Any reports on Ceilidh Aid?

It had its moments. Audience, disappointingly small - but it made it comfortable to dance in the lower auditorium. Should have been more of a balance between dancing (audience active) and performance (audience passive). The acoustics were awful. The Fosters at the bar couldn't possibly have been the same amber nectar beloved by Barry McKenzie all those years ago, could it? Parking was easy in the side streets, even if driving through the suburbs was its predictable pain.

On a performance basis. Eliza Carthy was er- challenging (not sure about her Bushes and Briars 'sampling' or her use of melodeon) - certainly didn't quieten the cacophony around the bar area. Billy Bragg and the Blokes was in combative mode reminding all there was a General Election on. Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson were a real bonus. Eyebrows were raised with Martin and Bill the Bloke duetting on 'John Barleycorn' interestingly twinned for the night with 'Half English', and later on duetting with Blake's 'Jerusalem' - reclaimed for the night from the BNP and WI (delete as required). The Oysters established their credentials as England's leading folk rock band, and it was great to see former and part-time members Chris Taylor and Chris Wood jamming in. The morris dancing showed the diversity of Cotswold morris types, with Ian Dedic of Hammersmith suitably miked up on floor rather than on stage. For the record, I loved the amalgam of his use of Groupa's 'Serpentiner och Konfetti' with the Bampton sidestep dance.

Gordon Potts, resplendent in black kilt, deliberately kept the dancing simple. The set in which I danced for the Stoke Golding country dance with its strip the willow had two same sex partners with the set reversed, so that led to an amusing outcoming. The Norfolk Long Dance too looked like a recipe for broken teeth, but was tastefully performed as always. The 23-strong OysterMoth looked impressive, and lord alone knows how they kept in time! On an aesthetic viewpoint, this didn't lend itself to an arranged opus like 'Speed the Plough' with its key and tempo changes, but ... whatever!

I hope the event made thousands for the Tsunami appeal. The organiser from Action Aid announced they had made something like £8000, but left shortly after his inaudible speech. Given that it was something of a 'one-off', Ian Anderson, the fRoots team, and all performers should be congratulated for trying something as ambitious as this, but I wonder how a second attempt might go with the benefit of hindsight? Certainly not as a St. George's Day celebration when it next occurs on a Saturday!