Saturday

Saturday is another early start. There's a sense of de-ja-vou as I head off to the Unicorn for breakfast.
Set up for another I make my way back through the campers heading off to the Shower block, hoping that the water's still warm.
It's looking like its going to be a glorious day weatherwise. I get to the Cherry Hinton to discover there's been a problem overnight. A water main failure has left the site without water for two hours.
Fortunately the situation has been tackled with ruthless efficiency and all seems to be well now.
Once again I'm surprised by the number of people who get up early enough to attend the percussion workshop. Sam from the Pack kicks off with a banging and shaking session. He's replaced part way through by Cormac from Uiscedwr to do a more hand driven session.
As I leave the workshop I discover another festival job I'd never previously thought off, generator refiller.
Things at the Hub seem to be going well, but you get the feeling it needs just a bit more of a plug. The people that I've spoken to there feel it's a really good idea and one that I'd like to see pushed forward.
Folk music is well supported in the North East. There's a good infrastructure that not only supports established acts, but also encourages new talent to come through.
The Pack is just such a band and they're opening up the Friday. The Pack is more like a folk big band. There are twelve on stage and that includes members of 422 and Ola.
They draw on music from right across Europe, Ireland to Turkey. It's well polished, but not without spirit. The sun outside is bright and there's a slight breeze holding the temperature down and The Pack are doing a great job of easing people out of their hangovers and into a new day of music.
Sheer numbers allow them to add a variety of textures and tempos across the music. The contrast between this and yesterday's opener is vast. Where Bob Fox was insipid this is inspiring. The Pack look like they have the potential to go a long way.
I was a bit worried that live they wouldn't be able to capture the essence of their debut "Twelve Little Devils" album. I needn't have worried.
I'm off to drop in on the Session on the Radio Two Stage.
The timing is very good. When I get there, Uiscedwr are on stage and going down a treat. I still can't believe that this band is this talented this young.
It's only the last song of their set that I manage to catch. Brian McNeill is already up introducing the next act, blues legend John Hammond.
John is the classic example of a one man band blues player. Guitar, blues harp and vocals. Fortunately he's resisted the temptation to add a cymbal to each knee.
John is one of the most expressive singers in blues, not only through his music and lyrics but right through is body. Look at his facial expressions when he's performing a song and you'll realise that he's not just singing the song, he's living it.
He's joined on stage by one of England's best folk guitarists, Martin Simpson. As a duo they perform another song before John leaves the stage to Martin and a round of applause.