Various ramblings from my first ever time at Sidmouth.

Arrived in Sidmouth on Wednesday (work commitments prevented full week).
I sought out and located the infamous Lizzie (PM facility here meant that goal was easy to make possible).
She hasn't exactly held back her admiration for my band's music (based on her purchase of our CDs by web) on various message boards so I have to confess that meeting her for the first time was a daunting prospect.
No worries though. She seems a perfectly 'normal' and remarkably unassuming lady. No wonder you 'couldn't find her' Lynne, Breton Cap (and others above).
I might have fully expected some sort of, er, 'loud' brash person, full of 'look at me' and so on. Nope. She (and all her family) seemed, in total contrast to the sometimes OTT outpourings on the message boards (which at least are positive) quite quiet and unassuming.
Her husband Peter seemed a tireless worker for the festival (among so many valuable others!) and spent a great deal of his time setting up, operating, and packing away the PA system for the (Dukes) Open Mic sessions each day.
Lizzie flitted from one place to another making notes and taking in as much of the various activities as possible, from dawn to dusk (for her self-appointed role as unofficial roving reporter for another board). Interestingly, I noticed her opt to maintain a low profile when Steve Knightley came to stand and watch a while at Dukes (she can be a little over the top in expressing her admiration for SOH music on boards too!) Even when our melodeon player (who is also called Steve!) offered to introduce her to him (Steve knows Steve well) she declined. Hardly the mad stalker some would have you believe. No, just an honest and enthusiastic soul, that bubbles with optimism (albeit too much for some) and a complete love of music generally. Bless. She's a kindly soul in the flesh.
Now I have a face to put with the name.

My wife Pam and I made our way to various venues over Wednesday afternoon, night and all of Thursday. Acclimatising ourselves, trying to soak up the Siddy atmosphere, as we were 'first timers'.
Last Night's Fun were amazing (as usual) in the Marquee in the afternoon. That reminds me. I read a reference elsewhere intimating that the 'paid artists' didn't go and take part elsewhere, just did their spot and got away. Not so. I'll try and cite other examples later, but the glaringly obvious 'first' is that LNF's Nick and Chris played on into the wee small hours in a pub session, for the sheer enjoyment of it. My, they're good!

A lot has been made (here and on the Beeb board etc) of numbers being down overall. It must've been hell in other years then! Everywhere we went (with one exception) we had a great deal of trouble getting in, getting served at any bar, and invariably had to stand as all seats were taken!
The only exception was the 'Newt' but that may just have been due to timing. Not knowing the ropes, we started at 7.50pm on Wed night by calling in there first. Only five people in the room, a weird set up of high seating round the perimeter (the only seat we got all week!) surrounding an open area with no tables and chairs at all! Most uninviting, and I wasn't surprised to see an endless procession of folk (many with instruments) enter, look, assess and head off elsewhere. A chap with a squeezebox kicked off proceedings at 8pm singing 'Enery the 8th' as in came three more folk, one with a guitar who promptly sang two songs in a row making me wonder if those there before him should have been more 'obvious' if they were there to sing also. I wouldn't know, I am not sufficiently versed in the etiquette required when I attend any new place. We decided (at the end of a pint) to seek out other places. I do hope that venue picked up a head of steam later, but meantime we felt obliged to sample elsewhere and (perhaps unfairly) never made it back.

We stood outside the Ham Marquee along with the overspill from a full house listening to a grand sounding Blackthorn, returning a good while later to hear some of the superb KathTickell Band.
In between-time, and later on till VERY late, we stood to drank beer and listen to all 'sorts' of sessions (mixed, tune and song) in various rooms within the Black Horse, Swan, Radway and Anchor.
Contrary to suggestions made elsewhere, we found a high standard of musicianship everywhere, and where there were 'learners' interspersed amongst the 'experienced' throng, we hoped they managed to raise their own game in the best way possible, rubbing elbows with those of a higher standard (hopefully inconspicuously) being dragged upward in the most sociable of surroundings.

A good night's sleep (airbeds on the floor of 'friends of the festival') and we were off after breakfast for a walk round the town, the craft fair, the instrument stands at Church House and the Ham and a 'touristy' walk up Jacob's Ladder to the wonderful gardens where I confess I posed unashamedly with the Sidmouth Fiddler. Cliché? Yes indeed, but relatives expect etc……

Around 2.15pm Steve and I played and sang three songs (for fun) outside at the open mic affair at Dukes, hanging on (as requested) to do three more later on. This was no terrible hardship given that there were barrels of real ale set up in a side room and the Test Match (which was going well) in another. We were only too pleased to keep a weather eye on it! Maybe that's why various other artists on the 'bill' took time to drop in and perform there all week.
More likely though, they just like to play!

Thursday evening was spent trawling through the sessions as we had done the night before. Apologies! Didn't revisit the Newt, time ran out.
The passing of a leafy branch round the infamous Middle Bar was interesting. We had fancied a turn, but after standing in amongst them there a total of about four hours over two nights, when it did get anywhere near, seeing it bypass us again and again, we gave up all hope of perhaps singing a song down there. Once again, not knowing the correct procedure in an established set up, no one proffering aid for the uninitiated, and not being the sort to be at all 'forward' in such surroundings, we limped off into the night untested. Our fault entirely, I'm sure.
It would have been nice though.
One 'proper' downside in the Anchor, the 'new' Landlord saw fit to put a 'soul' band on in the garden, as there wasn't a folk event organised there on the Wed night. Even the presence of 'Bouncers' at the top of the stairs didn't keep the door shut half enough and the noise from the 'band' garden made listening (to the singers) from that end of the middle bar very difficult.
Friday passed us by, as there was much to do to prepare for our gig in the evening. We checked into our rooms in the Bedford and met up with the rest of the band as they arrived one by one from the North (only three of us had arrived on Wednesday and Thursday.
We did catch the ever-magnificent Whapweasel as we unloaded our gear at the Ham Marquee and 'cheated' somewhat by lingering around backstage in the 'wings' to admire them.
Before we knew what time it was, we were sound-checking after the Battlefield Band and soon after it was 7.55 and we were heading onstage.
The evening concerts all week were sold out I understand, fire regulations setting the capacity at 807. I was a little stunned to find the place completely full when we kicked off at eight. The Batty's fans did us proud, taking to their seats for us too rather than drifting in for their scheduled start at 9.15pm
Our MC (as per programme) was otherwise engaged preparing for his own gig at the LNE (11.15 start) so the diminutive but delightful Sue stepped in, announced us, and the next hour flew by!
I thoroughly enjoyed playing our set and the audience reaction was far above my expectations! I was particularly pleased for our fiddle player Anne, who got the biggest cheer of all as I introduced the band during the last set of Jigs.
We spent the rest of the night having backs patted and hands shaken and we couldn't believe the volume of CDs we shifted.

A few thanks are order. Cheers MC Sue, soundman Chris (the mini-disc recording is superb!), the Batty-Band (who made us feel like we were friends right from the start), the extremely helpful head steward and his band of stewards (many of whom were so supportive and encouraging from right after the sound-check onwards!) and bar staff (who looked after us well), to ALL those souls that worked their socks off to keep Sidmouth Festival alive. You did more than just that! It did far better than merely survive! It was a success. Those there had a whale of a time. All power to you, I hope you kick on from here, improving as you go, to become bigger and better still.
But personally, a huge thank-you to Gordon Newton, not just for his organisational merits, for putting his head on the block, but also for having the courage to put on a relatively unknown semi-pro outfit like us amidst the full time pros.
Thanks for the opportunity GN.

And then….
After watching the great Battys and packing up, it was back to the Bedford for the rest of the night. It was HEAVING in there. The session in the front room so crammed and vibrant it was nigh on impossible to get to the bar! Anne (our fiddler) was agog watching one chap 'go' in there. A superb fiddler in her estimation, wonder who he was? A second room was in full flow too (behind the bar) and in there later on, two Battys (fiddle and guitar) were soon in full flight, totally amazing stuff. Later the pipe player joined in too and we watched in awe. Being the lightweights that we are, Anne and I retreated to our beds at about 2.30am exhaustion had set in.
I've been a punter at Whitby for some 15 or more consecutive Festivals, then, more recently, as a performer at various festivals for the past four years - and my conclusion is, I don't know or cre whatwent before, 'this' new Sidmouth is right out of the top drawer! Cheers one and all. HFA – Duncan McFarlane