Northern Sky:

During Saturday afternoon there was a bee-line to follow in order to catch Devon's very own Carrivick Sisters as they performed songs from their brand new album From the Fields. Alternating between guitar and mandolin, fiddle and dobro, Charlotte and Laura brought a taste of their own particular brand of bluegrass to a packed Club Tent audience as part of the Acoustic Routes open mic session. The Carrivick Sisters seem just as happy to play late night impromptu sessions at various locations around the festival site as they are taking to the main stages. This is testament to their commitment to their music, which on this new album has been overseen by producer Joe Rusby, who was also at the festival.

Fatea:

It's bluegrass for me next. I'm off to the Club Tent where I've been reliably informed the Carrivick Sisters are performing. After another calorie burning dash across the site I get there in time to catch their first song. They are playing an extended set as they are one of Acoustic Routes prebookings. I've said that 2011 is a vintage year for English bluegrass and The Carrivick Sisters are one of the reasons for that statement. Judging by the numbers in the Club Tent there's quite a few people that agree with me. Somehow murder and mayhem almost seems acceptable when it's put into a folk song and delivered with such innocence. Devon has two real stars on its hands and word is really spreading rapidly.

I've had a tip off about the next act, Harpeth Rising who are joint US-Canadian band of normally classical musicians based in Nashville that all come from classical backgrounds. It sounds intriguing enough to keep me at the Club Tent. The tip turns out to be a good one, Harpeth Rising are a really vibrant and exciting. Any band that writes a song about the demise of a Toyota Corolla has got something going for them. The whole band has got smiles on their face and they communicate their own sense of excitement to the audience and got into one of those delectable feedback loops where crowd and band feed off one another. I'm having a very different Cambridge to usual. I've spent more time away from Main stage than I have in a good few years and in all honesty, I'm loving it.