Australian star Emily steps in after Shrewsbury Folk Festival drama
Folk singer Emily Barker came to the rescue at Shrewsbury Folk Festival after one of the event's headline acts was forced to pull out at the last minute.
Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo were called into action when second-on-the-bill Madison Violet had to pull out at the last minute.
Australian singer/songwriter Barker made an 11th hour dash to the Folk Festival to thrill thousands of fans – as Madison Violet was flying home to Canada after a relative became critically ill.
Folk Festival spokeswoman Jo Cunningham said: "We were enormously grateful to Emily and the Red Clay Halo for filling in at the last minute – they were stunning. We were in a dilemma because Madison had to fly home because of a family illness."
Mrs Cunningham added the festival had got off to an amazing start last night and fans had been thrilled.
Rain had not put a dampener on the weekend and the festival – which runs until Monday and attracts crowds of up to 6,000 – was shaping up to be the biggest yet.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service were called in yesterday when a 14-year-old girl became stuck in seating. She was released using small cutting gear at 4.50pm.
Shrewsbury Folk Festival opening night review and pictures
