I don’t know which weather gods the organisers of Folk by the Oak worship, but it seems to be working. It was an absolute scorcher at Hatfield House.
Young trio Tyde kicked of proceedings with a fast tune-filled set, which demonstrated why they were finalists in the Young Folk Awards. It felt a shame that such upbeat music was being played in the early afternoon, when many festival goers were tucking into lavish picnics.
Tyde did get toes tapping though, and their repertoire showed lots of great musical ideas. They exuded confidence and finesse for their age.
Somewhat in contrast, Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman have been on the folk scene for quite a few years now, but took time away as a duo to focus on raising their twins. Now back to gigging, it was exciting to see what had developed musically over this time.
Kathryn began the set completely unaccompanied, and the power and beauty of her voice resounded round the arena. A performance of varied tempo and emotion followed, reminding everyone quite what a fabulous duo Kathryn and Sean are.
It was the quieter, passionate songs that carried over best to the crowd in the afternoon. A composition by Kathryn on her memories of the miner’s strike, and a cover of Tom Waits’s song Georgia Lee hung in the air with poignancy and beauty.
It would have been hard to find a more contrasting band to follow than Adrian Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds, with their brand of folked-up punk covers.
The sound of bagpipes being played in a prog style was impressive. However, some of the songs lacked the vitality that is so central to them, but the crowd were appreciative of a set that covered The Sex Pistols, Talking Heads and The Damned.
Part of the fun of Folk by the Oak is the selection of stalls that can be visited throughout the day. A constant stream of children were honing their circus skills, whilst other people sought respite from the sun in the craft tent, shopping and trying their hand at various skills.
An array of pottery sat drying from the potter’s wheels and the old fairground stalls and boat swings also looked great fun. Meanwhile the more adventurous were trying longbow archery.
Bella Hardy started in an upbeat mood, and her set was filled with music suited to a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Joined by Anna Massie on guitar, Patsy Reid on fiddle and James Lindsay on bass, the quartet produced a great sound to frame Bella’s charming voice.
Bella mostly performed material from her recent album, Songs Lost and Stolen, which gained a warm reception from the crowd. In particular, Walk With You drifted away slow and bewitching over the crowd.
Catering is always diverse at Folk by the Oak, and this year was no exception. Unsurprisingly it was the ice cream van that boasted the longest queue for most of the day. Unfortunately, the main beer tent had run dry before Show of Hands hit the stage.
Excuse the poor phrasing, but you know you’re in safe hands with Show of Hands, and this performance was no exception. The crowd in front of the stage had grown and the duo with Miranda Sykes put on a crowd-pleasing performance of favourites including Country Life and Arrogance Ignorance and Greed.
Steve Knightley connects so well with audiences, and there really is no other fiddle player quite like Phil Beer. It was little surprise that the audience demanded an encore, or that the clapping hands of the crowd stretched all the way to the back.
Things have grown quieter on the Drever McCusker Woomble front in the last couple of years, after their excellent album Before the Ruin. It therefore felt something of a rare treat to have them onstage at Hatfield House, and with Heidi Talbot for company.
The set mixed Drever McCusker Woomble material with tracks taken from Roddy, Kris, and Heidi’s solo releases, giving the audience the greatest hits of the band members. It really was a great reminder of what a good group they are, and what an album they made. In particular, the sound of Roddy, Kris and Heidi singing together is something truly special. Hopefully more material will be coming soon.
And so to the act that some fans had camped in front of stage all day to see. Seth Lakeman was performing with a slightly pared down band, as Benji Kirkpatrick was playing elsewhere with Bellowhead. Sean Lakeman provided guitar, Ben Nicholls worked his double bass hard, and Cormac Byrne was at times a man possessed as he switched between pieces of percussion, including a giant bodhran.
Perhaps with a nod to the time of day Seth performed both Blood Red Sky and Setting of the Sun, in a set dominated by older favourites, rather than material from his recent album.
One treat was a new song, The Blacksmith’s Prayer, which should appear on Seth’s next album, looking at professions of the past and out in a few months time. Brimming with atmospheric bass and cymbals it was an exciting glimpse at the direction Seth is currently heading, and one that I look forward to hearing more from.
The standing audience at the front were having a good dance as Seth played, but even further back there was excellent chair dancing going on, particularly in Kitty Jay, which also instigated mass clapping.
In what seems to be a tradition now, the encore included fireworks, and they really seemed to be timed to the music wonderfully. Never has Race to Be King been quite so dramatic.
Overall this year, it was the striking vocalists that left a lasting impression. Kathryn Roberts and Bella Hardy, Roddy Woomble, Kris Drever and Seth Lakeman all demonstrating their talents. A wonderful day’s music in a sun drenched field.