You are hereCambridge Folk Festival (Thursday)
Cambridge Folk Festival (Thursday)
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THURSDAY
The wood pigeons inhabiting the trees in the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall once again sent out their annual alarm calls to neighbouring birds, which roughly translate to 'why are all these large white marquees here?' As other assorted wildlife woke to the sound of tent pegs being hammered in, hundreds of people descended upon the sleepy fields of Cherry Hinton park on Thursday morning, a few hours before Ezio welcomed regular visiters and newcomers alike to the 46th consecutive Cambridge Folk Festival.
There are always slight changes in detail each time the gates are flung open, usually at around ten o'clock on the Thursday morning, but never anything major. The bar in the Guinness tent may run a different way or the now familiar wicker figures may have taken up a new instrument; one year a fiddle, the next year a flute. This year a couple of banjo playing foxes precided over the influx of festival visitiors on a warm seasonal morning.
After the usual familiarisation of the site, the ritual tagging, the purchase of the all important and crucial festival programme, this year's cover featuring you the audience sitting before the main stage in what appears to be a beautiful summer's evening, it was time for some music.
The opening act at this year's festival was none other than local boys Ezio Lunedei and Booga, who being no strangers to this festival, brought a warm welcome to the crowds who had gathered in front of Stage 2, the largest stage marquee open for business on Thursday night. With familiar songs such as the one about being drunk on a bicycle and the enduring crowd pleaser Deeper, the duo suitable warmed up the audience for the evening to come.
Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends gave Doc Martin a night of peace and quiet down in Cornwall as the ten singers formed an orderly crescent shaped line on Stage 2 in order to bring some traditional sea shanties to a hugely receptive and appreciative gathering. The fifteen year old combo, made up of former (and current) fishermen, lifeboatmen and coastguards, the five baritones, two top tenors, two second tenors and one bass, delivered their own broad range of songs and shanties before a delighted audience.
From Rock Island, Illinois, Lissie introduced to the healthy Cambridge audience a handful of songs from the singer-songwriter's current Catching a Tiger album. With a soulfully engaging voice and a folk pop sensibility, Lissie's eagerly anticipated performance didn't disappoint. Even a heartfelt rendition of Lionel Richie's Hello, which the singer confessed she had only just learnt, went down a treat.
The even more eagerly anticipated performance by Oxford's Stornoway, in all honesty didn't capture the atmosphere everyone expected, the young band delivering something of a luke warm plodding sort of set. The songs were familiar to those who had already added Beachcomber's Windowsill to their pile of CDs, and the songs were created much the same as on the record, but sometimes you need more from a live performance.
Other acts on Thursday night over in the club tent were Cocos lovers, Adam Brown and Alan MacLeod, Tyde and The Muckle Loons, who demonstrated precisely how to finish off an opening night at a festival.
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