Peatbog Faeries
Part of the newest folk movement, Peatbog Faeries come from the same vein of acid croft that was also pioneered and championed by the late, lamented Martyn Bennett.
Peatbog Faeries have played Cambridge on a number of occasions. In the early days they were a band that polarised the audience, causing a lot of toing and froing in the tent, but gradually this folk style has taken on wider recognition.
What they have done everytime they've played is given it 100% of pure redblooded energy. This is a band that simply doesn't understand personal space. From the word go they're in your face challenging you not to dance. It's also difficult to ignore a band that throws bagpipes into the mix.
Their performance is about the whole show, the look, the feel as well as the all important music. This is folk for the 21st century. A century that is now into it's fifth year and ready to start establishing a tradition or two of it's own. Time will tell, be early if you want to be at the front.
POST FESTIVAL VERDICT
For a band that once cost me a game of Scrabble they did very well. As predicted it was absolutely heaving in the Radio Two Stage, with, probably, one of the youngest average ages of any of the performances. I didn't catch the whole set, but the future of acid croft appears to be safe. Not bitter about that game of scrabble either just the way some dictionaries haven't caught up with alternate spellings of fairies.