Sunday
Stage change coming up, from the very instrumental to the very vocal. Fresh from their hugely successful workshop debut, Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends are going to make their Stage 1 debut.
Once again it's good honest fun. There's plenty of banter, the audience are up for a good time and this is band that's more than capable of providing it. There's different dwarf gags, the banter risqué, but ultimately the band know it's about the singing. I hate to use the phrase 'real' but it is. They really do sound like a group of friends singing for pleasure, it's not perfect and it doesn't need to be. This is singing as it used to be and could be again.
Damien O'Kane is next up on Stage Two. It's a strange situation he's recently released an album with David Kosky, who happens to be in the pit taking photographs and whilst on stage with his band, strange.
Damien is one of those artists that knows where to find the vibe, regardless of if he's playing tunes or songs. He's a real leader on stage, engaging with the audience from the off, making you feel almost like you're in his front room, though Kate might not be happy :-), rather than watching him on a large stage.
There's a lot about Damien's music to enjoy, and enjoy it we do. I'm really looking forward to giving the album, "The Mystery Inch" a listen. Apparently the plans for it were laid down about four years back after Cambridge Folk Festival, sometimes folk musicians like to take things slowly.
Down to the Den for another tip off, Louise And The Pins. The band has got a sweet 1940s vibe to their sound. They could have been custom made for the tent. The red hue seems to add that undefined something to their sultry vocal.
You can almost imagine them in a dancehall serenading bomber crews with that last little taste of hope and home before flying off on what might be their last day. I have to say every tip that I've been given has been great.
One of their last songs is a nineteen forties version of the Clash Classic "Should I Stay Or Go" wow. Apparently there's a debut single due out in September, keep a very very close eye out for it, Louise And The Pins are a great discovery and I can't wait to hear more, but I'm going to have to.
The Den has been a real revelation this year. I've been introduced to a number of really good acts that I hope to hear a lot more of. There is so much talent waiting to be discovered. I'm hoping to get back at least one more time to watch Fribo close the stage
Up on Stage 2 is Emily Smith, is an artist that I've been looking forward to seeing this weekend. I really enjoyed her "Travailers Joy" album and have been waiting to catch her live.
She opens up with an accapella song that really hits the mark. Unaccompanied singing appears to be popular this year and not just with the large choral acts, the voice seems to getting used as more than just a transporter of words, but also for its instrumental quality. If it sounds this good, why not build it in to the set.
Her band joins her on stage as she dons the accordion and dives into the title track from the album. There is a real vibe to this year's festival and Emily Smith has clicked straight into it. Stage Two is really kicking as it all falls into place. I missed her Stage 1 appearance, the slightly more intimate stage two makes up for it.
The early evening on a Sunday is pretty much the busiest time for reviewers and photographers alike. It's the time when a lot of start times concertina and either necessitates missing something completely or lots of mad runs between stages. Ever mindful of the calorie count, I'm going to go with the latter, at least that's the plan.
If there was an artist for which the cliché, 'she grafted away for years to become an overnight success' could be true it's Rumer. A chance encounter at an open mic session, lead to the big record deal, a hit album, tours and all the paraphernalia associated with success. Throughout it, she's kept her feet on the ground avoiding the diva like foibles of some of her contemporaries.
She's been compared to both Karen Carpenter and Carole King and it has to be said that there are similarities, they are obvious from the moment she comes on stage and we get to hear her incredible voice.
Rumer's songs work on that epic, show band scale, almost cinematic and yet somehow intimate. She's able to switch from soulful torch songs to large anathematic numbers pretty much at the flick of a switch. It's a hot sunny English summer's day and Rumer is just right for that I just want to listen and relax feel.
Her voice is like a breeze bringing a gentle sway to Stage 1 we're going to get up and dance later, for now, just hearing well delivered songs from an artist that is obviously pleased to be here is more than enough to sustain. I hope I get the chance to hear here for many years to come, artists that can deliver this type of material this well really are few and far between.