TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

Pls post your reviews here! —->  8)

Thought all the bands were a bit average to be honest.
GOS sent me to sleep.
FC seemed on very good form and I gave their performance a 8.5/10.
Enjoyed hearing Vici Clayton sing Sandy songs (wish she’d have sung (WWWTTG) and was also impressed by AH.

Highlight for me was Ashley Hutchings and a convened Albion Band!!!   ;) ;)

Tell me about this...who, and what did they play?

'Wings'. It wasn't as exciting as it sounds - just Ashley, a female vocalist whose name I've forgotten (but I don't think she was in the Albions) and Fairport.

Yes, but all ex Albions with the exception of Becky Mills. That's how I like to think of it anyway - if it's all the same to you!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)

While I'm generally "on the same page" as Beans on Toast on many topics, and I enjoyed his songs, I thought the sweariness rather tiresome, particularly given the audience... Lots of kids about.

Solstice, I'm sad to say, left me cold.

Young 'Uns - great stuff, really enjoyed their set.

Gilbert - fine songwriter, but a bit meh imo.

FC on fine form; just occasionally, the Saturday set has dragged a little with guests coming on and off, but last night seemed to zoom by.

Enjoyed Morganway, Beans on Toast and Young Uns.

Solstice have certainly got the weird 70s cult thing down pat, but the music left me cold.

Digance was Digance, although I must say the song about lost loved ones was very moving and struck a chord with our group.

Quite enjoyed Gilbert O'Sullivan's set, especially the run of hits at the end. His Jerry Lee Lewis moment at the end raised a smile as well!

Fairport started and ended strongly, but there were too many slow/medium paced numbers in the middle and I got a bit bored.

And can we talk about 'Sloth'? Obviously Fairport know more than me about their own music, but I always thought the middle instrumental section had some structure to it. As opposed to the rather messy improvisation that we got. Peggy's solo started as if he'd just woken up, and Ric honking into his fiddle at the end as he collapsed to the floor with a puzzled look on his face was...well, a bit embarrassing.

Obviously other views are available and maybe I just missed the point. I'd be interested to hear what others thought.

For me, the whole point of Sloth is as a place for improvisational guitar/bass/fiddle soloing.  The best versions (i.e. those featuring both Richard and Jerry) are sublime things, but it can miss as much as hit and, for me, not having Richard or Jerry there means it couldn't help but drag a bit.  I'll repeat that Fairport need a fiddle player (not a violinist) to replace Swarb until my dying days... ;)

One might argue that they have got a fiddle player, it's just that he rarely plays the fiddle!

Oh yes, indeed...as those who were there in '92 (or have heard the 25th anniversary set) know only too well.

could be that MH had to leave and gig elsewhere for Saturday night of course, but there was at the festival

1) a pretty useful fiddle player
2) a Swarbrick

interestingly both the same person...

Some of them stayed over!

aye - wife had a brief chat with Virginia as they were prasing each other's clothing, and i passed them at the bar whilst they were discussing what to drink next (Friday night)

didds

There were some outstanding performances on Saturday in what was my most enjoyable Cropredy for a long time. Beans on Toast was fabulous, The Young Uns have in Sean Cooney one of the outstanding British songwriters. And it's not just the songs it's the way he follows them up with the subjects.Sean and Bob Kettle at  the same festival. Wow. Then we come to Morganway. One of the most outstanding vocal performances I have seen at the festival. I hope we see them again very soon.

I am full of superlatives today but that was one the greatest musical feats I have ever seen

Digance was ok, I loved how everyone had hankies ready! I fitting start to the day.
Loved Morganway & will definitely go and see them again. Superb vocals and songs, bags of personality.  Bought their back catalogue on the spot and listened to it all the way home!
I liked Beans on Toast, I knew he would be political so was expecting that, but I didn’t appreciate his constant reference to and promotion of drugs. I left after a few songs and had a shower, which was appreciated by those around me  ::)
Solstice were ok, more or less what I was expecting. I’m glad I’ve seen them & enjoyed the set, but not bothered if I don’t see them again.
Absolutely blown away by The Young ‘Uns. Beautiful harmonies, relevant and heartfelt stories behind each song, had a tear in my eye more than once. Will definitely go to see them again next time they’re in South Wales.
Enjoyed GOS and was amazed how many songs I remembered. I bought his best of (The Berry Vest of GOS) a few years ago so might dig it out and listen to it again.
For reasons I won’t go into here I didn’t see any of FC’s set but they sounded ok.

All in all, an excellent weekend of music which I thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you Fairport for another fab weekend. Can’t wait for next year!

The overwhelming thought I had about beans on toast wasn’t the swearing, or drug references ( one song out of a whole set, compared to a huge back catalogue by the Beatles ;) ), but his family… two songs about his daughter, a live call out to his dad, and his Nan. Clear love for his family. Top bloke.

Overall I really enjoyed the lineup over the weekend - the sum of its parts etc. :-) I dunno whether I've "changed" of late however, as i found the line up - personally - either fantastic or "whatever" - very little middle ground...  but I do hasten to add it is a case opf each to their own as we cant all like everything etc...

So keeping to the thread :-)

Various engagements (chiefly the graveyard...) didnt see me onto the field until 1450 for Beans on Toast - to find he had somehow already started. It seems (garnered from FB groups here) that the Saturday schedule had been changed over night and had been announced by AJ and was on the screens...  which was fine I guess IF you were on the field already ... ;-) Nothing mentioned at all in the various FB groups so its all a bit confusing.

Anyway BoT had litrally only just started so we dashed down the front.

BoT - absoluetly fantastic.  My "really looing forward to and absolutely nailed it" performance foir the weekend. There's been long threads/diatrbbes about his set elsewhere so I'll just say he worked for me, but can see its not to everybody's tastes. Moving swiftly on (except to reiterate the overwhelming message i got from his set was his love for his family, not drug references...)
Solstice - ended up being a "whatever" band. The sound levels seemed really high, and high end. It somewhat screechy at the back of the field (I know others milegae varies - that's fine :-) ) so i pretty much tuned out.
Young 'Uns - another "whatever" band. Very good at what they do - and the irony here beign they provided the harmonies that FF hadnt for me. They just didnt work for me. Whatever.
GO'S - probably my biggest disaapointment of the weekend really. I'd hoped for more. Contrary to Solstice the sound levels seemed very low, and the set didnt seem to work for a huge field. I'd imagine in a hall  
( 300 or so crowd)  he'd probably be great.
FC - nuff sed. Excellent as ever. So "on it". I've seen comments about with excellent female voices available why not use them for WKWTTG...  i won't disagree with that sentiment, other to to say its clearly what SN does now and thats it.  Dave Mattocks on drums was great - was Gerry even mentioned during the set as a nod to his previous short presence of only 24 years?

Finally a word about AJ - was it me, or did he seem to have less chat this year?

Job done. Great weekend.

See y'all next year!

I agree 100% with all of this!

Digance was... Digance
Morganway were good, but I preferred Joshua Burnell the day before.
BoT - I'm on the too sweary, too much promoting of drugs (more than just the one song) wing.  There were some good songs in there, but he spoiled it for me with the rest of it. Someone on Fairporters said the management had asked him to tone it down, but he obviously ignored that - unless he's usually much worse!  Hope he doesn't get asked back.
Solstice were good - I had been looking forward to them as the token 'prog' band. They do what they do really well, and with lots of energy, but I have never quite managed to warm to them as much as I'd like to.
The Young'Uns were brilliant - wonderful songwriting and harmonies. Don't know if they managed to carry the field, but from the front they were excellent.
G O'S - I was wandering the field for most of his set, so just caught bits, and he seemed OK, but I didn't really know his songs apart from a few.  The friends I was sitting with who were more familiar really enjoyed him.
FC were... FC.  Not the greatest Cropredy performance, and quite similar to the WinTour set, but DM does definitely add something.  Vikki Clayton and Ashley Hutchings' contributions (with Becky Mills) were welcome, as were Ben & Hannah.  Sounds as if the Ashley performance was a rather last minute addition, but I'm glad they went for it.  Seemed to me that he is maybe starting to show his age a bit (but I was a way back, so those closer to the front may be able to contradict me).

For the 3rd year running we just came along for the Saturday as our 5 year old lad isn't quite ready for the full 3 dayer just yet! We only saw Digance, Morganway, Beans on Toast and Solstice but generally enjoyed what we heard and saw. I expect that Beans on Toast will be the polarising act of the Saturday line-up with his occasional drug references and fruity language but I found him engaging, entertaining and he came across as a genuine guy who lives for his family. He's in the 'good at a festival but wouldn't sit and listen to the CD' category for me and I did think for one minute that I was going to have the, "Daddy, what's a 'motherf**ker?" conversation with my little lad but thankfully he was too distracted by his donuts...phew...swerved that one...!  ;D

Re BoT….

He is kind of polarising but not in a divisive way for me. If I wasn’t with my son I’d have liked it though some of his ‘points’ I found juvenile. But being in a ‘family friendly’ festival having “motherf@)£!?” shouted across a field and my boy getting increasingly upset was a bit s**t.

I had no knowledge of his schtick or I would have made for the village sooner.


The Young Uns made the day for me.

So now I'm sitting on a boat back to ireland I'll catch up with.my Saturday...
Caught the last half hour of Morganway, wish I'd see it all. A big highlight for me. Loved the Young uns and really loved Beans on Toast. At least he was giving out some different messages from the usual, such as TakeYour s**t With You - should he the motto for the festival. Really wanted to.love Gilbert but I think maybe the big crowd didn't suit him. Still, i felt thrilled to hear him sing a couple of his truly great and timeless songs among the sea of cheesy pop (that said, its very well-crafted cheesy pop...)
Fairport did a great set IMO. Loved Sloth and the greater involvement of Simon. Niggles? Yes, the setlist is getting repetitive when they've such a vast back catalogue to dip into, and some of it drags  (Moses Waits for the Song to End...). But the niggles are melted away by the sheer force of nature that is a band of top class musicians and even topper class gents,and to be honest, i feel privileged everytime I see them perform.

I did think the same during the set Stephen...  appreciating it was a 50+2 year anniversary last year when they played "Full House" but I did wonder if they _could_ pick an album a year and play that as a "first half".  Push comes to shove its a 2.5 hour set - they could play TWO albums plus the traditional openers and closers!  :-)

and FTR - I did really enjoy the set this year. But Stephen's point above is well made and reasonably valid - Matty Groves started just after 2330 this year so in some ways its just a 2 hour set (less "Walkawhile" at the start!)

A chum that comes with us every year and who we would not be without, doesnt do FC at all  (he LOVED Level 42 the other year ;-) ) was overheard this year saying "I knew they'd start with "Walk the line" :D

didds