Festival wins top environmental award for third year running!

The Co-operative Cambridge Festival has once again been awarded the prestigious A Greener Festival Award 2010 for their environmentally friendly efforts for the third year running!

The Festival joins the likes of Glastonbury, T In The Park and Isle of Wight Festival as recipients of this leading eco-award.

Eddie Barcan, Folk Festival organiser said: "We're absolutely thrilled to receive The Greener Festival Award for the third year running. It's great to be recognised for our hard work in sustaining and improving our green credentials and we intend to carry on in this way.

"A big thank you has to go to all staff involved and to our loyal audience for embracing our greener ways and making The Co-operative Cambridge Folk Festival an award-winning event once again."

And the news from our CD stall...

Every year, our good friends on the Proper CD stall give us a breakdown of which artist seold the most CDs at the Festival. Who do you reckon it was then? Does it mean that they were the best band of the weekend? Let the debate start.

Here's the Top 20...in reverse order:

*cue Top of the Pops chart rundown music*

No.20    The Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain - Secret of Life
No.19    Sharon Shannon - Saints and Scoundrels
No.18    Jackie Oates - Hyperborean
No.17    Lissie - Catching A Tiger
No.16    Imagined Village - Empire And Love
No.15    Julie Fowlis - Uam
No.14    Salsa Celtica - En Vivo En El Norte
No.13    Seasick Steve - Songs For Elisabeth
No.12    Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends - Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends
No.11    Carolina Chocolate Drops - Heritage
No.10    Stornaway - Beachcombers Windowsill
No. 9     Gretchen Peters - Circus Girl
No. 8     Show Of Hands - Roots: Best of Show of Hands
No. 7     Breabach - The Desperate Battle Of The Birds
No. 6     Pink Martini - Splendour In The Grass
No. 5     Seth Lakeman - Hearts & Minds
No. 4    Natalie Merchant - Leave Your Sleep
No. 3    Quebe Sisters - Timeless
No. 2    Burns Unit - Side Show

...and at the top spot

*drum roll*....

Carolina Chocolate Drops -  Genuine Negro Jig

    

Thank you and goodnight!

We hope you enjoyed the Festival as much as we did! Don't forget to keep up to date with the Festival all year round via this blog or via our Facebook and Twitter accounts or by joining our email list.

Thanks for coming, hope you had a blast - and we hope to see you again next year!

Country music and Hollywood legend headlines Sunday night

Image taken by Nigel Cooke (www.nigelcookephotography.com) 

We were privileged to have US Country music legend, Kris Kristofferson, performing on the last night of the Festival.

In his only UK outdoor Festival, the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter played songs from his latest album, Closer to the Bone, as well as classic hits such as Me and Bobby McGee and Sunday Morning Coming Down.

The audience swayed and sung along in celebration of another successful Festival nearing it's end with true star on stage to mark the occasion.

The final podcast of the Festival

On the final podcast of 2010 we talk to Carolina Chocolate Drops, C.W. Stoneking, Ian Smith from Creative Scotland as well as the rather fantastic Jolly Boys.

The (Stone)King of hokum blues!

There are many special acts at this year's, but what a special one C.W. Stoneking is! His deep and rich vocals and southern drawl captivate the audience on stage 2 as the Festival gets close to the finishing line.

C.W (which stands for Christopher William) is dressed in a white shirt and trousers with a red bow tie which, with his dulcet tones, gives a complete element of cool to his performance and takes you back to the 50s where you can imagine his music being played.

For those eagled-eyed people in the audience, you would be able to see he has tattoo on his hand saying 'Atticus' and 'Ishmael', which are indeed the names of his sons named after characters in To Kill A Mockingbird and Moby Dick.

How did they get in?

Taking the bringing chairs into the arena debate to whole new level.

Clearing clouds...

Despite a little bit of drizzle we havn't had too much need for these this weekend...

And the clouds seem to be making way for blue skies, just in time for Kris Kristofferson. Yey!

Rocking Rokia

Groundbreaking Malian artist Rokia Traore's thrilling set gave a distinctive opening to the final evening of the festival. Stunning Rokia introduced her performance by inviting her audience to 'enjoy musical moments together', and as she began with a haunting, atmospheric vibe, over which her incredible voice sparkled, it was clear that that was exactly what was in store.

Gradually shifting into a rapid, rolling pace, Rokia rocked out barefoot on stage to a sound which was completely her own - a mix of traditional Malian and many other musical styles.

Jolly good Jolly Boys!

What can we say about this wonderful group? Stage 2 was packed to the rafters to see lead singer Albert Minott and his two band mates.

Putting a smile on every single person's face as they covered a mix modern songs as well as playing some their own quirky numbers.  The senior gents from Jamaica (they're in their 80s would you believe?!) swivelled their hips like 20 year-olds, shaking maracas and playing the guitar and cracking jokes.

Let's hope this band come back to see us again soon. We absolutely loved them!

Fancy a spot of shopping?

There's plenty to buy around the Festival if you fancy a spot of shopping...

 

Hats off to yer!

Some of you may know that this year, Sunday is the first ever hat day and so many people been creative! Although, we have spotted a couple of Jester's hats around!

Here is a few of the hat's created - check out how much effort went in to these. Let's hope we can do something similar again next year.

The winner was picked by Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie (pictured above with Stuart) and she made her hat out of melted records! I wonder how heavy her hat is?

Highland adventure - Latin style!

The Latin-Celtic storm stirred up on Stage 1 by Salsa Celtica was enough to blow away the rain! With their extraordinary mix of celtic folk and latin music, arrangements of brass, bagpipes, strings and stunning vocals were blended with flair and imagination, the sound of two contrasting genres in effortless harmony.

The high energy performance gave us all a boost - and seemed to keep the clouds at bay as the afternoon party got going.

Ukelele orchestra did it again!

There was smiles all around as possibly the most surprising interpretations were performed with trademark charisma and skill by the wonderful Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain. This afternoon's diverse repertoire included Britney Spears' 'Ooops! I did it again' and 'Anarchy in the UK' by the Sex Pistols, as well as a gorgeous version of he Beatles' 'Hey Jude'. The tuxedo-clad group delivered their set in hugely entertaining style, closing the afternoon programme.

All the camping essentials

Pick up the essentials from The Co-operative food store, selling everything from bread, milk and toilet roll to daily papers, fresh pastries, and fruit. And, while you're there get yourself some dosh with using the cashback facility. Leaving you with spending money forall the other goodies available at the Festival!

Rock Hopper

The Rock Hopper is a big silver caravan where budding musicians - experienced or novice - can make a professional audio and video recording. It's on the Festival site, right next to the Folk Net Cafe. Now's your chance-  if you want to take home a souvineer from the Festival then put your name down for a session.

Meet The Co-operative team

Meet the lovely team from The Co-op Membership stand.  Pop over, sign up to be a Co-op member
and get some great benefits in doings so.  You can also learn about the plight of the honey bee and find out all about the good work the Co-operative does.

Go and meet them -they're realy nice!

Big Bear Hugs

The line of children at the signing tent earlier was huge! They weren't waiting for an artist that's been performing on stage though, they were waiting for none other than Pudsey Bear. Arguably the most famous bear there ever was, although Yogi and Paddington might have something to say about that!

Gretchen follows us on Twitter!

Gretchen just announced from Stage 1 that she's been following our Tweets - she's got good taste that woman!

More morris men!

Not only have we had the Belles Of London City here with us this weekend, but we have also had the Moulton Morris Men tapping their sticks and ringing the bells on their legs!

Morris Men are new to the Festival, following a suggestion from one of our customers. Thank you for that suggestion, we've really enjoyed having a bit of morris dancing here as have the crowds!

Aliens or animals?

Who are these mysterious characters walking around - are they aliens or are they animals? You decide...

Lost and Found

Behind the Duck Pond, over in the Wilderness Area, the Festival's new art installation, The Tree Of Lost Things is hidden away.

Covered in luggage labels respresenting the lost items, the idea behind the tree is to provide people with a way of letting go of things they've lost. Whether that's a person, a pet, a set of car keys, their virginity or even their voice!

Low down blues with The Holmes Brothers

Last on main stage on Saturday is Brothers Sherman and Wendell Holmes with brother-in-spirit,Popsy Dixon, who played to the crowds as the sun started to set over main stage.

Their vocals and with their mix of blues, gospel and soul, which they have be playing for over thirty years, suited the early evening mood perfectly.

The band have won several Blues Music Awards and their last album, Feed My Soul, was inspired following Wendell's victory over cancer.

Irish all star's long awaited return

Folk chart toppers Lunasa are one of the hottest acoustic acts on the circuit, acclaimed as the 'Irish dream team of musicians'.  The quintet played a top class set on stage 2 - traditional Irish folk infused with jazz and blues influences, with the focus on slick improvisation and tight harmonies. Lunasa return to Stage 1 this Sunday afternoon - we look forward to hearing more of their long awaited new album La Nua.

Natalie Merchant

Image by Nigel Cooke (www.nigelcookephotography.com)

Natalie Merchant looked very striking as she stepped on stage this evening. Dressed all in black, lips accented in pillar-box red, the performer launched straight into song and paced the stage, giving the photographers in the pit some great shots at the same time!

Finishing the set with the help from Irish quintet Lunasa, Natalie lived up to her all-star status. We could have listened to her all night!

Saturday's podcast now up

Today on the podcast we catch a father and Son duo doing a special secret set, talk to Eliza Carty, the award winning Sam Carter, and the hard working Joe Pug.  We also talk to one of the team behind the club tent and find out more about the PRS foundation and how it benefits musicians.

Gretchen didn't peter out

Country music star Gretchen Peters has a host of hits under her belt and has recently released a compilation of all her best songs.

As well as being a fantastic singer-songwriter, Gretchen, we understand from one of the journalists who interviewed her earlier, is also a really lovely person.  That's always nice to hear. Go Gretchen!

Thanks The Unthanks!

The award winning and critically acclaimed folk band The Unthanks offer a strong and fresh approach to classic folk tunes, and engaged the Stage 1 crowd with a rich and lovely sound. The band, led by vocalist sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank, treated us to some traditional folk storytelling, warmly received by the discerning Cambridge audience.

Pink Martini? They should be called Pink Champagne!

Pink Martini are on Stage 1 right now and to say the crowd are loving it would be a total understatement.

The 'little orchestra' from Portland, Oregon, sing in ten different languages and tick off a multitude of different styles in doing so.  From Latin to lounge, and classical to jazz, the band are inspired by early Hollywood musicals and certainly seem to have brought that movie-star glam to the Festival.

This is their only UK festival performance - if you missed this, you'll kick yourself!

Spacey site art

Who are these strange characters that have descended from outer space?

Well actually, they are human and Festival customers posing in one of our pieces of interactive site art. There are several different themed boards around the site so look out for them!

Kathy Mattea sings in the sunshine

Having been in the business for almost thirty years, Kathy Mattea has been top of the country music game for some time.  Bringing a laid-back sound to Stage 1 the artist and 'her band' - a sole guitarist - rounded up the crowd for a rendition of Kumbaya, which sounded just lovely. And seemed to draw the sun out from behind the white clouds it was hiding behind.

Her latest album, Coal, draws on her family's experiences in the coal mining industry and was nominated for a Grammy.

A bit of Sussex Wit

Johnny Flynn takes to stage 2 during the late sunny afternoon. Johnny Flynn is also known as Joe Flynn and he named the band after watching a documentary that said English folk is entwined with a style of irony to be found in rural counties like Sussex.

Johnny Flynn was originally an actor and counts W. B. Yeats and Shakespeare amongst his influences which is clearly reflected in his music with his evocative lyrics and his captivating manner on stage.  

Devilishly good Dervish

Proving that not winning the Eurovision Song Contest a few years back was only a good thing for them and their careers, non-Euro Trash band Dervish celebrated their 21st birthday at the Festival this year.

No strangers to Cambridge the band returned for the fifth time (and they're doing three sets this weekend!) to play a mixture of love songs and some more upbeat numbers, pleasing the audience with every single one.

See them again on Sunday at Stage 2 at 8.55pm.

Angelic Jackie

Hearing her sing, it is easy to understand how Jackie Oates has quickly become one of this country's most celebrated young folk stars. The talented vocalist and fiddle player sounded and looked angelic when she graced Stage 2 on Saturday afternoon with an exquisite performance of tradtional folk.

Hypnotic Vibe

Quartet Spiro played a vibrant set on Stage 2 this afternoon, captivating the audience with their eclectic and original sound. Complex arrangements and edgy harmonies made for an hypnotic musical experience, performed with verve by the band, led by fiddler Jane Harbour, who's stunning floor length gold dress added to the drama.

Hobo Jones & The Junkyard Dogs

Even though Hobo Jones & The Junkyard Dogs weren't actually scheduled to play this year, Festival Organiser Eddie thought they were so good when he saw them at Glastonbury earlier this year that he decided to get them to do a surprise set in the Club Tent.

Describing themselves as 'not a band, just a bunch of people who like getting drunk and sodding about' the groupplayed the musical genre they claim to have created - Skunk Rock!

Filled with jokes and quips, their songs livened up the Club Tent ane helped those who maybe 'got drunk and sodded about' last night get over their hangovers!