Music

The Town Hall was packed to the rafters for three days of raucous frivolity and merry making; a sharp contrast to the stately tea dances normally held there.

Oxford Castle grounds likewise drew large crowds, who basked in warm spring sunshine and enjoyed a carnival atmosphere of morris dancing and children’s crafts. This new cultural asset for our city is certainly evolving into a quirky and popular landmark.  In addition there was a ceilidh in Cowley, a hoedown at Brookes, ballads at Holywell Music Room and Gallic chanteuse at the Jacqueline Due Pre Building. This is so much more civilised than other festivals; where you can find yourself standing inside a tent in a field on a farm miles from nowhere, suffering from trench foot.

Inflatable Buddha By Mick Conmy

The hub of the Festival was the Town Hall though; with two stages exhibiting pure folk music at it’s most diverse. The smaller Cornbury stage focussed on local talent, a highlight was schoolboy guitar virtuoso Wilber from Lord Williams School, Thame, showing his extraordinary finger picking abilities and breezy self confidence. The biggest laugh of the weekend was Inflatable Buddha, whose shambolic anarchy and ribald humour went down a storm.

You feel like you are in the interior of an illuminated wedding cake in the acoustically challenged main hall, it really is a unique atmosphere. Headlining acts were The Ukulele Orchestra of Gt Britain on Friday, whose unplugged version of “Silver Machine” was a hoot. Local stalwarts Boden & Spiers got everyone in the mood on Saturday evening. Then the finale was Salsa Celtica, a top draw blend of The Pogues and Buena Visa Social Club; soon the bar ran out of beer, inhibitions lowered, and the dance floor filled. The Dolly Parton of English folk, Eliza Carthy, wrapped up the weekend on Sunday night, with a set strictly for the folk fundamentalists.

Salsa Celtica By Mick Conmy

What other county offers four major outdoor music festivals – Towersey, Truck, Cornbury, & Cropredy? And now the indoor Oxford Folk Festival has come of age, hats off to its director Tim Healey and his merry band of volunteers for creating such a unique and fun weekend.