Midwinter Fair

So, I have decided that festivals and I simply do not mix. Seriously, right before this festival, having had nothing for months, I had a major flair up that meant I slept not a wink the night before and felt like utter crap for the Saturday (and not so great on the Sunday but there we go). That aside, I had a wonderful time but my photos were a bit lacking and the descriptions, no doubt, will be similarly so.

The Saturday was the long day of the Midwinter Fair so, in order to ensure we could get home again afterwards, Thijs, Zoë and I cycled to the central station. That's normally a really easy ride but with me in my stupid no sleep and no food state it took us a heckishly long time and I am so grateful to my companions for not getting really annoyed with me! Anyway, that adventure over we caught a couple of trains and arrived in Alphen aan den Rijn which is where the thing was held.

I can't say that I got to look around Alphen aan den Rijn much at all but the bits I saw were very sweet and rather pretty. When it starts to get a bit warmer, and with my newly purchased travel card, I may visit again to chill a bit in the sun. Definite bonus as the streets (etc) were named after continents, countries, and cities. The only place where, if you get lost, you literally go round the whole world in order to find your way ;-)

At the event

The Midwinter Fair itself was lovely. It's quite small which is actually really nice because, to be quite honest, there's only so many places you can be at once and only so many things you can do in a short period of time. On the Saturday and the Sunday we took things rather slowly and just enjoyed looking around and taking things in a bit.

The fact that it's held in a living museum (I think that's an accurate description) means that it's rather atmospheric. With old fashioned buildings from multiple time periods, tree lined winding paths and little streams with simple plank bridges it really does allow you to take a step back from the rush of modernity for just a little while. There were also some lovely food stands and a little market selling a mix of stuff from statues to clothes to drinking horns. Talking of which, I managed to buy some mead to take to England for Christmas so that's a definite bonus!

AmmA

As for the music, the first full set we caught was that of AmmA. I keep managing to catch a few songs by them but never a full performance so it was a bit unusual to sit at the side of the stage and watch from beginning to end. Really do love their sound though!

After a fair bit of exploring and lurking, which involved sitting round outside fires pretending that we were keeping warm and not simply getting a face full of smoke, we went to catch the evening shows of LEAF, Shireen, Harmony Glenn, and The Dolmen.

Poor LEAF had some technical issues setting up and so on which must have been so annoying for them. Kept the audience in suspense mind ;-)

Shireen are a group that I've had a very limited awareness of, hearing their EP when it was featured on Wyldwood radio, I think. I was really impressed by their sound, however, which is quite an open, somewhat jazzy and rocky one... I've not really described that well but yeah, they have their own sound, do it well, and stand out for it. 

Thijs and I have discussed our wish to see Harmony Glenn live at some point and this was our day. Oh my goodness, what performers. I think I can speak for both of us, and probably Zoë too, when I say that they were worth seeing. And I guess I'll be hoping to catch them again too! In fact, I can't help but think that my mother would love them so lets see if I can book tickets for one of their shows when she comes to visit.

My stunning friends enjoying the evening entertainment ;-)

Finally, The Dolmen closed up the evening with their loud rocky music. Actually, a gentleman asked Thijs is they were the "noise band" so I think that pretty much sums up The Dolmen!! This would be my fourth time, I think, seeing them in the Netherlands yet they are from just down the road of my old home in the UK so I'm still not sure how this has worked out. That aside, it felt wonderful just to let down my hair and dance/bob to the music with no care in the world. It always feels good to just let go but when you're listening to good music, with friends, and in the midst of a flurry of finals it is pure bliss, I tell you!

On the downside, I did have "Dead Cats Don't Meow" stuck in my head all night... I also fell asleep on Zoë on the way home but shhh, that's our secret!

Day two was just Zoë and me as Thijs was being sensible and working on the paper we both had to hand in on the Monday. His absence did mean I was suddenly the Zoë-translator of the onstage banter and explanations which was a rather scary position to be in with my beginners Dutch! We did quickly develop a series of shorthand between us for the most common concepts such as which could see speeches of a minute reduced to the concise version: "Buy our stuff" ;-)

During Sowulo's set

Anyway, the first act we saw on Saturday was Sowulo, another group whose music I knew but whom I had not yet managed to catch live. Their show is quite clearly a real experience and it was great to be in the audience. I mean, their music is something special in its own right but the energy that you get when you're in a room hearing it live... that gives it a whole new dimension. Thijs did insist that we saw them for a very good reason!

Zoë and I followed up by watching the full set of Kaunan as we'd only managed to see part of the set on Saturday. There was something lovely about the lack of pretense to their set. Everyone sat down on the floor (or a couple danced) and just listened to three men playing tunes with the odd bit of explanation and banter in between. It wasn't a performance per se, as much as I enjoy performances, and it was refreshing to see something so stripped back. The fact that we went to see them twice, and both wanted to, probably says something about the quality of the music here.

During Rapalje's set

Finally, it was Rapalje time! More dancing and singing along and generally enjoying myself. It seems they went down well with Zoë too so I'm classing that as an all round success. Wasn't quite so strange to see them without my family this time, possibly because I had a friend from home and possibly because I'm getting used to it... who knows!

It was certainly a good way to spend the weekend and I'm pleased that Zoë was there to share it with me, and Thijs too. 

This post is not for facebook because it is long, rambling, and late. Oops.

Castlefest review: Friday

For introduction post and Thursday round-up click here

Friday

Friday was the first day of the festival itself. My mother and I got up early and walked towards the unknown (i.e. a shuttle bus) and waited. The queues of people waiting by Hillegom station must have been quite the sight! Although I would have liked to have camped, as planned, the atmosphere on these shuttle buses was lovely and we were also lucky enough to have drivers who felt like putting on music for most of the journeys... got to get into the mood, right?

The first act I was lucky enough to see was Lisa Cuthbert. I first got into Lisa's music last year when I accidentally ended up listening to a small part of her set and found it truly beautiful and rather haunting. She has the most stunning voice with true emotional qualities. Her subject matter, and songs, are stunning too. Her CD, Paramour, is a concept album centred around the theme of the Magdalene Laundries which were religious run institutions in Ireland in which fallen women lived in awful conditions. I won't go into her music too much at the moment but will probably review Paramour at some point and would urge you to get it because it's a wonderful album.

Lisa's set this year included several sections in which she played solo and also played with a new band. Despite the fact they have only been playing together since December, if my memory serves, they worked together really well. It's exciting to see the project growing and developing. That said, I'm pleased that the set still does contain some of the stripped back sound that I really did fall in love with.

The highlight of this set for me was hearing my favourite, Gartan Mothers Lullaby, played live. It's such a simple, bittersweet sounding piece that truly does show off Lisa's emotional and vocal range.

After the set (which was spent mostly hiding in the shade) I went over to the merchandise stand to see if I could get my scrapbook drawing signed. This was the first time of meeting Lisa, and also her drummer, and it really must be said that she was lovely. She spent a lot of time with everyone talking about her music, life in general, and really bothered to make everyone feel special. And she did sign my drawing so I was pleased with that too!

After that great start, my mother and I gravitated towards the Forest Stage where Shantalla were playing. Indeed, my mother was supposed to go and see them and not Lisa Cuthbert but, hearing Lisa's performance while 'dropping me off'  the mother decided she wanted to stay too. We were lucky that we managed to catch the end of Shantalla's set and therefore got the best of both worlds.

Shantalla are a band that I vaguely know, and know that they're good, but don't really listen to. I did, however, really enjoy the part of their set that I managed to catch! I think it's really worth commenting upon the lead singer, Helen Flaherty, who, not only has a lovely voice, but has a real joyous energy on stage and brought a lot to the overall atmosphere.

After a brief detour to catch a few minutes of The Moon and the Nightspirit (too many set clashes!) it was back to the Forest Stage for Folk Noir. Although I really do like Folk Noir, I'll be honest and say that I didn't really manage to see all of their set as I had to go and sit down part way through it. One year I will be healthy ;-)

The parts that I did see brought all that I expect from that group, beautiful music with a somewhat nostalgic tone along with a presentation that is professional but not too stiff. There's something great about seeing this group perform live in that it rather feels that you are watching a group of talented individuals jamming together rather than a polished performance. There's that kind of intimate feeling and, perhaps, that is what makes this group stand out.

I'm really looking forward to the prospect of a CD release from the current Folk Noir line up as opposed to the early EP which is wonderful but simply not enough! I don't know if there's one in the works but it was mentioned last year so fingers crossed!

We then moved to one of the other stages to sit in the shade and listen to the next band on our itinerary, La Horde. Now, if you know La Horde you will know that there is no way you want to sit down and listen to them because they are a real party band. I honestly don't know how to describe
them as a band, or their music, other than feel good crazy stuff. From the expected tunes, played in unexpected ways, to tunes you wouldn't really expect at this kind of festival (I like to move it, for example), their sets are fun and unusual! I know there was one set that was planned to be a pyjama party, complete with pillow fight, and also, I've heard, a 'wall of hugs'.

After a bit of a break (listening to Euzen from a distance, and also catching the very end of Rastaban's set) it was time for Scrum. Now, last year, I was really disappointed by Scrum's set. I really do like their music and felt that, surely, this was because the sound tech was messed up. That said, I wasn't expecting too much this time, just in case. However, Scrum did live up to my original high expectations this time (re-enforcing my idea that it was the tech not them causing problems before).

Scrum play a mixture of traditional celtic folk tunes, with a rocky twist, and original pieces in that style. This results in a high energy, high impact performance. This is another band that is really easy to connect with as an audience. Although their musical performance is of a high and polished quality, there is an openness about their stage presentation that makes them seem as though they've just jumped up there for a laugh as opposed to being serious professionals. To be honest, with this genre with all its earthiness, you need to have that kind of attitude on stage. They were also lovely guys and signed my scrapbook painting even though I believe it caused some confusion as people couldn't work out quite what it was!

After Scrum, it was time for The Dolmen who are a band from Weymouth. Despite the fact I lived just down the road from there until a few months back I have only managed to go to their shows in mainland Europe. If any of my English friends are reading this, go see them, okay?

This late night set was full of people who really wanted to dance and have a wonderful time and with The Dolmen's music it was an easy thing to do! Although I was alone for this set I was approached by a fair number of people either to chat or to dance so thank you to anyone who absorbed me into their groups for a time. I think this was one of the most fun and friendly crowds of the festival so, for me, it's one of my highlights for sure and a brilliant way to round off day one!



I have a lot more photos on my facebook page, and Saturday's review can be read here!