Friday
Next up at the Club Tent is Fatea Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Brian McNeill. He may be playing solo, but he's brought so many instruments with him he'll take up as many slots as the previous band.
He's also brought one of his previous students with him, Sara Cull, who'll also be playing as part of The Session tomorrow.
Brian is up against the Hot 8 Brass Band, one of the bands I miss completely this year, on Stage 2. Billy Bragg is on Stage1, even so it's standing room only in the club tent.
Brian McNeill was a founding member of the Battlefield Band and was probably doing political songs before Billy Bragg was born. Actually it's been a good Cambridge for political singer/songwriters, maybe it's a reflection of the times or that people are once again ready to hear strong lyrics about items other than emotion.
Brian starts with a voice only refrain about the strength of a union. It's a rousing song that brings about many fisted salutes. A reminder of a time when there really was society and the working man rallied around to help the working man. It's an impressive way to start a gig.
Brian has such a wealth of material and strong powers of recall, I'm not sure he maps out his sets, rather than head off in a general direction. He's also a fantastic multi-instrumentalist so he can bring so much variety to his sets.
Not only that he's also firm believer in audience participation so we find ourselves joining in with the choruses of more than a song or two. You don't get to survive over forty years on the folk scene without a tale or two to help you get from one song to another and it would appear that Brian's been a in scrape or two in his time.
Sara Cull is brought on part way through the set to help with a fully instrumental interlude. It's the first time I've heard her play and it would seem that the production line of Scottish fiddlers is still running like a well oiled machine. Apparently Sara came back on at the end, but by then I was making my way frantically down the field in the direction of the Levellers having been lulled into staying longer than I planned, drawn in by the fantastic songs and stories.
I knew I would be catching up with Brian and Sara and many others at The Session On Saturday so I reluctantly cut just before the end of the set to see one of the bands only playing once, The Levellers.
The last time The Levs played Cambridge, it was an acoustic set. By and large the band played sat down with some really subtle lighting behind them. This year the stage has the biggest backline I've ever seen at Cambridge. I think the Db limit is going to be pushed right to the edge. Folk rock at it's loudest dirtiest best.
It's a full lights blazin', hell razin' show. I find myself glad that ear plugs are now compulsory in the photo pit, does that make me seem old?
It's also the first appearance at the festival of ShowSec front of stage. It's not that there's any trouble expected, it's more to warn of potential crushing and hand out water to those right up against the barrier. There are people that bought Friday only passes just for the Levellers. I spoke to one before the gig kicked off.
She'd seen Billy Bragg, naturally, and had been down at the front for both Peatbog Faeries and the Waifs, just to make absolutely sure she was there for this. Whilst not a convert to the full folkie cause, she'd seen plenty she'd enjoyed, but this was her moment and I left her to it.
The Leveller's Acoustic was a fascinating set, songs found a new context without the power behind them. Amps cranked up to 11 is where the Levellers are naturally at home and today that home is Cambridge.
The light is playing havoc with my camera. Maybe I would have been better off giving the photography a miss and working my way down through the crowd. Too late to think about it now. Hindsight's a wonderful thing.
Three hard rocking songs in, including one from the forthcoming album, "Letters From The Underground", their ninth album in twenty years, not counting the one they recorded backing Rev Hammer, and it's time to leave.
"It's A Beautiful Day" is as strong a song today as when it was first recorded. It's easy to forget, speakers blaring, that this is a band that understands the role of song in love, life and politics.
By the time we get out of the pit and back up to the media caravan, it's obvious I'm never going to get back through the mass to get a decent view. Time to cut my losses and take a complete switch in direction with some Latin funk.
Some of you may have seen Grupo Fantasma during their 21 date residency at the Docklands Arena as opening band for Prince. They also played as his backing band at some of the after show parties.
They've already got the crowd going at Stage 2. Whilst the high humidity is playing havoc with the instruments, it seams to be helping to create the hot sweaty feel of an underground Austin club.
It's a complete contrast to the Levellers, well except being loud and full of energy. The front of Stage Two is pretty much a gyrating mass of flesh. In the case of a twenty stone bearded bloke, naked from the waist up, literally.
It's an unexpected way for me to end the evening, funky is not really my scene, but it all seems to work and you can't fault a really good horns section.