For one weekend a year the dreaming spires of Oxford forgo academic pursuits to plunge themselves into the very best of folk music from the UK and beyond. This may only be its seventh year but the Oxford Folk Festival has a rapidly growing reputation as one of the best.
Telling the Bees opened proceedings on the main stage. Pipes and strings come together in an, at times discordant, harmony. The band’s singer and piper Andy Letcher described the sound of one track as Hammer Horror, complete with the ’demented seventh’ chord. Make of that what you will, but Telling the Bees are excellent at their folklore-ish, Eastern-inspired tunes and know how to work an audience. Old favourites like The Worship of Trees were mixed with new material, including the brand new Scholar Gypsy.
Meanwhile, on the smaller Cornbury stage seasoned veterans Scarecrow where making the very best of the early birds in the audience. Opening with an infectious set of polkas they continued with a succession of favourites such as Old Maui. Often swapping instruments - a bouzouki here, a reconstructed bagpipe there - it’s obvious why this is their third consecutive year.
Things were better attended down the road where a very helpful member of staff waited on the street to direct people to the first of the festival’s ceilidhs at the Newman rooms. The Tiggerz, an exciting new band from Simon Care & Laurel Swift raised a glorious racket while people careened across the floor in carefully orchestrated chaos.
Back on the main stage Maclaine Colston and Saul Rose won the crowd over with their combination of melodeon and hammered dulcimer. Each is a master of their instrument and when you add their easy banter you get a mightily entertaining combination. The earthy language of the Lazy Farmer drew ripples of amusement (and a few gasps) from the crowd and the Sweetness of Mary showed their sensitive side. I’m sure they walked away today with more than a few new fans.
Back on the Cornbury Stage, Joanne Louise Parker had the unenviable task of competing with Mac and Saul and the approach of Bellowhead. It was a shame that she was performing to a select audience, as her blues-tinged and soulful songs were a joy. Accompanying herself on guitar or bongo, Joanne has a caramel-coated voice and a repertoire of self-penned songs. Her enjoyable performance proved a chilled and reflective pause in a frenetic evening.
Returning to the stage where they were born six years ago, Bellowhead arrived to a heartfelt round of “Happy Birthday” from the crowd. Armed with a ludicrous amount of balloons and party poppers, band and audience in a party mood, and produced an upbeat festival set to match.
We were treated to lots of material from their forthcoming third album, one of which Paul Sartin introduced in typical style as “on a serious subject, close to all our hearts... Funky Wizard Sex.” New York Girls and Yarmouth Town may be quite new to the repertoire but are already proving to be audience sing-along favourites. Although, the enthusiasm of the Oxford crowd ensured no song was without a healthy dose of backing accompaniment.
Cholera Camp was a particular high of the evening. Andy Mellon’s brief trumpet contribution early on in the song drew enough cheers and applause to bring it to a complete standstill. Later on, Jon Boden’s theatrics of throwing his jacket off backfired slightly as it landed squarely on his head. Ever the pro he carried on singing.
On the evidence of last night this should be a fantastic year for Bellowhead, both live and on record.
