Cambridge Folk Festival review - 'a stronger than usual Caledonian contingent'

The Cambridge Folk Festival has long been a beloved second home for Scottish musicians but featured a stronger than usual Caledonian contingent in what was officially hailed as the festival's Year of Scotland, kicking off with a Q&A with Celtic Connections Artistic Director Donald Shaw whose own band Capercaillie were the first big draw on the Main Stage. They first played the festival 38 years ago when, according to Shaw, the pace was dizzying. But they are no slouches these days either, thanks to the fleet fingers of piper Michael McGoldrick who popped up again with Shaw as part of the folk festival in microcosm that is the Transatlantic Sessions ensemble.

Battlefield Band founder Brian McNeill, an annual fixture hosting his Festival Session, wins the prize for most Cambridge appearances by any artist ever. At the other end of the spectrum, Edinburgh's Dean Owens made his festival debut, winning fans with the yearning Tex Mex flavours supplied by his band The Sinners.

Showcase Scotland took over the bijou Stage 3 for several hours on Friday and Saturday with highlights including mellifluous vocalist Hannah Rarity, the healing balm of Constant Follower and dynamic sextet Falasgair, expertly balancing their sonic mix of pipes, piano, fiddle and bodhran. This Skye-formed, Glasgow-based outfit have future headliner potential but for now that honour went to the dazzling Talisk, with concertina whizz Mohsen Amini the Lord of the dance with his lightning trills.

Other highlights included Fantastic Negrito, a Sly Stone-like shamanic figure who presided over a flamboyant psych funk cavalcade and Nitin Sawhney’s mesmeric South Asian fusion. He testified to the influence of the raga-loving Jimmy Page whose old mucker Robert Plant was the superstar attraction of the weekend, gripping a capacity Main Stage crowd alongside the deep rolling storm whipped up by his current collaborators Saving Grace and co-vocalist Suzy Dian.