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24 - 26 August 2012
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BOURNEMOUTH FOLK FESTIVAL
Bournemouth International Centre
March 12, 2011

Kathryn Roberts on stage at Bournemouth Folk Festival 2011

 There was an amazing star studded line-up for the first ever Bournemouth Folk Festival which occupied two halls of the International Centre. Local artists Bob Burke, Victor Chetcuti plus Derek Burgess & Kitty Vernon with their unaccompanied harmony vocals, got things underway in the Purbeck Lounge. Having made the six hour trip from Chester, ‘The Jaywalkers’ opened in the larger Tregonwell Hall with the first of two sets showcasing their album 16 MILES. Mike Giverin (mandolin/guitar) and Jay Bradberry (vocals/guitar/violin) started off as a bluegrass outfit but have now diversified to include folk songs in their sets. Highlights were the self penned My Sweet Little Miss and the classic Shady Grove. Next up was ace Geordie slide man Johnny Dickinson who entertained a small gathering with some terrific blues. The Ocean Blues, The Cuckoo, with its fake banjo intro, and The Danville Girl were all stand out numbers. Johnny saved the best until last with a medley of She Moved Through  the Fair and Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground which was first recorded by Blind Willie Johnson in 1927. In no time, the hall was nearly full for the appearance of BBC Radio 2’s 2011 folk singer of the year, Chris Wood. Drawing largely from his most recent albums HANDMADE LIFE and TRESPASSER, Chris captivated the audience with his tales of everyday life and historic events. So many highlights; The Cottager’s Reply, My Darling’s Downsized, Spitfires and Hollow Point which focussed on the tragic killing of Brazilian John Charles de Menezes on the London Underground and won Chris the Radio 2 best original song award for 2011. He was then called back for an encore and chose John Ball, the friend of Wat Tyler who led the peasants revolt of 1381. It was getting better and better as folk duo Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman took to the stage. It seems an age since the couple were half of folk outfit Equation but with her twins growing, they are now able to get back on the road. Sean and Kathryn have made two albums together, simply named CD1 and CD2 and most of their set was taken from these offerings. Tom Waits’ beautifully sad Georgia Lee and June Tabor’s Joe Peel were outstanding as was their ‘Dorset song’ The Buxom Lass.

There was a host of fringe activities, including three teams of Morris Dancers strutting their stuff on the terrace and with their usual enthusiasm, ‘Anonymous Morris’, ‘Quayside Cloggies’ and ‘Bourne Bumpers’ provided an alternative offering for those needing to get outside for a breath of fresh sea air. Johnny Dickinson and Jeremy Avis ran their respective slide guitar and singing workshops whilst ‘The Jack Ratts’ and Derek Burgess & Kitty Vernon entertained in the Tregonwell bar.

Meanwhile in the Purbeck Lounge, The Morrows were enthralling their following with a selection of lovely self penned ballads. Blue Skies from their excellent album ONLY TIME and their concert staple, the gorgeous Steal Away were just two of the highlights of a terrific set. Portsmouth’s Chris Ricketts was followed by local duo Tinderbox; no strangers to ‘Maverick’ readers. A mixture of old and new numbers was well received by their fans and again there were many highlights. The title track from their critically acclaimed album THE STATE OF PLAY certainly stood out from the rest. Southampton based outfit ‘Fearne’ opened the second half in the Purbeck Lounge closely followed by ‘The Paper Shades’ fresh from their recent headline appearance at Bournemouth’s Centre Stage. Their set followed much the same pattern as their Centre Stage gig which was reviewed in April ‘Maverick’.

Whilst ‘4 Square’, ‘The Monster Ceilidh Band’ and ‘Sheelanagig’ were taking their turn to delight an army of dancers in the Tregonwell Hall, discerning listeners made for the Purbeck Lounge for the second set from ‘The Jaywalkers’. Mike and Jay had put together a largely different programme and Jay’s powerful vocals really shone on June Tabor’s The Long Ride Home whilst Mike showed off his mandolin skills on the instrumental Brilliancy. Next came lovely singer/songwriter Jennifer Crook who captivated the audience with a beautiful selection of ballads taken from her album BLACK FLY and her forthcoming offering MERRY-GO-ROUND on which Scottish singer/songwriter Eddi Reader is providing backing vocals. Jennifer’s opening number A Rose in Morning and Gillian Welch’s One Little Song really stood out. This was a faultless performance from an underrated singer who is also an excellent guitarist and exponent of the electric harp.
Rounding things off in the Purbeck Lounge were seasoned campaigners Cathryn Craig & Brian Willoughby who drew mainly on material from their most recent albums CALLING ALL ANGELS and I WILL. Cathryn gave her usual powerful performance with Two Hearts, One Love the highlight which had ex ‘Strawb’ Brian showing off his undoubted skills with a terrific long guitar solo. More powerful stuff with Mr. Jefferson, a sorry tale of President Thomas Jefferson and their final number Accanoe, the sad story of Pocahontas which was acted out near Cathryn’s Virginian birthplace. Cathryn spent five minutes introducing each of these songs and whilst this was interesting, it meant that the couple only delivered nine songs in a sixty-five minute set. With curfew time approaching, there was still time to catch thirty minutes of ‘Shelanagig’ doing their bit for the dancers in the Tregonwell Hall.
Paul Burke and his small team are to be congratulated for putting together an outstanding day of superb entertainment where everything ran to time and all the changeovers were managed quickly and efficiently. Hopefully this festival can become an annual event.