"Don't forget to be English," said the burly American in blue jeans, suddenly transforming the mood of a hot, languid summer festival with an angry outburst on Iraq, "You got sucked in." Steve Earle has always been a maverick, but looked like a man transformed. He had shaved his beard, wore glasses, and was backed just by his own guitar, banjo and harmonica. He started with a burst of Dylan, moved on to his back catalogue of thoughtful country-rockers like Someday or the personal My Old Friend the Blues, before ending with the angry new songs and then the traditional Tom Dooley.
It was a masterful performance, and just right for Cambridge, where the line-up was impressive, with the definition of "folk" now broader than ever. From Senegal, there was Orchestra Baobab, as gently rhythmic, reliable and laid-back as ever, and from Australia came this year's unquestioned triumphant newcomers, the Waifs. Led by sisters Donna and Vikki Simpson they played a gently slinky, eclectic blend of country, folk and blues, with slick vocals, classy acoustic guitar and harmonica work, and a whole batch of strong songs like Flesh and Blood. Backstage, they described in delight their continuing tours with Bob Dylan, but they will soon be celebrities even without his help.
It was a good festival, too, for the young Yonder Mountain String Band, already highly successful in the States thanks to the continuing bluegrass boom, and applying their rapid-fire guitar, mandolin and banjo work even to the Stones' No Expectations. Then there was the veteran bluesman John Hammond, demonstrating how songs by Tom Waits (and Buddy Guy) can be transformed by his often frantic slide guitar work.
There were some British artists, too. Both Eliza Carthy and Kate Rusby were present, the latter appearing briefly with her husband, fiddle-player John McCusker, who played an instrumental set with accordionist Phil Cunningham. The one major disappointment was the non-appearance of Linda Thompson, apparently suffering from a recurrence of the throat problem that has blighted her career for two decades. In her place came her ex-husband's old band Fairport Convention, playing - quite amazingly - their first ever Cambridge festival. Songs from their glory days by Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny were mixed with a burst of Django guitar and a thunderous re-working of Matty Groves. It was a classic Cambridge.
