We performed at Weatherstock at the top of the hill.  The Aleford band that played there were Gennetta, Toolee, Kelidonna and myself.

The day started with a lovely concert by the Lonely Mountain Band and then a  procession up the hill from the rather frightening Forsaken Inn.  I could see why it had been forsaken!  The procession was huge and we were joined by lots of younger people who had little experience of horses and the area, so progress was slow.

When we first arrived it took a long while to settle everyone down before the first bands could perform.
There were 10 bands chosen to play, and they were all excellent, of course.  Unfortunately someone let off an appalling green stink bomb soon after the start and people were forced away from the venue, and it took ages before the area was made ready for the bands to perform again.

I won't say much about the other bands as I am sure that they would rather you read about them on their own notice board but suffice to say that they were all very good, the cream of the crop.

We had time to play just four tunes; Bagpipe Boogie which is an instrumental favourite; a song which has become our theme tune, Craban; the lovely folk song called She Moved Through The fair and a new song about Weathertop to a tune called Echo Beach.

After all the bands had performed there was a public vote and we did not do as well as I hoped, in fact we came last.  I think the whole band were hugely disappointed, and not least because we had some new words to sing to our Weathertop song, which we would have played at the end.  Ah well, we can play that another time.

However we won what to us was an even better prize - the Lonely Mountain Band Cup.  What a supreme honour, to be voted best by the very amazing group of people who organised the whole thing.  A group of people we hold in high esteem.

We were pleased to be able to play this concert series which is part of the competition process to gain a coveted place to sing at the very pinnacle of the music world in Middle Earth: at Weatherstock itself. With just 55 minutes to showcase the band we knew we would have our work cut out to show all the variety and skills that we possess.  Gennetta worked out a wonderful set designed to do just that. After all the other bands performed, we were last on, following last year's Weatherstock winners The Remediators.  What an honour!

The Aleford Band on this occasion was Gennetta, Toolee, Kelidonna and Allegretta.

Toolee dressed the four of us in a lovely contrasting outfit, different to our normal green costumes.  We played and sang old favourites, new tunes, comedy songs, dance tunes and love songs.  This time we did have a larger percentage of songs which means, as Gennetta is fond of saying,  that they have lyrics.  If they don't have lyrics they are tunes.  So having got that clear, let me tell you that for this concert ten of the fourteen tunes we played had lyrics, which is much higher percentage than usual.  

We started with a lively dance tune, followed by a song that went down so well at Winterstock, then Gennetta sang the first of two songs, a new song about trying to get some time to herself.  I think this will inevitably become know as the Yoohoo song.  Toolee wowed the crowd with her singing of the favourite 'Music-box dancer'.