(Those of a sensitive nature are warned that there might be some mention of Morris Dancing)
The summer cruise started with a visit to Oxford Folk Festival and The Gospel according to Squeezy, and seems to be more or less closing with a visit to Banbury Folk Festival, and The Gospel according to our dear friend Hector Gilchrist, in the rather more subdued surroundings of a Methodist Church as opposed to a high Anglo-Catholic establishment in Jericho, Oxford.
Apparently due to some festival organisational problems, Morris Dancers were in rather short supply (cries of Hooray), but the splendid Fool’s Gambit did their best to keep aerial morris alive and kicking.
TRADarrr (TRADarrrrr? TRADaarrgghhhh?) were the Sunday headline / closing act.
Their drummer Mark Stevens had received a good kicking in a recent review in fRoots Magazine, to which morris dancer, musician, EII and Albion Band member and all round good egg Simon Care had objected to strenuously on Farcebook. But he’s such a good egg that when he joined them on stage as a guest for their last number, he was careful to stand in front of the drummer, and hide him from any sensitive fRoots critics that might have been in the audience. In fact the only time Mark really showed himself was when he stepped up to play the cornet.
So with all the music, a visit one afternoon and evening from Ian (from America via Sunningdale and Ferndown), and – as always the case at festivals – bumping into friends old and new, another good weekend was had.
