Sid

Day 2 at ‘Folk At The Hall’ dawned sunny and so it stayed all day.

There were many great musicians to enjoy, too. Including:

Molly Evans - showcasing songs from her new project about her native county of Cheshire and the folk tales of the area, as re-told by the novelist/folklorist, Alan Garner. www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6rOBJN5Jys

The superb Sid Goldsmith and Jimmy Aldridge - who were my discovery of the weekend. I knew nothing about them beforehand but am now a firm fan! I liked their music, their politics, their rapport with the audience and with each other and, especially, Sid’s discourse on soil erosion (which is what he spends his time working against in his day job!). Mel and I sat next to them for most of the evening (after they'd played their set) and had quite a chat about music, politics and more. Really nice people! Here they are performing Boo Hewerdine’s great song, ‘Harvest Gypsies’ www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuyU_LglIXw

Jim Moray - whom I've been a fan of ever since I heard his startling interpretation of ‘Lemady’ back in 2001. To this day it remains one of my favourite versions of what can be done with a traditional English song in the 21st century www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdFQdnR2XDM

O’Hooley and Tidow - well, I've blipped them a couple of times previously and I love ‘em to bits! They were as funny and entertaining as ever, whilst never being less than brilliant musically. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne4KxdPcebI

Moore Moss Rutter - I first saw these chaps at the Cambridge Folk Festival in 2011 when they were all about 17 years old. These days they're positively ancient (!) and just keep improving as musicians. Terrific live performers! www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAbs6pOVmKk

Greg Russell and Ciaran Algar - One of the best duos on the folk scene today. They blew the audience away with their instrumental prowess and passion. Their rendition of ‘The Silent Majority’ is especially pertinent in today's world… www.youtube.com/watch?v=-86vuTiky2U

And then to the headliners… Dreamers’ Circus. Again, I'd never heard of them previously, and I suspect they were unknown to most of the assembled crowd, but they'd been billed as possibly the best band in the world - and they didn't disappoint! Consisting of two Danes and a Swede, they play a mixture of Nordic folk tunes, classical music, avant-garde stylings and contemporary experimental music. Their virtuosity blew our collective minds and they received rapturous applause and standing ovations virtually from the get-go. It was an absolutely magical experience! Do see them if you ever have the opportunity! www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkgEwnjVREg

It was really hard to choose who to Blip today but in the end I've gone for Sid Goldsmith - because I just really liked the dude!

Extra Photos include, Belinda O'Hooley's excellent 'sad face', Molly Evans, Jimmy Aldridge (with the banjo), Archie Churchill-Moss (with the melodeon) and Nikolaj Busk (with the accordion).