 | | Reviews | | |  FESTIVAL OF THE PEAK
Carsington Water, Derbyshire
June 14 2003
Just behind a state-of-the-art stage, the sun is sparkling on the calm surface of Carsington Water, a sprawling, beautifully landscaped reservoir between Wirksworth and Ashbourne in Derbyshire. Chris Sherburn of Last Night's Fun is off on one of his hilariously surreal introductions before the trio blast into a concertina/guitar/uilleann pipes tune which would take off the roof if there was one in this glorious outdoor arena. It's a fine summer's evening and the audience, doing a fair impression of a mini-Cambridge with camping chairs, picnics and the occasional silly hat, is enjoying the concert at the first-ever Festival Of The Peak. Unfortunately I missed young local band Kerfuffle's opening act but having seen them earlier in the year, can safely say they'd have delighted the audience with their mature singing and musicianship.
Chris, Denny and Nick leave the crowd thoroughly warmed up for Bob Fox, popular solo performer and currently front man of new north-east band The Hush. As dusk falls, Bob's velvety voice lulls the audience with traditional ballads and chorus songs ranging from Jimmy Nail's lush Big River to the jaunty Bonny Gateshead Lass. His patter's full of warm Geordie humour, his guitar work masterful and a lovely song about parenthood winds up a great set.
By the time the main act takes the stage, the sky's darkened and pink and green spotlights give the surrounding trees a cheerily spooky look. Candles are lit on tables, there's anticipation in the air … and the legendary Lindisfarne deliver bigtime, kicking off with the classic Fog On The Tyne. They're loud and tight with front man Billy Mitchell on great form, bringing his brilliant vocal and guitar energies to a raft of songs old and new: This Guitar Never Lies, Under The Promenade, Lady Eleanor (better than ever after all these years) … A gutsy set ranging from rocky to reflective belts out of a PA setup for which many established festivals would kill, until the final encore comes all too soon and the crowd drifts away into the night.
Congratulations to organisers Mick Peat and Celia Richmond - familiar faces at festivals as ADA folk/roots/acoustic mail order specialists but here with their PR Promotions hats on - for instigating this new event. Its sell-out success has inspired sponsors Severn Trent Water to give the thumbs-up for a weekend Festival Of The Peak next year on a bigger scale. The dates have just been confirmed as June 11-13 2004 and they're in my diary already.
Mel McClellan - June 2003
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Folk & Acoustic
