Friday
Sharon's doing a lot of material from her new album. Because of that it lacks familiarity your just getting into a piece then it goes off in an unexpected direction.
Perhaps a bit more of her older material in the mix would have brought it together better. One thing that can't be faulted is the musicianship from both Sharon and her band, a band that includes Mike McGoldrick and Dezi Donnelly.
Sharon is joined on stage by guest vocalist Mundy and then Steve Earle. Suddenly the whole sound gets a bit lighter, it's almost like a return to the days of raggle taggle.
There's time for a couple more traditional styled pieces, her set feels a lot more complete for the middle third.
Its dilemma time, Kate Walsh, an artist not officially playing the festival is doing a busk and a signing at the Mojo tent, but it's tight to the start of the Oysterband, decisions decisions.
The decision I make will surprise most of the people that know me. Watch Kate then rush back to the Main stage in time to photograph the Oysters. Those that don't know me, imagine an unfit bloke running, then imagine sweat.
It's absolutely the right decision. Kate Walsh is a rising star of the singer songwriter genre. She's performing completely acoustically.
It's just her and her guitar at the front of the Mojo Signing Tent, the audience close to touching distance. Something about the scene amuses and a smile that would challenge the brightness of the sun sweeps across her face.
She gets a small outburst of the giggles during her first number and the whole thing seems so human. It's what festivals are made for.
Her second song is a brand new number, I miss the title, but I do feel the warmth of the audience making its way towards her
Now the run. Remarkably I make it to where I need to be with breath still in my body.
I'm there to see the start of the Godfathers of folk rock. They start off with just a thumb piano, before the rest of the band joining in on a multitude of instruments, including Lee on one of those hand slapped sound box things.
The Oysterband have a distinct sound, folk rock with a Celtic tinge. John as well as having his own accordion style also has an unmistakable voice.
They play with passion and manage to get a sense of social justice into their songs without it all sounding preachy.
"Meet You There", their most recent album, is one of their strongest. They are obviously totally committed to it and rightly so, it's a musical work of art.
As the last band of the afternoon session they manage to squeeze a demanded encore. Something impossible for pretty much any other band.
The ceilidh has started at the Radio Two Stage. Stomp are providing the music, Graham Potts is the caller.
A Cambridge Ceilidh is the definition of organised chaos made flesh. Unsuspecting audience members are drawn into the dancing, this is a participation sport, not a spectator activity.
Having already run across the site and feeling in danger of becoming involved. Making an excuse for myself that I need to feed and I've also promised Cruel Folk that I'll catch them at the Club Tent. I take my photos and leave.
I manage to snatch a few minutes of quiet time before heading off to catch Cruel Folk.
The band is a Norfolk based duo that I first came across on MySpace.
They are the first act of the Cambridge Folk Clubs stint. Cruel Folk, as their name implies, draw their material from the darker side of folk. The songs have a high body count and those that don't have more adulterous affairs and unplanned pregnancies than a Tory MPs convention.
It's the Club Tent so they only get three or so numbers, but even in the time I'm there, there's an affair, a hanging, an honour killing , an unexpected child and absolutely no happy endings, Cruel Folk indeed.