CFF (continued)

So, how does the actual festival work? There are three stages: the main stage, the Radio 2 stage, and the club tent. The main stage is in a large marquee that can hold about 5,000 people, with the back and sides open to let the punters in the park enjoy the music in the open air.

The BBC sponsors the Radio 2 stage, a slightly more intimate venue, accommodating around 1,500 people but again with the sides open. Most artists will play both the main and Radio 2 stages at some point over the weekend, allowing more than one opportunity to see them. Over the years, the BBC's involvement with the festival has grown. Now many performanes are recorded for broadcast on Radio 2, the national radio station covering folk, jazz, and popular (as opposed to "pop") music.

Some main stage artists are filmed, either for later broadcast or, in the case of the Afro-Celts this year, live transmission on BBC4, a nationwide arts TV channel. For us photographers, it can be a little frustrating to have a lovely shot lined up, only for a TV camera to gently drift across our view--but we do have a privileged position, and it makes a change from missing shots due to carefully aimed bottles or crowd-surfing youngsters. (Generally in the press pit at Cambridge, I just get handed a rucksack or a jacket to put behind the barrier for safekeeping. Bizarrely, someone did try to hand me a toddler once, to the consternation of myself and the immense amusement of my less than sympathetic colleagues.)

The club tent is the "grass roots" of the festival, hosted over the weekend by several local folk clubs. Here, in addition to performances, there are workshops on anything from bodhran to fiddle to vocal harmony. (Brian McNeill, legendary Scots traditional musician running a composition workshop, soundchecked his bouzouki by playing "Jumpin' Jack Flash" before introducing himself thus: "Hello, I'm Brian, and as we're all radical folkies, I'd like everyone to take all your clothes off and make love to the person on your right. No? Well, it is only Friday, I suppose...")

The club tent also has showcases for up and coming young players, this year featuring Anna Massie (BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the year) and singer songwriter (and Horizon award nominee) Kirsty McGee. A few years ago, I was tipped off that "something special" was going to happen in the club tent in five minutes. I dashed across, arriving just in time to see Joan Baez deliver a beautiful version of "10,000 Miles." She was headlining the main stage that night, but wanted to sing in a "proper" folk venue, too. It was just one song, but totally spellbinding.   continue

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