Cara Dillon is an elf

I am aware that the balance of probabilities is very much against the existence of elves. After last week's detour onto Game of Thrones territory, I thought I should say that for the record. But if elves existed - I'm just saying if - they would look and sound very much like Cara Dillon, as demonstrated with as much force as one of the fairy folk could muster on Thursday night at Cecil Sharp House. As evidence I submit the following.

Firstly, she was able to sing almost exactly like this...

... despite having tonsilitis, which is surely evidence of magical powers.

Secondly she had one of those Lakeman boys in tow, one I hadn't previously been aware of called Sam, brother to Seth and Sean.

I have chosen to regard this as a small miracle - evidence perhaps of the abundance of the universe - and am very much hoping that there may be even even more of them to go around than the three I've seen with my own eyes. Perhaps one called Saul, who would be willing to perform marginally useful tasks around The Glamour Cave while singing and playing a guitar?

And thirdly - this is the killer - I'm not the first person to have spotted this. Those clever people over at Disney got there first, and let's face it: they know a thing or two about fairy folk. Not only did they induce Dillon to speak up for her kind two years ago by narrating Tinkerbell 3 and composing a lullaby for it, but they recently capitalised on their discovery by summoning her again, this time to sprinkle a little fairy dust over Disneyland Paris. For the next twelve months a song written by Dillon will be playing twice daily during its "night time spectacular, Disney Dreams", which should keep the entire Dillon/Lakeman hoard in guitar strings and little pointy hats for a while.

It was a great gig, one that brought a lump to my throat very early on - though I suspect that with tonsilitis the lump in her throat gave her considerably more trouble.  She and Sam were ably supported by Jack Harris (who went first) and a band that included Luke Daniels on squeeze box, Emma Sweeney on fiddle, and both Ed Boyd and James Fagan on guitar. When I saw Fagan come on I knew we were in for a treat. I mean, if he's in the band, how good is the main attraction going to be?

In a word, magic.

* Catch them at the Bristol festival, Bearded Theory or Folk by the Oak this summer.

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