Back again, this time with Narrowboat! It was great staying on Ripple and going to the Folk and Boat Festival. Simon and Jane found a superb mooring not far from Patrick's first home in Booth Lane.
The music was good this year, though I think Big Session had creamed off some of the top folk acts. Middlewich still managed to bag the Churchfitters, an Anglo-Celtic band from France, whose bassist makes his own instruments out of saucepans, hacksaw blades etc. Brilliant, as I knew they would be!
Uiscedwr were the highlight of Saturday, with Cormac Byrne's stunning bodhran playing winning him my vote as top folk musician in the world once more. And the band have a great sense of fun too. Good to see Anna, their lead singer, looking so well after her bone marrow transplant. No more blood transfusions - she must be so pleased! Patrick liked Devon Sproule, but she was far to pretty and talented for my liking ;) He also liked the unexpected Aussie, Rory Ellis, with his hardbitten blues and protest songs.
Lau were superb and got a standing ovation at the end of their set. They play with such passion and skill that they win over even the most picky of folkies. And who better to finish of the festival than the Peatbog Faeries with their dancy trancey Scottish tunes?
Booze and food were good too with delicious homemade pizzas being cooked at the festival site, good meals at the Narrowboat pub, and real ale scrumpy cider available in the beer tent (I sampled large amounts of Timothy Taylor Landlord and Ty Gwyn Cider - mmm!)
Numbers seemed a bit down on last year, maybe due to the economic downturn, but still great fun and very good for Middlewich.
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