Doing the 'same act' twice at a festival is bad enough but how about when the artist is doing the same act TWO YEARS LATER!!

I saw a certain talented and pretty fiddler at a festival down south (i.e., further south and west than London) in the early 1980's and was reasonably impressed. She was witty, skilled and seemed to know what she was doing. I went to see her at the South Petherton festival 2 years later and it was the identical set - even down to the scripted intro to a particular joke about a 3 fingered fiddler. Unfortunately, I'm sitting in the front row, and being blessed with a good memory and loud mouth, was in the process of telling my companion that this spiel was leading up to the joke about the three fingered fiddler. Of course, just then, as it is wont to do, the room went silent for a split second... She gave me what can only be described as an 'old fashioned look' and proceeded to tell the three fingered fiddler joke through gritted teeth... We've never really got on since then, which was unfortunate because she seemed to be at every festival and club I went to or helped run!

Funnily enough though, I never heard the joke about the three fingered fiddler again!

I say it's worse because the artiste herself is actually an extremely talented player and naturally witty and chatty. Her act was bloody damn good, a great mix of anecdote and music, but to not change it after 2 years in the mainstream was pretty dire. Had it been the same season, it would have been acceptable, sensible even. But 2 years on? Smacked a lot of 'one trick pony' which she clearly wasn't and has sinced proved not to be.

As for seeing the same artist more than once at a festival - sometimes you don't get a choice. The larger the festival, the better the chances are that you'll be able to avoid hearing (even if you're not attending) the same act more than once. On a smaller 'enclosed' site, like Towersey, it's nigh on impossible to miss them.

You'll find it's usually the newer faces on the scene who don't have the wealth of material to draw on, that will repeat themselves over a weekend. It's only a problem if you expect them to know every song/tune ever written and have the wisdom of ages at their beck and call. Sometimes, I've made a point of seeing the second set of a newer artist - they'll have found their stride and possibly improved the second time around.

The problem I have is finding festivals within my budget that don't have the same acts as the others I go to. Consequently, I find I'm limited in the festivals I attend, to about three a year.

When I go to Mudcat gathers, although the basic format is pretty much the same every year - the music and the people are not. There are always new people to meet and hug, new tunes or songs to play and steal, new conversations with old friends to have.   That's how I remember some of the smaller festivals of 25 years ago, and it's why I like them so much.

LTS