Sunday
With Jackie starting before both Ricky Skaggs and Newton Faulkner, I’ve got time to catch the second half of one of their sets. The Mainstage is easier and nearer and Ricky Skaggs has got more of his set left. It also means that we pass the Mexican. We stop of and get a nachos grandee, regular readers will know I attempt every year to get on the outside of one. As per usual I’m beaten by it. The other photographers decide a Mexican is in order as there’s no queue due to everyone watching Ricky Skaggs.
Alice the youngest and thinnest of the team, puts us all to shame by completing her nacho grandee, quite where it all went, I’ve no idea.
Over the years we’ve been treated to some top class bluegrass. Ricky Skaggs is considered by some to be the grandfather of modern bluegrass. Some people almost forget that he took a brief sojourn into the world of commercial country.
He’s back to bluegrass with a vengeance. Kentucky Thunder is as good a backing band as you could wish for anywhere.
It’s a hard uncompromising sound that reaches into the heart of the music. There is an edge to the music that is defined by its dirt poor origins. Bluegrass was played by the people for the people, it was about dancing and mixing and that’s how Skaggs plays it.
It’s away from the soulless corporate bluegrass that has been played on radio in recent years. Some people can’t see a diamond without wanting to polish it, some things are best left rough. Skaggs has the slot that means he gets an encore, he makes full use of the opportunity.
From Americana it’s back to this side of the pond and Lau. Lau played last year, on the Thursday night and caused quite a stir. A stir that became more vigorous with the release of their “Lightweights & Gentlemen” album.
A trio consisting Martin Green, Kris Drever and Aidan O’Rourke, Lau are packed full of members of many other bands, they’ve built up a whole host of performance skills and they use it to the full.
Martin’s hair shakes around like a poodle on acid as he absorbs himself into the music. This is not just performance, it’s a show. In many ways you could say that Lau are Under One Sky in a condensed form. Whilst there is a distinctive Celtic/Scottish predominance to the sound, you can hear English folk music mixing into the core.
Lau have found an almost elusive sound and given it an additional twist. On record they have a soul, live they have spirit.
On the way out, I bump into Mr X, Ruthie Foster's guitar player and the man who played with Marcia Ball last year, he finally has a name, Pat Boyack.
The reason I’m moving is that James Hunter and his band are just about to kick off on the Mainstage. James was recommended to the festival by none other than Van Morrison. He looks like he could have walked out of any Kray era pub and plays r‘n’b from a time when it was more affiliated to soul than dance.
Apparently James kicked around with the likes of Howling Wilf, there’s more than a touch of that in his performance.
There’s influence from the likes of Sam Cooke in there, but Hunter has adapted his own style and given it a bit of an English feel, he obviously doing something right, he got himself a Grammy nomination last year.
It’s time for a switch of style and continent next. Mali’s Toumani Diabate & Symmetric Orchestra is up next. Going from James Hunter to that is one of the biggest swap overs and the crew are going to be hard pushed to keep the schedule. I’m hoping that they stick to this because I want to see as much of it as I can before heading off to see Four Men And A Dog on the Radio Two Stage.
Unfortunately there is a delay. It’s one of these things it happens. When the band kicks off, they use the first song to gradually introduce members and instruments. It means that most of the first song is over before Toumani is on stage. I barely get the chance to photograph him before ducking out wend my way to Four Men Etc.