The weekend of 11-13 July saw the first ever ‘Folk and Roots Music’ gathering at Hesket Newmarket.  It was the brainchild of Malcolm and Pat Hawksworth, landlord and landlady of the Old Crown Inn, who were keen to hold an event.  Many local people agreed, and they needed no further encouragement to draw on their past experience of organising similar events in Staffordshire, and take advantage of their many contacts in the folk music world.

The emphasis was very much on informality – not a festival, but a get-together of like-minded singers, musicians, and others, to meet and enjoy making music and dancing.

The proposed scale of the gathering was that it would fit in the Old Crown and its garden; so no marquees on the village green and no advertising to the general public, though there was information on the Old Crown website.  Those who came were friends of Malcolm and Pat, friends of friends, and locals.  This approach kept costs within manageable limits and meant there was no need to charge admission fees.  Moreover there was no specific audience expectation.

Containing the event within the Old Crown also ensured that, being mindful of residents, the event was not imposing itself too much on the village.

There was an excellent mix of well-known artists such as Pete Coe, the Shellback Shanty Chorus, and Elaine Davidson, local singers and musicians, and an eclectic assortment of singers, fiddlers, concertina-ers, flautists, pipers and others.  We had clog dancing and Appalachian flat-footing, folk, blues and country, and plenty of people eager to join in choruses.  Oh, and lots of drinking!

I was there for all four sessions and still couldn't take in all the performances, so if someone else wrote a review it would probably be very different.  It all started for me in the beer garden tent, with a group of Geordie boys from South Shields, where a father-and-son duo did a fantastic rendition of a Pink Floyd number.  Pity it was a cold night – perhaps next year we’ll have it during the summer!

Moving from room to room, listening to some great turns, I was repeatedly drawn back to where two old boys from, I think, Halifax were playing foot-stomping music on their fiddles, joined by an array of  musicians playing anything from spoons to flutes.  Back in the rooms I was taken by the beautiful powerful voice of Val accompanied by her daughter who, between mouthfuls of chips, harmonised in the choruses.

Although he was still recovering from a bout of pneumonia Peter Coe was a class act: with a multitude of instruments there seemed no end to his talents, including accompanying his wife at Appalachian flat-footing.  An enjoyable turn by Elaine (who sang her way out of a hole she dug for herself when telling us about not being able to compose a song about Cumberland Sausage!) was well rounded off when a bloke called Ed joined her.  He was good, too.

A full-Monty act, tastefully (?) performed by one of the South Shields boys on the outdoor ‘stage’ above a packed garden room was, in the main, taken in good part.

A very special mention must go to the Shellback Chorus who seem to be all sickeningly talented, both individually and as a group.  I enjoyed joining in the chorus of a song about how hard it is being a pirate when you keep losing bits of your body, and was amazed that I knew all the words to ‘The Sloop John B’.  Magic!

And finally there was Malcolm.  I enjoyed every bum note he hit on his small pipes – although I have to say there wasn’t many.  A big thank you to Malc, Pat, and every yan of the staff; can’t wait for next year.  A lesson worth learning might be to consume less drink.  Not music to the landlord’s ears, but maybe more for mine.    Grumpy local farmer