Viewpoint / Folk festival is ‘Shetland hospitality, humour and can-do attitude at its best’
In this Viewpoint piece on behalf of the committee, Lewie Peterson reflects on last weekend’s 44th Shetland Folk Festival and the community spirit which remains at the core of event
THEY SAY a week is a long time in politics – especially this one. However in the folk music world, it can fly by too quickly.
As I write, it’s been eight days since we welcomed around 70 visiting artists from ten different nations to the isles – not to mention 36 local acts and thousands of ticket holders (700 from outside Shetland).
When the first Shetland Folk Festival was being planned back in 1981, the committee’s aim was to showcase Shetland music on a bigger stage and across our shores. They also aimed to bring some of the finest traditional players to local audiences and for our own musicians to hear and be inspired by them.
The festival has changed in many ways over the last four decades but the current committee see it as our responsibility to keep to those principles of those pioneers in an ever evolving musical landscape and community. As the classical composer Gustav Mahler once said, “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire”.
We hope the 44th edition has shone a torch again for future generations and would like to think that it demonstrated Shetland hospitality, humour and can-do attitude at its best – a celebration of ‘folk’ with a small ‘f’.
From the moment the first musicians set foot off the NorthLink ferry, they were helped in some way by a local volunteer. We need hundreds to sustain the festival (approximately three per cent of the local population).
Drivers, raffle sellers, stewards, musicians, merch sellers, bar and venue staff all keep the event running in addition to our committee members who plan, deliver and then plan again each year. Then there’s the 40+ local households who host artists and delegates for the weekend, giving them a more real taste of life on the isles and often creating bonds for life.
The following four days produced a plethora of musical styles, venues and audiences – from Gulberwick to Yell and including Ollaberry, Whiteness, Aith, Voe and a range of Lerwick venues. From 850 people spanging to islander folk-rock bands in the Clickimin to the more intimate Mid Yell Hall being treated to Son Jarocho dance and song from Mexico – we hope there was something for everyone.
We are a charity and 100 per cent voluntarily run. With the cost of living in the isles so high we have tried to keep ticket prices as low as possible and make sure the music reaches those who can’t always access it. This is helped by the dozens of local businesses and organisations who support us through sponsorship.
This meant music reaching the Eric Gray Centre, Cunningsburgh Primary, and Bell’s Brae coming to the Big Kirk for a full spec concert on the Friday morning.
As usual, Shetland early learning centres were also invited to Mareel to see festival acts with hundreds in attendance and including those from Fair Isle and Foula. Festival club workshops in mandolin, harmonica, fiddle, Shetland and Mexican dance, Scots and Norn song were also provided for no additional cost to members.
Creative Scotland supported a special opportunity for nine young local musicians to work alongside classical violinists, Tim Kliphuis and Isla Ratcliff, on a specially written classical piece about Shetland becoming part of Scotland (The Stirling Queen). The result was an awe-inspiring 40 minute performance at Mareel on the Saturday night.
While we joke that there’s ‘No Sleep Till Monday’, it really is a gruelling few days for some and we always appreciate that people have their own things in life to deal with that are far greater than an event like this. The committee members often have their own challenges – to add to that, this year was the first to go completely digital in tickets and membership and while sales seemed slightly down in the run up to the festival, we are delighted to say they bounced up in time with 95 per cent of all tickets gone.
Everywhere you went last weekend you saw smiles behind the fashionable/questionable facial hair and hats, heard laughter besides the diddle de dee of a session and felt the mutual respect of being in a multi-cultural and accessible festival bubble no matter what your role was.
A real tonic in a time where division and intolerance need little encouragement to flourish, and evidence that Shetland really can punch above its weight when we unite behind a common cause – keeping the fire burning.
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