Cambridge Folk Festival 2022

The annual Cambridge Folk Festival was on hiatus thanks to the pandemic and so a lot of people had missed out on their musical fix at Cherry Hinton Hall for three years…us?

Full Fest wrist band
Full Fest wrist band

Mrs Sciencebase and myself had not been back since 1991 having attended three years on the trot from 1989 when I first went up to Cambridge (working, not as a student, haha). Mrs Sciencebase wasn’t Mrs at the time, and Sciencebase itself was still a few years away yet.

Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega had hardly changed in 31 years, as bright a star as ever9

We were excited to see all the new bands and performers and checked the lineup: Clannad and Suzanne Vega among others…interesting…they were on last time we attended too! Both gave ripping performances this time around.

The Young'uns Trio
The brilliant Young’uns on the main stage at Cambridge Folk Festival 2022

As did (in no particular order): The Young’uns, Spiers and Boden, Show of Hands, The Spooky Men’s Chorale, St Paul and the Broken Bones, Magpie Arc, Billy Bragg, The Gipsy Kings, Seasick Steve, Findlay, Passenger, Afro Celt Sound System, O’Hooley and Tidow, Chico Trujillo, Brooks Williams, Davina and The Vagabonds, N’Famady Kouyate, The Copper Family, VRï, Beans on Toast, Black Fen Folk Club, the “Irish pub”, Orchestra Baobab, Janice Burns & Jon Duran, Tapestri, Mishra…I may have missed a few of the acts we saw, will fill the gaps as and when. So many acts we missed…always the way with festivals.

David Eagle from The Young'uns
David Eagle from The Young’uns

There were lots of highlights: meeting The Young’uns and Jon Boden, taking part in two singing workshops (with Nancy Kerr from Magpie Arc and The Spooky Men, as well as observing a melody workshop with John Spiers). Trying out some lovely (expensive) guitars, having a cajon jam with Adam from C5 the band, lots of surprise meet-ups with friends, and eating and drinking some lovely food and drink with Mrs Sciencebase and great weather (it poured and was cold last time). We camped from the Thursday night onwards, but had to decamp late Sunday evening. It was a relief to get home to have a shower, but I’d love to be back at another festival next week, and I’d take a guitar next time to sit in on some of the jams.

Spiers & Boden
Spiers & Boden, the incredibly talented founders of Bellowhead
The Gipsy Kings
The amazing Gipsy Kings
Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Clannad
Moya out of off of the legendary Clannad
The Spooky Men's Chorale
A bassy bit of The Spooky Men’s Chorale
Michael David Rosenberg aka Passenger
Michael David Rosenberg aka Passenger
Michael David Rosenberg aka Passenger
Michael David Rosenberg aka Passenger
Show of Hands
The boys of summer, Show of Hands
O'Hooley and Tidow
O’Hooley and Tidow
Afro Celt Sound System
Afro Celt Sound System, eclectic and energetic
Janice Burns
Janice Burns of Janice and Jon
Jon Duran
Jon Duran of Janice and Jon
Ford Collier from Mishra
Ford Collier from Mishra, mixing English folk and Indian style
Kate Griffin from Mishra
Kate Griffin from Mishra
Beans on Toast
Essex boy Beans on Toast from Braintree, innit?
Clannad
Clannad, legends

Chico Trujillo
The unbelievably energetic Chico Trujillo
The Young'uns
The Young’uns
Seasick Steve
Seasick Steve
Show of Hands
Show of Hands
The Spooky Men's Chorale singing workshop
The Spooky Men’s Chorale singing workshop
Yours truly with fanned-fret guitar worth about three grand
Yours truly with fanned-fret guitar worth about three grand
Festival Dusk and Bowler Hat
Festival Dusk and Bowler Hat
Festival fiddling fox
Festival fiddling fox
Festival Twilight
Festival Twilight
Mrs and Mr Sciencebase - #CamFolkFest22 Survivors
Mrs and Mr Sciencebase – #CamFolkFest22 Survivors

I took most of the photos on pocket Lumix camera (a DMC-TZ35). Those with no logo or with an angled dB/ logo I snapped with my phone camera and processed in SnapSeed. The photo of yours truly taken by Mrs Sciencebase with her phone.