And finally....
View from the North Sea Stage - almost worth going just for that...Right, highlights & lowlights time....My highlights were:Jim MorayThe Bisserov SistersSamayThe Musicport Collective JamThe Tibetan MonksMy lowlight

Musicport report - Sunday
First of all, a big thank you to the man above. Not only did he and the team organise a fantastic festival, he even found the time to entertain us on Sunday morning with some self-penned songs.Other good news - the food was good this year, and there was even a mystic cloakroom on the Ground Fl

2 Days and I'll be in Brid!
Nine years ago, about this time to the day in fact, I was asked to help out at a music festival that was happening at the Spa in Whitby. I was 16. I think the technical term for my role was dogsbody.Nine years later and I'm one of the stage managers and Musicport is a date on my calendar that I'd hate to miss. I rarely get a chance to see an artist's entire set - I catch moments here and there - but I love that a single day can can take you on a whirlwind tour or worldwide musical genres and leave you falling asleep, sat on a massive speaker, with the sound guys pointing and laughing. I think it's safe to say that Musicport is a hidden gem. If you don't believe me or t

Musicport Memories
So the tenth festival is nearly upon us and I am drinking coffee and thinking vaguely about packing which seems as good a time as any to reflect on some of the amazing things I've been lucky enough to see and hear at Musicport over the last ten years. I think the one moment that stands above everything for me in terms of intensity and significance was introducing 'Ustad Mahwash and Ensemble Kaboul' in 2003. The journey Mahwash and her musicians had taken from conservative Afghanistan, via poisoning, exile and asylum to our stage was inconcievable to most of us and a mere 'ladies and gentlemen please welcome...' was always going to be inadequate.I'm going to list the

All very exciting
This will be a busy year for me as not only will I be looking after the main stage introducing the acts along with the lovely Kate Longmate but I will also be performing with my trio (Me with Jude and Neil from Chumbawamba). That's at 12 noon on Saturday and we will do a mix of my stuff along with the songs of the wonderful late great Lal Waterson. Then I finish off in the theatre on Sunday night (before dashing back to the main stage for the final round up with kate) with Maalstroom. They are a lovely Dutch band who played Musicport last year and to mark their 10th anniversary asked to do a collaboration with me. We have done one gig so far which was a festival in Holland 'Folkwoods'. We m