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Folk 21 Wimborne Minster Folk Festival Showcases

Venue: The Allendale Centre
Town: Wimborne
Date: 14-15/6/14
Website: http://www.folk21.com/

It has to be said the organisers of The Wimborne Minster Folk Festival couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Mainly sunny, but occasionally overcast, it meant that people took the opportunity to explore both the outdoor and indoor events at the festival and for two of the days, the indoor events included Folk 21 sessions in the afternoon. To learn more about what Folk 21 do, check the link, but essentially it's to allow artists to showcase outside of their area, to try and give organisers at clubs and the like a chance to see artists they might not otherwise get a chance to see as well as provide great entertainment.

Essentially, Folk 21 Showcases are to help support the club and small venue circuit, by helping bands get seen out of their area and give clubs in the area where they are held a chance to see new acts.

Saturday  Sunday  Gallery

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Saturday

George seemed to be a popular day for performers on the Saturday because next George Papavgeris was introducing George Frakes, an artist I first came familiar with on the much missed Bob's Folk Show and finally caught live at the London Folk Festival a few years back.

I get the impression that if Percy Bysshe Shelley had been around in the era of the singer/songwriter instead of the poet, his presence wouldn't have been too dissimilar to George Frakes. I know that Pete Doherty is the usual quote for that, but whilst both Doherty and Frakes have a way with words, I think the way Frakes channels his passion on stage strikes me as more where Shelley would be, either way, it's at best speculative.

George Frakes is a passionate performer, he has a real presence on stage and would rather deliver a song like that, then deliver a note perfect rendition that lacks that commitment. He comes across like a man that's driven by his music and is well received for it. It will be interesting to see how much of that passion he will be able to capture on his next release, but it promises much as do his live performances, catch him if you can.

It was back to a trio, next well more a loose confederation of musicians that perform with each other, Alan West, Steve Black and Adam Sweet, who, as with the Jess Vincent Trio, can be found performing together in different combinations. Regulars of the West Dorset, East Devon scene, they can be found with a Monday night residency in the Kings Arms in Seaton over the summer months as well as out and about in the area.

As it is, their appearance here is also a very convenient stop off on their way further west for another gig in the evening. Their weapon of choice is country, that's country, rather than Americana and they do it damned well. Alan West is the vocal point of the performance, though Black is the regular songwriter within the trio.

This was an accomplished set that showed why country has been such an enduring format, the trio really got to the core of the songs. Country is a folk style, it's roots are in the community and whilst the cliché has it down to loss and cheating, real country music appeals because it reflects both the good and band, not just in individuals, but in that wider community, it endures because it reflects shared knowledge and when it's delivered like it was here, you understand why it reaches people the way it does and the way it did in Wimborne.

It was back to English folk music for the final act of Saturday's Folk 21 Showcase and (Caz) Forbes & (Ste) Moncrieff, who I first came across via their album, "The Green Lady" and Caz seemed appropriately dressed for the part.

Forbes Moncrieff were arguably the most traditional folk act on the bill today, drawing on a lot of traditional material, that would have been well known to a lot of the knowledgeable audience, but the beauty of folk music and the reason that many of these songs have lasted so long is that it's as much about the way the songs are interpreted and arranged that allows different artists to make them their own.

Sometime just using voice, sometimes voice and guitar or guitar and flute, Forbes Moncrieff delivered a set of predominantly English folk songs that they took a real pride in delivering and that the audience received very well. Yes folk does have a dark side and that was partly explored by the duo, but it also has a side that reflects themes that were not only important at the time, but which, like the music, have passed down through the generations, with only small changes to the background stories.

It seemed like a great way to end day one of the Folk 21 Showcases and there was still another day to come.

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