What will Cambridge make of modern Country? It appears Ben Earle and Chrissie Rhodes might be thinking the same thing as they wander to their positions amongst polite applause. ‘We’re taking a risk here – we’re going to play some Country; is that alright?’ The answer is on hold as they burst into opener Brave, though one thing is clear, they’re both possessed of great voices. All Over Again reminds me of Keith Urban, Chrissie’s voice of Jessica Andrews. Neither is a bad thing, but this isn’t Nashville, despite The Shires attempts to make it so with their first single Nashville Grey Skies. Made In England walks a fine line between celebration and jingoism but just about gets away with it, and they hit their straps on the final three, Drink You Away, the excellent Black And White and the even better Tonight, which has ‘hit written all over it. There’s some classic Country key changes, nice middle-8s and it’s all executed with skill and panache. Both are humble and polite in-between. The tent sings along to Tonight, and the last bricks in any defensive wall crumble away with the appreciative cheers at the end. Whilst CFF may not be ready for a glut of C&W, The Shires hold their heads high and their music wins out.
Set List:
- Brave
- All Over Again
- Nashville Grey Skies
- Made In England
- Just Wanna Love You
- Drink You Away
- Black And White
- Tonight
I rush back to the main stage where The Full English, that travelling collective of artists supporting the EFDSS’ project to collect and collate regional folk music draws a large crowd and makes the most of it. Each member displays consummate skills and they start with an all-female a-capella number. Another song from 1906, collected by the ‘..moral black hole’ Percy Grainger gets a laugh and Mr. Lakeman’s Portrait Of My Wife is sung along to. I’d stay and watch, but when Seth comes off stage, I’ll be interviewing him.
He’s a busy boy, is Seth. As I’m waiting for him, Loudon Wainwright III ambles past and nods hello. The backstage crew looks at me as if I’ve just been anointed. And then another of those strange CFF events overtakes me. A lady backstage decides I must be lonely and begins to tell me how this is her 40th Cambridge. Whilst this is interesting, I’m desperate not to lose my ever-decreasing slot with Seth, so spend the next five minutes politely attempting to look left and right and concentrate on the seemingly unstoppable flow of stories she has taken it upon herself to tell me. I think I failed miserably. Eventually, I tell her why I’m backstage. Somewhere overhead a number of small tumblers click into place and she extracts a white T-shirt from her bag, exclaiming that her daughter, unable to make it, is a huge Seth fan and would love to get her T-shirt signed. I sense a put up job, but as no-one else knows me, it’s difficult to imagine why this would be the case unless it’s part of a backstage initiation. I take the T-shirt and wait.
Seth is more than happy to sign the T-shirt. He’s pleased with the reception The Full English received but seems somewhat distracted. ‘I’ve written a song for the festival’ he tells me. I know, part of a competition, right? ‘Yeah. It’s called The Pebble Man. He travels round the coast collecting..’ Pebbles? ‘Yeah! Thing is, we haven’t rehearsed it. I have no idea if it’s going to work.’ He laughs at the predicament, which suggests he’s protesting too much, but there’s more. ‘I haven’t got a percussionist either. I need one for the last two songs. Do you know one?’ For a split second I’m tempted to tell him I play drums, but my (semi-sort of) professionalism kicks in before I make an idiot of myself. I’m sure you’ll find one, I say, in possibly the lamest comment at a huge festival full of incredibly talented musicians ever. Ever.
It’s a good time for Seth. Word Of Mouth and some excellent tour performances, together with The Full English, have put him squarely at the centre of folk music’s increasing profile again. ‘I’m really enjoying the festivals this year and Cambridge is always good.’ What’s next, I ask, are you still thinking of a live album (mentioned in June 2014 interview here)? He is; ‘It’ll probably be taken from some of the Autumn shows and anything we do in the new year.’ On that note, he excuses himself to go eat.
Kate Rusby is taking in Loudon III from the guest area when I arrive in time for the last few numbers of his set. Mr. Wainwright is quite the storyteller. His irreverent style is perfect for the early Saturday evening slot and his polished set includes the amazing monologue his father wrote about the family dog in response to the film Love Story (watch it here). Wainwright nails the human condition song after song after song in his unique style, unsurprising from the man who wrote Rufus Is A Tit Man about his son.
Thirty minutes later another import takes to the main stage. ‘It’s nice to follow Loudon’. Rosanne Cash’s performance pushes all the right buttons, starting with the acknowledgement of her fellow American. In front of a partisan crowd well aware of her standing, and knowing she has a limited time to please, she pares down her album run-through of The River And The Thread but retains the important stories that precede each song. The guest area in the shed is rammed. I look to my left and Sarah Jarosz is standing there mouthing the words to Modern Blue; others nod, stamp to the beat, laugh at the jokes. Since I saw her in April (read the live review here) Rosanne has if at all possible become even more relaxed on stage, bantering with husband Leventhal and working her guitar to the front rows.
Hearing the songs live again reinforces their power and the majestic song-writing, and the festival atmosphere is a thousand miles away from the polite applause of the Barbican. Etta’s Tune has added splashes of organ. Memphis is paid tribute to as a ‘..moveable feast’, one that winds its way through the music like spun gold. The Leventhal/Crowell/Emmylou story for When The Master Calls The Roll elicits laughter, and Cash acknowledges the brilliant guitar duel ending the violence and redemption in Money Road, calling her sidekicks a ‘..couple of gunslingers’. ‘This is the best folk festival in the world’ she cries as she launches into Radio Operator, but the compliment is unnecessary; she’s already shown the festival how much it means to be welcomed by the Cambridge crowd.
Set List:
- A Feather’s Not A Bird
- Five Empty Cans
- Etta’s Tune
- Modern Blue
- World Of Strange Design
- When The Master Calls The Roll
- Money Road
- Long Black Veil
- Radio Operator
- Motherless Children
Fresh from his stint with The Full English, Lakeman takes to Stage 2 as if it’s the last slot in the last ever festival. You can tell he’s buzzing from the word go; the tent is crammed and I can barely see him from the generous space allowed for the press. Seth nails it from the word go. He’s on home turf, relaxed and intense at the same time, giving every ounce of his energy to the songs and the crowd who lap it up. Opener Kitty Jay gets the biggest roar I’ve heard all day and it just heats up from there. King and Country with Lisbee is a nod to the June 6 concert at the Royal Albert Hall, as is the wonderful The Shores Of Normandy.
For someone who’s well known for deliberating over his own music, The Pebble Man, the competition winner is instantly recognisable as his but sufficiently different to stand out. One lucky punter will carry the memory of Seth singing his idea back to him for a long time. Solomon Brown and The White Hare suffer a little from the Bacchanalian beats of the Peatbog Faeries on Stage 1, but he ups the ante with strong versions of Blood Upon Copper and Race To Be King, augmented with solid percussion by Mark Radcliffe (he found someone then!), who dutifully remains in the background and then wanders nonchalantly off backstage, presumably for a late night bevy or three. Cambridge clearly considers Seth to be one of theirs. On the back of Word Of Mouth, his star continues to rise. It’s a great way to end a great day.
Set List:
- Kitty Jay
- Portrait Of My Wife
- King & Country
- The Shores Of Normandy
- The Pebble Man
- Solomon Brown
- The White Hare
- The Courier
- Blood Upon Copper
- Race To Be King
Live Review by: Paul Woodgate
There will be more from Paul on Cambridge Folk Festival soon.
Read all parts of this feature.