Sidmouth - was it good for you?

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Larkin
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 11:55 AM

I only made the last two days and managed lots of sessions although the Anchor irish session
was so oversubcribed that it was excruciating . Missed the Dove which was my favourite session . But some nice songs in the Bedford. Uiscadwr were fab and as always Tom McConnville , Clare Mann and Aaron Jones a joy to watch. I played in a great little session in the Ship with some very fine box players . just filing me finger ends down due to over callousing !!!

Martin

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: GUEST,Ms Lemon
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 12:17 PM

Was it good for me? Lemonade-wise, yes, but the camp site I thought was leaving a lot to be desired. We were in the 'quiet' field and found it noisy. Where were the stewards? Aren't they supposed to be patrolling the field by torch light to make sure all is ok? When I complained I was told how to destress when I hear noise in the night! "Take a deep breat in, and then a long hiss out" How I didn't go for her throat I don't know! It's not up to me to keep law and order, it's up to the stewards.

I also felt there weren't enough Fire extinguishers... ok so we had barrels of water but how does one carry the water to the fire? No buckets provided to do it.

The showers were a laugh. For two nights we had no electricity in one block. Then only two out of four of those showers worked. And when they did they gushed either scalding hot or cold.

The campsite was badly marked out and quite a few people had to repitch their tents because they were aparantly in the 'fire lanes'.

I have many more complaints... like Why do I as a trader have to pay £46 per adult to camp when I'm trading and have to pay £300 to do that?

I also wasn't happy about some lads selling lemonade on the sea front. I think competition is a healthy thing and their sales didn't affect me at all, but did they have a Pedlars Licence? Health and Safety certificate? Were they checked by the Environmental Health? Did they have insurance? Hand washing facilities (hot and cold)? If someone decided they were infected by food poisoning from these lads, they would probably just have said they had the lemonade from Sidmouth Festival and I would've got the blame! What's more they didn't pay £300 to be there.

There are no other festivals that I trade at that charge traders extra for camping. Last year I hated the campsite and gave it the benefit of the doubt for this year, but believe me, never again. I shall pay more and get a decent night's sleep and good showers.

Sal

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: melodeonboy
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 12:52 PM

I only managed to squeeze in two and a bit days between gigs, but it was worth going just for that. I managed to sing and play nearly all day.

I discovered the Newt for the first time this year. I found the decor and layout of the pub bizarre, but had a most enjoyable two hours' worth there one afternoon with some very interesting performers. I'm blowed if I can remember who they were but Don T. will know.

I shall try to make the whole week next year.

By the way, what happened to the late night "supermarket bus" that they ran last year?

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 12:54 PM

Gadaffi - I know just how you feel, not just about being dropped from the festival programme but in not finding out before the programme was published. I think it was even more iniquitous that "In the Tradition" got shunted to the fringe than the Theatre Bar singarounds - if your sessions aren't core folk I don't know what is. The message has been conveyed to Eddy Upton by Tim Edwards (and Eddy apologised), but messages of support for both events to be reprogrammed next year wouldn't go amiss!

Kitty

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: MBSLynne
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 01:29 PM

Sally, I was told by a campsite steward that they were told by the campsite manager that she didn't want them patrolling the campsite at night and that they weren't to ask people to quieten down even if there were complaints. The person who told me was very surprised as she and her husband have been campsite stewards for many years.

Melodeon boy, if you mean the bus that did a round trip last year, the boss of Alpha coaches said that the round trip didn't really work last year so they decided just to go up and down between the campsite and the town.

I missed the Dove too. I don't suppose anyone managed to find an alternative Dove after I left on Monday did they?

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Essex Girl
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 02:51 PM

Sidmouth was great as usual, wonderful weather and some wonderful sessions in the Anchor and Bedford.(and others) Thoroughly enjoyed stewarding at the Ham, nice friendly crowd, both stewards, managers and audience. Hardly a complaint the whole week, and then only about the noise level.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 03:10 PM

"I got to meet Ruth Archer!"

Crikey, Kitty, I hope it wasn't too disappointing. I'm sorry I never got to any of your singing sessions - we always seemed to be so busy! I never even sang until Thursday night at the Bedford, and then only cause Barry Lister took pity on me...

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 03:22 PM

Lynne - all the Doveites missed the Dove, and we even lost DGD judges from the whole week. I prophetically forecast in my DGD entry that the judges would resort to another bird for alcoholic libations, as indeed they did. Thanks Alanww and Idris for consoling me for the loss of the Dove.

Kitty

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 03:26 PM

Ruth - I left the Bedford back lounge early on Thursday because I was sniffing and sneezing and needed an early night, so am really sorry I missed your singing!

I had a wonderful week, so thanks to everyone who made the festival happen.

Kitty

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Surreysinger
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 03:40 PM

Gadaffi - just a quick word of thanks for your many and varied efforts. I hadn't been to Sidders for the last two years, and it was nice to find that the In the Tradition sessions were still going, and in appreciative hands!! My major "must do" every day (well, OK except for Saturday when I arrived, and Sunday when I was otherwise engaged watching and listening to HWC displaying their aforementioned possibilities), I agree with Kitty that it was beyond the pale that the In the Tradition sessions were not contained in the main programme as always used to be the case. Wish I could have been up in time to go to the early morning talks... maybe I would have found out WHY Martin nearly came to blows with Eddie - you didn't mention that at breakfast the next day, did you??

One other thing that didn't work was the location that the Ballad sessions were given to start with - on the first day, arriving at Jack's Bar we found a very worried Sheila Miller and Moira Craig conversing with Barry Lister. Jacks Bar was in full flow, with youth from the vicinity watching football on large screens - a totally inappropriate venue for the type of session involved. One can only wonder who thought the venue was an appropriate one, and why!!! An alternative home in the Bedford's dining room was found for the rest of the week, but even that was not really ideal - people walking in and out, stowing equipment in the room, walking through the room etc during the course of the sessions. Additionally, ballad related concerts and events were timetabled at the same time as the ballad sessions themselves. Ballads and ballad singing are rather specialised interests, and to timetable two separate events of a specialised related nature against each other was, to put it mildly, poor planning, and especially frustrating for those of us who wanted to attend both events.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: fiddler
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 04:33 PM

Campsite and noise is a delicate area!

I know!!!!!!

Belieive it or not you get less complaints by letting the sessions run!

Patrolling only achives limited quiteness and lots of stress all round as the noise starts up again 5 mins later.

I sympathise Sal!

I don't know the answer.

Andy

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 04:44 PM

Kitty, you didn't miss much, belive me. And I'm still suffering with that self-same Sidmouth lurgy! Mine came on during the torchlight procession on Friday night...

Re quiet campsites, I've always wondered why the quiet doesn't extend to children running about shrieking/playing footie against the side of my tent at 8am, or relentlessly cheery types cooking their fry-ups and playing their newly-acquired instruments at approximately the same time...

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 04:46 PM

2-zone camping, like Broadstairs? Mind you there never seem to be ANY campsite sessions there, and tonight I think you might need a punt....

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: treewind
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 07:13 PM

We're only just back! - but we've also been to Dartmoor and Bideford (just for a concert last night). All good, I thought, and we met Ruth Archer too! And no, the mini melodeon workshop didn't happen, after a communication mixup, but the offer's still on!

One of my highlights at Sidmouth was discovering Last Orders. Others have mentioned them - a young band with a sense of humour. I sat through their set at the Rugby Club with a silly grin on my face all the way though, not to mention actually bursting out in giggles at some points and joining in with spontaneous applause mid-set as the members took jazz-style solos. Utterly delightful and they don't seem to take themselves a bit seriously, but they've obviously worked hard on the music. Heavens knows what they'll be up to in a few years time - watch out for them.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: MBSLynne
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 02:33 AM

Three years ago I discovered ear plugs and they are wonderful. As one of the ones who used to get moaned at regularly in my younger days I have no problems with people sessioning. It is, after all, a folk festival where people go to do music and enjoy themselves. What I do object to is barking dogs at all hours of day and night and people who play recorded music loudly on their car stereos with the doors propped open.

There is supposed to be a quieter field (the second one.

I know everyone always says the good old days were better, but we seemed to have much less problems in the days when I was a campsite steward than seem to occur now.

I wasn't at all happy to get back to my tent and find that a large group of people (I think they were members of a band) had pitched their tents all around me, two of them literally six inches from mine. They then proceeded to party every night, though I got to bed later than them the first night so only know because I was told! The second night I lay in bed remembering my campsite parties of the past....I couldn't use my ear plugs at that point because my daughter wasn't back. At half past two I asked them to quieten down and they did, I think, but then I put the earplugs in.....blessed quietness!

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 03:30 AM

I was miserable the whole week. Didn't enjoy any of the concerts or the sessions. I particularly did not enjoy the Bedford sings.

Of course, I was in Chesham & Milton Keynes the whole effin' week, that's why.

*sigh*

Who, me green?

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: fiddler
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 03:57 AM

LOL George!

Lynne summed up some items - a quieter field - there never was a quiet field during my period on campsite!

That said are we as tolerant as we used to be - I remember sitting around all night jawing and singing and playing at a gentle level and not having any problems.

Andy

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Folkiedave
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 04:17 AM

One of my highlights at Sidmouth was discovering Last Orders...... Heavens knows what they'll be up to in a few years time - watch out for them.

One of the things I hope they will be up to is getting Joe's sister to sing. Marie Louise O'Connor is by far the best young singer I have heard in years. She already sings on their record and beat Joe in a young performers competition last year.

And no, the mini melodeon workshop didn't happen, after a communication mixup, but the offer's still on!

Damn - Ruth there is always a place in my gazebo for you.......

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: treewind
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 04:50 AM

"One of the things I hope [Last Orders] will be up to is getting Joe's sister to sing"

Would that be the girl who did one song in the middle of their Rugby Club set?
Yes, they do need a singer, though in that acoustic (not an easy venue) her voice was struggling to be heard.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Surreysinger
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 04:52 AM

Don't you just hate hearing about the good things that you missed because you were somewhere else at the time?? Thanks for the tip Anahata - I'll keep my ears and eyes peeled for Last Orders in future...

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: GUEST,s&r
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 07:42 AM

Maz won the Young Performers Competition at Fylde in 2005, and she's got better since. Last Orders and Maz are appearing at Fylde this year,

Stu

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: GUEST,Peter Stockport
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 11:35 AM

Never been before, got a platinum ticket and enjoyed it all.
But,and there's always a but!
The Ham was great, but I wanted to see more people! To get a good seat in the you started queing at 7.30, it finished at 10.30.Usually overunning .
So every night I just got to see just the two Ham acts. They were good but I would like to see more people in the Ham not just a top act and a support. Even though the supports were excellent if a few too many young "Celtic" bands.
Saturday night in the ham was Van Eyken and Kirsty McGee.

Sat night in the Bedford was Wistman's Wood, Pete & Sue Coe, Sara Grey & Kieron Means, Brian Peters and Bodega.
See!! 5 acts to 2.
130 seats in the Bedford over 800 in the Ham.
Why not more variety in the Ham? The most expensive tickets and the least artists? Much as I enjoyed the Spooky Men, Brass Monkey etc. who need the large venue, I wanted to see more!
Anyone else with the platinum ticket feel that there should have been shorter sets and more artists in the Ham?
Peter

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 01:00 PM

There were afternoon Ham concerts, too...

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 01:06 PM

Oh, and the acts at the Bedford get MUCH shorter slots than the headliners at the Ham.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Bob TB
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 02:39 PM

Wonderful week, as usual, despite be berated by Lynne at Ashby FC on Friday night for having a boring Mudcat name - so I've changed it! Thanks to Mick P for the inspiration.

Was unsure about the upper middle bar but it worked well - although you had to go to the garden for a decent pint. At least the MBS still have a pub!

Ham concerts were excellent - no ticket this year but staying within PA range! Did you know it was JK's birthday?

I thought it sad that the promenade was taken over by traders pushing out the dancers and (folky) buskers but I know at least one of the many festival directors is onto that.

Thanks to the Hills for laughing during Doom, Gloom and Despondency. The rest of you are taking it much to seriously!

Bob TB

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: MBSLynne
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 05:30 PM

Oh Bob, that's a MUCH better name!! Lol!

In Sidmouths past we used to have two other campsites as well as the main one, one of which was called the Family campsite and supposedly much quieter. I always liked being on the main site and the few years I camped up at Salcombe due to lack of ticket, I really missed the social side. That's still good. The sessions in the marquee at the gate were apparently brilliant. I think they were one of the main bits of my son's festival this year.

As far as being less tolerant goes....it was a regular part of my festival to have Alan White come to wherever I was camping to tell me to keep the noise down. What really amazed me was that last year he came to the gazebos where all the young contingent camp to say something about the noise, and with all these teens and twenties somethings partying there, it was STILL me he told off!!!! Then he joined us of course.

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: fiddler
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 05:34 PM

Some things never change Lynne

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 05:51 PM

Just to clarify some points raised in earlier messages: Jack's Bar was actually put forwards as a suitable venue by Barry Lister & Tom Addison!

The ballad session was timed for 3.00pm to 5.00pm which did not clash with the other ballad events namely, the ballad concert on Sunday from 11.30 to 1.00pm or Brian Peter's Child Ballad concert on Thurday from 11.30 to 1.00pm

Headline acts are headline acts for a variety of reasons. Whatever the reason however, they do command higher fees etc which in turn command higher ticket prices. We therefore have an obligation to our audiences to provide them with optimum viewing time in such circumstances.

We cannot ignore the fact that many artists are used to performing in a 'folk-club' format of 30 or 40 minute sets but surely no one would expect Yves Lambert, the Spooky Men or Eliza & The Ratcatchers to 'do' a 40 minute spot and then bugger off!

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 05:59 PM

As no-one else has mentioned Altan, I will. They were bloody fabulous. Bloody loud (too loud for the first three sets) but the sound chaps got it better in the end.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: GUEST,Ay Up
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 03:14 AM

Was it good for you?

No.

Far too many older people there, both in the audiences and in the line-ups. It mirrored the unequal balance of the population of the town that Sidmouth has throughout the rest of the year.

The people I most enjoyed seeing were The Devil's Interval, who were wonderful, as ever and Uiscedwr who took my breath away. Both acts should have been on in The Ham in the main evening slot. Jim Moray should have been there too, as should The Demon Barbers. Where was Seth Lakeman? Last year the town rocked to Seth's music and it was filled with young people.

Nothing wrong with older people, don't get me wrong, but along with the grey highlights Sidmouth badly needs far more blonde, red, purple and blue. It needs to update itself, like Moseley Festival, who mix all types of music up and bring in a far more diverse audience.

Sidmouth needs to stop living in the past and being 'our little festival' and it needs to concentrate urgently on offering far more for younger people.

The craft tent was so smelly you could barely go in it and it was filled with many of the same traders that are there year, after year, after year. There wasn't enough for children at the festival either, it would be far better to have the craft tent elsewhere and the whole of Blackmore Gardens given over completely to children's entertainers and entertainment.

And talking of entertainment, where were The Chipolatas?

Good to see so many morris teams though, I did enjoy those very much.

The Ham Marquee needs looking at though. This year apart from anything else, it was hot, uncomfortable and decidely smelly. The straw that some bright spark had decided to put down over the mud attracted all the flies which were buzzing round about happily. When I pay £15 and upwards for tickets I do expect to sit or stand in a relatively pleasant place.

Why is there never any dancing or even standing allowed in The Ham? It seems to me that there's just row upon row of chairs filled with serious faced folkies who don't even have the good grace to smile at the performers and let them know they're enjoying themselves. Compare this to a Seth Lakeman concert or Demon Barbers one, where the audience simply HAS to dance, where they break 'the rules' and just stand up and shimmy, far more enjoyable. Maybe they need far less seats and a big area for people to stand up/dance in.

Here's a copy of the message I left in the Jim Moray thread, just in case anyone from Sidmouth Fuddy Duddy Folk Week may be listening. I've put it in here because I think it's important, even if they don't.





- I wouldn't like to gauge how much he actually needs the ever-so belated approval of 'the f*lk world' who back then wanted him burned as their very own wicker man. -

-------Dear lady from Frollocks,

Jim would appear to suffer from the same 'Wicker Man' trouble as Show of Hands do, from things I've read. How strange those things were written by you.

For the second year running now Jim Moray has not been at Sidmouth despite him being -at- Sidmouth as a spectator. I found this bizarre, as his sister Jackie Oates was there, as she was last year, as was Jim Causley and The Devil's Interval, Jon Boden, John Spiers, Eliza and Mawkin. Don't get me wrong, it was wonderful to see all of them there again, but it wasn't wonderful to feel that Jim Moray had been overlooked once more.

Has Jim upset the people who run Sidmouth? He would have brought in many young people to the town and that is something that Sidmouth Folk Week needs very badly.

Where were The Demon Barbers also? Yet again they were not at Sidmouth and yet they brought in a huge audience last time they were there two years ago.

It really is time that these grey bearded geography teachers, who sadly seem to dominate many festivals, got a grip on how the folk world is changing, and that young, vibrant and innovative acts such as Jim Moray and The Demon Barbers are setting it alight and working very hard to make folk music inspirational once more.

I'll put this in the Sidmouth thread too I think, just in case any of the grey bearded geography teachers are reading it. --------------

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: fiddler
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 03:47 AM

Hmmmmm........

Ay up

Quite a tirade.........

Dancing was not stopped in the Ham but please note it is licenced as a concert venue with seating. We can take this on board in relation to future applications for licencing, you're not the first to raise this point but with over 6000 tickets sold and less than a dozen or so requests not sure how the powers that be will take that.

As for the straw............

This did not cause the flies it is a long and complicated story which I don't know the answer to. It relates to the wet weather, the hot weather, the sewerage scheme below the Ham the tide levels and the river flow. some of us had to live with it all week so we really do sympathise.

As for artists, email the festival with your wish list - they will listen, you may get some along next time you may not.

Their aim (and mine in my role) is that as many folk and folkies have an enjoyable, relaxed and safe festival, tell their freinds and come again the next year with their friends too.

We can only address our shortfalls if they are pointed out to us lucidly and constructively, so do it - contact the festival via the web site or pm me.

Andy

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: MBSLynne
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 04:09 AM

Interestingly the large and growing crowd known as "The Gazebo mob" consists of mostly teens and twenties some of whom came to Sidmouth for the first time three years ago and now wouldn't miss it for anything. The group of, probably 15 YOUNG people has grown to a straggling crowd of possibly 30 or more. I think the festival must be offering something that an awful lot of young people enjoy. Notably, this crowd doesn't distinguish between themselves and the older people, nor the much younger and accept both as friends and as an integral and necessary part of the festival.

My son, who is 16 had the best time he's ever had this year and my daughter, aged 11 was really upset because we had to leave at the end of the weekend. They wouldn't contemplate missing Sidmouth. And they have many friends there of all ages because they understand that it is a progression.

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 04:15 AM

To Ay Up:

*waves* Hi, Lizzie!

Are you sure you haven't simply had your nose put out of joint because Sidmouth was a roaring success despite no one having to read acres of your mindless drivel about it for weeks beforehand? Sadly, you are not the saviour and champion of Sidmouth. It survives and thrives without you. Personally, I think your rant is just sour grapes.

As someone who is constantly championing Show of Hands as the saviour of our youth (and of British culture), did they not bring enough young people into the festival and the town for your liking? Usually you're going on about how they bring thousands of young people into folk.

Jim Moray did play with Jackie, as it happens, at the Bedford late in the week. Very good they were, too.

You keep banging on about how the festival didn't book the Demons or Seth Lakeman. Lizzie, they can't have the same acts every year. People who are not obsessive about those acts would simply get bored. You haven't mentioned some of the youngsters, not so well established, who got a lot of positive feedback this year: Last Orders, or the Askew sisters, or Park Bench Social Club for instance. If you ventured away from the Ham at all (which I suspect you didn't) you'd have seen an incredible range of musicians, young and old, doing great stuff.

I don't know where you were all week, but I saw loads of youngsters enjoying themselves and being well catered for. Did you go down to any of the Shooting Rooots sessions in Jack's Bar? 30 or 40 kids at a time, under 18, playing folk music and having a brilliant time. There were also the LNEs at the Bulverton. Were you at the Whapweasel gig? No, I didn't think so. But hundreds of young people were.

I did a focus group on Friday with 18 - 30 year olds. They were all really happy with the range of events that targeted them (though they had some great ideas for how things could be even better). As has been explained to you before, a lot of young people in folk are not really concert-goers: they like ceilidhs, morris dancing and playing in sessions. If you're not seeing them in the concerts that you go to, maybe that's why.

You are a great one for criticising, Lizzie - why don't you do something about it? Volunteer. Do something positive. The festival needs the support of local people.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: GUEST,Ralphie
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 04:47 AM

Ruth.
Well said
R xx

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: treewind
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 05:20 AM

Well, I never realised the smell in the Ham was caused by all those old people. Perhaps some of them died last year and nobody's noticed yet.

As for dancing, I understand the Bulverton Marquee was the place to go if you wanted to do that (or the Church House or Blackmore Gardens marquees, or the Anchor Garden or several other locations depending on preferences).

I'd see it as very encouraging that Jim Moray saw fit to attend the festival as a punter - says something about its appeal to young(ish) people, surely?

Of course Sidmouth is the only folk festival in the world, so it's very sad that it doesn't book all the performers in the world every year.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 05:39 AM

"Of course Sidmouth is the only folk festival in the world, so it's very sad that it doesn't book all the performers in the world every year."

LOL!!

I did say earlier in this thread that one of the things I think is so interesting about Sidmouth is the vast range of activity on offer. A dozen different people could each have their own Sidmouth, as it were, and barely cross each other's paths.

While the big name acts are important for profile and revenue, for me they're not really what Sidmouth is about - and anyway, they all get around a fair bit. The Demons, for instance, played Cropredy (which takes place towards the end of Sidmouth week, so maybe they just had other things to do?) and are launching their new road show at Towersey. If someone wants to see specific acts, there are over 300 folk festivals in the UK where they will no doubt be able to do so. It would be dead boring if every festival, incuding Sidmouth, all booked the same acts (though there are Mudcatters who will argue that that's pretty much what happens anyway).

It's no use having a tanty just because the only festival you actually attend is the one in your town, and they don't book your favourite bands every year.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Surreysinger
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 06:33 AM

Dear Ay Up... or whoever you are... your comments about Jim Moray intrigue me... has it ever occurred to you that Jim may not have _wanted_ to be booked for the festival?? Artists too like to have their hols I have no doubt ... I have the feeling that I had read his own comments somewhere else to the effect that his touring etc this year was taking a back seat to other projects he had running in his life. And anyway, as pointed out, he did appear ... summoned from a swim on the beach by mobile phone at short notice to appear in place of Eliza Carthy who had been stricken down with illness, and then repairing back to the beach immediately afterwards.

As to "nothing for the young" looking at the programme there seemed to be any number of events specially designed for the very young, and the Shooting Roots age group. In addition, during the week I was mixing with quite a few young people who were happily joining in with us old fuddie duddies. I was involved in one evening session at the Volunteer nattering to a 17 year old fiddler (there with his better known dad), who didn't seem to be finding it a deadly chore to mix in with us lot; had grand chat with a couple of young morris dancers who were "locked out" of the folk club at the Woodlands at the same time as I was, and was made aware that some of their friends were having a Pimms party on the campsite; shared a singing session in the Bedford at stupid o'clock at which two extremely young singers (one male, one female) both of whom were VERY good didn't seem to have any difficulty in associating with us crinklies. And it was only too obvious that there was a completely different scene going on up at the Bulverton ... wish I could have been at the Glory Strokes event on the Saturday night... I'd love to see/hear some heavy metal ceilidh going on... maybe another time.

As Ruth said, Sidmouth is and always has been more than one festival ... it has numerous sub-sets going on within the overall whole. Dancers dance, singers sing, session players do their own thing, and those who don't "DO" put their bums on seats at concerts, and the sub-sets don't necessarily have any cross-overs. There is also a young person's thing going on that people like me are aware of but don't get involved in. So your Festival and mine, or Ralph's or Ruth's, and our perceptions of the whole are all likely to be very very different. I wouldn't presume to comment on provision for the young apart from to say that all of the young people (teens and twenties) that I spoke to during the week (and later this week back at home0 seemed to have been having a great time!

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Mrs_Annie
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 06:41 AM

I sympathise with everyone who had to work in the 'music room' sales area at the front of the Ham. The smell was so disgusting I could only stay in there for a few minutes at a time. Not conducive to CD browsing.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 06:48 AM

the smelly issue in the merch area was bad - a pair of my shoes seem to be permanently permeated with the smell. I can't help wondering whether sales were down as a result. But as was said earlier, it was a combination of factors that were to blame, and which unfortunately couldn't be resolved in the short term. But the organisers have been made aware of several potential future solutions, so hopefully the smells will soon be only a dim and distant memory...except to me, whenever I put on my ballet pumps.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: GUEST,Ay Up
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 06:51 AM

- Well, I never realised the smell in the Ham was caused by all those old people. Perhaps some of them died last year and nobody's noticed yet. -

Blimey! Hadn't thought of that! *laughs uproariously*

No, it's the straw. Never smelt that smell before at The Ham and I've been there since the new sewage works were put in. I noticed it as soon as the straw went down.

We need more than 30 young people at Sidmouth. Seth Lakeman brought them in by the hundreds.

Uiscedwr were *brilliant* though! What JOY! What ENTHUSIASM! Anna positively radiates sunshine, as does Cormac and Kevin, that man can break and re-string guitar strings at the speed of sound. Marvellous!

Anna also told us all about her Bone Marrow Transplant and urged people to go out and give blood.

We went on Tuesday Anna! The Blood Transfusion people were astounded at how many new young donors they had at Sidmouth this week. I told them all about Anna and her wonderful vitality and love of life. That girls ROCKS!

Ruth, take a listen to Uiscedwr's song 'Everyday Cynic' here, you may learn to be less er cynical and spiteful m'dear. Too many years as a journalist I'd day. *wink*

Uiscedwr Myspace

I always like to help where possible.

Looking forward to seeing Jim Moray in The Ham next year! Without straw though. *bad idea that grin*

We need some Reg Meuross there too and Martyn Joseph, you know, Acoustic Up a little more! While we're about it let's have some Stephen Fearing, Oliver Schroer (when he's better) and James Keelaghan too. All wonderful artists.

Sidmouth Goes Canadian..WOW!! *wink*

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: GUEST,Ay Up
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 06:53 AM

Sidmouth Goes Commando could be even more fun though! *double wink*

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 07:04 AM

Less cynical and spiteful? I'm just talking about Sidmouth. You, on the other hand, created a new identity yet again just so you could join in with putting the boot into Diane on another thread. That's spiteful.

The smell was nothing to do with the straw. It had started before the straw went down. It was to do with the carpeting in the merch marquee.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: fiddler
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 07:09 AM

Ach well I tried, glad some of you listen!

ay up chucks I'll shut up now.

Andy

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 07:17 AM

Andy, I should have been clearer in agreeing with you: there were a lot of contributing factors to the smell, as you said. The reason, apparently, that they were not going to go away was because the carpeting was contributing to the problem by trapping all the nastiness underneath. I think some suggestions with regard to "living" or organic flooring were made by Mr Heap when he visited in the week. I'm not sure it could have been to do with the sewage lines, to be honest, as there was a similar problem in the Blackmore Gardens marquee - though the smell wasn't quite as bad.

But it was definitely nothing to do with the straw, which was being replaced regularly and was clean.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: KeithofChester
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 07:25 AM

Where was Seth Lakeman?

From what I read elsewhere Seth was gaining a rather large number of new admirers at Edmonton Folk Festival (that is the Edmonton in Alberta). Seth did actually interrupt a Canadian tour earlier this year and dash back to London for the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, then flew straight back to resume his Canadian shows. I suspect that experience has cured him of trying to play on more than one continent simultaneously.

He is at Falmouth today, both V Festival Sites (Chelmsford and Stafford) this weekend, then Tonder (Denmark) and then Towersey later this month, so he isn't exactly under-gigged.

Seth has got Teddy Thompson with him as support for most of his Autumn tour, which should make it pretty good value.

Seth also did a "launch gig" for his new Poor Man's Heaven album in Regents Park two weeks back. Now, I assume that has a release date just before the Autumn tour starts (since they have the same name), but no where can I find the official date for that. Still, it should be easier for the folk awards panel this year, since they won't have to worry which of two different versions of a Seth album actually they are voting for as "best album". That so bewildered last year's panel that the BBC still can't tell us which version of Freedom Fields actually won "best album" in 2006...

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: GUEST,Ay Up
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 07:28 AM

Poor Ol' Sidmouth, fancy missing out on Seth. *unhappy smile*

AND Jim!

Ruth, I think you may need to listen several times over dear. *wink*

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 07:31 AM

"We need more than 30 young people at Sidmouth. Seth Lakeman brought them in by the hundreds."

I love the way you selectively read, Lizzie. There were hundreds of young people at the Bulverton for Whapweasel and the Glorystrokes. Just because these are dance bands and not on your radar doesn't invalidate them, or the young people who went to see them.

I don't know why I bother arguing with you anymore, to be honest. You're in your own little world, you see what you want to see (this year, you decided that the Sidmouth lineup wouldn't be attractive to young audiences so you chose not to see all the younger people who turned up for the festival) and you read what you want to read. It's all about making the world fit with your perceptions.

The only thing that concerns me, really, is that there are people who weren't there, who will read your diatribe about Sidmouth and think it's an accurate reflection of the festival. I can assure them that it isn't.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: GUEST,Ay Up
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 07:37 AM

Now, now Ruth, keep your big girls knickers on.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 07:47 AM

I think you've got your own OAPs incontinence pants in a bit of a twist because you're no longer the champion of Sidmouth FolkWeek, and yet it's doing just fine.

Who'da thunk it? Lizzie Cornish: Moaning Minnie.

Subject: RE: Sidmouth - was it good for you?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 07:58 AM

Make up your mind, Lizzie, is it commando or knickers?

I nearly saw Mr Lakeman at Fareham and Gosport - I was not in the hall but could hear the bass guitar perfectly and the rest if I listened - and although I am a senile delinquent with a strong liking for bass and kick, I found it hard to hear a strong melody line (or more particualrly vocal melody line) in anything on his last CD, and I couldn't hear one at all at Fareham and Gosport.

I'm sure he's fine, in many circumstances, but he is not the only young scion of a folk dynasty, and at a festival one does need variety as well as excellence - and plenty of room for participation.

People keep telling me I'd love Sidders, and I really must get there one year. The variety in the fringe does sound a lot of fun.

Am I not right that Jon Loomes was there this year and booked? Did anyone see him? He always impresses me on so many fronts at once, from his fiendish sense of humour and lightning repartee, to his choice of material and his guitar wizardry - not to denigrate his multi-instrumentalism or his vocal technique. I'd much rather listen to him than the new-wave-euro-disco folkies or the euroceltique-million-notes-a-second brigade, and he's quite young (and an impressive drinker) as well.