Ade Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds rockin’ the house BBC ...
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Ade Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds kick off with a BBC cutting-room floor version of ‘All Around My Hat’ . O ne day, perhaps, a winner will forget this is the Folk Awards. ey’ll throw a Gwyneth Paltrow gush-a-rama, or do a George C Scott (or a Marlon) and tell Auntie where to stick it. For now, though, there isn’t too much chance of that happening. True, there was a smattering of celebs, an East End hard man (well, Bob ’Oskins), a couple of Dickie Attenborough lookalikes, and more bright young things gussied up in frocks than you’ll see in a lifetime of hanging around festival beer tents. ere were even lots of folk musicians. But as backslap fests at the showbiz end go, this one is remarkably unaffected and restrained. Perhaps the BBC budget cuts are keeping a brake on things. Mike Harding was apologetic. ‘You will notice,’ he begins, ‘where we used to have a sumptuous sit-down dinner, we are now reduced to what is known as bowl food.’ But this is about the music (despite the EC2 venue and scrubbed waiting staff ), and Ade Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds kick off with a BBC cutting-room floor version of ‘All Around My Hat’. ‘And it’s absolutely right and fair,’ says Tom Robinson, ‘that the award for best duo should go to…Show of Hands!’ FEATURE: BBC RADIO 2 FOLK AWARDS 74 Steve Knightley and Phil Beer appear onstage and are then joined by Miranda Sykes. ‘Steve Knightley!’ says Robinson. ‘Phil Beer! Miranda Sykes! e biggest duo in the world!’ Can Tom only count in twos? Is the folk community too parochial? Eliza Carthy is having none of it. ‘People say the folk world can be too cosy and too insular,’ she begins. ‘at we all sit around at things like this, patting ourselves on the back…but the nominees this year make an absolute nonsense of this.’ And this year’s winner is…Lau, for the third year running. A besuited Martin Green steps up to the microphone and speaks for the many. ‘It is fantastic,’ he says, ‘to be part of this folk community… So many people here tonight care about keeping it inclusive, and forward thinking, and not, under any circumstances, letting folk music be used for a cause for which it was not intended.’ ere are whistles, whoops and prolonged clapping from the audience. e applause ebbs away, and Cara Dillon sings ‘e Verdant Braes Of Skreen’. It is beautiful, of course, and so is she. Surely there must be more to this than the luck of the Irish, that they have talent contests and discover Ms Dillon, and we have them, and discover Simon Cowell? ‘is song will hopefully be a rallying cry,’ says Ian McMillan, presenting Steve Knightley with the award for best original song, ‘Arrogance Ignorance And Greed’. ‘It’ll be sung in rallies, perhaps in schools, perhaps in pubs…perhaps in the foyers of banks!’ Presumably not by the staff, though, catchy little number as it is. Bob Harris is also doing catchy numbers – a shirt boldly emblazoned with guitars, fiddles and a lively music score. ‘ere’s something very special about coming out…’ he says, to titters and chuckles from the audience. Ade Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds rockin’ the house Gongs, gaffes and don’t mention the Academy: Noel Harvey reports on the folk world’s Oscars. BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards
Transcript of Ade Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds rockin’ the house BBC ...
Ade Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds kick off with a BBC cutting-room floor version of ‘All Around My Hat’.
One day, perhaps, a winner will forget this is the Folk Awards. They’ll throw a
Gwyneth Paltrow gush-a-rama, or do a George C Scott (or a Marlon) and tell Auntie where to stick it. For now, though, there isn’t too much chance of that happening. True, there was a smattering of celebs, an East End hard man (well, Bob ’Oskins), a couple of Dickie Attenborough lookalikes, and more bright young things gussied up in frocks than you’ll see in a lifetime of hanging around festival beer tents. There were even lots of folk musicians. But as backslap fests at the showbiz end go, this
one is remarkably unaffected and restrained. Perhaps the BBC budget cuts are keeping a brake on things.
Mike Harding was apologetic. ‘You will notice,’ he begins, ‘where we used to have a sumptuous sit-down dinner, we are now reduced to what is known as bowl food.’ But this is about the music (despite the EC2 venue and scrubbed waiting staff), and Ade Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds kick off with a BBC cutting-room floor version of ‘All Around My Hat’.
‘And it’s absolutely right and fair,’ says Tom Robinson, ‘that the award for best duo should go to…Show of Hands!’
FEATURE: BBC Radio 2 Folk awaRds
74
Steve Knightley and Phil Beer appear onstage and are then joined by Miranda Sykes. ‘Steve Knightley!’ says Robinson. ‘Phil Beer! Miranda Sykes! The biggest duo in the world!’ Can Tom only count in twos? Is the folk community too parochial?
Eliza Carthy is having none of it. ‘People say the folk world can be too cosy and too insular,’ she begins. ‘That we all sit around at things like this, patting ourselves on the back…but the nominees this year make an absolute nonsense of this.’ And this year’s winner is…Lau, for the third year running. A besuited Martin Green steps up to the microphone and speaks for the many. ‘It is fantastic,’ he says, ‘to be part of this folk community… So many people here tonight care about keeping it inclusive, and forward thinking, and not, under any circumstances, letting folk music be used for a cause for which it was not intended.’ There are whistles, whoops and
prolonged clapping from the audience. The applause ebbs away, and Cara Dillon sings ‘The Verdant Braes Of Skreen’. It is beautiful, of course, and so is she. Surely there must be more to this than the luck of the Irish, that they have talent contests and discover Ms Dillon, and we have them, and discover Simon Cowell?
‘This song will hopefully be a rallying cry,’ says Ian McMillan, presenting Steve Knightley with the award for best original song, ‘Arrogance Ignorance And Greed’. ‘It’ll be sung in rallies, perhaps in schools, perhaps in pubs…perhaps in the foyers of banks!’ Presumably not by the staff, though, catchy little number as it is.
Bob Harris is also doing catchy numbers – a shirt boldly emblazoned with guitars, fiddles and a lively music score. ‘There’s something very special about coming out…’ he says, to titters and chuckles from the audience.
Ade Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds rockin’ the house
Gongs, gaffes and don’t mention the Academy: Noel Harvey reports on the folk world’s Oscars.
BBC Radio 2 Folk awards
74-75 BBC2 Folk_BC.indd 86 26/02/2010 16:25
Could this explain the shirt? Apparently not. It’s a Nashville shirt, worn in honour of Nanci Griffith, winner of a lifetime achievement award.
Greg Wise, presenting the award for Musician of the Year, says he’s awestruck by the sheer masculinity of Maurice, whom some of us assume to be this year’s hunky winner. But no, he’s actually taking about Morris. Dancing that is. And actually, what he’s really in awe of is not the dancers at all, but the musicians, and one in particular, John Kirkpatrick. People clap, and cheer, and rise to their feet to applaud the Sultan of Squeeze. It’s one of the most enthusiastic
receptions of the evening. Which is a tremendous shame, because it’s richly deserved, and he’s not there to see it.
Joe Buirski and Sam Lee of The Magpie’s Nest win the award for Folk Club of the Year. ‘We’re just a nodule on the side of a massive iceberg,’ says Joe (or it might be Sam), which is one way of describing a folk club in London’s East End. ‘We’ve had fights,’ he continues gamely. ‘On Jim Moray’s night, we almost had a fist-up there.’ (Laughter, whistles, whoops from the audience.) ‘The police were called…’ (A shout of ‘I bet they were!’) If you’re after a double entendre, this is the place to get it.
Show of Hands are onstage now, but they’re taking no prisoners. ‘With your bonuses, your expenses…’
FEATURE: BBC Radio 2 Folk awaRds
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Show of Hands, winner’s of Best Duo and Best Song sticking it to the bankers
Show of Hands are onstage now, performing ‘Arrogance Ignorance And Greed’. They’re in the heart of the City, but they’re taking no prisoners. ‘With your bonuses, your expenses, which you shovel down your throats…’ sings Knightley, then ad-libbing, ‘AIG…RBS…BBC executives…can you hear us out there?’ No, only joking. He didn’t really include the BBC executives. Which is probably just as well. After all, someone up there must be giving the nod to the evening, not to mention to the legendary Transatlantic Sessions, this year’s winner of The Good Tradition Award. The Sessions band play out the show, with as rollicking a rendition of ‘Man Of Constant Sorrow’ as you’re likely to hear.
Oscars? You can keep ’em – and that’s not just from George C Scott and Marlon. Noel Harvey
BBC Radio 2 Folk awards
BBC RAdio 2 Folk awards winners
Folk Singer of the Year: Jon BodenBest Duo: Show of Hands Best Group: Lau
Best Album: Hill Of Thieves by Cara Dillon
Best Original Song: ‘Arrogance Ignorance And Greed’ by Steve Knightley (performed by Show of Hands)
Best Traditional Track: ‘Sir Patrick Spens’ by Martin Simpson Horizon Award: Sam Carter Musician of the Year:John Kirkpatrick Best Live Act: Bellowhead Lifetime Achievement Award: Nanci Griffith
Lifetime Achievement Award: Dick Gaughan Folk Club Award: The Magpie’s Nest
Good Tradition Award: Transatlantic Sessions
Cara Dillon, winner of Best Album
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