Three of the Folk Radio UK team will soon be heading to Cherry Hinton Hall for this year’s Cambridge Folk Festival (1-4 August 2019). Below, you can read about the top five acts that they are each most looking forward to seeing. Between them, they came up with a great selection of acts – no easy task considering the vast lineup.
Danny Neil
Two of my eagerly anticipated appearances at this year’s festival were responsible for my favourite albums in 2018. Lisa O’Neill’s ‘Heard A Long Gone Song’ was a revelation, a record on the Rough Trade imprint River Lea mixing up traditional and original material. Her voice just sounds so lived in; an instrument that was tailor-made to interpret hardcore folk songs. She’s as serious a proposition as I’d imagine Anne Briggs was when making a name for herself in the sixties clubs and whilst Lisa may not possess Anne’s high-ranging purity of tone, her strength of character alone more than makes up for this and to misquote Dylan she “hits all those notes”. This artist is the real deal without a doubt. At ten years and four albums in I’m arriving a little late to the Lisa O’Neill party, still in the world of traditional leaning folk she is my must-see artist of the year and I absolutely cannot wait for this one.
By contrast, it seems to be rather stating the obvious to recommend a legend like Richard Thompson, but nevertheless, that’s exactly what I’m doing. And I continue to, telling anyone I know attending this year that whatever they do, they must not miss this man. Personally, I have seen him more times than I can recall, but he never lets an audience down. I’m entertaining the thought that it’s high time an appreciation is written for the last twenty years of his career alone, there’s a strong argument they’ve seen Thompson’s strongest writing and greatest performances. There aren’t too many 70-year-old music artists you can legitimately make that claim for.
Nick Mulvey is this year’s guest curator, an inspiring choice given the wide-ranging, multi-genre sounds he weaves into his music. Nick’s is an acoustic pop style that avoids the box-ticking pitfalls that hit-seeking mainstream troubadours fall down. Instead, he has the happy knack of whipping up the feel-good vibes that should find a warm reception amongst a chilled festival crowd. I also find Tunng to be a mouth-watering prospect having last caught them at a folk festival thirteen years ago when their folktronica wizardry was still in its embryonic stage. Theirs has been a musical evolution that continues to fascinate, for me a band who reward returning investigations. And on that subject, it’s vital to try out a bit of the unknown at any festival and open yourself up to exciting discoveries. If I were to choose an act on the curiosity of name alone it has to be The Bar-Steward Sons Of Val Doonican. Of course, that one could go badly wrong, but half the fun is in the finding out!
David Weir
It’s festival season at long last. Now I’m no stranger to folk fests but somehow I’ve never stepped foot on site at Cherry Hinton Hall. However, in under a fortnight’s time, that’s all about to change and what a bill to start off with.
With artists such as Graham Nash, Ralph McTell, Lucinda Williams and Richard Thompson plucked straight from the golden age of the singer-songwriter, paired alongside the collaborative Tex-Mex offerings of Calexico and Iron & Wine, there’s plenty to get excited about scanning the upper rostra of 2019’s line-up.
Jose Gonzalez was a clear standout for me at 2012’s Hop Farm festival. As persistent winds encircled the indie-folkster that day, and setlists and song notes scattered the stage, Gonzalez remained unstirred and rapt; a figure of calm sat at the heart of a storm. I look forward to slipping away with that once again on the Friday.
Speaking of forces of nature, Lisa O’Neill’s weather-beaten voice might be the one I’m most eager to hear in person this year. I seem to be regularly haunted by the lingering melody of Violet Gibson taken from 2018’s stunning Heard A Long Song Gone. There’s a sense of subterranean excavation to her songwriting. It cuts deep.
Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita’s gentle union of harp and Kora sounds intriguing on paper, transcends that on record and I can only imagine, becomes something else entirely when heard live. Their virtuosic talents will I’m sure be matched and complimented by the traditional Irish chops of Daoiri Farrell’s All-Star Celtic Session on Sunday.
Another grand-band I’m keen to catch is Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening. Wielding small pipes and fiddle, Tickell and her equally accomplished entourage perform evocative and elemental folk music, which invokes the clouded, compelling sounds of Ancient Northumbria.
Rob Bridge
Cambridge has become one of the highlights of my year. As a relative newcomer to the world of folk, the festival has given me the opportunity to experience some utterly amazing artists from right across the spectrum of what we’d consider to be ‘folk’. In fact, it’s the diversity of acts at Cambridge that makes it so special; whether you want to chill out in The Den or get the festival experience on Stage 1, it’s just a fantastic musical experience all round.
As for the acts I’m looking forward to, well I’m a massive Karine Polwart fan so I’m not missing her set for anything (have you watched her ‘Tiny Desk’ concert yet?).
Sam Sweeney seems to just get better and better and I’m looking forward to hearing some live stuff from his solo album ‘The Unfinished Violin’ which is just a beautiful record. And you have to go watch Ralph McTell right? Legend!
I’m also really looking forward to seeing The Once; their ‘Time Enough’ album features in my regular Spotify playlist. I saw and met Talisk at Cambridge a couple of years ago and they were amazing so they’re definitely on my watch list. Daoiri Farrell is always top quality so his stage 1 session on Sunday should be awesome.
Having said all that, every time I’ve been to Cambridge it’s the acts I knew nothing about beforehand that had the most impact on me. I’m hoping it’s the same this year.
Find out more about this year’s festival here: https://www.cambridgelive.org.uk/folk-festival
Photo Credit: Ollie Millington