Folk Weekend Oxford 2013

I booked my ticket for Folk Weekend Oxford, the second edition of this festival, the very same evening that I heard the first rumours that the second edition of Frome Folk Festival (February 2013) would not be taking place as planned. That said, I would very happily have attended both and I very much hope that it will be possible to do exactly that in 2014.
  

Before I start on more detailed commentary concerning who and what I saw I have to mention my respect for the organizing committee and all the volunteer stewards and technical staff. From the printed programme to the nitty-gritty of keeping everything on-track and running-to-time across multiple venues, which is no mean feat in itself, they also arranged for near perfect weather too. That is a big ask, especially in light of the last year or so!
On offer were performances by large ensembles in almost incredibly intimate venues, such as Oxford Fiddle Group in the Studio at The Old Fire Station.
  

Slightly more than half the OFG seen here in the accompaniment of Appalachian tap dancing. I would have needed a fish-eye lens to get the whole picture in a venue that seats about fifty. I might try stitching two pictures together in due course. The audience outnumbered the performers by only a ratio of 3:1!

To this, for the taking of which I had to turn my back on the gaze of Apollo.
  

Emily & The Tunesmiths, playing under the watch of the Greek Gods,

in the atrium of the Ashmolean Museum.

I shall head to The Old Fire Station Theatre for just two of the acts that I saw there. For now these are focussed on just one artist from each, although both acts and their sets were sublime.

On Saturday, Tyde... with Andrew Waite playing piano accordion.

  

On Sunday The Melrose Quartet.

Richard Arrowsmith playing melodion.

    

That, I'm delighted to say, was not even the half of it and that is to say nothing about the sessions.