From North Carolina to Bognor for the Southdowns Music Festival

North Carolina-based modern folk music duo Friction Farm head back to Bognor Regis on their latest UK tour.

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, group arts editor at Sussex Newspapers by the Marvel

00:06of Modern Technology. Lovely to speak to Christine and Aidan in North Carolina. North Carolina.

00:14But not for long, because you're heading across the UK and you are making a return to Bognor

00:19Regis for the South Downs Music Festival. Lovely that you're coming back. What's bringing

00:24you back? You must have happy memories of the first time you were there.

00:27Lots of happy memories. Throughout the UK, great memories of performing for enthusiastic,

00:36community-based audiences, folk clubs to little festivals, just a terrific time.

00:42But with Bognor Regis and the festival, I mean, festivals are our favorite thing because

00:47we are, as most musicians, music fans. And so we get to hear all this other great music,

00:56artists we'd never see over here, and meet wonderful other musicians.

01:00But Christine, you were saying a really interesting thing. The Brits tend to sing along and now

01:04everyone tells us we're so reserved. But you're saying we're not.

01:09You might be reserved in your manner and your behavior, but the singing, you're right there.

01:14And the singing is good. Is it okay?

01:15It is good.

01:16The singing is good, yeah.

01:17And that must be so much better in atmosphere, isn't it, when everyone is joining in and everyone

01:23It really is.

01:24The feeling, the energy that comes back towards the stage when people are singing is really

01:29unbeatable.

01:30That's one of the things about live music is that trade-off with the audience and the stage is,

01:38it's something you can't, you can't bottle it. It's something that it just, the energy happens and

01:43you know it when it's happening. The audience knows it. We know it. And it's, it's one of these

01:48momentum building, inertia building.

01:50We feed off each other, yeah.

01:52And presumably, Aidan, that energy is all the greater for the fact that, as you were saying,

01:56you like to offer songs of hope. Folk can be a little bit sort of miserable, can't it? With lots

02:02of downloads, lots of executions and lots of ravish maids. But you are offering something

02:08rather more positive, aren't you? Yeah, the goal is hopeful. Not always happy and cheery,

02:15but at least hope at the end. And why is that? Because it's better for you?

02:21It is better. I do think I feel better. And if I do, then hopefully the audience does. And maybe

02:27we need a little bit more hope and joy in our lives. I mean, that's why you go out to hear music,

02:34right? To leave the room feeling better than when you walked in.

02:37Absolutely. That sounds brilliant. We're really lovely to speak to you and to connect

02:42to North Carolina this afternoon. And have a great trip across and a really happy return

02:48to the Southlands Folk Festival in Bognor Regis in September. Lovely to meet you.

02:52Thank you. I'm looking forward to it.