Port Eliot Festival 2012, Friday 20 July, Part 3

To continue the story...



Offspringette, Becky and Knit Angel at the end of Friday's sessions in DoveGreyReader's Tent

I got yarn bombed by the Knit Angel, a decoration to my hat.  Sadly we didn't get a photo showing it.  But The Kayaker did, and it's here.

Once things began to be packed up for overnight at DGR's tent we did the zig zaggy trundle with the wheelchair back down the path to down by the river, and then along to the foodie places in front of The House.  We chose wood smoked pizzas, and very delicious they were!  While I slurped on some G&T from my pre-prepared "water bottle" John enjoyed a pint of St Austell Tribute from the nearby beer tent.  Then around 8pm we trundled back along by the river to the Caught By The River Tent for the Stealing Sheep gig.



Stealing Sheep setting up

John managed to push me fairly well to the front in the wheelchair, after all I wasn't in anyone else's visual way!  He squatted down beside me so he wasn't either.  So I had a great view, and was able to video several full songs by resting my elbows on the arms of the wheelchair.



Stealing Sheep - Gold

What can I say about Stealing Sheep that hasn't been said already in loads of reviews of their first album 'Into the Diamond Sun'?  Well one thing that I can say is that they are a fantastic live band.  Their sound doesn't rely on a lot of techy studio stuff that can't sound anything like the sound of the real band.  They sound like themselves.



Stealing Sheep - Circles

Emily, guitar player, shared with us all that it was her birthday, and invited the audience to go to the Rough Trade tent to share Champagne with her and the band. Which we did, when does a Liverpudlian refuse Champagne?  Bought the new 7" single Genevieve, and the band signed it for us.  Since then we have purchased the new album, the sparkly vinyl version, which is very sparkly and very pretty and the music's just great too!

I asked Emily about the band's name - why Stealing Sheep?  She told us that initially the name almost put her off joining the band!  But the name is to do with stealing ideas, you can read more about it here.  She also said she thought of it as linked to falling asleep (counting sheep) and hence to the unconscious.



The lighted obelisk that you see behind and above the stripy Caught By The River tent is a landmark we trundled by each day on the way to the Walled Garden where DGR's tent was.  We didn't get a daytime photo of it, but John took a photo of the plaque placed in front if it later.

For the gift of Port Eliot

to his son at an early age 

this finial, once part of

Westminster Abbey,

is erected in gratitude to

NICHOLAS

9th EARL OF ST. GERMANS

1914 - 1988

Back to our tent after a wonderful musical interlude.  Put on multi-layers of clothes to sit outside for a while as it was a bit chilly!  But oh how bright the stars were in a clear cloudless sky!  When it got so cold that we could see our breath we headed for bed, me with my trusty hot water bottle.  I'll leave the last word on this magical day to John:

And after midnight a miasma crept out of the Matmos and enveloped the City of SoGo.