 By Derek Brandon
We arrived at this, our 4th Didmarton, with some trepidation. What kind of reception could I expect after my letter in the BBN, March 1996, which mentioned the odd assortment of instruments in some of the bands last year? Well, I needn't have feared - if 'The Powers That Be' hadn't liked it, it wasn't apparent. Better yet, I'm delighted to report that (with one notable exception) the only instruments to be seen or heard on the stage were the six traditional ones! This festival really was very good, with lots of things worthy of special mention. Access and camping were by ticket only, allowing the organisers complete control over the type of person allowed in. The weather turned out to be mainly excellent, especially on the Sunday when, once again, the Afternoon Concert was held with the sides of the marquee rolled up. People formed lots of little groups and picking sessions all over the campsite - something that seems (to me) to have declined at festivals lately. Maybe the high price of beer in the pub forced many out into the open! The camping arrangements on the flat grass were excellent. There were clearly marked 'quiet' and 'picking' ends, which were well controlled with stewards stopping all noise in the quiet end in unsociable hours. The areas for tents and caravans, etc., were well marked out by tapes to give maximum camping space, clear lanes for access and the Fire Brigade, and parking places for cars. Those who wanted their cars next to their caravans for power supply purposes could manage it if they tried. The toilet arrangements were way and above the best I've ever seen at any festival, with twelve, serviced-daily 'high-tech' units, one with wheelchair access. A novel idea, pioneered by Steve Gurr (mandolin, String Fever) was a 'Club Tent' for bands, duos or soloists who don't normally play on a stage, to 'have a go'. SuperStars weren't allowed to play, though in fact one trio did manage it.... The 'tent' was a medium-sized room with a small stage at one end and no mics or amps. 'Guinea pigs' could book in for 5, 10 or 15 minute slots between 4 and 7 p.m., when nothing else was happening. I was amazed how quickly all the slots went!! Jean and I, with Dick Embery (bass, Munro's Revenge), took a 15 minute slot as Almost Bluegrass to see how it went and found an audience of some 'stars', some novices and many lay-public. It was a very easy-going, friendly atmosphere. Sessions such as this are common in Folk Festivals, but it was the first I've seen at a Bluegrass Festival. I think it's something that should be included at every Bluegrass Festival. This year the marquee was officially 'No Smoking' - a policy requested by most performers and appreciated by a vast majority of the audience. How's about a 'No Hats' policy next year? Hats can be hard to see past! There were a few people from the active NW Bluegrass scene present - Jean & I, Roisin Browne, Steve Read, Ian Wooley, Russ & Stuart Williams, Dave Pope & Pat, Ian Groves and Andy Johnson. Honorary North-Westerners Arthur Robinson, Pete Ainsworth and Shirley were there, too. 'King' Arthur was in a concert with his Knights of Bluegrass, amongst whom were Stuart and Russell, who can be very proud of their efforts. Russell played some solid, really tricky bass and Stuart's guitar work amazed many. Watch out for recently-formed The Next Band comprising Chris Moreton (guitar, lead & harmony vocals), Joff Lowson (banjo/guitar, lead and harmony vocals), Sue Prior (bass, harmony vocals) and Mike Prior (mandolin, harmony vocals). This band will be hot. I reckon the recipe for real success requires three things:- instrumental and vocal virtuosity, high entertainment value and a good audience interface. This group is strong on the first two but needs a little work on the third. Many of the songs were Joff originals, but the whole performance was real bluegrass, with a right-wing edge. The regal entrance of a dazzling, bejewelled, overdressed, gesticulating figure suffering the unwelcome(?) attentions of a clutch of screaming girls as he strutted up the central isle signalled the arrival of 'Bill Smarme and The Business'. I didn't think Bill's efforts quite up to scratch last year but this year was the real business. Accompanied by Sue Prior (bass), Mike Prior (electric rock guitar/mandolin) and Phil Bunce (weird-sounding banjo), Bill played his tiger-skin cutaway guitar to put on a virtuoso comedy song and music performance that delighted everyone in the jam-packed house. The 'exception' noted above was a full drum kit and electric guitars used by The Cowpokes, a very loud country rock band, thought by the many 'grassers who left the marquee to be wholly unsuitable for a Bluegrass Festival. They were so overpowering that it was impossible to have a picking session in much of the camping area. They had the Prime Spot on the Friday night concert - why didn't the terrific penultimate act, A Band Like Alice, get it? A Bluegrass band might as well have the benefit! Similarly, the Saturday night concert finished with the excellent (but arguably inappropriate to a 'Festival of Bluegrass Music') folk duo Hillary James & Simon Mayor, followed by the almost inappropriate headliners, The Arizona Smoke Review, who succeeded in all but emptying the marquee. Why didn't the new hot property The Next Band get this spot??? Maybe a workshop on 'Concert Planning' would be good at next years festival!!! But The Cowpokes did at least bring in a lot of local youth who didn't complain about the concert price and whose door money helped pay the Bluegrass bands. Don't let that last paragraph put you off - it wouldn't be fair to praise only the good and ignore the.... less good. The festival was excellent - there were lots of other great bands, such as The Down County Boys, The East Coast B.G. Band, Stained Glass Bluegrass and Missing Strings, which I haven't mentioned because they're familiar to most - though I should say that the Stained Glass set was top rate, very well presented and very well received. There was far more real Bluegrass than last year. Although £23 on the day, by booking in advance and claiming our £2.00 BBMA discount we paid only £18 a head! Derek Brandon, Chester
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