Friday
Mike Scott, is mainman for the Waterboys, he's guided them through the changes in personnel and genres. They've been
rock and raggle taggle and a number of points in between as well as a few tangents off at the side.
Mike starts off the first number solo, the snappers are in position and were good to go, every thing that is except
my batteries as my Camera goes down two shots into the number.
The regular photographers at the festival have acquired the nick name the pit ponies, there's a great level of
camaraderie amongst us, exchanging shooting positions etc. Getting back to my camera bag is not a problem, but the
battery change takes time and Mike's gone for a short one as his first number.
Steve Wickham joins Mike on stage for the next number. It's atmospheric and moody. The stage has been lit to match.
I'm not a photographer predominately, I don't understand my camera well enough. I work through a number of settings
and hope.
It's a completely different picture on stage and in the crowd behind. On stage its passion and pride, behind me is
an audience that have let all their frustrations go and have given themselves over to the Waterboys.
Sharon Shannon, a former Waterboy herself, comes on stage to join them. It's great to get a guest artist in the
first three numbers.
When Mr Scott starts talking about a very old song, you hope it's going to be "Raggle Taggle Gypsy" and it is.
The lights come up and so do the crowd, the atmosphere moves from electric to supercharged. You almost start to
wonder if they can maintain it for the whole set. They can.
A combination of old and new classics take the audiences through what is the performance of the festival so far.
The Waterboys clash with CJ Chenier, whose only doing the one set, so unfortunately that's that. A dash to the Club
Tent follows. I want to catch No I.D. who also closed the Cambridge Folk Club Sessions a couple of years back.
Things are running late and I manage to catch the last couple of numbers from jazz affected folk trio the Floozies.
I really like it, late at night in the Club Tent is absolutely the right slot for them.
Next up No I.D, who despite still having an average age below eighteen are playing their fifth consecutive festival!
One of the changes since the last time I saw them is that Erin has now added bodhran to her singing and fiddle
playing.
The band kick off with a heavily rhythm based tune that really gets the audience going. Another tune follows before
it's time for the first and as it turns out only song, "Donkey Riding".
They've played it here before and it goes down really well, join in chorus gestures and all.
They finish off with a set of polkas, on stage dancing and solos, a great way to end the day.
Absolutely knackered I head back to the car to get some sleep and prepare for tomorrow.