Co-Operative Cambridge Folk Festival
Friday
Friday starts off with the traditional all you can eat breakfast at the Unicorn, followed by a dash back to my digs to get the passes I'd forgotten.
Suitably equipped and just getting back on site I bump into Scottish fiddler Brian McNeill who is going to be doing a fiddle workshop later.
It's a morning for bumping into people as Cruel Folk come into sight. They're getting breakfast in before heading off to the Brian McNeill workshop, by which time they'll have found a case of beer. Later they'll be in the queue signing up for a slot in the Club Tent.
There's a good turn out for 10'clock on a bright sunny morning for Brian McNeill's workshop. From the start two things become obvious.
Firstly there are going to be no civilians here, not having a fiddle is not going to save you. Catriona MacDonald taught me to play 'air' fiddle, Brian McNeill taught me and a number of others how to put together a fiddle tune without a fiddle, basically using the way it's been done for thousands of years, using the oral tradition.
Secondly that we're also going to get the history of the development of fiddle tunes and how they were changed by the great social movements, such as the coming of the railways and emigrations.
Fiddlers at Cambridge have had some great teachers over the years and those that turned out today were treated to one of the best.
The workshops go right back to the early days of the festival, something that is attested to during one of the more recent festival additions, that of the Mojo interview.
The first interviews were of solo artists, Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright to name but two. Last year saw the first group interview, with various members of Imagined Village being interviewed in the Club Tent. This year, the interview is around Topic Records and The Watersons. Coincidently there is a link between this year and last as Martin Carthy was there for both.
The reason for the topic (sic) is that Topic records turns seventy this year, making it England's oldest indie and the Watersons have recorded on the label over a number of generations. Topic are represented by current MD Tony Engles, the Watersons by Norma Waterson and Martin Carthy, together with their daughter Eliza Carthy.
At the start of the interview, Tony Engles confirms that back in the early days of the festival he did indeed lead a fiddle workshop. These days he's been far busier on the business side at Topic, researching the early days of the label for a forthcoming compilation.
It's a good day for history, some great questions from the audience as well as the stage, but there's always an emphasis that music keeps on moving and must do so to remain a valid living thing.
Following the interview there's time to squeeze in a cold drink with friends before heading off to catch the first unadulterated act of the Friday, Genticorum.
Genticorum had closed the Club Tent the previous night and had lost out to Ade Edmundson And The Bad Shepherds, it was time to make amends.
Cambridge has had a number of Quebecois bands grace its stage over the year. They've come in all shapes and sizes, Genticorum are a three piece, fiddle, guitar and flute in the main, though bass and jews harp also make an appearance. It reminds me why the jews harp never became one of music's great instruments.
The set is mainly instrumental, though with one or two songs to provide further variety to a collection of tunes that covered a good range of rhythms and textures. It was one of those sets that I really enjoyed, Genticorum are a good band to see, but I'm not sure they are a band worth going to see. They managed to squeeze in a jews harp solo at the end, which is something you don't hear all that often.
As with a lot of folk music Quebecois traditional music grew out of dance music and there was time to include a small amount of native clog dancing in amongst the songs. It gave a different dimension to the set, which was pretty static in nature, due to the playing styles of the musicians. Talking to someone that saw their Club Tent display he felt they really gave it a good blast, but they seemed a little lost in the bigger arena of Stage One, it was a comment I found hard to disagree with.
Scotland is well represented on this year, once again aided and abetted by the Scottish Arts Council. One of the bands benefiting from that are The Shee.
The Shee are quickly acquiring themselves a reputation as one to listen out for from North of the border. Whilst traditional music forms the core of the sound, they are less particular where that traditional music comes from. Whilst it makes touring more difficult as most of the bands also have commitments with other acts, being a six piece brings so many different influences into the mix.
It means that the expected becomes the unexpected. Bluegrass, for example gets a full harp added to the mix, it really adds a new dynamic to the sound. It sounds as if the sounds have been discovered by experimentation, rather than precise arranging, it gives the set a very lose and fluid feel.
It works both ways, as bluegrass mandolin and flute add dimension to otherwise traditional fiddle tunes and helps to keep the genres moving into new areas.
There are times when the set takes on an almost folkjazz feel as The Shee explore their instrumentation and dynamic. They become the second band of the day to feature clog dancing.
Add to that the sheer quality of the players and you can really start getting the sense of a band that is extending itself and its music and having a great time whilst doing so. Most of the band met up whilst studying on the folk course at Newcastle, which unlike their football team, does seem to be going from strength to strength.
A really enjoyable set and one that should hopefully give the band they need to drive themselves into the consciousness of those south of the border.