Bellowhead celebrate their birthday with a party at Oxford Folk Festival

Local band Telling the Bees kick start the Festival on Friday evening with an animated performance on the Town Hall's main stage. It is clear what great connection they have with the audience who don't seem too terrified by the grating House of Horror chords they unleash.

Bringing down the pace somewhat, but still engaging with the bubbling crowd the more dulcet tones of Maclaine Colston & Saul Rose reverb around the balconies and recesses of the Town Hall. “Lord of the Dings” Maclaine shows his expertise on the rarely heard hammered dulcimer accompanied by Saul on the more widely played melodeon. Together they continue to demonstrate the musicianship which has seen them associated with most of the greats in folk over the last decade or so, and more recently with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

The atmosphere in the Town Hall brims with expectation of a great show from folk supergroup Bellowhead. The band played their first gig together at the first Oxford Folk festival so tonight is party night as they are greeted on stage by a chorus of happy birthday. Dressed in the sharpest suits known to folk they celebrate their 6th birthday with balloons and party poppers. Whoops of delight from the young women clustered in front of stage greet every tune.

The performance is the most breakneck I have seen from them, frantically swapping instruments mid reel, jigging and clowning around. After several oldies and previews of forthcoming album material the temperature inside the Hall has soared, the smell of sweat and beer is thick in the air. How they stay in tune whilst constantly changing instruments is a mystery, perhaps the blaring horn section conceals a multitude of sins, or perhaps without Benji Kirkpatrick they do not need to tune up! Either way what the sound lacks in subtlety the band and audience together make up for in enthusiasm.

The sardonically jovial Kipling song Cholera Camp gets the best cheer of the night to the evident delight of frontmen Jon Boden and John Spiers. At one point Jon gets a bit carried away and throws off his jacket only for it to land on his head slapstick style. Even Paul Sartin's air of detached aloofness evaporates as he surprisingly performs the dying fly dance! Despite being shoehorned onto the stage the band keeps the feeling going for over an hour and a half. A fantastic birthday party!

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