Thursday
It's the last Thursday of July and that means an early start and time to head off to the 44th Cambridge Folk Festival. Fingers crossed I haven't forgotten anything and it's time to hit the road. Every year there's something different about Cambridge Folk Festival and this year is no different.
There's a group of photographers that spend pretty much the whole festival photographing the acts. If you've been to the festival you'll pretty much know the routine. Generally, first three songs on Stages One and Two you'll find them in the pits in front of stage, then they vanish like smoke and stop interrupting the view. It's strict rules, no flash, earplugs must be worn for safety reasons. You'll have seen one or more of the photographers at pretty much every set.
The festival regulars who are there pretty much from the first act Thursday to the last act Sunday have nicknamed themselves the pit ponies and this year there's an exhibition of some of their shots from the last five years in the backstage bar. Some of the Fatea team are pit ponies and some of the Fatea team are amongst those getting the exhibition up.
The prints are all done and a vague idea of how we're going to get them up has been hatched. There's a pre-festival meet up in the Tally Ho at Trumpington for a planning session. The planning session turns into a reminisce about previous festivals and bands we've seen this year so we head to the site with still only a vague idea and lots of string.
The Cambridge site hasn't changed much. The wicker fiddler has been replaced by a wicker flautist. I vaguely wonder how long it's going to be before the new sculpture suffers the ignominy of having a plastic bottle rammed where the sun doesn't shine.
Opposite the flautist I notice a new food stall, for the first time in a good number of year's there's going to be giant Yorkshire puddings on site.
We head to the backstage bar and start the process of pairing up the pictures, which ones are going over the bar and which ones are going on the tent wall opposite. I take on the role of scrounger and head off to track down a pair of steps and try to ensure the team don't dehydrate. There's a lot of humidity around and it looks like it's going to be hear all weekend. Hopefully the pictures are up to it.
Time ticks by and we make good progress. We've time enough to eat before the music kicks off at six
You can see the photographs used for the exhibition in the gallery section of this site.
In many ways, the Thursday night is the toughest of the lot as far as choosing which band to see. Most of the Thursday acts only play that evening so if you miss them, you miss them, there's no chance of catching up with them later. This year is no exception of the eight bands playing the Thursday night, open only to full ticket holders and those with residents’ tickets, seven are not playing on the bill again. I elect to spend the evening at the Club Tent and start my festival with Megson.
Megson are pretty much playing a home town gig. These days they are based just up the road. They've played Cambridge before as guests of the folk clubs that run the Club Tent. This year they get the honour of opening the festival. It starts badly, they are introduced as a Tyne side band. Megson quickly correct the challenge to their honour by pointing out their origins are alongside the Tee.
It's a packed tent, with plenty standing outside, singer/songwriter Frank Turner, recently described as Billy Bragg for the MySpace generation, a little harsh on Billy Bragg who would probably describe himself as Billy Bragg for the MySpace generation, but a great quote none the less and one that immediately lets you know about Frank, is providing the opening on Stage 2.
Main stage isn't used on the Thursday night, a lower key opening to the full weekend, open only to full weekend pass holders and those with Thursday residents tickets. I digress.
Megson, Debbie and Stu Hanna, have established themselves an excellent reputation as both a live and recording band. Their debut album was the first ever to be awarded five stars when Fatea returned as an online magazine. They've two good albums behind them and number three is imminent.
Stu Hanna has been spending a lot of time in the studio recently, not only working on the Megson album, but also as a producer, Benji Kirkpatrick and Mawkin:Causley have both had him as the man behind the desk.
Stu was recently described as the next Phil Beer for the way he combines his top class performing with behind the scenes roles. There's a rumour that Stu may have a role in the studio next time Show Of Hands find themselves there. I appear to have found another tangent.Megson kick off with "Durham Jail" a relatively recent song written by a notorious miner that had found himself banged up at her majesty's pleasure. It's a powerful way to start the evening.
Megson are a band that know how to communicate with their audience, not just with the between song banter, but also with the way they construct their set. They mix the dark side of folk with the lighter side of life. I was really pleased when they included "I Lied". It's a jaunty number that more than hints at benefits and otherwise of untruths, denying making your sister cry, buying a drink underage, that sort of thing. We've all done it and it could be our childhood wrapped up in the song.Megson were a great start to the festival, setting a high standard for the remaining forty plus bands to live up to.