Just back from the 30th Tönder festival in Denmark www.tf.dk (Tönder is about 4-5 kilometers from the Danish/German border)
The 5 day festival started last Wednesday with Liam O’Flynn performing the “Brendan voyage”. We drove down from Sweden on the Friday. It rained just about the whole drive, and the festival camping ground was very wet and muddy when we arrived. No matter, up with the tent then away to the festival site looking for a session. We started a session in the new festival site pub “Gula huset”. An old storage building, built like a wooden church which has been converted into a pub, great acoustics, much better than the old session tent which could get very noisy with people stood gabbing away behind you when you’re playing. The noise level gets very high. We only had tickets for the Friday evening so after playing for a couple of hours it was away then to hear Richard Wood, Lunasa & Danu play. All three bands played very well. Nice to hear Kevin Crawford again and Danu’s flute player Tom Doorley. Kevin had his D & Bb Grinters and was in great form as usual.
Saturday the weather started to clear up, still muddy though, we were back at the pub “Gula huset” around 12.30 am together with a Danish piper, Morten, in order to meet Dublin piper Mick O’Brien, also a very good flute player. Mick roadtested Morten’s newly accquired pipes and then the session started. Turned out to be a long 10 hour session with different musicians dropping in. No other flute players though, I had the only flute, took my Dave Williams.
Sunday the sun was shining, we had tickets for the 4 hour afternoon celidh concert which turned out to be very Irish orientated in tent 2 with musicians from Danu, Lunasa plus Mick O’Brian on flute and pipes, Mick Coyne from Ennis on pipes & whistle. Seamus Beagley & Joe Murray on box & guitar also played a set. Great stuff. I’ll put up photos this week sometime from the event.