Doolin: Damp and Nippy at the Folk Festival

Hope these shots convey just how damp and nippy it was in Doolin for the Folk Festival:

Well done to the kind stranger from Boston, the USA (now residing in Dublin) who took the shots above.

Thankfully, both tents withstood the strong winds coming in from the sea (them stones off the wall certainly did a good job):

The shot above was taken during a rare interlude between the almost incessant rain.

Black Water County Live at Wimborne Party in the Paddock 10th June 2018

My friend, Dave, found the folk music on at Wimborne Minster a bit heavy for Sunday lunchtime, so we made our way down to the Party in the Paddock to catch Black Water County.

Was nice to see the Wimborne locals getting together, having a few drinks, and enjoying themselves on a Sunday afternoon.

Also enjoyed Black Water County, of course.  They played two sets with both upbeat Pogues-type tunes and more mellow numbers like 'Brandy'.

And this nice Sunday afternoon event was washed down well with some good beer from the (quite local) Ringwood brewery.

Dr. Mindflip Live at Doolin Festival 15th June 2018

For me, the highlight of the opening day of this year's Doolin Festival was Dr. Mindflip:

From the moment the band came on with 'Rootless', I knew that it was going to be an interesting gig.

Like quite a few people observed, the band are not only good fun but also incredibly talented musicians.
 

At times, Dr. Mindflip reminded me a bit of Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, King Crimson, and even Max Webster (Kim Mitchell).

Thomas Hardy's Wessex: Finding Waterston Manor

This was a case of third time lucky, as the previous two years, I'd failed to find Waterston Manor despite generally heading in the right direction.  Hence, it was a relief to eventually find the place which is the inspiration for Weatherbury Farm in Hardy's 'Far from the Madding Crowd'.

Unlike the previous two years, I had a travelling companion, one of my best friends, Dave, and one of the highlights of this year's trip was seeing his astonishment as Waterston Manor came into view.  Like Dave said, it was easy to imagine Bathsheba Everdene opening one of the top windows there.

While staring in almost adoration around Waterston Manor, it was also easy to imagine the likes of Gabriel Oak and Joseph Poorgrass carrying out their farm duties around the place:

Like Dave said, such a place may've been difficult to find by car which pointed towards the virtue of trekking parts of the Hardy Way.

As soon as I saw the sign for Lower Waterston, I knew we were on the right path for Waterston Manor:

A little earlier, I'd got a closer look at Keeper's Cottage, the inspiration for Keeper Day's cottage in 'Under the Greenwood Tree', than last year:

Doolin, Ireland: Beef Stew

Some tasty beef stew we had in a pub while over for the Folk Festival in Doolin, county Clare, earlier this month.  Underneath the beef stew, there was a nice, big dollop of mashed potatoes.

Rura Live at Bury Met (Derby Hall) 21st June 2018

Not often I get round to seeing gigs in my hometown of Bury, Lancashire, but I enjoyed watching Scottish folk band, Rura, at Bury Derby Hall last Thursday night:

The first half of the Rura set seemed to be dominated by their new album,

while the second half focused on older material.  My favourite tune of the night was always going to be 'The Lasher'.

Father John Misty Live at Warsaw Palladium 5th June 2018

This was my third gig in four days so I was kind of shattered.  Still after having seen the Prog giants, Camel and YES (ARW version) over the weekend, it was nice to see something a bit different in the shape of Father John Misty (Josh Tillman):

Thought that 'Mr. Tillman' was the standout tune from the songs done from the recent 'God's Favorite Customer' album:

However, like many people, I guess, I was waiting for 'Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings' and 'Real Love Baby' which came towards the end of the set.

Also have 'Pure Comedy' and 'Bored in the USA' humming in my head after the gig.

Warsaw: Chips and Fried Carrots

Chips (fried potatoes) and fried carrot, quite a nice, little snack I had at the wonderful YES (featuring ARW) concert at the Park Sowińskiego Amphitheatre in Warsaw on Sunday.

YES (featuring ARW) Live at Warsaw Park Sowińskiego 3rd June 2018

A few shots of YES (featuring ARW) from Sunday night's gig at Warsaw Park Sowińskiego, which is an amphitheatre, a wonderful setting for such a summer's eve concert:

Saw the ARW version of YES at Loreley in the Rhineland last summer, but much preferred them in Warsaw a couple of days ago (this may be simply because the 3-day festival at Loreley was too attritional for somebody like myself, in his 50s).

Think that the ARW version of Yes do a good mix of traditional Yes tunes ('Awaken'; 'Roundabout' etc.) and Rabin-flavoured 1980s tunes ('Changes'; 'Rhythm of Love'; 'Hold On' etc.).

SBB Live at Warsaw Park Sowińskiego 3rd June 2018

Some of my Polish friends advised me to catch legendary, Polish Prog band, SBB, opening for the Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman  version of YES (I like both versions), so that's what I did:

And without really knowing anything by the band, although I did check them out on Youtube beforehand, I really enjoyed the SBB set.

Through checking the band out, I was already aware that SBB were mightily fine musicians, of course.

Camel Live at Warsaw Progresja 2nd June 2018

Was really looking forward to this but the Progresja was so packed that I ended up watching the concert through a door from the bar (not actually inside the concert hall itself):

Still, as expected the music was excellent, really enjoyed the whole of 'Moon Madness' in the first set especially 'Another Night' and 'Lunar Sea'.

Of course, 'Lady Fantasy' got a great reception as the encore later on.

Great concert, just wish I'd seen it from a better position, but that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes, I guess.