It was fun to be involved in a ‘hometown’ gig over the weekend. With the Town Hall being redeveloped, the traditional venue for this year’s St Albans Folk Festival sessions was unavailable and the organisers had negotiated performance space with half a dozen of the town’s best pubs.
We performed a half hour concert down at the White Hart Tap. We decided to keep the energy up with a high octane set and were rewarded with an attentive and appreciative audience.
Before and after our performance we managed to catch some very different sets by Graham Swannell, Pete White and, all the way from Bournemouth, Polly Morris. Master of Ceremonies, Julian Mount was on characteristically great form. His ‘Multicoloured Blues’ was a standout.
Many thanks to all our friends for popping along to see us. Especial thanks go to local banjo expert and school chum of mine, Rick Payman, for breaking away from his music session to come along and see us play.
Finally, well done to all the organisers from both St Albans and from the very active and involved Watford Folk Club for making the day a success. In particular, thanks go to both Alison Raymond and Alison MacFarlane for all their hard work, with others, over many months to make and shape this event. Let’s hope it has kindled a new interest in folk music amongst casual attendees at these pub sessions.