John Spiers and Jon Boden are the founding members of Bellowhead, the band that revived and almost reinvented what people see as Folk music over the last two decades. Selling out the Royal Albert Hall and bothering the charts too. It all started as this duo, who basically invited their mates along to form the supergroup. After all everyone seems to know each other in the folk world and pop up in each other’s bands.

Jon comes on stage with what is almost his catchphrase ‘thank you very much’, instantly noticeable about John (note the h to distinguish, as a Jon not John myself) is the sheer number of melodeons. We are informed they are all in a different key and if played on stage are also tax deductible, who knew that HMRC were quite so amenable in allowing an array of instruments to not go into the Governments coffers, well if the PM’s wife doesn’t pay tax why should a musician not be allowed a break on the tools of his trade.

The set includes some interesting titles tunes, including ‘The George Galloway Coconut Dance’ renamed for the recent local elections, Other renamed tunes included ‘Dawn Chorus’ which was apparently ‘Chilled Out Tune’ originally, not sure if it’s an improvement or not. Considering there are just two of them on stage, there is a real depth to the sound with percussion coming from the stomp box. Which they both stand on and pretty much does what it says on the tin, you stomp on it, with built in effects too rather than just a tap dancer.

As per a lot of folk sets, a lot of the songs are also stories, we hear tales of ‘The Birth of Robin Hood’, demonic trumpet playing elves in ‘The Elven Knight’ and well someone going for an early morning walk in ‘Fallow Ground’. Not everything in life can be a fairytale. Another such tale is ‘Bold Sir Rylas’ about a couple of psychopaths, based on a fight in Swindon, if you’ve been there, you’ll understand. It doesn’t end well for Sir Rylas or his opponents pet pig, without wishing to give away too many spoilers.

‘Bailey Hill / Wittenham Clumps’ was a set of tunes, one written by each of them and fused together. We are encouraged to clap over the second half due to it being impossible to play on fiddle. They end with a set of numbers that would be familiar to their Bellowhead audience, with ‘Sloe Gin Set’, ‘Prickle Eye Bush’ and one that gets the whole room singing along in ‘New York Girls’. Another masterful set by two of folks’ top performers and a wonderful way to end the Saturday night of the festival.