I was privileged to host the open-stage session at Shades bar and to MC the showcase concert featuring The Kate Rusby Trio supported by Tom McConville & Pauline Cato at the Swanage Folk Festival on Saturday 9th September 2001. Here’s the adrenaline-fuelled diary that I wrote on my return:
Just back from Swanage, and still bubbling...
What a great festival! I'll be back next year, and the family'll have to come this time, too!
Up at 06.30, drive down to Swanage, arrive in cold, torrential rain. Check into B&B, and park the car. It stops raining and the sun comes out. Surely a good omen...
First problem: my car has just been repaired, and I find that the central locking's knackered. I'd kind of anticipated being able to secure my gear, but the tailgate doesn't lock. Don't Panic! It does however lock with the good, old-fashioned key in the keyhole routine. Phew!
I'm nice and early, so set off along the esplanade, and gape in awe at the vast numbers of dancers in their very best regalia. There's this amazing old geezer with an accordion on a bench whose sense of rhythm - his, not the bench's - is the only thing that remains: what a racket! But he seems happy enough. I don't think he's selling many of his tapes, though.
Find the pub for the afternoon open-stage session. No sign of anything having been set up. Don't Panic! Go back to the car, get my stuff, and then back to the pub. Still nothing. Don't Panic! Due to start at 12.30, and it's only 11.50 after all...
The organiser turns up at 12.00 with some bits of p.a., but no mics. or leads... Okay, it might be time to panic, now. Luckily, no punters yet on the scene. In the nick of time Simon, the bar manager/cook/general good guy comes to the rescue. The pub has its own leads and mics. (amazingly) and we're soon set up and ready to go. And still only 12.28! And some punters have arrived, too. So I start off at 12.30, and by 12.45 we've got a full house, lots of singers/musicians and listeners, and it's going brilliantly. Everybody who wants to gets a turn, and we have non-stop music through to 17.00, which was the plan (even though it gets pretty thin during the mid-afternoon when the main procession's going on in bright sunshine outside). But it fills up again nicely after that. I intersperse, oh, about a dozen songs of to a decent sized audience. And lots more somewhat looser numbers during the dog-days in the middle of the afternoon with my mate Phil Garvey from the club at Fleet (thanks, Phil!). In fact, thanks to all who participated with ears, throats and instruments, including Sister Moon; Roger & Lizzie; The Lucy Lastic Band; Ramskite; Frank; Stewart, Griff & Max and Keith & Dee.
Finish on schedule at 17.00, and straight up to the middle school to get the timings of the big concert sorted, and just generally be there during sound-checks. Grab some fish and chips. Plenty of tea in the Middle School's staff room, er, I mean artists' dressing room.
Huge queue forms before the doors open at 19.30, which then transforms itself into a huge queue at the bar. Will everyone be seated at the planned start time of 20.00?
In fact they're all seated and the bar's pretty clear by about 19.50, so let's start early. I get up in front of the 300 or so punters, do the housekeeping announcements, and start with Chris Smither's song "I got No Love Today", a song which has a long complicated chorus. But I've rehearsed it well and tried out the patter in front of quite a few different audiences, and I know what I'm doing (I think!). Nevertheless, the wall-of-sound when they join in is phenomenal. It's going to work! And it does. The audience is great. I follow with a loud and fast one (Richard Thompson's Tear-Stained Letter) which gets a huge ovation. Phew!
Introduce Tom McConville and Pauline Cato: time for a few minutes’ breather. Tom and Pauline do a superb set, while I finalise what I'm going to say in introducing the Kate Rusby Trio. And have another cup of tea.
As planned, we leave a longish interval to allow plenty of beer and merchandise to be bought. However, again, the bar-staff are too efficient. Everyone's back too soon. Now, where's the soundman? Maybe I should do another song before Kate and the lads? Of course, Pete, who did the sound in the first half, has popped home to put his kids to bed. Joe Rusby's doing the sound in the second half, but I haven't figured this out, and it's "Don't Panic!" time while I mistakenly search high and low for Pete. Then, nearly 20.30, and there's Joe at the mixing desk - the penny drops. It's okay, I just won't do that other song...
Up to introduce The Kate Rusby Trio. A couple more housekeeping announcements (there's a problem with the ladies' loos...) and a not-too effusive introduction. Not too long, either (was it?) and only one jibe at melodeon players...
Kate and the lads are fahn-tah-stic! They do about an hour and three-quarters. Beautifully controlled, but cutting loose when appropriate. Stand outs? Each one they do I keep saying to myself "No: this one's my favourite". But I do have to mention John and Andy's tunes Trip to Hervé's and The History Man.
They finish a surprisingly long set at 23.10. I don't need to do much, just stand mute behind the mic. while the audience go crazy, and Kate and John come back to do the encore...
...then thank everyone for making it such a magical evening.
Roy, the festival's mastermind, seems chuffed to bits with how well things have gone. He invites me back for next year. They've already got Show of Hands and Flook! booked. So of course I say "I'd love to", which I would.
Sunday dawns beautifully sunny after a night of disturbed sleep. A "Full English" breakfast sets me up for a brisk walk to Old Harry Rocks. Turquoise sea, blue sky, white cliffs... Gorgeous! Then back for a drift around the festival village and buy some stuff for the family. (I only bought myself the festival tee-shirt after I'd done my support spot on Saturday night - it felt like bad karma to buy it any earlier.) And then back home... (Watford are playing on Sunday evening. We win 3-0 in style - a perfect end to a perfect weekend.)
I'll definitely take the family next year. It was such a great weekend (helped by the weather, I guess) but lots to see and do and all very good-natured and friendly. And a real buzz.
I don't think I'm famous (or even infamous) yet. But I feel like I've made lots of new friends. And that's enough...
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page created 10th September 2001