Petworth Festival 2008 - a triumph?

The organiser declares this year's Petworth Festival a triumph. Well maybe. The one I went to was very enjoyable. It really is rather amazing that a town the size of Petworth has a festival at all let alone one that attracts world class performers like June Tabor. Judging by how hard it was to park outside my house most nights it was certainly well attended. I can't help thinking though that the last minute decision to cancel the big public spectacle in Market Square was a huge mistake that coloured the whole atmosphere of the festival. The reason given was health and safety concerns. But many events take place in Market Square without any problems. (The clue is in the name.) One particular event, the Charter Fair, has been going on since the Middle Ages. I really really hope that this hasn't set a precedent. One of the great joys of living in Petworth is that the town gets used as a proper town with things going on in its centre, despite it being bang on an A road. The Christmas celebrations there are particularly magical. If the Music Festival makes it difficult for future events in the Square, that will be very bad news indeed.

June Tabor at St Marys Petworth 16th June 2008

They say that people forget nearly everything but they never forget how you make them feel. This must be true. Back in the Seventies as a teenager I heard a song on the radio by June Tabor. I don't remember the tune or the name of the song, but I do remember it made the hairs on the back of my head stand up. Since then I have heard a bit more of her music, though not much. And I have heard her spoken about with great respect by people who know about this sort of thing. So when I saw she was appearing at the Petworth Music Festival, literally at the end of my road, I knew I had to go. June Tabor is a folk singer, but in the sense that Bob Dylan is a folk singer, or Stubbs is a horse painter. She is really just June Tabor. Sometimes she sings folk songs. Tonight she was with a group called Quercus that comprised an excellent pianist and a saxophonist and of course June herself. She is a short woman who sort of sneaks onto stage without any fanfare. She opened by going straight into Brigg Fair unintroduced and unaccompanied and instantly filled the church. Her voice is pure but characterful and easily fits into any style. She could easily have taken up any number of musical options but I am glad that she has chosen to concentrate on traditional songs. They really work well the way she sings them. But she happily threw in Mad About the Boy by Noel Coward. But for me the highlight of the night was an arrangement of one Housman's Shropshire Lad cycle arranged by George Butterworth. This sad song describes the missing faces from a Shropshire fair due to losses in a far off war. As the song ended and before the accompaniament had finished she pointed out that Butterworth himself was killed at the age of 31 on the Somme. Even nearly a hundred years after the event it still brings a tear to the eye. The two musicians with her had some time to play on their own which was pleasant. The big surprise was just how jazzy the evening was. A night to remember.