Co-Operative Cambridge Folk Festival
Sunday
Sunday starts the same way as Saturday with breakfast at the Unicorn. Parking the car becomes an experience not dissimilar to rally cross, but I manage and get a space that's going to be convenient to my friends who are camping, less distance to lug the gear.
Whilst muddy, the site isn't actually too bad. The relative lateness of yesterday's downpour means that it hasn't really had the chance to be churned up. It's slippery in places, sticky in others, but off the main drags it's pretty firm.
The gully sucking team are out and about dealing with the worst of the surface water and liquid mud. Apparently mud divers had been spotted last night, hope they were locals with somewhere to shower.
Sunday starts with a workshop. Beth Nielsen Chapman is going to be doing a songwriting workshop. Songwriting workshops are one of the hardest to deliver. Instrumental and vocal workshops have a clear objective, a scheme to work to, songwriting is far more ephemeral. At the same time a song is a song regardless of genre, it's about finding a way to tap into your creativity.
If Beth disappointed me of stage last night, she made up for it with the workshop, here her deep explanations of how a song got inspired and how the creative processes pushed the words and melody around made for a really interesting discussion.
There was a good crowd for her as well, especially considering the number of people drying out gear and getting stuff packed to head for home later. Whilst everybody has different inspirations and techniques, the main messages were be positive about what you're doing, write for yourself and if others like it and draw meaning from it, consider that to be a bonus. Another point is don't let anyone else criticise it until you've taken it as far as you can go. There's a lot of good songs that start out bad.
There is quite a lot of heat in the day already. By the time I've had a few early morning conversations, including formulating a plan for next year, the ground is already drying out. So long as we stay reasonably rain free, I think it's going to be ok.
I get a bit of me time. A wander around and a quick pop into Proper Records, the people that run the onsite cd concession. I'm under strict orders to try and keep my buying habit under control, especially difficult when they're discounting stock in front of my eyes.
The Archers have had their usual outing out in the field, one of the more obscure traditions of the festival. Bella Hardy is starting off the festivities (sic) today on Stage One, New Rope String Band lead the children's concert on Stage Two.
Bella is absolutely the right start to a glorious sunny Sunday. She played a Showcase Session in the Club Tent last year and has been rewarded by stepping up to stages One and Two this year.
There's a really uplifting sound from Bella and her band, bouyed by having their/her new album launched today. A bottle of and glass of champagne are being delivered to her onstage to add to that sense of celebration. She dedicates a toast to the festival.
The band onstage, it's pretty much a whose who of the rising generation of folk artists, musicians that have put in the graft and despite the relative youth, already have many years in the harness, the likes of Anna Massie, and Corrina Hewat. It's a glorious introduction to the days music, starting off as a relatively mellow start to the day, gradually building up the intensity to shake people out of the taupe. Bella Hardy and co were really up for it, transferring that enthusiasm to a highly appreciative audience.
It's hard to believe that Bella has already been on the circuit for nearly ten years having been in both The Pack and Ola before treading a solo path. She's also getting some recognition for her work as a songwriter, having already picked up a Radio Two Folk Award nomination in that direction.
English inspired folk music is being championed by a new generation and is shaking off it's image of dowdy nights in cellars as it reaches out to a wider audience and it's the likes of Bella Hardy getting it there. Bella knows that folk music is our music and not the jingoistic trappings of the right, I just wish the right did.