Friday
I'd like to stay around and catch up but one of the acts that I really want to see is about to take the stage at Stage 1, Pokey LaFarge. I had been really tempted to see him on the more intimate Stage 2 yesterday, but knowing he had the performance today allowed me to catch Hat Fitz & Cara, another on the must see list.
It soon became clear that Pokey LaFarge and his fellow band of time travelers have an inherent talent to make any venue they play intimate, despite being a seven piece on the day. Whilst his music has been described as retro, Pokey prefers to see it as music that has never died, it's hard to disagree with that opinion, just as it's hard to describe someone in the 21st century pushing the boundaries of 1930s western swing, jazz and ragtime, but he does and that's what makes his music, real, and not a pastiche or show band homage.
With a horns section as well as lots of different strings and a band full of multi-instrumentalist he has plenty in his locker to drive the narrative forward, a chance to tell stories in a space that sits somewhere between 1930 and the future and as an audience you just go along with it because he's reeled you in and made you a part of it, Cambridge 50 is shaping up to be a classic vintage.
That feeling is only enhanced when following a rapid change over, especially considering the number of musicians, from Western swing to Celtic and the grace of Cara Dillon. I always find a set from Cara to be quite fascinating as it really blurs the line between solo artist, duo with her husband and former fellow Equation member, Sam Lakeman and a full blown band, which includes the likes of Tad Sargent and Luke Daniels, and rolls them into one cohesive unit.
If the unit only played instrumentals they would be more than worthy of the hour's slot, Cara is no mean whistle player herself, but it is Cara's voice and song selection that takes the whole thing to one level beyond. Songs from the new album, "A Thousand Hearts" slip effortlessly alongside old favorites both traditional and contemporary. The sparkle is definitely continuing.
There is just enough time to squeeze in the first meal since breakfast, before another one of the must see artists of the 50th Cambridge Folk Festival, Richard Thompson, writer of one of my all time favorite songs "1952 Vincent Black Lighting" a classic death ditty and home to Red Molly.
I'd been fortunate enough to catch up with Richard, together with Eliza and Martin Carthy, before and at The Mojo Interview, but there is nothing quite like that experience of closing your eyes at a Richard Thompson solo gig and playing count the guitarists.
Its set that features many of our favorite songs, including mine, with the likes of "Bees Wing", but he also includes a few that we haven't heard for a while. It's a real mixture of sing-a-long and stand back and watch in amazement, though he's soft spoken, letting his songs and guitar speak for him and it speaks volumes.
Richard Thompson has got such a range of material to draw on. It must be a nightmare planning a set for just an hour when you have so many classic and favorite songs to share. Naturally there's a few from his most recent album, "Acoustic Classics" which I'm sure made things easier.
Keston Cobblers' Club are another act on my list to see and have the misfortune to overlap with Richard Thompson. They are another band I've followed avidly since discovering them via Bob's Folk Show. I have to admit it was a strange mix of regret and anticipation that accompanied me as I made my way across to the Club Tent and as it turned out I wasn't the only was only one, not by a long shot.
They are a band that seem to blessed with boundless energy and a talent for transferring it to the audience. There is dancing aplenty both on and off the stage, but then this is a band that have forged their growing reputation on the live circuit and live radio performances.
It's an atmosphere for the crowd to lap up and they do their duty well getting one of those band audience feedback loops going. They are a band whose songs reach back into the tradition, but are also very much of the here and now, the delivery exquisite.
Next up is not only one of my all time favorite artists, he's also has more Cambridge Folk Festival appearances than any other artist, Brian McNeill, who also hosts The Festival Session on Saturday. That features many, many musicians, this is Brian solo.
Through both instrumental and songs, Brian always links the music back to the people, consequently his sets can get quite political, highly passionate and very full of life, he's a larger than life character with a personality and love of music to go with it.
He's traced the development of Celtic music as it's spread both east and west and recorded albums that reflect that work. Music is a great love and you feel that in both his playing and singing. As he works his way through the array of instruments he's brought with him, the effect he has on the audience is palpable. If you weren't lucky enough to be there, you can get a sense of it through a recently released DVD, "Under The Lothian Sky, Brian McNeill Live in St. Louis".