London Feis: the Fleadh reborn

The Irish know how to enjoy themselves, and the party started/continued as soon as the wristbands were on. As ever, there were queues at the bars and queues for the loos, but these things are worth waiting for.

The Undertones hit the main stage early, with a run through their first album to rapturous response from an audience that grew very big indeed. Here Comes The Summer, My Perfect Cousin, Jimmy Jimmy, Teenage Kicks, Get Over You et al, untouched by time, or the elements.

There were intermittent showers, and sunshine on both days, which meant the occasional impromptu visit to Carlinden Events’ 44m by 44m big top, home to the second stage. One such saw me squeezing in at the end of Texan survivor Nanci Griffi ths’ acoustic set, managing to finish bang in the middle for Shane MacGowan & Friends, who were up next.

After a shaky That Woman’s Got Me Drinking, one of five songs from 1994 solo album The Snake, and a lacklustre If I Should Fall From Grace With God, backed by a thick set rock ‘n’ roll band, the Pogues singer started to enjoy himself. Through a sharp L-Acoustics dV–Dosc system from BCS Audio, we got great takes on Dirty Old Town, London Girl, Rainy Night In Soho, Neil Diamond’s Cracklin’ Rosie and more besides.

The focus though, before, during and after the event, was on Bob Dylan, naturally enough. He has the most illustrious back catalogue in the business, and he’s just turned 70. The fact that he sounds a bit like Marlon Brando in The Godfather when he sings live, and it can take as much as five minutes to recognise songs you know absolutely, doesn’t change the fact that you’re seeing a man who changed the face of music. And a capacity crowd of literally all ages dug Dylan at the Finsbury Park Feis.

The Model

Beyond some changes backstage, the site structure was familiar to the Fleadh in 2002, albeit enhanced by Entertee, Power’s production company of choice since Hop Farm Festival 2009, bringing its inimitable style to the occasion.

“There’s only a certain way you can use this park, from where you put the stages to the access points,” managing director Gill Tee tells Access in the production cabin on day one. “Everything’s about looking at the bottom line, and making sure it all balances up, so you make use of all the natural pathways and the road, which reduces the need for trackway, and so on.

“Vince knows his audience,” she says. “He felt there was still a market for a celebration of Irish music, and the whole atmosphere here shows he’s right. It’s the first time I’ve worked in Finsbury Park, but I felt an affinity with it straightaway, and building the infrastructure has been amazing.

“We’ve got a mixture of young, enthusiastic people, and others with years of experience on the team, and the combination works really well. Our production company is welcoming, and everybody is equally important. That’s why I started the business 13 years ago. Lots of suppliers who worked with us in the past want to come back, and I’m really proud of that.

“The council and the police have been lovely,” Tee continues. “They welcomed Vince back. They’re used to events here, so it’s easier to get the licence than it is at the Hop Farm. But it’s a new site for us at the same time, with a new set of dynamics, so there’s that sense of adventure too,” she laughs.

“London Feis was a fantastic success,” the festival organisers said. “Attendance was great, Bob Dylan was fantastic, and we look forward to bringing it back next year.”