2012 has not been an easy year for festivals. The economic situation and the depressing wet weather took their toll. The season kicked off with a disastrously sodden Isle of Wight, followed by similar problems at Creamfields dance weekender, and Wakestock in Wales. Even Morrisons, the supermarket chain, was due to get in on the…
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Some artists bob around on the fringes of your radar for ages, and so it has been the case with Richard Hawley. Those lovely ballads, the chocolatey voice, the Pulp connection – yet he’s remained a bit niche somehow. But things have gathered apace, and September 8 this year saw the Radio BBC 6Music collaboration…
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Like most height-challenged people (5ft), I’ve always found standing-only gigs a bit hit and miss. So the news that one of my favourite bands, the mighty Alabama 3 are to do an Alabama 3 acoustic, complete with rather elegant sounding three-course dinner, is music to my ears. And so to the Jazz Cafe in Camden. Downstairs is…
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This is a fantastic small festival. In 2011 it featured the Cornish folk band 3 Daft Monkeys, and the hauntingly beautiful Saltfish Forty. Here is a review of Towersey Village Festival 2012 by guest blogger Tessa Gordziejko. Towersey Village Festival in Oxfordshire – now in its 48th year- has something special that brings people back year after year. I’ve been…
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Into this post-Olympic, rain-drenched mid summer, the tenth Green Man festival burst into life. Nestled in the Black Mountains of mid Wales, Green Man’s arena on Friday is a wonder to behold; still at this point a green and pleasant land with its beautifully positioned main Mountain Stage – a natural amphitheatre, with a convenient steep…
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Tuesday night was almost rain free – that’s saying something for this washout of an English summer which has so far plunged festivals and outdoor events into a maelstrom of mud and near bankruptcy. So it was a pleasant experience to sit on dry paving stones in the courtyard of Somerset House, drinking a ubiquitous…
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It was a long awaited moment, but here it is, Big Chill founder Katrina Larkin with co-producer Victoria Burns new festival for 2012, called Nova. Big Chill combined a perfect blend of elements, planned with a meticulous attention to detail that made the festival such a pleasure. Everything worked – the intelligent mix…
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Well this festival sounds promising! One of my favourite bands, the mighty Alabama 3 are playing at Paradise Gardens, a free London weekend family festival with lots of entertainment for all ages. Up till this year, Paradise Gardens Festival has taken place at leafy Victoria Park in East London. This year, the festival is the…
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Took advantage of a rare balmy evening this summer in London to mosey down to the Boogaloo near Highgate for an evening of musical fusion in a rather different style. Tonight’s listing reads: ‘Breton Girl, whose romantic style is drawn from Celtic, Medieval and Indian music’. The Breton Girl in question is singer-songwriter Wendy Lewis, elfin, barefoot,…
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I try to never miss seeing the support. Even if I check them out on YouTube and they don’t grab me, you just never really know. I would have paid to see The Hold Steady back in the day but here’s Craig Finn, at The Macbeth, Hoxton, support for The Felice Brothers. We started with…
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