Bits of Bristol Folk Festival, Colston Hall 29th April to 1st May 2011

Been dancing around this all week, undecided whether to go for a lengthy narrative exposition of the events of three sweltering days spent folkin' around indoors over the May Day bank holiday, or whether instead to take the course of a series of monosyllabic reviews of the high- and low-lights of the Bristol Folk Festival.  The thesaurus having done a runner years ago, the latter seemed a little ... bold, so, a compromise seemed in order: brief comments on the best (or otherwise) of the music at the festival. 

By the way, the Show of Hands clip above is part of the series of acoustic sessions filmed for the bizarre and wonderful Songs from the Shed, which took up residence throughout the festival - and which, for reasons which still aren't clear, was selling branded t-shirts... 

Anyway, here goes. 

Bristol Folk Festival, Colston Hall 29th April to 1st May 2011

After 32 years of folk-festival drought on the banks of the Avon, the anticipation was dripping off the walls of Colston Hall on Royal Wedding day.  Rather than bounce through every band, singer, dancer that BRoutes had the pleasure or otherwise of standing (or sitting - more in a moment) through, the proposal is to pick a few disparate highlights, to laud Bellowhead's set to the skies, and to be somewhat less than complimentary about Seth Lakeman.  Patron he may have been, for which many thanks, but he might as well have screamed out "HELLOOOOO BRRRISTOL!" during his trudge-rock set.  To follow in future postings.