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Great British Folk Festival

Venue: Butlins
Town: Skegness
Dates: 4-6/12/15
Website: http://www.bigweekends.com/the-weekends/specialist-music-weekends/great-british-folk-festival.aspx

"Ogres are like onions. They have layers." Shrek said that. How about "Festivals are like strawberries" You can now get them all year round.

Rather like October's English Folk Expo/Homegrown event at Bury's Met theatre, Butlins provides a Winter fix of folk with their Great British Folk Festival. Adding to their Winter calendar of live music weekends, the 2015 folk event was sold out with towards six thousand heading East and packing into Skegness' Skyline Pavilion and beyond. It simply confirms the fact that these weekends and the folk genre are in rude health and with the east coast escaping the battering of extreme weather laying waste to other parts of the country, Skegness, or Skeg Vegas as some call it, was the place to be.

Also like The Met, the event brings together a quality bill of folk acts which is as good as any larger folk festival has to offer; all on three stages and with a mouthwatering choice, there are times when bagging a decent spot for the duration means missing out on something worthwhile elsewhere but as they say in nearby Yorkshire, you pays your money, you makes your choice. A slight sense of déjà vu prevailed with FATEA joining the Northern Sky contingent out in force and the return of the three most popular bands from last year's 'Introducing' stage striking up a sense of warm familiarity. That and the brisk walk on the beach after breakfast to blow away any cobwebs following any shenanigans from the late night bands.

Friday Saturday Sunday Gallery

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Saturday

Whether you were just passing through or staying for a more relaxed experience than the crowded main stages, Ellie Dibben, Gilded Thieves, Itchy Fingers and The Delta Ladies with Alan Glen presented a more country and transatlantic bent to proceedings elsewhere which were distinctly full on British isles.

The Moulettes - visually striking, challengers to Eliza Carthy in the 'what can you do with your hair next?' stakes and equally as musically adventurous although the initial sound coming from the PA didn't do them any favours. It took a no nonsense "We carn't 'ear ya!" during a song break to alert the sound men to press some knobs or twiddle the appropriate buttons to make the subtleties of their arrangements, the intricacy of the cello and bassoon, come through a little more clearly. In contrast to their very unique, quirky musical and lyrical take on the folk route, Magna Carta were the first of several bands who you might terms 'more experienced' and who would have had a certain appeal to those members of the audience who were around back in the day and looking for a bit of nostalgia. No doubt about the bill having a wide appeal, and in Chris Simpson have a frontman whose longevity is admirable. Their classic 'Lord Of The Ages', forty years on, is still appreciated and is a testament to its standing that the album is revered today. Perhaps a little light and laid back when compared with the bright eyed and bushy tailed Coco & The Butterfields and their brass and beatbox fuelled folk. Well deserving of a spot on the main bill, they are the type of act that ensures that the younger fans will keep feeding into the genre, whether or not they too are going to be around in some form on the 2035 weekend who knows?

Contrasts continued to abound with Tom Robinson shifting these days comfortably between his radio job and what he started out doing almost forty years ago with TRB. Slightly dwarfed and sandwiched between by The Unthanks huge drum kit and grand piano the Tom Robinson acoustic trio sat huddled closely round and playing acoustic instruments perhaps in concession to being at a folk festival, nonetheless playing out those songs cum anthems that frankly we all have burned into our brains. Naturally, despite having some decent new material up his sleeve, he finished the only way he can with the bluster of 2-4-6-8-Motorway, crowd up close and personal

Ten years of The Unthanks seems to have flown by, yet it seems like Becky and Rachel have been around for much longer, such is their standing that like their music, they seem almost timeless. Starting off as a simple four piece with 'On A Monday Morning' from their first album and slowly adding the instruments and players who combine to form their rich tapestry it was a classic case of that intense yet faraway ambience, not so much about what they play but what they don't play; the less is more philosophy with their spare and studied arrangements. They are creating a body of work which in time will surely be regarded in some reverence in the way that uber fan Martin Freeman has described his gratitude at being around at the same time. The live experience is one in which to become absorbed - even those packed up against the stage remained in a motionless homage of watchful respect.

So a poorly Sam Lee became replaced by late subs but when you have someone akin to Lionel Messi on the bench in the form of Jerry Donahue can hop up as a sidesman, that ain't too shabby a trade. This is someone who has a model of guitar named after him and being on hand with one of the weekend's big names, making up part of the Legendary Blues Folk and getting a gig together at short notice with some acoustic-y folk-y blues pals was a fair trade. It also embodied the spirit of many of the bands whose members were often flitting between other bands, filling in alongside original members, adding their bits and pieces and generally doing the sort of cross pollination in which folk musicians specialise.

In much the same way, Sam Carter, away from False Lights and playing solo is an engaging prospect, his recent outing with the Sweet Liberties project giving him a chance to comment with a more political bias. Not quite at the level of that of Mr Bragg but going back to doing what he originally set out to do as a solo singer/guitar player, he obviously hits the spot, doing brisk trade and selling out of his CDs at the merch desk - travelling light by train you see - and summed up by compere Sue Merchant as "Richard Thompson speaks well of him you know." Not a bad testimonial really. And talking of musicians who are masters of their craft, there was Sharon Shannon accompanied by Alan Connor on guitar and keys and looking very Dave Grohl; something you wouldn't bet against, bearing in mind the number of musicians she's played alongside over the years. Add the range of musicians to the range of influences in her playing and you have a pretty comprehensive package and an artist who might not be one of the major high profile names in terms of recognition, but in her peers standing, someone truly top drawer.

Continued