If you know anything about my history, you know that I started attending the Renaissance Pleasure Faire back in 1994 when it was in Devore. That was the same year that the Poxy Boggards started out, and they are still actively playing the Faire, as are their female counterparts, the Merry Wives of Windsor. Their private domain is called Rogue’s Reefe and is the only “Adults only” stage at the Faire.
The last time I was at the Faire was 2013 as a participant member of St. Helena’s. I spent a couple of years before that working at Rogue’s Reefe. Back in those days, just like today, the primary bands were the Boggards and the Wives, but they had such bands as The Belles of Bedlam and the Dread Crew of Oddwood to support them and draw a different set of fans to the Reefe. These days, that support is limited to a couple of sets from Tea and Strumpets, featuring past members of the Belles, and a single set from Sportive Tricks, which are still playing the stage despite quite a few personnel changes over the years. Still, the rabid fans of both the Boggards and the Wives keep coming back over and over again, as both groups continue their storied tradition of providing a type of music you can’t find anywhere else at Faire. I was truly impressed by the richness and fullness of the sound at the Reefe, particularly that of the Wives, which seems to have grown both in talent and vocal ability over the years.
Besides the risqué offerings at the Reefe, there are numerous other stages presenting music throughout the Faire. Of these, our favorite for the day was the Royal Music Stage, which has moved from the front of Faire to closer to the Reefe. On that stage you will find “clean” sets from the Boggards, Wives, Strumpets and Tricks, as well as four amazing sets from the visiting band The JackDaws Band, a three-piece group from the East Coast that bring some great Irish rock. Composed of Buttercup on electric fiddle, Roxy on drums, and Whiplash on guitar and vocals, they are worth the price of admission with their outstanding sound and riveting stage presence. You can also catch Buttercup out and about the Faire playing her fiddle.
Other music you can find at the Faire includes the Wives and visiting act The Freestylers of Piping on the Golden Jubilee Stage near the entrance, the Freestylers on the Maybower Stage near the food court for three sets, Ad Hoc Consort in Kids Kingdom and the Royal Music Stage and the Washing Well Wenches in their own area throughout the day.
If you love music, you will find plenty of it at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire, regardless of whether you prefer bands that sing or just instrumental offerings and dance, both Celtic and Arabic. At any rate, get thyself to the Faire before it closes on May 19.