What A Great Opening Night

 

The 2012 VIMF started out with a bang on Friday night. The sold out festival was packed with keen, well behaved fans.We were treated to perfect sunny weather (and later a full moon), and, of course, great music.

Richard Thompson did a wonderful solo acoustic set – and what a set! A virtual workshop for us guitar aficionados  , and lots of favourites including”When the Spell is Broken”, “Vincent Black Lightning” “Twist the Knife”, “Dog Eat Dog” and many more in a 75  minute set.

 

Then we were treated to a new band from Scotland, “Sketch”. With Ian Coupland from Peatbog Faeries as arranger percussionist, this band really cooked and the crowd got rightinto dance mode. Pulsing beats and great pipes and fiddling – what more could a festival crowd ask for?

That would be K D Lang and the Sis Boom Bang, her new backup band.

She certainly stole the show, playing lots of her hits, including”Big Brown Gal”, “Miss Chatelaine”, “Nevermore”,”Constant Craving”, and, of course “Hallelujah”

The new band is actually better live than on her new release – touring will do that. Great guitar, pedal steel and keyboard playing throughout her performance, and even KD playing banjo (she claims it is a “chick magnet”) on one song.

So that was Friday night at the festival.

Stay tuned for the Saturday blog.