Maverick Festival 2016
Trying to précis this year's Maverick festival is like trying to grab a handful of air. There was so much of quality going on that it was difficult to take it all in, much less witness all of the tremendous artists who were on show. This was the 9th year of a festival that seems to improve each year and is becoming better known worldwide with each year that passes. Earlier in the week the weather forecast made it look as if we were in for a mini Glastonbury mud bath, although there is a lot more tarmac at Easton Farm Park in Suffolk, but as is the norm, the bad weather never materialized and about all we had was a 5 minute shower of rain on Saturday afternoon, with the remainder of the festival being a mix of sometimes welcome cloud and plenty of warm sunshine.
It is tempting to write a full review of every act I saw but time is pressing so it will be, at most, a very brief paragraph on each. There were many artists that I wanted to see but with some playing at various locations over the site and at the same times, this was not possible and when you ally this to stopping to meet old and new friends for a chat, further delays were incurred. There was an occasion when I left the Barn to go to the 'Gents,' having supped several pints of Suffolk's finest ale, and didn't get back for more than an hour, nothing to do with my biology but everything to do with meeting and talking to people!
First act I wanted to see was Hymn for Her a duo who have to be heard to be believed! Lucy (Her) plays banjo and what looked like a 3 string 'Diddley Bo' that at times sounds like a full heavy blues rock band. Wayne (fairly obviously 'Hymn') plays drums and acoustic guitar, with both of them handling vocals. Their sound is immersed in the blues, but with touches of psychedelia and a little 'hillbillyness.' 'Raw power' goes some way to describing them but there is a strong melodicism as well and they are most definitely a band you should see if you get the chance and if you don't, buy their albums, of which there are several.
I only caught a couple of songs by Dana Immanuel and the Stolen Band but that was enough to make me get out and play the review copy of their excellent new album when I got home. I also only saw a couple of songs by Yola Carter, a larger than life character, who is also hugely talented.
Whilst I was knocked out by 'Hymn for Her' and i'm loathe to have favourites 'The Hackensaw Boys' just blew the packed Barn apart with their dynamic and fiery modern day 'old timey' or 'hillbilly' songs. The vocals were never less than excellent, the playing couldn't be bettered and the songs, most of which are from their incredible new album, set an almost impossible to attain target for their (few) peers. The passion and dynamism of their extraordinary set was such that I completely forgot to take any photos, but I'm pretty sure that if you go to www.sophieboleyn.co.uk (Sophie being the official photographer) you will find some there. Final artist of Friday night was Luke Winslow King, who with his virtuosic band put on a storming set of blues rock in a variety of tempos and indeed varied styles. That just about concluded the opening evening and sent the crowd happily to their trailers, tents, teepees, mobile homes and in our case the stable.
Things got going at 11-00 a.m on a fine, warm Saturday morning with an excellent set of rootsy rock, with their usual varied styles, from the New Madrids followed by his usual high quality 'honky tonk' from Simon Stanley Ward. Both of these played to a good sized, enthusiastic crowd on the outdoor 'Sweet Home Alabama' stage.
Next I went back into the Barn to see the hugely talented Glaswegian Daniel Meade whose recent album I wrote a rave review about and whom I had seen at the Kilkenny festival a couple of months ago. There he had played with his full band the 'Flying Mules' but at Maverick there was just Daniel and his virtuosic lead guitarist Lloyd Reid with whom a slightly different perspective was brought to the tremendous songs on the new album 'Let me off at the bottom,' a recording that will certainly figure in my albums of the year list. Daniel writes great songs and is a tremendous vocalist who is able to express a variety of emotions from relatively soft and gentle to raw and fiery but always rooted in the edgier side of country.
Dan Walsh showed quite astonishing dexterity on the banjo, even playing a tune that was influenced by the sitar on some Indian classical music discs he had been listening to. It is difficult to put into just a few words what an incredible talent he is, playing everything from hillbilly to British Isles folk music and between songs got plenty of laughs with his warm sense of humour and relaxed demeanour. I still regret only writing a brief review of his recent tremendous album 'Incidents and accidents,' but you can't do everything.
The next artist I saw I just knew was going to be one of the real highlights of Maverick whatever else followed. I had seen Carter Sampson in Brighton two days before the festival and neither I nor the full house were disappointed when she came to the Maverick stage and played a quite stunning set of her gorgeous songs from the new recording 'Wilder side,' another album that received a rave review on this website. There is a warmth to her stage presentation that few others can match and having spoken to her briefly on a couple of occasions found that the warmth allied to her natural modesty is her natural persona. I know plenty of singer songwriters who lack any modesty at all but Carter is such a huge talent that she has an abundance despite not needing it. Everyone I know who saw her was absolutely knocked out by her performance and it was obvious that those I didn't know felt the same. As at the Brighton gig I was almost holding my breath whilst waiting for a break in her voice or her not being able to hit a high note but was able to breath easier when those beautiful sounding vocal 'pipes' held out for the full set. I have three tips for stardom from the Maverick festival and Carter Sampson is one of them.
I saw the Midnight Union Band play an incredible set at the Kilkenny festival and then again on the same bill as Carter Sampson two days before this festival. I might as well say now, before I forget, that they are another of my three tips of artists who really have everything necessary to achieve stardom. This band from Kilkenny, Ireland is made up of five young men who are pretty much all multi instrumentalists and lead singer Shane Joyce one of the best and most evocative vocalists around. That is enough, but their vocal sound is filled out and given more atmosphere with the excellent backup vocals and harmonies of their talented drummer John Wallace who I had an entertaining albeit fairly brief chat with later in the evening. They played songs from their excellent debut album 'Of life and lesser evils' as well as a couple of new ones that will hopefully be on their new recording that is currently in production.
I arrived at the Peacock stage early to make sure I was at the front to see Amanda Pearcy. Her last two albums (she has made three altogether) have been reviewed on this site and were quite extraordinary recordings. Austin, Texas domiciled Amanda is not your run of the mill singer songwriter. Certainly she writes and she sings but she is an artist who despite fitting smoothly into the country music genre is like no one else. She has a unique vocal style that evokes a depth of emotion that very few I can think of can get close to, much less match. She and the incredibly talented British guitarist Mark Gill put on a tremendous set, with Amanda's lovely warm personality appealing to everyone present. Her songs are all beautifully written and come from various aspects of life but one of the highlights not just of her set but of the whole festival was the classic Bobbie Gentry song 'Ode to Billy Joe.' Anyone recording a song this well known is just asking for trouble; in fact on first listen to her recent album 'An offering' I didn't get it, but by the time I got to the third or fourth listen was completely entranced by how unusual and musically brave it was. I now love it, but live she put the album version in the shade with her emotional reading of the song. Amanda is another of my three tips for stardom.
Later in the evening I caught just a couple of songs from Sam Outlaw who seemed to go down well with the crowd in the packed Barn. The Norfolk based Vagaband, another band who have been reviewed on this site, played an absolutely incredible set of their folksy alt. country and goodness knows what else to close the end of a great day of festivities!
I'm starting to tire of these 'flow of consciousness' thoughts about the festival so will try to compress Sundays events before I doze off. A thought no doubt echoed by any readers who are still with me. I caught part of the sets of Barbara Nesbitt and Amelia White. Both of these ladies are hugely talented vocalists and excellent songwriters deserving of huge success. There were two incredibly unusual artists in Mississipian and Jimmie Rodgers soundalike Britt Gully and Louisiana four piece band Roamin' Jasmine. Britt will play just about any style of song you care to name but all ultimately sound like the late great Jimmie allied to which he is a very funny man as well. Roamin' Jasmine play Jazz, Ragtime and blues in their own highly listenable style that echoes the rootsy jazz of New Orleans with a mix of guitar, double bass, trombone, sax and sometimes clarinet. They are highly skilled, play with real feeling and have a vocalist whose youthful persona is at odds with his incredibly raw, expressive style and they are definitely a band to watch out for.
That just about concludes my musings on this year's Maverick except to say I'm looking forward to next year's fest already. I should also add that I recorded a conversation I had with the lovely Amanda Pearcy and once edited and cleaned up it will be broadcast on both my radio shows before finally ending up on this website. I won't call it an interview because not only was it sprung on Amanda and I at the last minute but it was the first time I had used the equipment and whilst, fortunately, Amanda comes over loud and clear my voice, perhaps also fortunately, is muffled in the background due to my using the wrong settings on the equipment! That's about the only thing that was wrong with this year's festival so I can't really complain!
It is tempting to write a full review of every act I saw but time is pressing so it will be, at most, a very brief paragraph on each. There were many artists that I wanted to see but with some playing at various locations over the site and at the same times, this was not possible and when you ally this to stopping to meet old and new friends for a chat, further delays were incurred. There was an occasion when I left the Barn to go to the 'Gents,' having supped several pints of Suffolk's finest ale, and didn't get back for more than an hour, nothing to do with my biology but everything to do with meeting and talking to people!
First act I wanted to see was Hymn for Her a duo who have to be heard to be believed! Lucy (Her) plays banjo and what looked like a 3 string 'Diddley Bo' that at times sounds like a full heavy blues rock band. Wayne (fairly obviously 'Hymn') plays drums and acoustic guitar, with both of them handling vocals. Their sound is immersed in the blues, but with touches of psychedelia and a little 'hillbillyness.' 'Raw power' goes some way to describing them but there is a strong melodicism as well and they are most definitely a band you should see if you get the chance and if you don't, buy their albums, of which there are several.
I only caught a couple of songs by Dana Immanuel and the Stolen Band but that was enough to make me get out and play the review copy of their excellent new album when I got home. I also only saw a couple of songs by Yola Carter, a larger than life character, who is also hugely talented.
Whilst I was knocked out by 'Hymn for Her' and i'm loathe to have favourites 'The Hackensaw Boys' just blew the packed Barn apart with their dynamic and fiery modern day 'old timey' or 'hillbilly' songs. The vocals were never less than excellent, the playing couldn't be bettered and the songs, most of which are from their incredible new album, set an almost impossible to attain target for their (few) peers. The passion and dynamism of their extraordinary set was such that I completely forgot to take any photos, but I'm pretty sure that if you go to www.sophieboleyn.co.uk (Sophie being the official photographer) you will find some there. Final artist of Friday night was Luke Winslow King, who with his virtuosic band put on a storming set of blues rock in a variety of tempos and indeed varied styles. That just about concluded the opening evening and sent the crowd happily to their trailers, tents, teepees, mobile homes and in our case the stable.
Things got going at 11-00 a.m on a fine, warm Saturday morning with an excellent set of rootsy rock, with their usual varied styles, from the New Madrids followed by his usual high quality 'honky tonk' from Simon Stanley Ward. Both of these played to a good sized, enthusiastic crowd on the outdoor 'Sweet Home Alabama' stage.
Next I went back into the Barn to see the hugely talented Glaswegian Daniel Meade whose recent album I wrote a rave review about and whom I had seen at the Kilkenny festival a couple of months ago. There he had played with his full band the 'Flying Mules' but at Maverick there was just Daniel and his virtuosic lead guitarist Lloyd Reid with whom a slightly different perspective was brought to the tremendous songs on the new album 'Let me off at the bottom,' a recording that will certainly figure in my albums of the year list. Daniel writes great songs and is a tremendous vocalist who is able to express a variety of emotions from relatively soft and gentle to raw and fiery but always rooted in the edgier side of country.
Dan Walsh showed quite astonishing dexterity on the banjo, even playing a tune that was influenced by the sitar on some Indian classical music discs he had been listening to. It is difficult to put into just a few words what an incredible talent he is, playing everything from hillbilly to British Isles folk music and between songs got plenty of laughs with his warm sense of humour and relaxed demeanour. I still regret only writing a brief review of his recent tremendous album 'Incidents and accidents,' but you can't do everything.
The next artist I saw I just knew was going to be one of the real highlights of Maverick whatever else followed. I had seen Carter Sampson in Brighton two days before the festival and neither I nor the full house were disappointed when she came to the Maverick stage and played a quite stunning set of her gorgeous songs from the new recording 'Wilder side,' another album that received a rave review on this website. There is a warmth to her stage presentation that few others can match and having spoken to her briefly on a couple of occasions found that the warmth allied to her natural modesty is her natural persona. I know plenty of singer songwriters who lack any modesty at all but Carter is such a huge talent that she has an abundance despite not needing it. Everyone I know who saw her was absolutely knocked out by her performance and it was obvious that those I didn't know felt the same. As at the Brighton gig I was almost holding my breath whilst waiting for a break in her voice or her not being able to hit a high note but was able to breath easier when those beautiful sounding vocal 'pipes' held out for the full set. I have three tips for stardom from the Maverick festival and Carter Sampson is one of them.
I saw the Midnight Union Band play an incredible set at the Kilkenny festival and then again on the same bill as Carter Sampson two days before this festival. I might as well say now, before I forget, that they are another of my three tips of artists who really have everything necessary to achieve stardom. This band from Kilkenny, Ireland is made up of five young men who are pretty much all multi instrumentalists and lead singer Shane Joyce one of the best and most evocative vocalists around. That is enough, but their vocal sound is filled out and given more atmosphere with the excellent backup vocals and harmonies of their talented drummer John Wallace who I had an entertaining albeit fairly brief chat with later in the evening. They played songs from their excellent debut album 'Of life and lesser evils' as well as a couple of new ones that will hopefully be on their new recording that is currently in production.
I arrived at the Peacock stage early to make sure I was at the front to see Amanda Pearcy. Her last two albums (she has made three altogether) have been reviewed on this site and were quite extraordinary recordings. Austin, Texas domiciled Amanda is not your run of the mill singer songwriter. Certainly she writes and she sings but she is an artist who despite fitting smoothly into the country music genre is like no one else. She has a unique vocal style that evokes a depth of emotion that very few I can think of can get close to, much less match. She and the incredibly talented British guitarist Mark Gill put on a tremendous set, with Amanda's lovely warm personality appealing to everyone present. Her songs are all beautifully written and come from various aspects of life but one of the highlights not just of her set but of the whole festival was the classic Bobbie Gentry song 'Ode to Billy Joe.' Anyone recording a song this well known is just asking for trouble; in fact on first listen to her recent album 'An offering' I didn't get it, but by the time I got to the third or fourth listen was completely entranced by how unusual and musically brave it was. I now love it, but live she put the album version in the shade with her emotional reading of the song. Amanda is another of my three tips for stardom.
Later in the evening I caught just a couple of songs from Sam Outlaw who seemed to go down well with the crowd in the packed Barn. The Norfolk based Vagaband, another band who have been reviewed on this site, played an absolutely incredible set of their folksy alt. country and goodness knows what else to close the end of a great day of festivities!
I'm starting to tire of these 'flow of consciousness' thoughts about the festival so will try to compress Sundays events before I doze off. A thought no doubt echoed by any readers who are still with me. I caught part of the sets of Barbara Nesbitt and Amelia White. Both of these ladies are hugely talented vocalists and excellent songwriters deserving of huge success. There were two incredibly unusual artists in Mississipian and Jimmie Rodgers soundalike Britt Gully and Louisiana four piece band Roamin' Jasmine. Britt will play just about any style of song you care to name but all ultimately sound like the late great Jimmie allied to which he is a very funny man as well. Roamin' Jasmine play Jazz, Ragtime and blues in their own highly listenable style that echoes the rootsy jazz of New Orleans with a mix of guitar, double bass, trombone, sax and sometimes clarinet. They are highly skilled, play with real feeling and have a vocalist whose youthful persona is at odds with his incredibly raw, expressive style and they are definitely a band to watch out for.
That just about concludes my musings on this year's Maverick except to say I'm looking forward to next year's fest already. I should also add that I recorded a conversation I had with the lovely Amanda Pearcy and once edited and cleaned up it will be broadcast on both my radio shows before finally ending up on this website. I won't call it an interview because not only was it sprung on Amanda and I at the last minute but it was the first time I had used the equipment and whilst, fortunately, Amanda comes over loud and clear my voice, perhaps also fortunately, is muffled in the background due to my using the wrong settings on the equipment! That's about the only thing that was wrong with this year's festival so I can't really complain!