Published: Tuesday, 18th August, 2009 2:11pm

Innerleithen music festival is 'Perfect'

IT'S got to be... Perfect. Those were Eddie Reader's words after performing at the seventh annual Innerleithen Music Festival at the weekend.

She wowed the crowd at her sell-out show in the town's Memorial Hall on Friday night.

The Scottish singer and three-time Brit award winner performed some of her biggest hits to get the party started at the three-day event which brought the stars of Celtic Music to the Borders.

Speaking to the Border Telegraph as the last of the revellers made their way home this week, organiser Robin Dempsey said: "It was fantastic.

"Eddi Reader opened the festival with a Perfect performance and set the tone for the whole weekend.

"She captivated the crowd with her personality and the audience was delighted."

And he added: "The atmosphere throughout Innerleithen was great - everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves."

Pubs and clubs were packed and the population of Peeblesshire swelled as music lovers from across the Borders and beyond converged on Innerleithen for one of the region's biggest music festivals at the weekend.

Lauder singer Justine Blaszk opened the show for the Karine Polwart Band on Saturday night, along with Morgan Davidson and Ross Anderson, from Peebles, after winning the Rising Stars competition, in one of the highlights of the weekend.

And Stow singer Naomi Chapman performed alongside American singer-songwriter Dean Friedman, whose single Lucky Stars reached number three in the UK charts in 1978, at the Tweeddale Folk Concert on Sunday.

However, many other local musicians - including Holly Bryson, from Galashiels, Angus Gunn, from Clovenfords, and Trip Hazard, from Innerleithen - got to share the stage with the stars at the String Jam Club showcase in the Union Club, Innerleithen, before Jeana Leslie and Siobhan Miller, winners of the 2008 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, brought the show to a close on a high note.

Morgan, who sported a kilt for the occasion, said: "When I entered the Rising Stars competition I never could have dreamt I would be on the big stage performing my own song to an appreciative audience." But he added: "It felt amazing.

"We (Ross and I) were a wee bit anxious before we went on because we were playing alongside Karine Polwart, who is amazing, but, once we went on, we really enjoyed it."

Organisers claimed the 2009 festival had been another success. Despite only having one sell-out show this year, they revealed crowd numbers were slightly up on last year following the growing popularity of their fringe shows and music workshops.

And they vowed to return again next year.

Robin said: "We're delighted to be able to bring these star names to the Borders.

"Eddi Reader was the attracted the biggest audience because she is such a well known name and she didn't disappoint. And Karine Polwart was almost a sell out.

"All in all everything went well for the musicians and I think they enjoyed it as much as the audiences."

He added: "We need to have a rest now but we will be back next year. We can't make it any bigger but we do promise more of the same."