Ooh ooh ooh! I'm all abuzz - it's been the folkiest weekend in, well, weeks!Graham and Lucinde Metcalfe are back in town, after emigrating to Canada 6 months or so ago. Theirs has gotta be one of the best grownup love stories ever - high school sweethearts who met up 40 years on and found that a whole lot of life circumstances hadn't changed them that much after all - they were married last year.
I first met Graham as one third of GMW - or Giles Metcalfe and Woods, but he's loads before that on the folk scene. If there's a song from up north that man doesn't know, I'd be amazed. So it was a matter of course that he'd be asked to take a spot at the Oxford Folk Club. Amazing to hear his ringing baritone filling the room again. Best of all, Giles and Woods were persuaded up on stage: we thought we'd seen their last gigs together, but we was wrong! Graham had special words of praise for Woodsy's songwriting: something about deserving to be much better known for it than he is. So true.
Sunday night was, of course, the Half Moon session and it hadn't seen so many singers in ages: as well as the Metcalfes, Ian Giles roped in the other two of his new trio, Vinegar Tom. And Ants came down - we hardly ever get there together any more... cracking good night.
The adventure continued tonight: I teamed up with Stephen and Ela from the Half Moon to hit the Nettlebed folk club, where a cold ridden, moderately pregnant but absolutely amazing Eliza Carthy was playing stuff from her new album. Wow oh wow. Her new five piece band is just amazing. I'm still jealous of anyone who can fiddle that fast, and sing so gorgeously - and do both at the same time. She even hauled out an accordion - throwing down the gauntlet to players everywhere to 'try this on one leg, in high heels, while pregnant'!
I don't care that it's midnight on a Monday and I've only just got home... I'd do it all again (in fact, I am, cos Spiers and Boden are here in 2 weeks!)
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