And the rain, it raineth every day?

Thoughts on the first weekend of the Frome Festival.

Swan Lake, Frome Feast-style. No need to add water.

It rained, it poured, it bucketed down. The Frome, brown and foamy, raced through the town. The drain cover outside the Archangel could not contain the torrent below. The acts at the Festival Feast moved into the shelter of the Cheese & Grain, but the food stalls stayed outside and the hardy punters queued in the monsoon for Kenyan curries, Mexican burritos and pasta alla Fromiata. Numbers were inevitably down on last year (when the sun shone), but Fromies were not to be denied and a good time seemed to be had by all, despite the lack of Gulf Stream meaning our parade was most definitely rained on.

Then to The Cornerhouse to catch some Gipsy Jazz, but the place was so packed that you could neither see nor hear the band. The Rich’s (on draught) made up for it though.

To the Green Fair at the C&G where a copy of The Somerset Cider Handbook was acquired and will aid and abet my research into the most benevolent sacrifice any apple can make.

Visual arts highlights –

‘Facebook Frome’: Hans Borgonjon’s ‘life masks’ of Frome folk, gathered over the last few months and now on show at the stunning Silk Mill. They inevitably remind you of death masks, but these are Momento (Momenti?) Vitae. They are intriguing, absorbing and ever so slightly creepy.  And it’s good fun to try and spot familiar faces. Next door is The Tool Shed, a new gallery space in this former industrial complex. Beatrice Haines’ ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’ is a wide screen representation of a cactus – extraordinarily detailed and both inviting and intimidating; Mark Kasarick’s ‘To Aphrodite’ also manages to be unsettling and attractive – roses and (real) nails make unlikely bedfellows.

Also highly recommended – Ellen Tovey’s startling portraits on show in Lower Keyford, Amy Yates’ semi-abstracted Frome townscapes which can be seen at The Limes and Clive Walley's video installation in Michael Bennett's studio above the museum - a meditation on art and nature, serene and thoughtful.

The afternoon after the night before. But there's a banner!

  

Oh, and further to my post about banners… I’ve spotted three. But the Half Marathon has upstaged the Festival and nabbed pole position…