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Folk Festival Craic 2012


oddtablet
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I'm just back from the Foy and I as far as I am concerened I enjoyed every band. JP Cormier was the highlight.

 

Admiral Fallow did a secret gig (well it was secret until they started playing) at the club on Friday. I wasn't very impressed with them neither was the member of my family who was there too.

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The whole weekend (so far) has been exceptional. Seems much better than last year but thats almost always the case as things are still ringing fresh in the lugs and the buzz is still there from all the little personal moments.

 

More generally, JP Cormier an undoubted highlight, taking local lads Vair up for the closing set was memorable, Manran also excellent for the part of thier late set I saw. However unlikely it may seem, First Foot Soldiers cover of Bohemian Rhapsody deserves a very special mention. Excellent.

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I was at Clickimin both Friday and Saturday nights, and thought the music was absolutely exceptional. As said above, the closing set with J P Cormier and Vair was a definite highlight.

 

What was not so great was the huge number of people on both nights who got up and left halfway through the final band's sets. Friday night especially seemed to leave Treacherous Orchestra playing to barely a third of the audience that they started playing to. I fancy that the bar closing at 11.15pm had a lot to do with it, as most folk seemed to disappear from about 11.16pm.

 

I couldn't believe how bad mannered it was, and how it must've made the headline acts feel as they see scores of people drift out of the building when they are in full flow.

If getting to the club is that important to you then why not just start the night there? We stayed to the end and walked to Isleburgh and had no problem getting in.

 

I'm guessing this behaviour isn't the world class hospitality and friendliness that Shetland tries to promote itself on.

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Lots of memorable acts this year. JP Cormier playing with Vair, Hot Seats, Jeana Leslie and Siobhan Miller, Baltic Crossing, Roy Ellis, Brendan Power.

 

But my highlight was First Foot Soldiers' Bohemian Rhapsody in the club on Saturday night. Hope they can be persuaded to do it again :-)

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Sandwick social club on Thursday was superb. The concentration of skill on stage was staggering... I can't imagine being as good a guitarist as those guys, even if I practised 24hour a day from cradle to grave... To call them musical geniuses sounds cliché, but the talent on display that evening defies any other description. I'll also throw in 'Awesome' for good measure.

 

Friday in Yell was brilliant from start to finish. Rory Ellis and his band shared some typically antipodean banter in-between songs that may have been a little too...er... shall we say "colourful" for some venues, but went down an absolute storm in Yell. The Gaelic performance from Randan had folk practically up on the tables and, naturally, JP and the gifted Elliot Brothers brought the house down.

 

I met several of the performers while outside having a smoke. They were all really approachable and friendly, saying that they loved coming to Shetland - all clearly in their element performing to such appreciative audiences.

 

Okay, perhaps the drive home to Lerwick in the snow was a bit surreal, but otherwise it was well worth the trip North.

 

Saturday was in da club after a few drinks watching some sessions in da lounge. I can't really mind the end of it, but based on the immensity of my hangover and my spaiged legs I can conclude that much dancing and perhaps a little too much drink may have been taken. I can only marvel at the iron constitution and seemingly infinite reservoirs of energy the musicians and other more devoted folk members have. 3 days on da skite is my limit, so I can't comment on last night's proceedings but from what others tell me I'd say I definitely missed out.

 

Kudos to the organisers, musicians and all involved with this year's event - Definitely the highlight of the Shetland calendar. :D

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What was not so great was the huge number of people on both nights who got up and left halfway through the final band's sets. Friday night especially seemed to leave Treacherous Orchestra playing to barely a third of the audience that they started playing to. I fancy that the bar closing at 11.15pm had a lot to do with it, as most folk seemed to disappear from about 11.16pm.

 

I couldn't believe how bad mannered it was, and how it must've made the headline acts feel as they see scores of people drift out of the building when they are in full flow.

If getting to the club is that important to you then why not just start the night there? We stayed to the end and walked to Isleburgh and had no problem getting in.

 

 

It's been the same for many years. On Sunday though most people stayed on the the very end.

 

I think there was a big problem at Islesburgh the year the indoor smoking ban started, as smokers going out then had to queue to get back in. Apparently what happens now is that the smokers now go out a back door so the main door quota is less problematical but people still worry about getting in.

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