Rob and I have played many interesting venues in our time but this is the first time we have played in a courtroom. As part of a weekend of music in the town, courtesy of the St. Albans Festival, local folk organisers, Alison Raymond, Alison MacFarlane and others had arranged a solid eight hours(!) showcasing the best in local folk music in the former courtroom of the old town hall in the centre of town. While a truly grand session of musicians was being taking place in a large airy room upstairs, an impressive string of local folk musicians were performing in the courtroom downstairs. Below the courtroom, there were music workshops being held in the old cells, with the only access (literally) through the dock.
Given our forthcoming gig at The Song Loft in Stony Stratford on the following Friday, Rob and I were keen to meet up at lunchtime and get some serious rehearsal in prior to heading off to join fellow local folk musicians in the town centre. Sadly, this meant we missed the chance to support some of our friends' and hear their performances, but it was clear on arrival that the day had been going very well.
Having picked up a good friend who wanted to support us on the afternoon, we arrived at the old town hall about 45 minutes before our 20 minute slot and were very pleased to be able to see the excellent Malcolm Hobbs and Foxglove Trio sessions prior to going on ourselves.
The courtroom was packed with folk followers, local townspeople and a number of tourists just passing through. The atmosphere was appreciative and respectful to all the acts. The high vaulted nature of the courtroom was such that the sound seemed to disappear and, in truth, the acoustic took a wee bit of getting used to. Feeling that quiet songs might just get lost in the ‘hushed courtroom’, we made a decision to do four fast and loud numbers which, given our usual desire to mix the pace and tone of our performances, was a bit unusual for us. However, the strategy seemed to work and, as far as we could make out, everyone appeared to enjoy what we did.
We were able to stop on and listen to Martin's Joy, a very pleasant duo who were performing after us. Then, sadly, because I had another commitment some distance away from St. Albans later that evening, we had to say our farewell to the day's organisers and our friends and get on the road.
Well done to Alison MacFarlane and Alison Raymond on putting together a great afternoon of folk music and thanks to them for the invitation to join other folk players from the local area to promote folk music in the town. We sincerely hope that the evening concert, with Hannah James and Sam Sweeney and others, went well.
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