Friday

Next up was Ezio so it seemed a good time to go and get some food. A quick glance around settled my choice on Indian.
One lamb and potato curry later, washed down by a pint of cider and I'm ready to go again. I manage to listen to a couple of Ezio's songs whilst I'm eating, but they still sound, to me, like a second best Deacon Blue.
Maybe it's because they were introduced as, 'soon to be big'. It's an introduction they've had before and they never quite seem to pull it off. I did enjoy them marginally more than I have done before so they might just pull it off this time, but somehow I can't see it.

Altan are the band to follow them onto Stage 1 and this is a bit more to my taste. It's a combination of songs and tunes. A well crafted balance of vocal dynamics and power.
There are times that you feel Altan could make the lion lay down with the lamb and then in the next song, turn around and bite it's head off. This is Celtic music, Irish and Scottish, placed into a modern context.
This is a band with bucket loads of experience and the way the work the crowd calls on it all. Tempo and voice are used to drive the crowd along an emotional rollercoaster.
They're a band that have traditionally enjoyed the festival and it show in the way they play. This is Cambridge and it shows.
I caught up with a few friends between sets before catching up with Eric Bibb for the second time today. This time he had his band with him and it was both literally and metaphorically electric.
There is little that I can add to the things I've written about Eric over the years. He's a consummate songwriter with a healthy respect for the artists and songs that have come before him.
More important he is an artist that puts lots back into his craft. He's happy to do the workshops. He takes the music forward by adding Eric Bibb to the mix. Perhaps the most important thing he does is inspire. If you get other musicians wandering away from a set saying 'Yeah that was great, it's given me a few ideas', then you just know that everything was all right.