This weekend I went to Wallingford Bunkfest, a small folk festival (and also incorporating a beer festival). And, as part of Ducklington Morris, who were dancing on Saturday, I got a performer’s pass, which meant I could get into to any events without paying anything. This, I thought, was unusually generous, particularly since it was a whole-weekend pass and not just for the day we were dancing. By contrast, the sides who danced at Oxford Folk Festival back in the spring didn’t get any tickets at all (although I still had a season ticket because I was playing on stage as well!).
The weather was absolutely glorious, probably the hottest two days yet this year (unusual for September), and the dancing was good; I for one thought Duck’ were looking particularly tidy on this occasion.
Perhaps the best part of the weekend, though, came at the concert on Saturday evening. First up was a man whose name escapes me at the moment, but he sang a number of folk songs from around Europe, accompanying himself on hammered dulcimer and hurdy-gurdy. Next came Last Night’s Fun, a group playing Irish tunes, and a few songs. I tend not to be particularly keen on Irish instrumental music, which can get a bit samey at times, but this lot were very good, and managed to keep it interesting throughout their set. Finally came the headliners for the festival, Chumbawamba. Those that remember only their chart hit Tubthumping might be wondering what they were doing at a folk festival, but it seems that record, good though it was, represents only a small part of what the band were and are about. Their music blends sources from traditional folk to dance-pop via punk, with a lot of polemical jokery, and I think their eclecticism can be summed up by the fact that along with their own work, they included material from the Copper Family, Joe Strummer, and Frank Zappa. A fabulously entertaining act. I shall have to check out some of their recorded work sometime.
Today (Sunday) I attended the afternoon concert, which opened with the act I had most wanted to see that day, Giles, Metcalfe and Woods. I have often had the pleasure of hearing them singing, individually and in various combinations, in the music sessions at The Half Moon pub in Oxford, and not only are they all excellent singers in their own right, their voices complement each other wonderfully, with Ian Giles’s tenor and Graham Metcalfe’s baritone set off by Ian Woods’s sub-bass rumble. Then came Sølan, a duo playing tunes and songs from various sources, but especially Shetland, and William Pint and Felicia Dale, a duo from Seattle, Washington, who sang nautical songs, accompanied on guitar and hurdy-gurdy (which seems to be quite a fasionable instrument at the moment). Finally came Artisan, another a capella singing group, but performing mostly original material in their own distinctive style.
All in all, a most excellent festival, and a fine way to end the summer and the fesival season.