There is so much going on and so many things that I would like to blog about but I would be here all day. I need to be specific and so this update will be about our trip to The Cambridge Folk Festival which hubby and I attended last weekend - actually from Thursday to Sunday so a looong weekend!
Our first venture into the world of folk music live was at the Cambridge Folk Festival in 2011 and we absolutely loved it. It was unlike any festival we had been to before and it was the first time that I had ever heard of Frank Turner. It was the first time that we saw him live and we were bowled over by his performance. We said at the time that he reminded us of a young Springsteen which is praise indeed from hubby especially who is a mega Springsteen fan.
Frank Turner was appearing on the Friday of the festival this year and had an early evening slot for his live performance. However, he was at the festival for the whole day and so we were able to see him as he was interviewed on stage about his career and life and later in the afternoon as there was a q&a session with him held in the Flower Garden. Both of the 'day' slots were fairly intimate events and it was great to see him answering all manner of questions honestly and with humour and eloquence. Hubby even got to ask him about Meonfest.
Frank's live show was, as ever, full of energy and was a joy to see. He was joined on stage by Matt Nasir of The Sleeping Souls who provided backing vocals and mandolin accompaniment throughout. The set lasted an hour (there are never any encores at Cambridge to to the timing restrictions) and included songs from the new album due for release this Friday (Positive Songs for Negative People) including Glorious You which I hadn't heard before.
As it was a folk festival Frank also sang his own version of Barbara Allen, not a song that I know but which is a traditional folk song I believe. He sang it without any accompaniment and sang it with passion. Yesterday I read a review that said he gave a 'bombastic rendition' of the song and that his performance in general was 'tediously snarling'. I would like to think that it was a passionate performance. Certainly the packed area that I was a part of in the main tent loved the set. People all around me were singing along from start to finish. The roar of appreciation at the end of his performance was incredible. I know I'm biased but I loved every minute of my (slightly stalkerish!) Frank Friday and I even met a couple of ladies who appreciate him and the band as much as I do which was a nice surprise.
Saturday saw us decide to go to The American Cemetery in Cambridge which is a place we have visited before. It is always immaculate and always very moving.
We went to the festival late in the afternoon and the main event was the appearance of folk icon Joan Baez who I have seen before but felt that I should see again. She gave a polished performance but I was disappointed that she didn't sing my personal favourite 'Diamonds and Rust'. There is no doubt that she has been pivotal on the folk scene for many, many years. Imagine being able to say that you introduced Bob Dylan in 1963, marched with Martin Luther King and lunched with Nelson Mandela!
There were lots of very satisfied customers by the end of her performance.
On Sunday there was really only one set that my hubby was interested in. He is very into Passenger and has been for some time. Passenger was at Cambridge in 2011 when we were there but as a busker or something so we didn't see him. However, on Sunday night he stole the show with what we felt was a wonderful performance. As he stepped onto the main stage he was greeted with rapturous applause that really seemed to stop him in his tracks. He seemed genuinely moved. He proceeded to play for an hour - just him and his guitar and his beautiful vocal and words. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand. The audience got caught up in the stories and the songs and were almost spellbound. Each song was greeted with rapturous applause. The hour long set flew by. We sang along to 'Holes', 'Let Her Go' and a great version of 'The Sound of Silence' which was beautiful. Passenger said that is was one of the gigs of his life so far and I can understand why. He really gave an incredible performance and I'm delighted to have seen it. Hubby was overwhelmed by the show and we went back to the beer tent to take in what we had just experienced.
Over the weekend we saw Goitse ( and Irish band making their debut) who were fabulous and we enjoyed Chris Smithers who sang a song about his Dad that moved us to tears.
There was music all around us all the time, there was laughter and fun, lots of food and loads of drink, the weather was great and I think a good time was had by all.
I do think that the festival is wonderful but I also think that it was a bit too crowded this year. The organisers ask that no chairs are taken unless really necessary. I think that the vast majority of people took chairs in and space was at a premium as a consequence. It was often difficult to find anywhere to sit where you didn't feel that you invading someone's personal space. I'm aware that it's probably just me who feels that way and that many people probably like 'close together' atmosphere!
We really enjoyed our weekend. We walked a lot - I now officially have the knees of an old person - and our food and drink intake was moderate. We met up with old friends and enjoyed each others company. We had fun!
xxxx
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