Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros

Joe Strummer has been wanting to play Cambridge for awhile, this year it finally happened. Having delivered a great set with his band, The Mescaleros, he managed to find time for a quick chat, but not until he'd managed to track down a pint of hot spicey cider from the cider stall.

I'd bumped into him earlier in the day, backstage at the Radio Two Stage. He was just watching the band that was on and really enjoying himself. "Give Way, oh they were terrific. They were four young girls from Edinburgh, but it was like listening to John Coltrane. They were playing ceilidh music, but the time changes. I would have been lost in the first couple of seconds. It was just oh…really fascinating.

I don't get the chance to see things that often, which is why you have to really hound around when you get the chance. Eric Bibb, The Be Good Tanyas, fantastic.

Did you see Iris Dement? She brought John Prine on for a couple of numbers. It's great, you can hear what people are saying with folk music. There's a lot of accordion here this year, it seems to becoming from all over the site."

Like most of the audience, I'd assumed that this was Joe's first Cambridge, but like most of the audience, I was wrong. "This is my fourth visit, three times as a punter. I brought Don Letts here. 'Why you bring me to this white man thing?' 'Shut up Don drink this cider' 'Ahh'

What's nice about this place is it's clean and there ain't no lager louts, if you know what I mean. That's what's nice, it's like a Womad trip. It ain't no Reading beercan bozo fest. You can go anywhere sit anywhere, people might say 'Hey mate' and wave, but no one bothers you.

I'd like to come back again, pretty soon as a punter, get out the old timetable and run around like a looney. Camp, the whole works. Bring the wellies."