Good Friday + April Fools Day… not much of a joke, was it. Also the day the Festival proper got going, tho’ it took its time. I still wasn’t feeling my best, tho’ I suspect my ailment was psychological rather than physical, with lethargy + apathy in complete sway. One lively little incident – Kirsten had managed to be badly upset by a bunch of blokes. Because of the disorganised nature of things, she had had to walk past these gooks while they were taking a shower, + they had treated her to a bunch of comments, which, since she was German + on her own to boot, she couldn’t respond to properly – just bottle up her feelings. Thus she arrived back at the tent very angry, very upset, + with the only possible response one of direct action. So, with Val as henchman, they went over to these fellers + threw a large bucket of cold water over them. And apparently this lot just stood there, in stunned + shocked inaction. Nice one.
The format of the concert was to have various workshops throughout the day, with a concert at night. A good way to do things, except that the workshops were a bit of a dead loss, + it had to be the concert which rescued the day. That really was excellent, of a very high standard, most especially the first half, which had as its total highlight a group (ad hoc, apparently) of 5 girls singing in close harmony called Baby Marrow and the Courgettes. They were just so good, + so funny – talk about show-stealers. Other good bits – 2 yankee guys who got the place buzzing, + a bush band called Bushfire. Unfortunately, we also had to put up with a Yorkshireman singing unaccompanied, singing 3 songs too many, + the 2nd half tailed off flatly. However, I was in such a good mood when it finished that I fixed myself a snack before bed.
Good to see Kirsten and Val sticking up for women, though I have my doubts that such direct acti0on would always end so happily. And it does seem that the Festival is at last under way properly. At the time, Val and I had only ever been to one folk festival, at Cambridge, bjut since then we have been regular attendees at Towersey, a village festival near where we live… though it has just moved to a new venue, nowhere near Towersey.
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