-- 2004 Festival Report --
8-11 July 2004
The rain may have poured down over the weekend, but a series of sell out concerts ensured Stonehaven's 16th Folk Festival enjoyed great success.
Each year the festival brings a feast of folk entertainment to the town. And there is no doubt that for the past few years, blazing sunshine has added the icing to the cake.
But last weekend’s dreich weather could not detract from the sparkle of the musical skill that attracted full houses to each concert.
From the moment Wolfstone took to the stage on Thursday evening to Sunday’s farewell concert, the Town Hall echoed to the audience’s applause.
And one band who were self-confessed “dreich” musicians proved to be one of the biggest hits with the crowds. The Sangsters wowed Saturday's audience with a beautifully performed selection of airs ranging from Burns’ Aye Fond Kiss to equally sombre Byron. Their harmonies were faultless and the audience were enthralled. With stomping feet and determined clapping they demanded an encore, to which a band-member responded: “We can't sing that fast, we're the dreich band!”
Humour was the hallmark of another performer who proved a festival favourite. Vin Garbutt took to the stage on Friday night and almost refused to leave.
He said: “I'm not stopping now, it took me six hours on a train to get here!”.
The Friday night was opened by Robin Laing, famous for his whisky songs. Robin also entertained the town's children in the St Leonard's Hotel on Saturday afternoon at the regular Kid's concert culminating in the Chicken Dance.
It has become festival tradition to offer a place to one of the annual Celtic Connection festival Danny Award winners. For new performers, this accolade is named after the late Danny Kyle, who was a regular at the Stonehaven festival, compering the event for many years. This year's Danny winner was Eilidh Grant, and the Friday night crowd were treated to some beautiful singing.
Festival favourites, local ceilidh band Galik Bred brought Friday night to a sweaty close. Their music entertained even wetter dancers on Sunday morning at the AquaCeilidh.
With persistent rain on Saturday morning the Plainstones concert was under threat. Festival chairman Andy Popplestone said: “We were worried we might have to call off the concert for safety reasons. However we put some covered market stalls out for the public to shelter from any rain and kept the sound gear dry under the arches. It worked well and the rain held off until the concert wound up around 3:30pm."
And with the rain coming back on, many folk fans headed for shelter, and the Chorus Cup saw the Belvedere Hotel almost bursting at the seams.
Competitor, Sarah Marshall of Stonehaven said: “By 3.30pm all the seats were full, by 4pm there was no carpet! There were people taking part from Texas and Canada. And there was an Australian backpacker singing in Gaelic. She had everyone going - it was absolutely brilliant!”
Zany Ben and Joe Broughton had the audience in stitches with their antics after the Sangsters on Saturday night. And The Kathryn Tickell band amazed the audience as they closed the concert with stunning Northumbrian pipes and almost feverish fiddle playing.
Nursing a sore throat, local bothy ballad meastro Geordie Murison compered the annual Tradition Bearers’ concert. Shona Donaldson, asked back for a second year after her debut as a seventeen year old in 2003, shared the stage with Arthur Watson, Nancy Nicholson and the grand old man of traditional music in the North-east, 82 year-old Gordon Easton.
The Tradition Bearers' concert was followed by the eagerly awaited Paper ‘n’ Comb World Championship. The event lived up to all the hype, and featured Edinburgh-based Bernie the Barber, saviour of the competition with a donation of 250 combs. Bernie shared the impossibly difficult job of judging the event with St Leonard's owner Wilma Bruce, and “Both Sides of the Tweed” festival organiser Hector Christie.
In the under twelve group category the Kaminski sisters faced a strong challenge from Sammy and Alex Palmer with Andrew Hay. In the end the contest was too close to call with the judges admitting defeat and calling a tie. The individual event was claimed by 8-year-old Georgia Hill with a moving rendition of “Scotland the Brave”. Anne Palmer, last year's champion, was knocked off her perch by husband Ivor, who performed an eye-watering rendition of the James Bond theme that would have had Ian Fleming turning in his grave.
Gaelic band Cliar opened Sunday's Farewell concert and received a rapturous encore from the packed auditorium for their fine singing. Mundy-Turner made a welcome return to Stonehaven and were followed by two of Scotland's folk giants - Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain who put on their usual entertaining show.
Andy Popplestone said: “When we put the programme together we wanted people to enjoy a full and varied evening's experience every night. I think we managed that and there was no better way to bring the curtain down on the festival than by having Phil and Aly back again. We are already thinking about next year, but in the meantime we would love people to tell us what they thought of this year's festival, by emailing via the website at www.stonehavenfolkfestival.co.uk “