as well as 422, who I've not seen doing a concert for ages, as they've been on a lot here but mainly playing for ceilidhs. Aren't Sophie Ball's shoes wonderful?
Then another Whitby quiz, this time Family Folktunes, loosely based on Family Fortunes with two folk families, The Unthanks and The Prices competing, hosted again by the great Stanley Accrington. Last time I saw Rachel Unthank it was on the BBC Best of Glastonbury programme, so she's quite famous now, but there's no standing in ceremony in Whitby. They'd asked 100 folkies answers to questions ranging from what's your favourite folk festival to what might you do in a concert (interestingly the top answer to that one was sleep!).
As we wanted to get into another concert and knew it would fill up fast we only had 20 minutes to get something to eat, so the answer was obvious - fish and chips eaten on the move. I didn't dare tell the rest that's what Id had for lunch.... But you can't beat Whitby fish, freshly caught. Most chip shops even tell you which trawler it came in on that morning.
The concert was the highlight of the festival so far for me - an Old Time Music Hall. Lots of acts all doing shortish spots, all of the right period. John Kirkpatrick set then scene with an opening sone entitled " What noise annoys an oyster", and it sort of went downhill from there....
John Cocking told some excellent monologues, including one about the Ramsbottoms, which you have to have in any music hall show. This was The Recumbent Posture, made famous by Stanley Holloway. You can find the lyrics here, but they have to be said in the right accent!
Keith Donnelly told his normal mixture of funny stories ( my favourite being villages with names where you wouldn't want to be in their women's institute including Ugly and Loose) and sang some funny songs including an audience participation one which had us all waving our arms in the air pretending to be God ( he moves in mysterious ways....)
Camden Clog did a clog routine including a sailors hornpipe and some wonderful Lancashire Irish steps which I've never been able to master. The video below is just of the Hornpipe steps:
Various other music hall songs including the Galloping Major and the Man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo, which had everyone belting out the choruses, and then it was the final act, Stanley Accrington. he is one of the funniest people I know, writing his own songs. Some of them remarkably up to date including references to things that had happened in the last couple of days. A whole song dedicated to Folk Week clashing with the Regatta for example. But the best, and for me containing the best line of the festival, was one made up of opening lines or titles of country songs. "Take your tongue out of my mouth cos I'm kissing you goodbye". I had to look it up as I didn't believe it, but it was apparently written by John Denver!
Then we all piled down to the Late Night Extra, and ended up staying till the end again, and getting a few dances in.
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