Cambridge Gratitude

Thanks to the youngfella who took a “selfie” with me after a set.  I think he did it to send to his friend who couldn’t be there.  #SpitefulSelfie

Thanks to the lad who bought two CDs and left them lying on the table in front of us as he was bundled out (we were closing). 

Thanks to the lads who shouted “TOM FRYYYERRR!” every twenty seconds or so.  Not sure what it was all about (not sure anyone else did either, mind…I mean, he’s a good singer and he’s charismatic and everything, but…they just kept shouting his name). #thanksjade #justsayin

Thanks to everyone who bought a CD, thereby supporting my drink habit.

Thanks to the people who sang along with In The Aeroplane Over The Sea.  Yes, I saw you.

 

Thanks to everyone at the closing party jam on Sunday night, especially those who danced and joined in with the PFR anthem ("WE ARE THE PEOPLE!") and our improvised song about the festival.  “I never had a tag on my tent, come and get me then…” (“No I’m not wearing socks under my sandals, no I don’t own no sandals at all…”)

Thanks to the Saturday and Sunday night jam bands: Meat Raffle and Dusky Pink.  You know who you are.  (Unless you don’t.  Which would be a shame.  In case you don’t, you are DBH, Coiled Spring, FryDog and J-Man) 

Thanks to the Tent Monitors.  I don’t know exactly what you’re doing or why…(are you employed by the council?  I suppose you get tickets in and/or paid to do it.  We all got our hustle.)

Special Thanks to FryDog for being a calming intermediary presence on Monday afternoon in a stressful situation that could have been worse.  (“And if a four-ton truck breaks down in front of us…”)

Thanks to Lara and Gilli for all the pictures.

Thanks to everyone that played with me: Dan on violin and piano, Laura on cello, Chas on guitar, Tom on guitar and vocals, Alba on vocals, Connor on drums and Josh on bass. 
It was a pleasure and a privilege.

Thanks to the man who argued with me about Joan Baez during my set on Sunday night.  He completely turned me around on it.  Now I hate her.

Thanks to Joan Baez.  She played Me And Bobby McGhee by Kris Kristofferson.  It’s one of my Dad’s favourite songs.  She also played Joe Hill and Long Black Veil.  And she danced with her bandmate, which was nice.

Thanks to The Skatalites.  And Massive Thanks to whoever made the bold move of booking The Skatalites for the main stage at the Folk Festival.

And Thanks to those dancing at the main stage to The Skatalites; I don’t want to be disrespectful, so I’ll just say: you looked like you were enjoying yourselves.  (Maybe you should do it more often.)

Thanks to Flo Morrissey.  She played Irish Blood, English Heart by Morrissey (“no relation, unfortunately”).  It was a good version.  She had a great voice.

Thanks to the PFR musicians for a masterclass in their instruments: Chas (guitar), Laura (cello), Joe (violin and banjo), Eddie (piano), Connor (drums) and the Irrepressible Dan (violin, guitar, piano – and any instruments you can name, it seems).  Inspiring.

Thanks to everyone who listened to my lectures on Hip Hop: “a form of modern urban folk music from The Bronx, New York City in the early 1970s”.  I quoted KRS-One extensively, and may have forgotten to reference it properly.  Apologies.

Thanks to Sarah and all The PFR for feeding us, supporting us and creating this great and unique thing, for which our love is boundless and on which our love does not set.

Thanks to Alba for the journey home.  Even as she said eating too many biscuits makes you sick, I was halfway through my second out-of-date massive cookie.  (And no Thanks to Tom and Connor for giving us the Vs all along Ms 11, 25 and 4.)

Thanks to Eeva for the homecoming dinner.  It was lovely.

“Yes yes y’all, Cambridge Folk Festival – most places we go, I don’t get much sleep at all/but here I’m well rested/so you get the benefit/of my whole vocal arsenal”

Hey Cambridge, Thanks for listening.  Thanks for listening, Cambridge.

And Thanks to all of you for your patience with this long-running series of Gratitude blog posts. 
(This will probably not be the last one.)