22nd Orkney Folk Festival 2004

31 May 2004 in Festival, Music, Orkney

Orkney, 27-30 May 2004

AS THE younger daughter of the Festival Director, Johnny Mowat, I have been lucky enough to gain an inside view of the festival over many years. This time, however, after months of nagging, I was finally allowed to help out on a more formal basis. This gave me a unique opportunity to experience a different side of the festival and understand what makes it, in Johnny’s words, one of the “leading folk festivals in Scotland”.

The opening concert at Stromness Academy got things underway on Thursday evening, with a host of acts, both local and visiting. The line up had to change slightly from the programme after a few problems cropped up. The three-piece Hardie, Campbell & Jones had become a two-piece on Monday, but by Wednesday it was a solo act! The committee were therefore forced to move fast, but thankfully the visiting act Lyra Celtica were happy to fill the spot.

Once the concert was in progress all acts proved to be a hit, with the final band, Session A9, going down a storm. This group became a highlight of the weekend, with an almost dream line-up of musicians: Charlie McKerron (from Capercaille) was joined on fiddle by another three outstanding fiddlers, Gordon Gunn, Kevin Henderson (standing in for Duncan Chisholm on this occasion) and Adam Sutherland. Local boy, Kris Drever, and Brian McAlpine provided excellent backing on the guitar and keyboard. This group played a mixture of tunes slow and fast, with some brilliant songwriting to boot.

Friday morning arrived all to soon for some, but it was fair to say the festival was most definitely in full swing. The morning’s events centred around the school workshops. These were held in the Stromness Community Centre, with bohran, whistle, singing, fiddle and even step-dance all playing a part. The commitment which the festival has given to the youth programme throughout the years must be praised. Without the encouragement the festival provides, younger talent might not be given the opportunity to flourish.

Friday evening saw a wide variety of events taking place all over the island, from concerts and ceilidhs to stomps. One of the unique aspects of the festival is the organisers’ desire to take artists to the people, rather than forcing local people to make long journeys into the towns. Unfortunately I was unable to leave Stromness itself: there seemed no time to eat, never mind attend a full length concert! Yet reports from the artists and the public claimed they all went well. There were even a few surprises, like the group Calasaig returning after the Finstown concert on a motorbike, sidecar and trailer.

Friday night also saw a new kind of crowd at the Kirkwall nightclub, Fusion. Here the band Shooglenifty wowed folk with their fantastic take on traditional music. All reports concluded that the night was fantastic, with many a foot stomping, a few drams and even some barefoot dancing!

North Cregg

There were many events in Stromness also that evening. The Irish Showcase was a perfect start to the night. The trio,Fleming, Kelly and DeMarco opened the concert with an impressive display of talent. Diarmaid Fleming had been well-known in the Orkney folk scene when he used to live here. On his return, he brought with him the outstanding banjo player, Brian Kelly, and the fiddler Tony DeMarco from New York, who became the only non-Irishman on stage! It is hard to believe that Tony and Brian had only just met, never mind not played together before. They produced a number of tunes which were both beautiful and enthralling.

They were followed by guitarist and singer Tommy O’Sullivan, accompanied by the fiddler Chris Stout, who was also playing in the Finlay McDonald Band. Tommy’s beautiful voice carried you away from the hustle and bustle of the festival, with Chris demonstrating why he’s one of the most respected young fiddlers in Scotland. The show was completed by North Cregg. With their wide assortment of instruments they produced some fast moving tunes that got everybody in the mood for dancing. Needless to say their CD sold out before I even got to the front of the queue.

“It was a slightly strange sight with over two hundred arms raised, bums out and feet stomping. Even the sound crew were giving it a go.”

Saturday morning saw a number of red-eyed people on the streets. My dark glasses were coming in handy even though the sun seemed to have deserted us. The afternoon club was underway and almost bursting at the seams. Open workshops were being held in the Stromness Community Centre, with the singing group struggling to find a chair. Speaking to the host (and loyal festival-goer) Doris Rougive, she insisted it was the best festival yet. At times I often felt jealous that I couldn’t take part in the music sessions – and I’m still waiting on the promised banjo lesson from Brian Kelly!

A highlight of the afternoon, however, was an impromptu appearance by the Zamble African Song and Dance Company. With drums, percussion and some fancy footwork, this group were a delightful sight to see in the street. It gave an excellent taster of what was to come at their Ivory Coast Concert later that night in Stromness Academy.

Each year the festival tries to invite an international group – previous years had seen acts from Cuba, Chile, New Zealand and Africa. The Zamble African Dance Company seemed to be another hit. An often difficult task in Orkney was overcome when Gaspard Zamble managed to get the crowd singing and dancing with the group. It was a slightly strange sight with over two hundred arms raised, bums out and feet stomping. Even the sound crew were giving it a go. The only downside to the concert was that it had to end, lets hope another exciting act is booked for next year’s festival.

Afterwards my ears led me onwards to the Stromness Academy Dining Room, where the Finlay McDonald Band were getting in full swing for the Stomp. Finlay provided the ladies with something more than just a pretty face – dazzling the crowds with his pipes and whistle. The backing from Quee MacArthur (bass), Kevin MacKenzie (guitar) and Fergus MacKenzie (drums) was outstanding. Once again Chris Stout showed off his fiddling talents, adding that they needed space to “rock this place”! Which they succeeded in doing. If it hadn’t been for the steady supply of gin and tonics, I would never have survived the endless dancing.

“Maybe it’s time more of those who enjoy the festival weekend became involved in organising it and helped to make next year’s the BEST folk festival in Scotland.”

Suddenly it was Sunday. There was quite a buzz around the town: all the pubs were overflowing, with some musicians even being forced to play on the streets. The farewell concerts on the final night are always an organisational nightmare. With over fourteen acts all in the one show, which is held in two venues, getting the bands from one to the another is often difficult, especially when the journey goes by way of two pubs! Since each act is confined to ten minutes you only get a taste, but often this is all that’s needed to hook many for another year.

A sobering note was struck, however, at the beginning of the show. Once again Johnny Mowat thanked the numerous organisations whose funding is essential to the survival of the festival, including McEwens, who funded the informal sessions. Praise was also given to the committee members and helpers whose involvement in it is crucial. But Johnny pointed out that some things needed to change if there was to be another festival. He stressed that more local people need to give back to the festival, either through volunteering over the weekend or by becoming committee members.

Twenty-two years of commitment to the Festival is surely taking its toll. When asked if he’d enjoyed it this year, Johnny sadly commented that he rarely gets the opportunity to see a band long enough to really take pleasure in their music. Maybe it’s time more of those who enjoy the festival weekend became involved in organising it and helped to make next year’s the BEST folk festival in Scotland . After all, and after a few days to recover, I know I’ll be part of it again next year! (Now where’s that banjo, those dark glasses…)