After a summer break, it was time for us to set out on what was to be our final half dozen gigs as Na-Mara. Our first autumn performance was to be at the well-beloved annual mini-folk festival, Folk on the Common, in association with Redbourn Folk Club.
The event is always held on a Sunday afternoon at the Redbourn Cricket Club on Redbourn Common. The Cricket Club provides the bar, and the parish council sponsors the event, helping to provide an excellent PA system and other facilities like St John’s Ambulance and a BBQ stall. In short, it is a lovely family-oriented, local folk event.
We were honoured to be invited to perform and were sharing the stage with Coventry-based Rob Halligan and Homeward Hie and Watford-based Bathtub Ginn.
Rob and I met together on Sunday morning for a final rehearsal before setting off to Redbourn in the early afternoon. It is only a 10-minute drive to Redbourn common, and it was no surprise that we were the first band to arrive. It was a pleasure to chat with club organiser Jenny McNaught and fellow folk singers like Julian Mount, as we watched the PA system being put together.
The headliners for the event were Rob Halligan and Homeward Hie and they had by far the most demanding sound check to do. So, we both sat and had ourselves a bit of lunch watching them go through their paces. All very nice.
Bit by bit the audience for the event began to grow as people arrived with their camping chairs, rugs and flasks of tea to enjoy the afternoon. The sky was clear initially but began to cloud over as the afternoon moved on and I’m sure the rugs came in handy. I would estimate a final audience of her own 200 people had assembled by the time MC for the afternoon, fellow Redbourn Folk Club organiser, Malcolm Hobbs, took to the stage for a couple of his trademark songs. What a singer!
Malcolm was followed by main act Rob Halligan and Homeward Hie for their first 50 minutes set, providing an excellent array of self-penned songs and, from memory, a cover of Dougie MacLean’s Ready for the Storm.
We were next on. We had asked for an earlier slot in the afternoon because the date of Folk on the Common was very close to a significant birthday date for me, and I wasn't sure if there would be any birthday celebrations later that evening at home. In the event, there wasn't, but it turned out to be a good idea in the end as Rob, despite playing very well, wasn't feeling quite 100%. Thus, not long after we came off stage, we packed up our bags, said our goodbyes and headed home. Apologies to Bathtub Ginn as we never got to see any of your set but I'm sure it was great.
Many thanks to Jenny and Malcolm for honouring us with an invite to join Redbourn Folk Club one last time and perform at the very lovely Folk on the Common event 2024.