CHESTER FOLK SURVIVORS
February Folk Day
Review by Les Barker; Pictures by Tony Ballard
I've been asked to review the February Folk Day back in February. Fortunately, I was
there and can remember it clearly.
THE WAITE COLLECTIVE
MARTIN CARTHY
I recommend that you all book now for next February's event. It
will be wonderful. It always is.
Some more pictures of our star guest from Stephen Bailey
Saturday 25th February 2006
I'd been summoned to the event at short notice, so I fed and watered the yaks and set off
down the mountain to visit the kind lowland people to the north. I arrived to find the music
session and the folk club already full swing; these lowland folks don't
have yaks to feed in the mornings. The afternoon concert was sold out in advance -
obviously word hadn't got out that I was performing - and began with a lovely performance
of a well-chosen repertoire by the Waite Collective, Mal's guitar playing
seemingly unaffected by the fact that her right hand had been bitten off
by an unusually aggressive water vole that very morning.
ROY CLINGING &
NEIL BROOKES The concert
continued in local vein with Roy Clinging and Neil Brookes, who were
splendid, but then they did still have all their hands.
NICK MITCHELL
LES BARKER
At this point the
MC, Nick Mitchell (I'm not sure whether I should call him a doyen or a
stalwart; I'll settle for glamorous) introduced me. The audience were
glued to their seats, a precaution I'd taken earlier, and were therefore
still there for Breeze and Wilson's excellent bluesy set, and for Martin
Carthy's fine finale to the afternoon.
BREEZE & WILSON
I then sneaked off to watch Carmarthen Town
defeat Caersws 2-1 on S4C, before returning in the evening to see Mr Carthy meet himself for an
hour or so, and then to take part in the fascinating variety of the final
folk club session, which had quite a number of highlights, not the least
of which was the beautiful guitar work of Tom Kirkpatrick. It would be a
sad day if the water voles got him.
