St Albans Festival 2005

St Alban’s Folk Festival 2005
- by Ian MacIntosh (aka 'El Pumpo' from the Wheeze & Suck Band)

Good grief!…I agreed to write a review of the recent 2005 St Alban’s Folk Festival! I must be losing my touch...

Alison had just stepped in to instruct MC Jane Faulkner, at the Wheeze and Suck Band’s Sunday evening opening performance, to allow the band an encore. ‘Let’s break the rules!’ she said. The Wheezers eventually vacated the outdoor stage, high as the surrounding cliffs with adrenalin and vibrating with electricity, when Alison elicited the commitment from me. ‘Sure, I can write something…’ I replied as I headed for the bar, gratitude and bonhomie overriding my better judgement.

Now, when it comes to the Folk scene, it should be understood that I am an outsider. I grew up in Oxford, UK, with a strong sense of rebellion, and a love for folk song and traditional dance. However, in my youth I never quite ‘got’ folk’s mainstream. Clubs and Festivals, it seemed to me, existed within a very coded and rigid set of social boundaries and regulations, and were dominated by a minority of individuals who were initiated into the finer points of these ancient mysteries. You had to pay your dues to break into the circle. The risk of being humiliated over some gaffe of folk-etiquette, was too terrible to contemplate. My solution, when the desire to participate finally overrode my fears, was to attend, and drift around the periphery.

I began my education in the late 1960’s, and I’m still learning 40 years on. I became, in that time, more focussed on the 'big picture', my attention to the finer details such as program and individual names being less than admirable.

What have I discovered? Well, I now know that for me, folk music isn’t fundamentally about concerts and encores, enjoyable as they are. Neither is about etiquette or paying dues as I feared.

At St Albans, it is about the Irish session in the back bar of the pub. It is the ‘come all ye’ on the pub’s front porch and main bar…it is the Wheezer’s back room evening session…it is the chance jam with strangers around the car or tent. It is the one minute’s notice to perform at the Wombat, it’s Barry Parks and the chorus cup, and other participatory sessions too numerous to list.

These sessions (and every regular at the festival has their own favourite list) are the jewels within the unique St Albans experience. An absence of inhibitions and at times format, the sheer closeness and atmosphere, taps into the true source of this thing called ‘folk’; the sharing of stories and instruments, the unrehearsed ensemble playing and singing, the meeting of old friends, the precociousness of young players, the humour, the willingness to take a risk. Surely life should always be like this?

Place this delicious experience within the magnificent Macdonald Valley, with the stone church on the hill, and the old pub (that still, after all these years, hasn’t cracked the advantage to publican and customers alike of a fast beer counter in the gardens) at the crossroads, and there are times you could imagine never catching the ferry back across the Styx at Wiseman’s.

And the individual acts this year? I get to see a fraction of the performers at most festivals I go to. The regular mix of inspired, professional, committed, funny, quirky, original, and familiar, were all there, and all made an important contribution to the whole.

But at my umpteenth St Albans, I finally realised that the whole is definitely beholden to the parts, and those parts are, and were, fantastic. Better have that shower now I reckon!

- 'El Pumpo'

St Alban’s Folk Festival 2005
- by John Hospodaryk

St Albans Folk Festival 2005 was yet another perfect musical accompaniment to this truly beautiful rural setting. Bluegrass, Celtic, delta blues, Renaissance madrigals and bush poetry: all this and more, it was all there.

I thought it fitting to mention a few acts which impressed me greatly.

Craig and Simone performed a versatile range of songs and their instrumental virtuosity was wonderful to watch and hear. Loved the slack-key guitar work.

The Collectables from Newcastle lived up to their name. This band has really hit onto a great honeypot with their collectable ballads from the 50s, 60s and 70s, delivered with fine harmonies and backed by Ron McMurray's excellent guitar-work. What makes them particularly entertaining is the audience's anticipation of what the next golden oldie will be: will it be 'California Dreaming', 'Teach Your Children'?

The Chorella Community Choir's performance - appropriately in St Albans' little church high up on the hill - was truly passionate, at times haunting. The conductor, Tony Linden Jones, deserves praise for building, in this choir, such a fine edifice of song, ranging as it does from the 14th Century to the present day, from Europe to Aftrica.

Similarly, The Fellowship of the Strings produced a haunting array of music. There's something truly magical about all those harps and guitars.

And the little village tucked snuggly away on the verge of an impenetrable wilderness that is the Great Dividing Range made it the perfect setting for all this music being played.

What the Performers (& visitors) Said

I wanted to write to congratulate you on another wonderful St Alban's folk festival and thankyou for letting us be part of it. I'd have to say it has been my favourite festival for a number of years and this one just reinforced that opinion. Playing with Anne Ridgway was a joy and the reception we recieved was very positive .

Again the Church gig on Sunday was a thrill, I never get sick of that view out the back of the church and the acoustics .

Every aspect of the weekend was a joy. From the amazing campsite- the last tent sites on a bend in the river with the cockatoos swirling in the air, then sitting round the fire late at night singing quiet songs, listening to Myriad on the verandah at the cafe and then singing with Anne and Penny,or sitting in the beer garden having a practice, a beer and running into friends. A few hours winding down round the campfire with a vino and some more songs was a wonderful conclusion to the night.
Rosie Shakalis - Mothers of Intention

Hello Alison, I am emailing to send full congratulations on an excellent festival. The acts were fantastic and the atmosphere better than ever. I can't begin to tell you how much of a geat time we had. We haven't stopped talking about it. It was good to meet some new friends and also catch up with old ones. I sincerely thank you and the other organisers and volunteers for all your hard work in bringing what Simone and I think is one of the most memorable and enjoyable festivals we have ever been to. Well done and best wishes.
Craig Dawson & Simone Olding

............heard some great music, met some fascinating people, jammed with some cool musicians, aaah! another wonderful weekend feast at Snalbans! a blissfully satisfied "thank you heaps" Alison.
This fest just keeps getting bigger 'n betterer 'n betterer and I just LOVE being a part of it all.
bless you dear, and all who reign on your committee
Maureen O'Brien

A BIG thank you for having me at St Albans Festival last weekend. I had an absolutely marvelous time and credit to you all for a brilliantly organised and beautifully spirited weekend. I hope I can come again soon!
Lara Stephen

Hello, Marilyn and Frank, what a great Festival we had! Your Kids Fest is such a strong foundation for the next 25 years!
Thanks Alison, and your team, for such a great Festival - I just loved being part of all the fun (and work!) Roll on '06!
Elaine Velt (one of the "Iced Novos" - winners of the chorus cup AGAIN!!)

Wonderful festival-good atmosphere, wonderful performers and worshops - go and have a rest.
Ellen Manning - Chorella Community Choir

To the St Albans Folk Festival Organisers,
A belated thank you for a wonderful couple of days at St Albans. We thoroughly enjoyed the events at all venues. Congratulations for the smooth running from registration to camp fire sing along and the great selection of performers and style. One standout was the Fellowship of Strings.
Thanks again Best wishes
Graham Healy

What a beautiful festival it was this year - congratulations to you all. Pete will be writing a review of it for the Monaro Musings magazine.
Mary Martin (& Pete West)

If anyone has any other reviews please contact:

Alison Boyd

its a zero!!

Reviews of previous festivals

2003

2002