VEF 50: Colette, "one of the best singers to ever grace these portals" on returning to the Castle Stage
Colette Esteves, one of Guernsey's "most accomplished and talented acoustic performers," returns to the castle in a showcase honouring the folk tradition of the early festivals. An islander who took her guitar sailing around the world, she has played in France, Spain, Portugal and the Azores.
Contrary to Earth Fair mythology, Colette did not play at the first festival in 1976: "Guernsey's Queen of the Blues" was then pregnant with her daughter Emma who was born that September. Colette's first Vale Earth Fair was in 1977: a performance captured by Andy Chauvel in the photos unearthed this summer almost 50 years on.
With years of her life spent in a "beautiful sailing boat" on the sea, "wherever my partner Keith and I sailed, there was always a musician on the pontoon." In Brittany, Colette has sung in places familiar to many an islander - including Le Schooner, Pontrieux's riverside pirate bar during France's national fête de la musique, to a restaurant at Paimpol marina in exchange for a dinner of seafood linguine with half the town invited; "I've still got the recipe!"
But one of the places she's played most is the Vale. Here she looks back on the infamous backstage tunnel, slipping off for swims to cool off and being over the moon to play a festival, she says, is all about community.
I would have been 24. My guitar you can see there, was an acoustic guitar handmade for me because my grandfather knew a guitar maker where I’d lived in Portugal a while as a teenager until I was 18, my father was from Portugal. The guitar was made of pear wood.
"It was lovely just walking up, seeing the ramparts, the air electric with anticipation, and all sorts of weird-looking, wonderful folk wandering around"
I was brought up with blues musicians at home, my parents always played jazz and blues; Big Bill Broonzy, Lead Belly, Ma Rainey and the Tub Jug Washboard Band, she had this gorgeous voice. I’ve never read a note of music, which has got me into trouble over the years, when playing with professionals, but on the other hand I’ve got an ear and after listening to a song for half an hour, I can usually play it.
I can’t remember if I did any of my own numbers at this point (1977) I didn’t write a lot in those days. I would have done some early folk type stuff, ‘Catch the wind,’ probably a protest song or two, a Joan Baez, a Dylan. Certainly it would have been protest and revolution and power. All my idols still at that time, were people like Melanie, Julie Driscoll, I couldn’t ever emulate, but I loved her.
I would have done some early folk type stuff, ‘Catch the wind,’ probably a protest song or two, a Joan Baez, a Dylan. Certainly it would have been protest, revolution, power.
It was always lovely just walking up, seeing the ramparts, the air electric with anticipation, and all sorts of weird-looking, wonderful folk wandering around in their fairy costumes. Just so brilliant, that air of excitement.
And particularly for performers, being able to go through that little tunnel in the back there with all the musicians chilling out or practising, on the old sofas. It wasn’t the 'tunnel of doom' exactly, but you were sitting waiting to go on stage and could only hear very blurred stage music because the walls are very thick, it’s a fortress after all! So you've got one ear listening out for your call! And then you hear your name and you thought: "Oh my god ‘this is it," and then there you are on stage, all these people looking at you.
for performers, being able to go through that little tunnel in the back there with all the musicians chilling out or practising on the old sofas...waiting to go on stage and could only hear very blurred stage music because the walls are very thick, it’s a fortress after all! And then you heard your name called and you thought: "Oh my god ‘this is it!"
The view from the stage was amazing, because the castle is on the top of a hill, and the hill is overlooking the neighbouring islands of Herm and Sark, you can see the beautiful sand on the northern side of Herm
Photos belonging to Colette Esteves
It’s been a fantastic platform for all sorts of musicians, all sorts of music, a showcase for a great mix of music: folk, blues, rock 'n roll, who could wish for more?
The view from the stage is amazing, because the castle is on the top of a hill, overlooking the neighbouring islands of Herm and Sark, you can see the beautiful sand on the Northern side of Herm, it’s so vivid, so bright, you could almost be looking at an island in the Caribbean. And you’ve got the mailboat, there she goes in the Little Russel and then the porta cabin loos are there!
I remember going for swims sometimes to cool off, quite a few of us did, because you’re in the middle of this very hot place and there's the reflection of the sun off the walls. And under this corrugated iron roof, I don’t know how it didn’t melt! I remember my fingers sweating all over the fretboard.
I remember going for swims sometimes to cool off, quite a few of us did
I haven’t played there for many, many years. When Rob asked me for the 50th, back in December, I was over the moon. All my memories of playing there are just gorgeous, I don’t have one bad memory. To think at my age, I can still be asked and hopefully deliver a reasonable set. I'm working on a half-hour set, I want to incorporate some early stuff, some more current and throw in one of my own numbers as well. My girls are coming up, some friends.
It’s almost sacred in a way, a community that comes together. As the name implies, the Vale Earth Fair, it’s all about the earth. It’s heartfelt, everyone up there having a great time, but for a good cause.
It’s almost sacred in a way, a community that comes together. As the name implies, the Vale Earth Fair, it’s about the earth, it’s heartfelt, everyone up there having a great time, but for a good cause.
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Vale Earth Fair has been a fantastic platform for all sorts of musicians, all sorts of music, a showcase for a great mix of music, folk, blues, rock n roll, who could wish for more?
What has earth fair meant for the
Lester’s band Limbo,
