Well I have been off to my final Port Fairy Folk Festival. For a little while at least. We started when our son and his friend were in Year 7. They both completed their first year of university last year and mine is preparing for the Grand Tour of old Europe. So eight years later I am calling it quits. We camped the first year, but that was not going to last – so we stayed in this lovely little house every year. Thanks Ron. Happy memories – the great coffee explosion stands out, sleeping bag slides down the stairs ( when the kids were little), lots of red wine, great meals.
Very cosy we were. Three couples and various permutations of children and their friends over the years. 2011 saw the best weather and after a bit of a slow start some good music. It is a great community event and one of the best events runby anyone anywhere – everything made easy from the time you enter the hall (tent this time) and get tagged. Having left Melbourne at 3pm we were early enough to see a show on Friday night. The Rosie Flores Trio. A bit boppy for me but lots of energy.
If you look carefully you can see Rosie in this picture of the Guitar Network performing the next day. She has the red rose in her hair. We have always liked the guitar concert – an opportunity to see and compare players, and they all show off! The second day started with a French Canadian band – so love that accent, “We are so ‘appy to beee ‘ere”. Les Chauffeurs & Pieds. Some great foot stomping from the seated man on the left below.
But the star on Saturday was the wonderful Shakura S’Aida – here is a very inadequate photo – such stage presence! She bestrode the stage exhorting the band and her audience to ever greater heights – when she wanted audience participation she got it! I would have liked more slower numbers and am sorry I missed her Georgia at the Blessings and Blues theme concert on Sunday.
But you can’t be everywhere and we were admiring The Cottars – a brother and sister from Canada who have been performing since they were little. And all that experience and stage- craft shows. Fiona MacGillvray is the sexiest tin whistler ever – her whole body shimmered in her short, shiny dress as she whistled away. And they finished off a concert of fine jigs and reels with some great synchronized foot stomping.
I don’t have a photo of the funniest show we saw – largely because it was in the Guinness tent, and I was imbibing (moderately of course) the black nectar.
Graveyard Train were described in the programme as a six-part baritone ‘man- choir’ with a unique sound and delivery – which isn’t the half of it. The whole Shebeen was roaring by the time they were finished and they were dragged back for an encore which may have exhausted their repertoire. They were great, throwing everything into a weird mix of songs about death and witches and graves. One of the six spent the set hammering vigorously away at a length of chain. The main singer minced his way theatrically to the microphone and roared into it channelling a Joe Cocker twitch. Leader of the band sported a bushy beard and round felt hat straight out of the Kelly Gang. They were existentialists – reminding us we’re “all gonna die” (they could have left out the “soon”) and all our worldly goods would be gone too. We all happily sang the refrain all will be gone” over and over. Maybe it was the Guinness but I recommend you check them out if and when you can. They have a website and it says they are on at the Spiegeltent on March 22nd. The fun discovery of this year’s festival.
A trip outside to see some of the performers and we came upon the Strong Lady Show with Betty Brawn swinging two brawny (well a bit scrawny really but still heavy!) blokes around.
Two great shows on Saturday night. Joe Pug from Chicago. Check him out. Great. Channelling Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. We had been complaining about a lack of politics but he provided some. Followed by Justin Townes Earle whose schtick was “I’m a bad boy”. Looking up his website after, it might not have been just stage schtick. We bought CDs of these two. The recordings were softer than the hard hitting stage performances – but still great. We also bought Martin Simpson – a traditional song man and great guitarist. Sunday morning we saw the choir – which gives you an insight into the demographic of the festival.
Baby boomers getting older all the time! Then Tim O’Brien and his Two Oceans Trio who were joined on stage by some of the other performers – Crooked Still and Christoff – taking advantage of proximity occasioned by the festival. He surprised everybody – on stage and off – by stripping down to his boxers but I didn’t take a photo of that.
I did take one of the Breabach and their bagpipes – just ’cause they had come so far! They were good but I was getting festivalled out by this stage.
Then it was over and I was done – for this year and for the foreseeable future. It has been great but the kids are older and so am I. I want to do something else on the Labour Day week-end for a while. Thanks Port Fairy. Good luck with future festivals, keep the community spirit going and keep the music coming.
David Guinnessophile says
A very fair and interesting review of the fantastic annual experience thet is Port fairy. My guess is Jenny will be back – if not next year then soon after.