Reviews
Event: Broadstairs Folk Week
Venue: Various venues throughout Broadstairs, Kent
Date: 7th to 14th August 2009
Website: http://www.broadstairsfolkweek.org.uk/
Broadstairs Folk Week truly is a phenomenon. Last year, knowing that every single pub in Broadstairs was hosting a folk event every night of the week, in addition to there being a large marquee hosting big names such as Eliza McCarthy, we went just to support the Dealers, anticipating that with so many simultaneous events, they were likely to be playing to an empty pub. As it turned out, we have never been in such a crowded bar. In fact, every venue in the town was bursting at the seams, so much so, that at closing time the police had to close the roads.
This year, we knew what to expect. The quiet little seaside resort would be completely packed.
Sadly, due to distance, and to pressure of work, we were unable to attend more than one event, but with The Dealers, supporting The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, in the main marquee, the final event of the week was clearly not one that we could miss.
Having mentioned both bands more than once on Fatea, and having only been present for one day out of the whole event, I won't go into too much detail this time.
Our aim, in order to get good seats and hence good photos, was to turn up half an hour before the event opened, but unfortunately, the regulars at Broadstairs knew the ropes better than we did. The marquee was already three-quarters filled when we arrived. The seating was densely packed, almost to the point of claustrophibia, and within a few minutes all seating was filled, and people were packing in down the sides. Must have been well in excess of five hundred people there and given that most pubs in town would also have been crammed, and that this was the seventh consecutive day of the event, it just goes to show how popular the folk week is. Sadly, and very unusually for a marquee event, cameras were strictly forbidden. I've therefore taken the picture of the ukulele orchestra from the BBC proms web-site.
I've seen the Dealers as a six piece band before, as a five piece band, a four piece but mainly as a duo: Bessie Sayce, and Pierre Vincent. Bessie, however, has decided to start a family, so she is taking a Sabbatical for a couple of years, and Pierre is carrying on solo in the meanwhile. Although he has played the occassional solo spot in recent gigs, this was the first time we'd seen Pierre perform entirely on his own. Although he looked a little nervous at first, he was brilliant. Bessie has such a wide vocal range that I hadn't really realised before that Pierre's voice also has great variety.
Pierre played one track, "Whispers", from the Dealers second album, that I'm fairly sure I hadn't heard live before, and one track, "Lost Keys", from his new album, "Charcoal on Black Paper", but most songs were ones from the earlier albums that we're used to hearing Bessie's voice as well. Good to hear that the songs live on.
The audience were fantastic, and really encouraged Pierre. This was the third gig that Pierre had played in Broadstairs that week, and it seemed that most of the people there knew his material really well.
Strangely, the audience didn't seem so familiar with the Ukulele Orchestra. I don't think many of them knew quite what to expect, but they were very pleasantly surprised. They roared with laughter, in all the right places, such as when realising that the folk song they were listening to was in fact "Anarchy in the UK", or during "Life On Mars", where multiple songs are song at the same time.
Last time I saw the Ukulele Orchestra, neither of the girls were there. This time, one of the guys, Will Grove-White, was missing instead. Can't be easy when they're missing a musician, as all of their tunes are carefully orchestrated, so that they aren't all just strumming the same chord, but they seem to be able to adapt perfectly, and give a hundred and ten percent.
The highlight for me was a beautiful adaption of Bernstein and Sondheim's "America" (from West Side Story). Haven't heard them do this before, and nor can I find a version of it on Youtube.
The following day, they went on to play the Albert Hall as part of the Proms, to an even larger audience, though sadly not including me. Apparently, the Albert Hall gig was recorded and is planned for release on DVD.
Pete Bradley