How the site looks on Tuesday 26 August 2008.

We came, we saw...we folked!

These pics were taken on Tuesday 26 August, just a few weeks after the Festival had happened.

This picture is looking into where the arena was from the entrance. Stage 2 would be on your right and the traders' marquee on your left.

How the site looks on Tuesday 26 August 2008.

This show is the view looking directly at Stage 1. Minus the stage. And people. And traders. And...er anything really! We love Cherry Hinton Hall Grounds...what a beautiful space, do visit it if you are in the area.

How the site looks on Tuesday 26 August 2008.

Some small areas of the site had poor grass coverage before the Festival and other small areas were damaged as a result of the event. All of these have been aerated and re-seeded by specialist contractors. Here you can see the new grass coming through nicely.

Thank you, good night and see you next year!

...that's all folks! If you were at the Festival, we hope you had a great time. If you weren't we hope you enjoyed reading this blog and seeing the pics and videos of the weekend.

A massive THANK YOU to everyone involved in making the 44th Festival one to remember, from all the hard working staff both front of house and behind the scenes, the artists who provided some wonderful music....and of course, the Festival go-ers who truly make the event what it is.

Thanks...and see you same time next year!

Kila bring the Festival to rip roaring close.

Having played a set on stage 2 yesterday, Kila close Stage 1 tonight and bring the curtain down on what we're sure you'll agree has been a fantastic festival.

Joan Armatrading takes to the stage

Her deep dulcet tones are amazingly seductive and her guitar playing isn’t bad either! She mesmerized the crowd with her classic soulful songs from over the years and surprised everyone with her last minute signing at the MOJO signing tent after her set! Just one more act to go until the end of the festival Booooooooooooooo :0( We don't want it to end.

Waiting for Joan...

The crowd patiently waiting for Joan Armatrading to take to the stage. The atmosphere is intense.

It's still wet...so perfect for Noah & The Whale!

Noah and the WhaleNoah And The Whale, that could be described as eccentrically dressed, played to an extremely crowded stage 2 audience. Their style of playing which is a cross between indie, pop and folk which had the crowd singing along. This performance follows their recently re-released song ‘Five Years Time’ which is currently in the charts. Look out for their interview on the final podcast.

We're back!

Pesky technical problems! Anyhooooo, we are back in blogging action. Lets update what happened at the end of Sunday night.

Oooooooooops!

If you are reading this blog regularly throughout the day please note that the Festival has just experienced a few technical problems with its internet. We blame the weather (well...it's an easy target). But rest assured the rest of the blog entries are still being written and will be updated here as soon as we are back up and running.

This blog was written off site by the way...in case you were wondering why we could do this one but not others!!!!

We're singing in the rain

As Richard Hawley finishes his set on Stage 1, the rain continues to pelt down on his loyal fans. Luckily, most seem well prepared for the British weather and the park is filled with brightly coloured umbrellas bobbing up and down to the music.

Meanwhile, popular new band Noah and the Whale are performing on Stage 2. Check back for details and pictures soon...

Richard Hawley looks as good as he sounds (that's pretty good!)

Richard Hawley dedicated his first song of the evening to John Hiat and his family. The acclaimed singer-songwriter and guitarist replaced Hiat at the last minute after a family illness forced him to cancel his European tour.

Sporting dark glasses and looking slick, Richard resembled Elvis Presley as he crooned out his hits, supported by an equally stylish and talented band.

First time for everything!

Judy Collins appeared on main stage with a touch of class. She had never been to Cambridge before but she certainly was given a warm welcome by the audience. Her velvety voice didn't need much accompaniment and one of the highlights of the set was 'Amazing Grace' with the crowd singing along.

Dead Good

Dead or alive? Another musical walkabout act that is looking a bit worse for wear!

Sexy Seth on the fiddle

Sexy Seth Lakeman had the ladies (and some gents) at Cambridge Folk Festival swooning over him a short while ago when he performed on Stage 1. His fabulous fiddling, gorgeous voice and hunky bod(!) whipped the audience into a frenzy which continued throughout his set.

The main stage looked as though it may collapse as the audience jumped, danced and sung along with stunning Seth, who performed songs from his back catalogue (including everyone's favourite, Kitty Jay) as well as stuff from his new albumn, Poor Man's Heaven.

Seth's doing a signing at the MOJO tent at the moment, and the queue's HUGE!!

Oh, and did we mention that he's gorgeous??

Elizabeth Cooks it up on Stage 2

While Seth Lakeman was over on Stage 1, singer/songwriter Elizabeth Cook was entertaining stage 2 with herhillbilly blend of country and blues. Looking every inch the festival part in shorts and sunglasses her infectious sounds reminded everyone why she had been described as 'this generation's Loretta Lynn'.

Gator Competition

The gator (gator = small green buggy used around the site) competition took place at 3pm this afternoon and had a very special guest judge of Ade Edmondson. The gators were dressed up in all kinds of attire. There was an alli-gator, Boadicea theme, one had a tent attached, there was a garden theme and one was based on EDF energy with a generator attached. The winner, as chosen, by Mr Edmonson was the chariot contanining Bodicea who won the annual 'gator' trophy.

Well done to all the site crew for what is an annual fun competition.

Right....back to work everyone!

Jeana Leslie and Siobhan Miller

Scottish girls Jeanna Leslie and Siobhan Miller came on to stage 2 with an element of calm. They opened their set with a gentle folk duet that had them both singing accompanied by Jeana on the keyboard. By the third song they had a couple more people on stage and were singing in Orkney dialect!

Hey Negrita!

Not a booked artist at the festival, but Hey Negrita certainly got people's feet tapping while busking at the MOJO signing tent. They also played a set after this signing in the club tent as part of Ely Folk Club.

It's a hat trick for Beoga!

If there was anyone suffering from tiredness, (or even, dare we say it, a hangover!) in the festival crowd this morning, then they're symtoms were cured at 1.05pm when Beoga took to Stage 1. Beoga is the Irish word for lively, and what a fitting name - the band is certainly that, and a whole lot more!

The five-piece from County Antrim, including brilliant bodhran player Eamon
Murray (who's four-times All-Ireland champion) roused the crowd with their third appearance of the weekend.

Day 4 starts...and it's education time from Mr Bibb

Sunday. And at 10.00am the Club Tent is already packed (how do you all do this after a Saturday night at the Festival?!) for a Blues guitar workshop from Eric Bibb. Taking questions from the crowd too the legendary bluesman makes a fitting start to the Sunday.

Rain update: It's fine. It's pouring down. It's sunny. It's raining again. It's...oh frankly, we give in. Where's John Kettley when you need him? :o)

The Festival reveals it's Bottom

Ade Edmonson, star of TV's Holby, the hilarious Bottom and also previously The Young Ones was enjoying the Festival all weekend. He is seen here doing his best impression of what Festival Marketing Manager Neil Jones normally looks like in the office.

Hiding in the shadows

As the sun poured into the main stage tent this afternoon, you could see the shadows of the crowd eagerly anticipating the arrival of Allen Toussaint on stage!

Ladies and Gentlemen...

....will you please welcome to the stage, the one and only k.d. Lang. It's no secret that the Festival has been trying to get her to the Festival for a number of years and she's finally on stage. A packed crowd see her perform tracks from her extensive back catalogue as well as from new album Watershed. Dressed all in white k.d.'s voice was as immaculate as her dress sense and a responsive crowd lapped up her every word.

Just another day in the office!

OK, it's day 3 and it's all starting to get to the Festival HQ team. Actually, what are we saying, this is tame compared to their normal office attire :0)

Imagined Village

Well...what an undertaking. The Imagined Village project is a bold one on CD alone - to undertake such a project live is an even braver prospect. But, that's exactly what happened Saturday night on Stage 1 when the project came to life in front of a rapt Cambridge audience.

With arguably the most people on stage at anyone time in the Festival's history the musicians included Eliza and Martin Carthy, Sheila Chandra and Billy Bragg (resplendent in a memorable Marmite T shirt). One of the highlights for the audience was when the line-up were joined onstage by dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah who also appears on the project.

What a colourful experience involving amazing musicianship, visuals, narration and much more. A real night to remember!

Killer Kila!

While k.d. Lang was wowing Stage 1, Dublin based 7-piece band Kila were whipping up a storm over on Stage 2 with their infectious blend of traditional Irish music which got the audience dancing. Te-Kila! Arrriba!

From celebrity blogger to wonderful singer...

Yes, its Karine Polwart, doing what she does best (when not contributing to this very blog) and entertaining the crowds at the Festival and proving exactly why she has previously been named Best Scots Singer as well as receiving numerous BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards over the years. A raptuously received performance from a superb singer.

Allen Toussaint brings a touch of New Orleans to Cambridge.

7.45pm on Stage 1 and the Festival is filled with the marvellous sounds of New Orleans singer/pianist Allen Toussaint. What ensued was classic after classic after classic from the sublime 'Working In A Coalmine', to 'Ride Your Pony' to 'Get Out Of Life Woman' and more. Now aghed 70, Toussaint remains a class act - a great way to start Saturday night at the Festival.

What a sort...

It's 2 nil to the French Canadians. Mauvais Sort play a storming second set of the festival on Stage 2. The crowd love 'em. We love 'em and we're sure you love 'em too!

Special guest spotted on site.

A very special guest was just spotted on site who looks set to make an appearance on stage later tonight. It should be pure poetry in motion...

Martha rocks in bright pink socks!

Martha Wainwright gave a stunning performance on Stage 1 a short while ago. The singer, who was wearing a fetching pair of bright pink knee-socks and silver stilettos, sang in front of a mass of fans, as well as the TV cameras for BBC4 who are filming at the festival for a highlights show that will be broadcast on 29 August.



Daughter of Loudon and sister of Rufus, Martha was on stage for just short of an hour and had the audience captivated with her powerful songs, including one which is rudely entitled "B****y M****r F*****g A*****e!!"

She ended the set with "Stormy Weather", after playing Pink Floyd's "See Emily Play" written by Cambridge's very own, the late great Syd Barratt.

Are we green or what?

With a green theme at the festival this year, even the staff caterers are taking it into consideration! Yum!

You want to blues...you got it!

5.25 on Stage 1 saw the arrival of Eric Bibb to the Festival for his first performance since 2001. His sublime offering of blues soon had the festival crowd totally immersed...one of those festival sets that is just simply impossible not to like. A true class act.

I predict a riot!

6 Days Riot on stage 2 this afternoon with creative outfits, a ukulele, a trumpet, a double bass, percussion, a violin, a guitar and a bit of singing!

Free Devon Sproule festival download

The BBC studios have been busy this afternoon - Mark and Stuart have just finished their second festival show and are heading off to the bar for a well-earned pint. Catch their shows, featuring lots of live sessions and interviews on the BBC iPlayer.

Canadian singer-songwriter Devon Sproule popped into Radcliffe and Maconie on Thursday to do a special session in advance of her set on the main stage this afternoon. You can download Devon's performance of The Well-Dressed Son to His Sweetheart, from this session on the BBC Radio 2 Cambridge Folk Festival website.

Folk Festival staff take multi tasking to a new level!

Here at the Folk Festival we like to make the staff really work for their money...so much so that the comperes are even taking to the stages as part of the musical entertainment. The pic below shows Stage 1 comperes Myke Clifford and Andrew Webster entertaining the crowds in the club with their band. Anyone who saw their set will know that when not waxing lyrical about the bands onstage Myke has a quite awesome voice as anyone who saw them play today will testify to.

Walkabouts!

Did you see any of the wonderful walkbout characters that were wandering around the Festival site throughout the day...if ya didnt here's a couple that you may have missed.

The weather is officially crazy!

One minute we are all in T-shirts, the next the arena resembles the picture below. It's official the British weather makes no sense whatsoever. The forecast is looking better though...although having said that we've probably jinxed it all now. D'oh!

The sun shines for Lisa Knapp

Lisa Knapp has just finished her set on Stage 2. When she started her performance it was pouring with rain, but after a few songs the sun poked its head from behind the clouds.

In just her first three songs Lisa played the guitar, the fiddle and the harp and sung a mixture of old, traditional English Folk songs, as well as one she'd penned herself in her kitchen.

Introducing sales and information!

Here is our sales and information team that will be working hard at the Official Festival Merchandise stall all weekend. Pop in and say hello to the team (and obviously buy something!).

And on the subject of merchandise, this year the Festival has a new addition to its range - yes, ladies and gentlemen, we give you...the Cambridge Folk Festival Knickers!...as modelled by one of the team (not literally though!)

Devon Sproule on the Main Stage

Devon Sproule, born in Canada but grew up in Virginia plays and sings with elegance and sophisication. After her first song, she pulls something out that looks a bit like a fan and magically changes into the hat that she is fashioning here!

Karine Polwart: talks hats and Hamlyn

At a festival with many elaborately be-hatted folks, Devon Sproule has - officially - by far the best hat in town. And her lovely fan turned wide brimmed ray of sunshine and languid lazy days songs are a much needed dose of sunshine on this very soggy Saturday afternoon site. I've been on the go since too early to mention this morning via an eventful trip from my hotel with the only taxi driver in town who didn't know there was a Folk Festival on ... or where it was, making it just on time for a cheery singing workshop over at The Club Tent with a hundred hardy souls, a soundcheck for the Radcliffe-Maconie Show (which I'm playing in a couple of hours), a very messy lunch with a small boy and a couple of songs on Stage 1 with the splendid Chris Wood, which was a rare treat. My top tip for later is to get yourself and your bairns over to The Hub at 5pm for Kidsamonium with my fellow villager/neighbour, the eccentric and wonderful jazz drummer Tom Bancroft. The Pied Piper has nothing on him!

Cambridge - a greener festival (boom boom)

So, there we were, wandering around the site and the next thing we bumped into these 2 unlikely characters. Next thing we know we were transported to a strange place, surrounded by lights, smoke and wierd looking characters where everything was very unusual. Was it a close encounter of a third kind....actually no, we fell asleep and woke up in Stage 2 during the Festival session. arf!

Festival Session kicks off

The annual Festival session kicked off on Stage 2 at midday. Lasting three hours, the event was once again hosted by folk hero Brian McNeill and featured, at various intervals, performances from Jeana Leslie & Sibhan Miller, Tim O Brien and members of Boega, The Chair, Mauvais Sort, Peatbog Fairies and more.

What exactly IS 'pubic camping'?

This picture was actually taken to show some of the wonderul musicians that come to the festival, but the sign behind them gives it a whole new angle. Apologies to the musicians in the pic...!!!

Festival go-ers are true heroes.

No...really! Y'see every year a group of festival attenders dress up in fancy dress. This year, the theme was superheroes. Guys, we salute you. can't wait to see next years!