Saturday

After another good breakfast and a quiet bus ride, the buses are never busy first thing in the morning, it was time to get into another day's graft. Having checked in at the press van to see if there's any changes to the days schedule, I bump into Catriona MacDonald.
Catriona is giving a fiddle workshop in the Club Tent. As we wander across the site it transpires that Blazin' Fiddles had had quite a good night of it, but it's only Catriona that had to get up for the ten o'clock workshop.

When we get there, there's already a dozen or so keen fiddlers waiting. Chairs have been carried in from the disabled/press area so that the fiddlers can sit down. There's a nice mix of ages all sat in anticipation of learning a little bit of Shetland fiddle.

The format is quite simple. Catriona first played the whole tune through with all the flourishes and twirls. Then she played it through in it's simplest form. Next the tune was broken down to all it phrases and at that point she began to teach the assembled fiddlers the piece.

Catriona sang through the phases, emphasising just what a beautiful voice she has, even if she doesn't use it on stage. Then the fiddlers played it through. Once the phrases were all joined, Catriona then moved onto the bowings and twiddles that change the tune into Shetland style.

At this point those of us that were simply watching were dragged in. Whilst showing people how to bow Shetland style, 3 down 1 up, 1 up 3 down, Catriona insisted that the non fiddlers went through the motions as well. So not only can I now play air fiddle, I can now play air fiddle Shetland style.

At the end of the workshop, Catriona encouraged people with other instruments to join in and the ensemble played the piece through for a last time.

If fiddle wasn't your thing, you could have always gone to the juggling workshop, which runs on both the Saturday and Sunday. Personally I can't stand jugglers, but at least at the workshop, there's a pretty good chance of them being brained by an out of control diablo.
There's time to take in another session in the field before going on to check the first act of the day, The Hot Club Of Cowtown. To be honest I thought they were better the previous night. It's not easy being first act on in the morning, particularly when your sound is more suited for a smaller, more dance orientated venue.

That said, Hot Club Of Cowtown managed to get themselves up and dancer or two up from a crowd where there seemed to be a fair number looking delicate from the night before. As for me I'm off to catch some of the Festival Session at the Radio Two Stage.

The Festival Session is a highly moveable feast. As well as giving individuals from bands a chance to shine, it also brings out some interesting combination across a number of bands. You might for example get an English accordionist performing with a Basque percussion section. The session rolls through the afternoon, changing artists and flavour as it moves. On this occasion I can only stay for a couple of tunes as I want to get to the Club Tent to see Kathryn Williams.

Kathryn has just picked up a Mercury nomination for her most recent album, making it five nominations in a row for Cambridge artists.

Later Kathryn will be playing with her full band, but here in the Club Tent, it's just her, her cello player and the odd biplane.

This was a set of strong songs intertwined with a some pretty delicate playing. There's still something on an innocence about the delivery, almost a naivety, this bordered on the edge of being the arts and crafts movement of the singer/songwriter scene.

In general I enjoyed it, but couldn't help feeling that it lacked a certain punch. The songs sort of wafted past without demanding to be listened to. They entertained without ever managing to move me. I couldn't decide on my first listening if that was down to the songs, delivery or both.