Friday

Up at the Club Tent I bump into Zoe Wren who played a slot in the Club last year. She's managed to land another late night slot this year, which hopefully I'll get back to watch.

The weather has been behaving itself, warm, but cool enough in the shade and breeze to be manageable. It helps keep things comfortable in the field too. The sun keeps people outside which gives everyone more space which has the added advantage of keeping everyone more relaxed.

There is time to get a snatch of the first part of the ceilidh, this year hosted by Blackbeard's Tea Party in their own inimitable style. I keep promising that one year I'll do more than just watch and photograph, this is not going to be that year.

Wilko Johnson is the man I thought I'd never see and yet here he is gracing Stage One here at Cambridge Folk Festival. I'm sure most of you know the story of Wilko's cancer, but you may not realise that the surgeon that saved his life did so at the nearby Addenbrookes hospital. Wilko performed a benefit gig in gratitude.

It's been a rollercoaster for Wilko Johnson, I'm sure he never expected to be playing Cambridge Folk Festival, yet here he is, in the flesh giving it large in his absolutely unique style. He's joined on stage by another one off, Norman Watt-Roy, on bass and drummer Dylan Howe, truly defining between them the phrase power trio.

Wilko Johnson as well as being a master of guitar is also a master of expression with the heart of a showman beating proudly beneath the surface, he plays the crowd like he plays his six string and the response is phenomenal. He's an artist with a new lease of life, both in reality and metaphorically. That that doesn't kill you makes you stronger and Wilko Johnson is going from strength to strength.

Having caught up with Frank Turner, the philosopher and interviewee in the morning, it's time to catch up with Frank Turner the musician and performer, additionally drawing in the benefits of Frank Turner the songwriter.

The front rows, heck loads of rows are packed with fans of Frank. If I were a betting man, I would suggest that Frank was responsible for selling more of the Friday night only tickets than any of the artists as evidenced by the singing along to song after song. Whilst many performers badger the crowd into singing along with the chorus, Frank's audiences need no such cajoling. It's only when he gets to the new material, from the imminent "Positive Songs For Negative People" that the sounds die down and even there there's fans up to speed.

Frank's accompanied by a mandolin player, whose name I was too stupid to write down, who provides lines and hooks for Mr Turner to bounce off. There are massive grins on both their faces reflected by similar expressions from the crowd in the tent, who needs spotlights when people are beaming like this?

Time for another of my festival traditions, I take the hike from Stage One off to the club tent to take in the performer that has put in more official slots at the festival than any other artist, Brian McNeill.

A folk legend and first ever recipient of the Fatea Life Time Achievement Award, Brian lives and breathes music, regularly creating slots and opportunities for younger artists to get the exposure they need to get them onto the next rungs of their careers.

Brian is not only imbued with all aspects of the tradition, he eloquently combines it with more contemporary aspects be they, personal, social or political; tunes or songs.

He opens up with a set of tunes on the fiddle before taking up his bouzouki for a more song based part of the set including obligatory sing-alongs.

The Club Tent is not only packed with festival goers, it's packed to the rafters with enthusiasm, the atmosphere fully charged.

Brian responds with a stunning set or do the Audience respond to a stunning set ? The lines are definitely blurred.

For his final set of tunes, Brian is joined on stage by young and rising fiddle player, Matt Tighe, a performer who has grown up through the festival and who is now on the verge of recording his debut album.

It's quite a set, one that will live long in the mind and there's a lot more to come at the Brian McNeill Session tomorrow.

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