Yesterday I posted the lyrics of both a Runrig and a Juliet Turner song. I wish I could write like these guys. I have a fairly wide range of taste, from Mahler and Wagner through Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention passing through The Stranglers and the Damned onward to Deacon Blue, Sting, Chris de Burgh, The Beautiful South......... I love having music around me. But a few can do more than simply cocoon me, some penetrate to my core. Runrig and Juliet Turner both do this.


I have seen both live. Juliet Turner has twice provided me with incredibly important and special moments. The last two years at Greenbelt she has been kind enough to come and play to the ops team during one of our meetings. Amongst the rush that Greenbelt is, the planning and organising, the things to do and people to see, there was sudden calm. Both times she brought tears to my eyes and more than anything in the last ten years reminded me what Greenbelt was about.


Runrig I used to go and see whenever I could. Live they are fantastic. On a number of occassions I have organised loads of friends to go along, many of whom had never heard of Runrig and were willing to take my word for how good they are. Not one person has ever regretted going. They have also played at Greenbelt, on the mainstage, and they had the whole crowd dancing. Unfortunately they now seem to mainly tour abroad and are rarely in the UK. Hopefully I will get to see them again.