Cambridge Folk Festival 2024

Cambridge Folk Festival:

Cambridge Folk Festival has a longstanding history which places it as one of the essential Folk music festivals anywhere on the planet. The festival, which is held in the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall, has been running since 1965, becoming arguably the largest part of Cambridge's music scene. This weekend has seen the 2024 edition take place, with last night being headlined by Robert Plant presents Saving Grace featuring Suzi Dian. Their epic set wil; live long in the festival's memory, but this is not an event which only focuses on headliners. The Cambridge Folk Festival has three main stages inside the arena, as well as several smaller stages and craft workshops dotted around the Hall's grounds. These allow local artists of all backgrounds to showcase their talents to the masses. There really is something for everybody at this festival, but at the very heart of it is the music. 

Bess Atwell:

The weekend was opened by Brighton-based singer-songwriter Bess Atwell, who had the main arena packed out with excitement to see her. Bess more than lived up to this expectation, delivering an hour long set full of stunning vocals and relatable music that solidified why she is one of the most exciting singer-songwriters in the country.

One of the highlights of the set was Bess newest single 'Where I Left Us', an emotional song that proved to be quite a moving start to the day. Bess is a once in a generation songwriter, and this is just one of a number of songs played which proved that.

Her chemistry with her band was clear for all to see, which added to the enjoyment of a set that set the tone for the day. This was an hour full of top-tier music, delivered through the most beautiful vocals, that mesmerised the field of music lovers. With an increasingly stronger discography, and an ever-growing fan base, there really is no reason why Bess couldn't headline the whole festival in years to come

Fantastic Negrito:

One thing that has kept Cambridge FolkFestival increasingly fresh over the past 60 years is the increased willingness to tap into sister genres. Genres such as blues, rock and roots music have all made their way onto the line-up through various artists. In the case of Fantastic Negrito, all these genres were blended into one, and channelled into one of the main stages most energetic sets of the day.

His music was definitely the heaviest to be played on Friday's main stage, but the thousands in attendance lapped up this change of pace. Fantastic Negrito threw his all into this performance, and the adoring audience returned the favour, with each song being paired with a mass of dancing limbs.

As an artist Fantastic Negrito has never shied away from pushing boundaries, as shown in his ever-diverse back catalogue, but this is taken to a whole new level on the stage. If you are a fan of Roots music, or just want to witness stage presence at it's very best, you need to head to a Fantastic Negrito show

Tommy Emmanuel:

I have spoken about the stellar diversity this festival offers, made clear by the contrast between singer-songwriter and roots-inspired rock music. However, sandwiched between these was an acoustic guitar mastermind. Tommy Emmanuel is nothing short of a musical legend and is touted as one of the best acoustic guitar players of all time. This is high- pressure praise to live up to, but it only took the viewing of one song to understand exactly why he has earned such a moniker. 

Tommy manages to do more with one guitar than several esteemed guitarists could do combined, he truly is a musical genius. His set yesterday felt almost biographical, playing songs written about those closest to him, whilst filling the gaps with truly heartwarming stories about the subjects. These original pieces were paired with a number of crowd-pleasing covers, with instrumental versions of John Lennon's 'Imagine' and a Beatles Medley both going down a treat. There truly is not artist around quite like Tommy Emmanuel, and his greatness must be seen to be believed

Anna McLuckie:

One of the festivals most serene sets was The Den, located amongst the stunning setting of woodlands and a duck pond. The stage showcased several upcoming artists, with talent levels so high that these were easily some of the best sets of the day.

One of the most Ethereal sets came from Anna McLuckie, a Scottish born singer-Clàrsach player, who in my opinion performed the set of the day. Her music was the perfect modernised version of nu-folk, blending traditional stylings with today's issues. Her unreleased song "Jay Bird" is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever had the pleasure of hearing live.

Anna's flawless music was taken to new heights by the musical talents of Awen Blandford and George Burrage, who played cello and double bass respectively. As a trio of musicians, they are at the top of their game. This, combined with the most unreal setting, meant this transcended a concert and became more of a musical experience; and it is an experience I wish I could live all over again.

Rum Ragged:

Back inside the arena an exciting audience was gathering at Stage 2, for what would turn out to be undoubtably the stage's best set of the day. A rapturous applause welcomed Canadian Quartet as their first song kicked in, creating a buzz that would not simmer for the next 50 minutes. The four-piece, consisting of Aaron Collis, Colin Grant, Mark Manning and Zack Nash, mastered their way through a set which showcased their quick-wit just as much as it did their musical abilities.

The chemistry between all four musicians was radiant, being made even more impressive given the number of instruments played. Their music features the Bouzouki, Fiddle, Bodhran, Banjo and Guitar and Button Accordion, yet each musician was able to flawlessly transition no matter what the song

By the time Rum Ragged's set came to a close, bodies were spilling out of the Stage 2 tend, with passers by being immediately hook from one brief listen of the music. This created an even louder audience, giving this energetic band exactly the response they deserved.

David Burnett:

Whilst the high-energy excitement was happening on Stage 2, the Den was being turned into a hub of atmospheric acoustic brilliance. Americana singer-songwriter David Burnett took to the stage and delivered a set which covered the full range of human emotions. He is joined on stage by the extremely talented viola player Isabel Juárez, a true folk power duo. Isabel's viola adds an even stronger emotional feel to David's music, with the pair master their way through a 45- minute time slot which left all in attendance desperate for more

David's songwriting ability is astounding, perfectly capturing feelings such as love longing and isolation, often in a hopeful way. For me, the pick of the set was "What Lisa Does?", a catchy song which talks of a past relationship. The song, much like many others David played, is written in such a clever way. Every line feels so personal to David's experiences, and yet still manages to be so relatable to any listener. This is songwriting at its very best