Cheltenham Folk Festival - Cheltenham Town Hall

Monday 16th February 2009

This is a Crackerjack review of Cheltenham Folk Festival - Saturday Night Concert. Do you agree? Rate and review this event.

Crackerjack rating: 8 / 10.

Whoever put the running order together for this Saturday night concert deserves a big pat on the back; it was just magnificent.

Damien Barber and Mike Wilson kicked off the night, Barber’s relaxed guitar style combining perfectly with Wilson’s deep-chested voice. A short set of mainly Pete Bellamy and Ewan MacColl songs culminated in a particularly moving and poignant rendition of MacColl’s The Joy of Living.

The phenomenon that is Breabach hit the stage like a highland army advancing out of the mountain mist, their double header of twin bagpipes putting out a big ‘in your face’ sound high on energy and rhythm. Frighteningly young to be this accomplished, they then took us off the mountains and into the glens with a wonderfully melodic combination of fiddle, flute and whistle, before leaving us with a last stunning barrage of pipe-driven reels.

Headlining this marvellous evening and recognised as one of the best acoustic guitarists on the planet, Martin Simpson, backed ably by Andy Cutting on melodeon and Andy Seward on double bass, delivered a set of stunning and meticulous quality.  Simpson’s tough, almost grizzled exterior belies the tender core that exists in much of his work, with many of his songs speaking of loss, loneliness, distance and family ties.

The opening song, the traditional Lakes of Champlain, immediately showed the ease with which he produces the most dazzling cascades of music from his guitar. His ability to move effortlessly between genres to cover blues, bluegrass and Cajun was highlighted on gutsier songs, like Killing the Blues made famous by the recent Robert Plant /Alison Krauss collaboration, and on the banjo driven Pretty Crowing Chicken.

Brought back by massive applause from the enthralled audience to encore with Never Any Good, this deeply affectionate song of an unworldly father teaching his son to love nature and music served to encapsulate all that has made Simpson so widely admired, a great guitarist and a warm, honest man.

Eric Worrall

This is a Crackerjack review of Cheltenham Folk Festival - Saturday Night Concert. Do you agree? Rate and review this event.