Saturday
The Mischa Macpherson Trio has become a quartet during the course of the day, with Peatbog Faeries whistle man, Peter Morrison being the latest temporary addition to the line-up. It really does show the ability of all the musicians involved that they are able to slip in and out of a group and for the sound to still sound so complete, a task that would challenge many much more musicians.
The Club Tent is one of the most intimate venues at Cambridge, with the audience at times literally inches away from the performers. It seems to be an environment that the Mischa Macpherson Trio thrive in. The playing is both high quality and passionate. They are a band that are easy to warm to, both in song and tune they have a lot going for them and outside of Cambridge you are never going to hear them like this again. Fear not, in their regular line up, they still deliver Celtic magic.
Time to switch stage and get back to the contemporary, though staying with Scotland. By festival standards, Eddi Reader can be considered a veteran performer, with years of great performances both behind and hopefully in front of her. She's playing on Stage 2 which means that I manage to squeeze in a couple of songs drifting up the field from Stage 1, delivered from the song writing genius that is Loudon Wainwright III. I pause a while on my journey to take them in. He's one of the artists I regret missing, but two rising stars of the acoustic scene have made up for it.
Eddi Reader is on top form, she always manages to find something extra for Cambridge. It may be arrogant to suggest that this is a spiritual home for her, but she always seems to have a beaming smile on her face when she plays here and today is no exception.
She starts off in Robert Burns mode with "Charlie Is My Darling" and it just builds from there. She's supported by the likes of Chris While and long time collaborator Boo Hewerdine and pretty much sets about making Stage 2 hers. It's packed with barely enough room to bounce up and down on the soles of our shoes, but that doesn't matter because the atmosphere is great.
After three songs, it's time to leave the pit and as I head around the corner to see what I can see from the side, I notice the food queues have dropped. Is there a better way to enjoy a late summer evening Greek meal, including baklava, washed down with a pint of fine English ale listening to one of the finest Scots singers of her generation?
Rosanne Cash is next on the list, no pun intended, it's tight but I get there just before she gets on stage. I've been really impressed by her last two albums, "The List" and "The River And The Thread" with the latter edging it as I feel there's a lot more of her in it. "The List", good though it is, sometimes feels like an obligation to her late father.
She kicks off with "A Feather's Not A Bird", the opening track from "The River And The Thread" and all feels right with the world. Her band includes husband and producer John Leventhal and it has that deep brooding southern country feel, but there's a voice at the back of my head that's telling me that something is not quite right, but I can't quite put my finger on it, then it clicks, it's too much like the album.
I can't fault the quality, I like the songs, but it isn't doing it for me. Reluctantly I head off to Stage 2 to see if I can find what I'm looking for there.
Ian Siegal & The Mississippi Mudbloods aren't refugees from the Harry Potter novels, but as well as being last minute replacements for the Hot Eight Brass Band, they are also a collaboration between Ian Siegal and North Mississippi Allstars, that has at least one album, "Candy Store Kid".
It's time for another session of hard rocking blues and no gimmicks. The residual heat and and closer atmosphere seem to be much more conducive to the sound and apart from a lack of chicken wire cage and obligatory thrown objects this could easily be a southern state honky tonk, well that and the polite English accents, actually hold that thought.
Ian Siegal & The Mississippi Mudbloods reminded us just how broad the Cambridge ethos is, country to blues, a matter of a few steps away and two more genres a few steps beyond that.
Along with fellow snapper Phil, we spent the best part of ten minutes explaining to Richard, one of the new pit ponies, why we weren't going to bother photographing Peatbog Faeries this year. Essentially it boiled down to a combination of too much smoke being hit by light from all directions that creates a mist in which you can make out silhouettes. Our comments were greeted with a response of 'challenge accepted'.
Through the light and thankfully brief rain, we head off to the bar to catch up with a group of friends. From there we notice the wonderfully clear shots of the Peatbog Faeries on the big screens, so apologies to the band for not being in the pit. Congratulations to Richard for doing what we should have done. I suspect we're in for some stick in the morning :-) Photo courtesy of Rich Etteridge Photography (natch)
Whilst the acid croft of Peatbog Faeries isn't my preferred part of the acoustic spectrum, it is a great way of ending a festival day, one that is going to be repeated in Stage Two tomorrow.
Well the step count for Saturday was a slightly disappointing 14414, well disappointing until I remembered that I'd done pretty much three hours straight at Stage 2 with the Brian McNeill Session, followed by O'Hooley and Tidow. Just walking up and down the photo pit keeps the steps count down.