A wonderful day of glorious nonsense. I “tour managed” this one, to allow Jo to focus on the music. This was a very fancy way of saying I got to repeat things Jo said in a loud, commanding voice, and got to tell people when we were due onstage if such a piece of information ever became available to us (it did, eventually).

This was my third year singing amid and about the car-free streets of Hastings with the Brighton Folk Choir, and it was an absolute pleasure as always. The weather was windy and foreboding, the temperature dropping many degrees from the previous night, but at least it didn’t piss it down all day like it did in 2024, when I was dressed as a fox.

The main difference to last year (other than me being an owl this time) was that we were accompanied by musicians this time – a fiddle player, an accordionist and someone with a natty whistle. Jo also played while directing us AND singing, often while walking backwards uphill, because she is a preposterous human being.

As always, Jack In The Green was a long day, and we waited far too long to get on stage up on West Hill, as a long sequence of drummers and dancers took very liberal interpretations of the “five minute set” rule.

Singing our tunes as we passed through the many throngs at the summit waiting to murder Jack and release the spirit of summer was a particular highlight, our musicians again doing that remarkable playing while cavorting backwards thing.

And I greatly enjoyed the random nonsense chats that happen during events like this – culminating with my discussing whether folk can truly be inclusive in a pub with the drummer out of Danny The Champion Of The World after it was all over, which felt like midnight but was actually 4:37pm.

Big thanks to Elle for sharing her snacks and to Jo as always for ensuring we were once again a magical part of it all.