McDowell plied the Cornbury Stage with their hippie folk. There was impressive flute and recorder playing but they gradually lost their audience as their set wore on.
Over on the Main Stage, the Reel Bach Consort where a daring blend of classical and Irish music. It was a mix of traditional Irish and Bach’s music, performed on traditional Irish instruments. Quite how a seven-piece from Bonn came by the idea is a mystery to me, but it worked. It was joyfully presented and introduced with good humour. Reference was often made to Bach’s "famous trip across Ireland" that gave rise to this fusion.
Festival veterans Spiers and Boden took to the stage with their usual verve and captivated the audience. The tune heavy set reached it’s zenith when (appropriately enough) Old Tom of Oxford brought the dancers to the front of the stage and then around the hall in a conga line.
The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, for the few that haven’t come across them, are seven people who sit in a row and play various grades of ukulele. Years of playing have honed this gag into a thoroughly entertaining show. In their hands, the humble ukulele can be turned to a surprising variety of material. Their tongue is planted firmly in their cheek and the good natured presentation is infectious but underpinning the humour there are smart, intricate, arrangements and serious quality to the playing.
As well as the bands, ceilidhs and dancers, there was a wealth of supporting activities. Instrument workshop were provided by folk luminaries such as Aidan O’Rourke, Martin Green and Jon Boden, John Spiers. School choirs performed, there where activities for children up at the castle and pub sessions ran all weekend. At times it seemed like all of Oxford had been given over to a celebration of folk for the weekend.
The festival closed with a gig for the Friends of Oxford Folk Festival. It was an exclusive and intimate affair only open festival sponsors. As I couldn’t be there, I’ll leave you with Liz, a Bright Young Folker who was...
"This year’s guests were Maclaine Colston and Saul Rose, performing tracks from their new album ’Sand and Soil’. With melodeon and industrial egg slicer (as Maclaine referred to his hammered dulcimer) the Castle cafe positively rang with lively songs and tunes amid an appreciative crowd. Highlights were undoubtedly ’Devil and the Feathery Wife’, the conclusion of which got a big laugh, and Maclaine’s fish sound effect. Something that perhaps has to be heard to really be understood. Or perhaps not even then."
