Matthew's Journal

As rmc28 put it: OH GOD THE MUD!

As atreic and I erected our tent in a field in Leicester on Friday, the heavens opened. By the time we'd got the tent up, we were both soaked to the skin. We took off the wet clothes, dried outselves off, and sat in the tent feeling a bit downcast. It was clearly a "fuck this for a laugh, time for beer" moment, so we cracked open the emergency beer supply. Eventually the downpour abated, and we grabbed some food and listened to some of the evening acts. I was obviously dog-tired, as I crashed out about half-past nine, and remember little of what I listened to that evening.

Our neighbours at the campsite were a group sharing two tents: father and his friend used one, and stayed up talking loudly 'til 1.30, mother and two kids used the other, and got up at around dawn. This didn't make for great sleep!

Saturday was also wet. The mud was beginning to get silly by this point, and I was feeling a bit unwell. Still, lots of music going on. Tracey Curtis sang haunting songs, but her daughter's point that "you only ever sing sad songs" rang true! Robb Johnson was funny, but a little too loony-left for my liking. Instinkt were great live, but I suspect not so good recorded. They did crazy things with a hurdy-gurdy!

By this point, the lack of sleep was making itself felt again. Then Show of Hands came on. I'm not sure how to describe them, really, because all the words I want to use have been trivialised by over-use. They made me want to cry, they had me singing along to choruses I'd never heard before, they made beautiful, electrifying, passionate music. Easily the best performance of the festival that I saw. Better still they have a sensible attitude to sharing music, which means I have some oggs to listen to :)

The Men They Couldn't Hang were a disappointment after that, and were a bit over-loud. They're somewhere between contemporary folk and the NMA (although their cover of 51st State fell rather flat), and I think they'd be better acoustic. Oysterband closed the evening; I thought they were good but not great.

Sunday was bright and sunny, if a little chill, and I was feeling well again, which helped. The mud wasn't any better, though! The highlight for me was a ceilidh called by Gordon Potts and played by Whapweasel. They played some dances a little fast (and one hop-step *very* fast), but it was fun, and a few people complimented my dancing (it may help that I did the first polka with a young lady who also knew how to polka :). After that, I sat down for Oysterband's final set.

A good weekend, including seeing some friends who I see less than I'd like. It would have been so much better if the weather had been better, and/or they had been better prepared for the possibility of rain.