Artists' report - part 3

Kathryn Tickell was another artist who made the long journey to Shrewsbury – despite a 5.30am start from her North East home, Kathryn and her band had the festival audience on their feet. She’s no stranger to Shropshire having performed in Bridgnorth several times before, but it was her first time at Shrewsbury.

She said the early start had been worth it: “I really enjoyed the gig. I had the feeling it was going to be a disaster – one of the band had been performing the ceilidh tent for two hours and one had to run over to be in time and had been at Shrewsbury on Friday, then at Towersey on Saturday and came back to the festival on Sunday. But it was a really good crowd.”

Another group delighted with the Shrewsbury set-up was contemporary folk duo Megson, who performed on the main stage on Sunday afternoon before carrying out a songwriting workshop and another set in marquee two.

Their fresh approach of combining traditional folk elements with influences like Simon and Garfunkel received rousing support with the Shrewsbury crowd.

“This is the nicest festival we’ve performed at this year, “said Stu Hanna. “The site’s very good.” The other half of Megson, Debbie Palmer, enjoyed the backstage facilities too: “Some of the places we’ve played you end up having to change and put up your make-up in the toilets – it’s not glamorous!”

The “really good” crowd vibe continued into the final day of the festival on Monday which saw the event culminate with legend Paul Brady receiving a standing ovation for his incredible set which marked the end of a hugely successful festival.

Earlier, the American bluegrass four piece Crooked Still had got a rapturous response for their storming performance which saw cello player Rushad Eggleston strip to his underwear - having only started in a shirt, boxer shorts and a hat!

Despite having jetted in from Denmark following three days at the Tonder festival, the performance was one of the highlights of the festival, packing out the main stage on Monday afternoon. The band’s catnap backstage in their hired van helped them catch up from their 4.30am start for their flight to Manchester.

Rushad and banjo player Greg Liszt both said a lack of sleep often gave the band the adrenaline rush they needed to perform well.

“It was a great audience, a great feeling,” said Rushad. “You could feel the energy.” The artists’ facilities also got the thumbs up from the group despite their fleeting visit – with Rushad’s high jinks with sugarcubes, washing up liquid, and leaping over tables livening up the backstage complex! .”