The weather is always good for Shirefest, but that is not what makes it a great festival. The sheer quality of the acts appearing and the welcoming and appreciative audience make Shirefest a joy in which to take part.
We were lucky to be the first band on stage and so opened the Sunday session. We opened the set with a new reel called The Morning Dew, and it set the tone for the session. Almost a quarter of the set, four of the 17 tunes, were on their first outing. It seems a while since we introduced a new reel, and it seemed to go down well.
We treated the crowd to four bird songs, including my current favourite, Nightbird and a song that Gennetta sang called Seven Craban which is a rather dark but beautifully complex song.
Another new song is one of Toolee's favourites and is called Brandywine, set to an old tune known to some as Shenandoah (which is probably some Dwarfish name for the Brandywine).
We were lucky to be the first band on stage and so opened the Sunday session. We opened the set with a new reel called The Morning Dew, and it set the tone for the session. Almost a quarter of the set, four of the 17 tunes, were on their first outing. It seems a while since we introduced a new reel, and it seemed to go down well.
We treated the crowd to four bird songs, including my current favourite, Nightbird and a song that Gennetta sang called Seven Craban which is a rather dark but beautifully complex song.
Another new song is one of Toolee's favourites and is called Brandywine, set to an old tune known to some as Shenandoah (which is probably some Dwarfish name for the Brandywine).
Our recent collaboration with Struck By Moonlight was so successful that we asked if they wanted to repeat it and were delighted when they agreed, so we did the Moskau song again. We do enjoying playing with them!
We played for almost an hour, and were delighted to be able to relax and dance whilst watching our friends Struck By Moonlight play, as well as several other amazingly good bands.
Thank you to all the organisers and other bands, and of course to a splendid audience. A special thanks goes to master Peppey BristleBrush for his drawing.
We played for almost an hour, and were delighted to be able to relax and dance whilst watching our friends Struck By Moonlight play, as well as several other amazingly good bands.
Thank you to all the organisers and other bands, and of course to a splendid audience. A special thanks goes to master Peppey BristleBrush for his drawing.