a group, all swapping instruments and leading roles, it was weird to see the interplay between a family unit as opposed to a bunch of mates playing. Imagine the breakfast table with four grown up- kids and you get the picture!
The harmony singing with all six was absolutely amazing.
Eliza Carthy followed, resplendent in a little black dress, high heels and the swelling bump of her pregnancy. Curvy and sassy at the best of time, pregnant she looks amazing- blooming marvellous in fact! She has a gift for performance and story telling, putting the audience so much at ease that occasionally I wished she'd carrying on chatting instead of singing- she'd be a great person to go down the pub with! But then I'd miss that soulful passionate voice. Bliss, really it was.
The efficient stage crew turned things around so it was only twenty minutes before the Michael McGoldrick Band were on. The compere said by way of introduction that there were probably five great flautists in the world at the moment and Michael McGoldrick was one of them. Wrong. He is the best, even his fellow band members agreeing with me later. Half of the band today was made up of Capercaillie, and another two were from Flook. Dezi Donnelly- the great Manchester fiddle player had been delayed at Dublin Airport, so Andrew Dinan replaced him at an hour's notice, and learned the set travelling down from Manchester with the Ipod on the back seat beside him!
After the Michael McGoldrick Big Band I ventured out into the drizzle to briefly join in the ceilidh that happens every year in Stage 2. Hosted again by Whapweasel, with Saul Rose on accordion, it's a great way to loosen up after all that standing up/sitting down.
Two dances later the ceilidh took a break for Chris Wood. I was looking forward to seeing him as I'd heard a lot about him. A guy approaching middle aged, with greying hair and beard and twinkly blue eyes, he's just won 'Folksinger of the Year' and was given the award on stage. He has a lovely relaxing manner, a gentle way with the audience that draws you in , before catching you unawares with a killer line which either makes you laugh out loud or stand open mouthed with emotion. 'Hard'- a song about his young daughter was spellbinding, and I defy any parent there not to have had a tear in their eye while listening. As I walked out to get tea I overheard people saying 'magical' and 'powerful' which kind of sums it up really.
A warming chilli and a dash through the rain to the main stage for what I knew would be an incredible set by the Peatbog Faeries. They never disappoint, and although undoubtedly at their best in dark sweaty clubs, they can get people dancing everywhere, including in the rain at the back of the main stage. The pulsing disco style lighting blew for a part of the set, and the band just carried on in the dark. Brilliant! I want to go back to see them tomorrow night.
I worked my way to the front to see Billy Bragg, the highlight of my festival so far. Jeans, t shirt, electric guitar and a cup of tea on the amp, this singer songwriter could still have been the twenty five he was when he first started. Songs old and new, with new lyrics added to old songs to keep them relevant and bang up to date. Audience choosing between a busked version of the Carpenters or Bob Marley, and a sing-along bar none to 'A New England', including a verse for Kirsty Maccoll. Witty, warm, and entertaining, this man stole the day, and came back for an encore with Martin Carthy and Chris Wood!
I stayed put for the Levellers, which proved to be a mistake, as I got caught in the mosh pit- they were ok, but nothing special, and I made way to the altogether more mellow surroundings of Stage 2 for the salsa beats of Texan band Grupo Fantasma. I lost count of how many people were in this funky Latin group, but it didn't seem to matter- the vibe was right, and I danced the rest of the night away.
Next to Stage One, open for the first time this festival, and kicked off by the marvellous Quebecois band Mauvais Sort. Five French- Canadians wearing black and red and kicking off proceedings in a style more suited to 1am than 1pm. Flamboyant, theatrical and unstoppably cheerful, they had the whole tent clapping, stamping and singing along. 
children, all in gold and silver, lurex and sequins. Unbelievably talented as a group, all swapping instruments and leading roles, it was weird to see the interplay between a family unit as opposed to a bunch of mates playing. Imagine the breakfast table with four grown up- kids and you get the picture! 
The efficient stage crew turned things around so it was only twenty
minutes before the Michael McGoldrick Band were on. The compere said by way of introduction that there were probably five great flautists in the world at the moment and Michael McGoldrick was one of them. Wrong. He is the best, even his fellow band members agreeing with me later. Half of the band today was made up of Capercaillie, and another two were from Flook. Dezi Donnelly- the great Manchester fiddle player had been delayed at Dublin Airport, so Andrew Dinan replaced him at an hour's notice, and learned the set travelling down from Manchester with the Ipod on the back seat beside him!
Two dances later the ceilidh took a break for Chris Wood. I was looking forward to seeing him as I'd heard a lot about him. A guy approaching middle aged, with greying hair and beard and twinkly blue eyes, he's just won 'Folksinger of the Year' and was given the award on stage. He has a lovely relaxing manner, a gentle way with the audience that draws you in , before catching you unawares with a killer line which either makes you laugh out loud or stand open mouthed with emotion. 'Hard'- a song about his young daughter was spellbinding, and I defy any parent there not to have had a tear in their eye while listening. As I walked out to get tea I overheard people saying 'magical' and 'powerful' which kind of sums it up really. 
I worked my way to the front to see Billy Bragg, the highlight of my festival so far. Jeans, t shirt, electric guitar and a cup of tea on the amp, this singer songwriter could still have been the twenty five he was when he first started. Songs old and new, with new lyrics added to old songs to keep them relevant and bang up to date. Audience choosing between a busked version of the Carpenters or Bob Marley, and a sing-along bar none to 'A New England', including a verse for Kirsty Maccoll. Witty, warm, and entertaining, this man stole the day, and came back for an encore with Martin Carthy and Chris Wood!