St Albans Festival 2004

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR ST ALBANS
- Jenny O'Reilly

Well, my favourite little festival is over for another year, and very well attended and successful it was too. The weather gods and goddesses smiled on us this time - the days were warm and sunny and the nights crisp and cool, with the usual mist throwing its blanket over all.

The place was a hive of activity on Friday night, as the opening concert started amidst last-minute preparations, late arrivals scrambled to put up tents, and the food stalls were already doing a roaring trade.

By Saturday morning, the area in front of the barn was full of interesting market stalls, and the festival was in full swing. As usual, I marked a lot of people to see in my program, and only saw a fraction of them. So many Sydney folks go to this festival that socializing is a full-time job. Sessions in front of the pub seemed to be very good this year, as were the sessions around the fire in front of the barn each night. There were also many little groups around fires to be seen in the riverside camping area. We had our little tealights in the porta-loos to light our way at night (courtesy of Betty, I think) and the supplies of wood and water were also very welcome. I hope the people who provided those felt it was worthwhile, as it was a valuable service.

The church as usual was a fine acoustic venue, and the green room with tea, coffee and comfortable chairs is a nice touch. The Barn and the marquee outside are good for amplified concerts - my only suggestion here being that once preparations and sound checks for the night concert have started, it is futile trying to conduct any other event close by, such as the Tall Stories Competition in the Barn. Having it at 6pm did not work well. I feel that this event needs its own time slot, maybe programmed into a mid-afternoon time in the Barn, and properly amplified like the other afternoon concerts.

Fortunately I did get to see some interesting acts, some of which I already knew and made a point of seeing, but there were some pleasant surprises too. As well as some of my favourites, such as Wheeze and Suck, Mothers of Intention, Chris Fraser, Wayward, Pat Drummond and Frencham Smith, I am particularly impressed with Amy Moss and a young string group that I saw on the last day, called Replay. Amy Moss getting the audience tapping along with her gutsy rendition of Matty Groves was really something to enjoy. With young musicians like this on the way up, I think we can be assured that the future of folk music is in very capable hands.

Nor am I worried about the future of this festival. It is probably fairly well known now that the Barn and the land in front of it has been sold, and nobody knows yet whether we will be able to use these areas for the festival next year. But all the people I spoke to who help organize this festival seemed philosophical about it, the general idea being that even if some of the details need to be changed, it can all be worked around, and Snalbans will live on regardless. It is this kind of optimism and dedication by all its helpers that I think is the reason for its continued success. As long as we have people who are willing to keep on making it happen, no matter what, it will continue to thrive. I take my hat off to all these people. You are the heart of Snalbans Folk Festival.

What the Performers Said

Thank you so much for inviting us to play at St. Albans, we had great fun playing and enjoyed seeing so many quality acts. Wheeze and Suck were a huge highlight for me and Pat Drummonds kids gig was tremendous fun, he is a natural for kiddies and nowhere near that patronising level that people like The wiggles operate on.
Dave Michaels - Moleskin

Thank you and the others who put so much work into the planning and implementation of such a great festival You even got the weather right.
Chris Fraser

I bet you're still recovering from yet another brilliant fest!? Congratulations on a tremendous effort ... wow I couldn't believe how many people were there.......the biggest yet?
The performances I got to see this year were a real treat and it's only through smaller festivals like this one that new/fresh talent seems to get a go. Thanks for letting Glass Slipper be a part of this years fest once again.
Maureen O'Brien - Glass Slipper

I wanted to take a moment to extend my gratitude to you and the rest of the organising committee for allowing me to be a part of the St. Alban’s Folk Festival. As my first booked performance, I could not have asked for a more enjoyable experience. The Church in which I performed exceeded my wildest expectations in both atmosphere and aesthetics, and the festival volunteers were just wonderful. Once again, you have my sincerest gratitude; keep up the good work!
Mike Bogle

Congratulations for the festival, and thanks for including a dance stream this year.
Arthur Kingsland - dance tutor

If anyone has any other reviews please contact:

Alison Boyd

its a zero!!

Reviews of previous festivals

2003

2002