I have just returned from The Little Festival of Everything in Coxwold, a delightful little weekend of theatre, poetry, music and comedy. This is the second time The Fauconberg Arms has hosted a huge variety of performers from across the UK in its intimate spaces.
Last November was an experiment which paid off, and the local people came eagerly expecting something new and exciting in their village. There’s the worry the second time around the shine might have worn off. Quite the opposite in fact, the audiences now know the ropes and it all appeared to run smoothly enough.
We talk a lot about the ‘community’ of artists, and sometimes I feel like it’s a sort of myth, something we created via social media to make it appear like all us artists are chums. But actually, these events prove we really go get along in this social and exciting climate. Edinburgh Fringe is a similar set-up, but fraught with stress and work. The pressure of Little Fest at Coxwold is limited to worrying if Bramble the dog will heckle you.
I previewed Protest Moans & megaphones, a side-project. I need to go a lot more work on it, but very grateful for the honest audience feedback.
Here’s a very simple poem I quickly knocked up whilst listening to Holy Moly & The Crackers new album which I got on Saturday night
Tuck yourself into a Golden Cowpat, the story not the manure
See Lolita re-written as a plumber fumbles on the floor
Of course, actually, when it comes down to it, I think you’ll find, mate
We create melodrama in our lives from Paris to Harrogate
Meet the Mitford Sisters, have a cake, have some tea
Just be careful what you say stays within the family
Holy smokes! The floor’s really shaking with an album launch
Jazz and folk music to accompany our pub lunch
We learnt that Astronauts should never tell lies to kids
It can jeopardise your career and make you end up eating…yoghurt.
Protests against the government, scenes of the British Way of Life,
A woman’s choice to be a playwright or be the good model wife
Song covers in the bar, let’s have a sing-a-long, we cry for more!
Oh. And don’t mention the football
Yes it really is a festival of everything, even desperate sports
But England can lose a million times, we never lose at arts
