Jon Boden showcases 'Songs from the Floodplain' at Sidmouth

The Monday afternoon concert was opened by the brilliant Belshazzars Feast, whose blend of musicality, as showcased in numbers such as 'Hunt the Squirrel' and 'Tune in a Bottle', coupled with comedic between song banter, certainly went down a storm with the capacity crowd. It's a particular treat when they manage to combine the two as in 'One Morning in December'. They are educational as well, and if you want to know what a 'Triptych' is or what 'a capella' actually means then they'll certainly enlighten you. They raised anticipation boiling point mid set, with the promise of exotic dancers who were going to appear from the bar during a tune which Mozart had written for the English dancing master, Benjamin Hill. Many members of the audience were seen to strain their necks in anticipation, but sadly the girls never appeared. This was not held against the duo who, after the gig, seemed to acquire the biggest crowd at the CD stall so far seen in the Ham Marquee.

Brass Monkey were next, and offered a set which was deeply rooted in English tradition. Martin Carthy and John Kirkpatrick swapped singing duties, but in many ways the real stars of the act are the brass section. They seem to add an extra sprinkling of Englishness to the proceedings as a whole, and in addition add to the mournful gravitas of such sad songs as 'The Death of Nelson'. They left the audience eager for an encore which sadly, did not emerge.

The traditional vein was continued into the evening concert with Blue Murder, with support from Kerfuffle, who amazed all with a varied and versatile set. They were at times dark and haunting such as with 'Cruel Mother' and 'Benjamin Buccaneer', and sometimes driving with 'The Falmouth Packet'. At other times they are just downright heavy, as with their French dance tune. We were treated to a display of clog dancing by Hannah James which was appreciated by all, but there was sad news when we were told that this would be Kerfuffle's last gig together. Hannah James and Sam Sweeney will continue to work as a duo however, and this prospect holds considerable promise, given their strong musical chemistry on stage.

Kerfuffle are followed by Blue Murder who offer a concert based around traditional material, which apart from the picked guitar chords of Martin Carthy is, in the large part, a wall of harmonised voices. Opportunities abound for singing along and the audience need little encouragement to do so. At other times however, the atmosphere is that of a cosy family gathering, centred on Norma Waterson who orchestrates proceedings from the middle of the stage. She draws us in and makes us feel welcome. Highlights are a groovy, 'Bully in the Alley' followed by an intimate 'Banks of Sweet Primroses'. Maria's solo rendition of 'Welcome Sailor' was particularly well received.

Belinda O'Hooley & Heidi Tidow were a real discovery at the festival. As Belinda O' Hooley pointed out, most of the audience in the Ham Marquee on Tuesday afternoon would have been hearing them for the first time, though fans of Rachel Unthank and the Winterset will recognise her haunting and sparse piano work from their first two albums. The focus is on voices. They take turns to sing lead vocals, and occasionally share a duet. The songs are mostly sad. The imagery is dark, grey and rainy, though is interspersed with the odd, savoured sweet moment. Their between-song dialogue forms a comic counterpoint to this and ensures that the mood in the room remains upbeat. Indeed, from the reception they receive it seems that the audience have had the best of times among the poetry and pathos of O'Hooley and Tidow. They make a lot of new friends this afternoon.

Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings follow, and attract interest even before they take to the stage by way of the fact that two members of the band are vintage Edison phonographs. They are called Eric and Edith and they begin the show. It takes the audience a little while to realise this but by the time the band come on, everyone is listening. The set contains a few traditional songs such as 'Hard Times of Old England', which is delivered as beautifully as we've come to expect. Most of the material is original though, and comes from the Jon Boden's 'Songs from the Floodplain' album. The songs paint a vivid picture of a post-oil future. It's a world with less cars and with traditional customs once more prominent in society. Between-song dialogue is kept to a minimum, but at one point he tells us that many have described the album as depressing, though he doesn't see it as such. Some of the songs certainly have a brooding feel. 'Death is the Man That All Must Meet' is all sparse arrangements and chiming percussion. Other songs are more upbeat. The mood ebbs and flows and the songs skip easily from one theme to another which compliments the fact that each revolves around the central 'post oil' concept which underpins the album. There is a final 'joining in' song, 'Don't Wake me up 'Till Tomorrow', and the gig ends with a hint of rock n roll feedback. The audience response suggests that a world with less cars more folk customs cannot come soon enough. The encore comes from Jon's new project, a website called http://www.afolksongaday.com which offers a new folk song a day for a year. Each month, the songs are compiled into an album which can be downloaded via itunes. Its well worth taking a look at.

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