if you love your folk music undisturbed then Festival on the Moor is for you

Festival on the Moor Weekend 2014

Friday 23rd to Monday 26th May 2014
Botton Village, Danby Dale, North Yorkshire, YO21 2NJ, England MAP
early bird £45 for a weekend ticket

Daily capacity: 2,000

As torrential rain hammered the dramatic purple and grey countryside of the North York Moors, a small and dedicated celebration of peace and tranquility shone through the dark clouds. Returning for its second year at Botton village, Festival on the Moor 2014 boasted a varied agenda which remained completely unaffected by the Bank Holiday weekend downpours.

No matter which road you take to Botton you will be greeted with breathtakingly beautiful scenery, nestled at the bottom of a valley, Botton village is like no other place I’ve had the pleasure to visit. Forgetting the impressive views from all sides Botton is a small close knit community consisting of an international Camphill Community where adults and children with special needs live and work as well as a private primary school. Bizarrely, it’s the last place one expects to find a row of dedicated knee-deep-in-mud campers or a seemingly never ending supply of ale.

The festival hosts a busy itinerary of folk music from across the UK. Friday evening entertainment took shape as a lively Ceilidh where spirits were high as the barrel’s dug deep. Saturday and Sunday hosted vocal workshops by Liz Mummery, a trained Opera singer who allowed wanna-be students to stretch out their vocal cords and limbs simultaneously,as well as an opportunity to attend a Japenese Yodaiko drumming lesson. The festival was a wash with live music, taking place indoors throughout two concerts which were performed each day. Notable of mention were the Bonfire Radicals who brought fusion to folk with the most imaginative use of the recorder; performing spine-tingling folk music to rival The Wickerman soundtrack. Sarah Mccaid ‘had never had a better love, though she’d had twenty-nine’and used her whiskey-like vocals to sooth and serenade the Saturday night audience, charming us with anecdotes and tales from the road.

The Sunday concerts saw the return of Monkey’s Fist, a quartet of technical brilliance and an air of the sea about them. Whilst Fools Gold performed with a medieval air retelling tales of mystery and enchantment, admitting themselves that they intend to sing about ‘well, it’s a folk song so it’s about death really’. Cheery. Despite, the doom and gloom which so often accompanies folk music, the duo were great entertainers, bringing songs to life and characters alive.

Through the sunny intervals the festival popped outside to stoke up some delicious BBQ burgers, their tantalizing smell drifting through the Moors like the bleating of a lost sheep. Provisions were basic, yet the local beer was superb. It’s just a shame that one could not enjoy the beer and the music at the same time as no food or drink was allowed in any of the performing areas. Sadly, this resulted in a lack of atmosphere in the concerts as all of the spectators remained on their very best behaviour. Another slight problem was the lack of facilities for children, the festival was not family friendly and watching the performers felt a bit like trying to restrain your children in church on a Sunday morning. There were very few children there- this might be an added bonus for all of you folk music fans who prefer a quiet and peaceful few days away which this festival guarantees.

So, if you love folk music and long to get away from the screaming tantrums of toddlers and the sound of drunken singing by a campfire then this is most definitely the festival for you- fantastically awe-inspiring musicians, sing alongs, bird-watching, hot water showers and an organic shop to make Gillian McKeith proud.

review by: Sarah Crombie-Wheeler