Having attended the Black Deer Festival in the two years prior to 2024, I’d come to appreciate its well-curated bill and friendly atmosphere – apart from one wet afternoon in 2023 and a late night electric storm in 2022, the weather had been generally kind too. This year’s forecast wasn’t quite so optimistic, and the line-up (to my taste) didn’t seem to have quite so much strength in depth as previously, so I was a little apprehensive if truth be told, about spending the weekend under grey clouds in sodden clothes listening to music that I wasn’t too keen on.
Well, pathetic fallacy is obviously a thing in real life, as both the weather and bill were better than expected – albeit not perfect.
Friday got off to a good start – the promised rain didn’t appear and the musical clouds were lifted by a sprightly set from Jarrod Dickenson in the Ridge tent. The diminutive Jade Bird on the cavernous main stage seemed an odd placement, but she filled the space with a lively and dynamic set. Courtney Barnett is always a reliably energetic festival fixture and she didn’t disappoint this year; back in the Ridge Tent, the day’s highlight was a sublime set from The Delines, who teased new material in between a festival highlights selection.
The good thing about festivals is that they place excellent music in front of you that you may have missed – and that was very much the case with whose soulful classic pop went down a treat to these ears, and apart from catching a couple of intriguing numbers from Jack Browning on the Live Fire Stage and photographing the scorching bluesy fingers of Joe Bonamassa from the photo pit, that was my Day 1 done.
Day 2’s weather forecast promised early rain to that which had fallen overnight, but fortunately a combination of a delayed arrival and the fact that the site was on a grassy slope meant that I missed the worst of the weather.
The day began for me with Brennen Leigh & Joshua Hedley on the main stage – again, a slightly odd stage choice, especially as they were followed by Dale Watson in the Ridge Tent – both were great, but most who I spoke to agreed that it would have been better still to have reversed the stages. While we’re on about Dale Watson – what a show – what a Showman! In the 25 years or so since I first saw him, he’s developed into a top-drawer stage presence who can command a big stage – delivering a fiery crowd-pleasing set that wasn’t bettered all weekend.
Discovery 2 followed immediately after Mr Watson – the golden tonsils of Jalen Ngonda channelled the spirits of Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye – he’s got a ‘stop you in your tracks voice’ – duly added to the post-festival research list. It was feelgood, soul revue time from there on in, in the Ridge Tent – JJ Grey & Mofro brought a gruff New Orleans harmonica-led take on things, whereas Eli “Paperboy” Reed’s preppy country soul got everyone dancing into the night. Elsewhere, I caught vague glimpses of Sheryl Crow from the distant main stage video screens and caught a couple of songs from Dylan LeBlanc who was playing a set to a rapt audience in Haley’s Bar before his amp conked out. Earlier in the day, I’d had a passing acquaintance with the sets of Seasick Steve (raucous) and Rachel Croft (Need to see her on a gig of her own, rather than a festival coffee tent slot).
Day 2 turned out to be my busiest day – although there were highlights on Day 3, it offered less for my taste. I enjoyed a splendid set by Roseanne Cash & husband John Leventhal and the finger-picking country blues of Muireann Bradley, but tended to avoid the pop-country/radio- country offerings that were regaling my ears from several directions at once (billing and stage sound-bleed reasons both). Bits and pieces that I enjoyed in between the noise were a Laurel Canyonesque harmony set from Motel Sundown (who are rapidly becoming ones to watch to these ears) and Memorial on the Supajam stage. I finished off the festival, not with Rufus Wainwright but with the Western AF takeover in Haley’s Bar where Pat Reedy’s tales won over the die-hards.
So – there wasn’t as much for me as in previous years, but plenty to enjoy if you looked beyond the obvious and were prepared to take a few risks. Black Deer remains a solid fixture in the festival calendar and hopefully it will remain so for years to come.
Take Root Festival 2023 De Oosterport, Groningen, The Netherlands Saturday 4th November 2023
It’s Always One to Buy a Ticket or, Even Without Knowing the Line-Up!
Originally located in nearby Assen and moving to Groningen after nine years, The Netherlands’ esteemed Take Root Festival was this year celebrating its 25th anniversary in its now regular location of De Oosterport – a multi- function arts and conference centre in the city, on the banks of a canal.
Inside the main venue are several rooms, of varying sizes – the festival runs from 4pm to midnight and there are no gaps in the programme – which leads to having to make choices on quite a few occasions, painfully so when two acts that you want to see, overlap, or perform at the same time, in different rooms within the main building. Add to that the logistical issues of actually getting into some of the venue rooms when popular acts are playing and it means that most spectators are happy going to only see perhaps 2-3 full performances and then dipping in and out of others when they can. How frustrating that can be depends on individual taste, but as the line-up is usually stellar, it can be quite annoying as there are always clashes … and so it was this year. This reviewer had made a rough plan of who he wanted to see, but had to be pragmatic and logistically prepared to go with the audience flow to catch most on his wish list.
Starting the day, Jerry Leger and the Situation kicked things off in fine style in the foyer playing a lot of new material – but was up against Willi Carlisle in the 300-ish capacity Binnenzaal, which quickly packed out and meant that I couldn’t get in to check on him myself – those who did, said that he delivered a fast-paced set tailored for the festival, with perhaps fewer longer contextual anecdotes than usual.
Part way through Jerry Leger’s set I had to leave to get front of the queue to get a good photo spot for Kassi Valazza who was playing in The Attic room – which is seated and holds maybe a couple of hundred. Having seen her twice already on the current tour, it was fantastic to see and hear her and her band mates, Lewi Longmire on guitar and lap steel and Tobias Berblinger on synth/keys, with a top notch sound and light setup. You could hear a pin drop throughout – a mesmerising performance of melodic Cosmic Folk that’s a fabulous mix of English, Irish and West Coast US influences. One of the highlights of the day for me and as one audience member near to me said “worth the entrance fee on its own”.
Next it was an unsuccessful dash to try and get into the Kleine Zaal room to see Fantastic Cat – the 500+ space, with lecture theatre type racked seating, was packed to the gills. Obviously word had gotten round from their European performances earlier in the year of their entertaining live act, reminiscent of the 90’s act Jellyfish in sound, but with added energy and harmony. My spies told me that it was another well-received performance.
First swerve from the cunning plan of the day meant that I dipped into the Grote Zaal room – the biggest room in De Oosterport, holding over 1000 – to catch Josh Ritter who was continuing his “Hello Starling” 20th anniversary tour in the festival setting. Ritter’s preppy enthusiasm was well in evidence, as ever.
Then it was back out to the foyer to catch the return of Sarah Shook – last time she played on the same stage in 2018, was the commencement of a lifestyle change to one of sobriety according to Ms Shook – the result – she and her band are one of the tightest and punchiest outfits on the road today and even though her voice was a little low in the mix, it was enough to convince me to see her again on her imminent *UK visit.
I also had to leave this performance part way through too, as I wanted to make sure of a spot back in the Kleine Zaal for the much-anticipated Ian Noe. As soon as I spotted that the audience were making their way out from Fantastic Cat, that was my cue to get moving.
Arriving early, meant that I was in place for Noe’s soundcheck and got treated to a snippet of John Prine’s “That’s the way the world goes round” – which was a telling choice, as Prine’s former bass player Dave Jacques was in Noe’s band, a connection presumably made when Noe toured with Prine.
For me, this was again a highlight – Noe’s mix of songs from “Between the Country” and “River Fools and Mountain Saints” as well as a couple of new tunes, played with the band – and unexpectedly solo when an acoustic guitar string broke and he had to revert to solo electric with some bass textures from Jacques – were riveting in both their rough-hewn delivery and literary veracity. There’s a John Prine sized hole on the live circuit – and Ian Noe is ready to fill it.
Leaving the Kleine Zaal, I caught The Pink Stones on the Foyer Stage – I’d seen them the night before supporting Garrett T. Capps in the Vera club, in the city centre and they again delivered an enthusiastic dose of Southern Country Soul and Boogie. Friends who’d seen them in Nashville at Americana Fest lamented the fact that they didn’t have their Stateside line-up which included a keyboard player and extra guitarist, which meant that the sound didn’t quite match the dynamics of their recent album “You Know Who” – but satisfying and crowd-pleasing nonetheless.
A quick dip back into the Grote Zaal allowed me to catch the first part of Tami Neilson’s set – her rambunctious rockabilly might have been better suited to the sweatier confines of one of the smaller rooms, but she still gave it her all in the cavernous main room.
Final act of the day, as it transpired for me was the rare chance to see the Old 97s up close on this side of the pond. There were several hardcore fans in attendance who lapped up their melodic energy, which in turn spread through an appreciative crowd – a good example of the right act on the right stage.
… and that was my Take Root 2023 – it would have been equally as satisfying to someone else not to have seen any of the acts I saw – apologies to Lisa O’Neill, Robert Finley, Jim White, Leyla McCalla, Dylan LeBlanc, William Prince, The Brother Brothers and Fantastic Cat who I was simply unable to see due to my inability to clone myself!
Discussion in the pub(s) afterwards once again focused on everyone’s highlights – and how the logistics and clashes might be alleviated – maybe costs preclude this being a two day festival, or maybe even a midday start to create some food, drink and merch purchase breaks – for the fifth year in a row I didn’t have time to get any food for fear of missing out on what I wanted to see… but will I come again? Try and stop me. The organisers of Take
Take Root have immaculate musical taste and it’s always a Festival to buy a ticket for, without even knowing the line-up – and there aren’t many Festivals you can trust in that way.
*Editor’s note – I saw Sarah Shook last year in 2022 and can attest to how good she is live and well worth going out of your way to see her!
Well, dear reader, it’ll come as no surprise that I didn’t see a single act on the main stage – I had been intending to catch Margo Price, but a combination of scheduling clashes and rain showers kept me away. Everything that I wanted to see was split between 1). The “Buddy’s Good-Time Bar” stage – a smaller area on the periphery of the festival site, surrounded by noise-buffering trees 2). The Front Porch – a mock-up of a wooden shack between the food and drink area and the main drag to the main stage – and 3). The Interstate Stage – a large, open-sided tent at the back of the stately home on whose grounds the festival is established.
Friday is traditionally a shorter day, with the music starting late afternoon and for me, that began with Aoife O’ Donovan on the Interstate stage. Mixing recent tracks and a Springsteen cover, she did well to cope with a lighting failure in the tent which meant that she ended her set in deep darkness. Over at the Buddy’s stage, I caught a fair chunk of Robbie Cavanagh’s performance – aided by a band of Northern Cowboys (Dan Wiebe and Thomas Dibb) his soulful songs see him becoming to these ears, a meatier James Taylor.
Meanwhile, back at the Interstate stage, the tech crew had been beavering away to try and get some sort of lighting to illuminate the stage – and rather surreally, the Honky-Tonk of Jim Lauderdale and the Game Changers (including Lillie Mae – wish she’d been given a solo slot while she was at the festival) was accompanied by some bizarre disco lighting. Far from being a distraction, it added a sense of fun and unpredictability to a storming Classic Country outing from a very tight band.
And that was me done for the Friday – not wanting to indulge in Country-oke (each to their own) until the early hours, I retreated to my dubious hotel in Rugby and re-charged for what was going to be a busy Saturday.
As it turned out, I spent the entire day at Buddy’s stage, where Loose Records were curating a mix of their own artists and other friends and favourites. Before that happened though there was the well-received (by the early morning UK country crowd) Not my cup of tea If I’m honest and not quite sure why there were Adele and Amy Winehouse covers in his short festival set, but I’m guessing that’s a compromise that many a working musician has to make when playing bread and butter gigs where one’s own solo material isn’t enough to get booked. The UK Country crowd attended in numbers and loved him. Just not for me, though. It was quite the contrast therefore, when the excellent Caleb Caudle took to the stage and dissed the presence of Confederate Flags and such bizarre imagery he’d seen around the site. He eloquently and politely, yet strongly explained why it was a bad thing – I believe Bluegrass festivals in the UK now have strict policies outlawing such imagery – it would be good if The Long Road took a leaf out of their book in future years. Caudle’s set, a mixture of the recent and forthcoming, was literate and he has an ear for a melody that gives him an edge over the crowded singer-songwriter marketplace.
First pleasant discovery of the Festival was up next – the intriguingly monikered Beaux Gris Gris & the Apocalypse were unknown to me, but their US-UK line-up and a similar melting pot of influences – I heard The Cramps and Dr John and a bunch of funky Country-Soul – won me over – great stage presentation that was well thought out and delivered with zest helped too. Sometimes bands that go down a storm at festivals don’t always translate onto the recorded medium, but I heard enough variety and musical dynamics -and, frankly – songs – to think that Beaux Gris Gris & the Apocalypse will be a name to watch out for.
Angelica Rockne, who was up next, provided an ethereal blend of West-Coast hippy Psych Folk. Playing solo with just acoustic guitar, the 60’s trippiness of her most recent album wasn’t as obvious, but her tremulous vocals hooked and enthralled a committed and knowledgeable hard-core crowd who responded enthusiastically. Equally on the jazzier end of the Country spectrum were Native Harrow, playing as a four piece here – they’re a band who are growing into and defining a sound that is straddling genres and certainly pushing the boundaries of what might be regarded, even loosely as “Americana” – they’re clearly exploring different influences to most who are around at the moment -interesting musical times would seem to lie ahead.
It must be really difficult to find your own path and not be compared when your dad was John Prine, but Tommy Prine is doing a good job at finding his own way. Collaborations and friendships with the likes of Ruston Kelly are going to do him no harm at all either. Young Mr Prine has the genetic gift of being able to rustle up words in clever ways and while he’s in the early days of his career, I heard enough to want to track his progress and to see how he starts to grow and develop in terms of his musical and lyrical delivery.
Loose Records’ The Hanging Stars were up next and I was delighted to hear and see that they are further honing their Nuggets/Chocolate Watch Band sound. They’re a band who seem to have fashioned a clear identity and there are encouraging signs that a wider audience is starting to take note and that their hard touring graft is paying off – all power to them. Carson McHone, who followed, had travelled from the US by boat (it took a week) before heading on to join up with Daniel Romano’s Outfit in Europe – this gig was a one-off, on that journey. When I’d seen her earlier in the year, I took a while to get used to the “Still Life” songs being played solo on electric guitar, but here they made perfect sense. The mix of melancholy and aggression is melding into something quite different and the new songs she aired had immediate impact. She’s going from strength to strength.
Last October, I saw Jesper Lindell and band play to 11 people (including three bar staff) at a café-bar in Hamburg. On that occasion they played an hour of material (with instruments borrowed from The Hanging Stars and Danny & the Champions of the World) as if their lives depended on it – seeing them again at Kilkenny Roots in front of a much larger crowd, they played with similar intensity, so it came as no shock to see them deliver another high-quality set of catchy Country-Soul. It struck me that a Jesper Lindell/Robbie Cavanagh tour would be a musical match made in heaven. Somebody needs to sort that.
My personal Saturday highlight, however, took the stage next. Since seeing him supporting Charley Crockett last autumn, I’ve been playing the music of Theo Lawrence non-stop. Introduced by Loose Records’ main man Tom Bridgewater as a “Country Crooner”, France’s Monsieur Lawrence has classic Country authenticity running through his veins – Chris Scruggs, no less has given him the seal of approval. I may have said this before, but he’s like a vocal mix of Marty Robbins and Faron Young – with a touch of Roy Orbison – in the body of the Fonz! In his all too short set, I wasn’t disappointed, other than by its brevity. Next time, I need to see him with a band – YouTube just isn’t enough!
Topping and tailing the night were, once more Danny and the Champions of the World – the heavyweights of the UK Americana scene may have had a few line-up shuffles, but their cosmic Springsteen-esque soul is still mighty. It was a clever touch to get Joe Bennett to sing all the verses of “The Weight” without going into the chorus too…
Saturday over – and what an excellent day it was – Sunday had a lot to live up to, but I needn’t have worried. Over on the Interstate stage I kicked the day off in a lively manner with Holy Moly and the Crackers – a band from the North East of England who are on the Folkier edge of the rootsy spectrum, and I spotted my first accordion of the weekend. With the tent slowly filling up due to the early start and late risers, the band’s energy went into the void somewhat at the start, but received increasing approval as the crowd grew.
Down the hill and back to Buddy’s, I caught the first half of Hannah White’s set, which confirmed what I’d previously experienced when I’d seen her – she’s a strong songwriter with an ear for melody and the dynamics of a song – and on this occasion she was ably abetted by Michele Stodart, Holly Carter and Emma Holbrook, along with Hannah’s husband Kieran, all of whom played beautifully and sympathetically to support and develop her songs.
Back at the Interstate, Jill Andrews was a name I was familiar with, but I only had a fleeting musical knowledge of. Well-scheduled around Sunday lunch, her reflective, melodic songs did nothing to disturb the digestion, but lyrically challenged the listeners into a greater state of emotional awareness. A quick trip over to the Front Porch saw a similar response to the set of The Brother Brothers -sibling harmonies around Sunday lunch -what’s not to love?
It was following this that things started to heat up in the Interstate – I’ve seen Will Hoge solo at the Basement East in Nashville and in a tiny upstairs room of a pub in Alton in the Staffordshire Moorlands too, but I hadn’t seen him in full band kick-ass mode – and this is what we got on this occasion. Reminiscent to these eyes and ears of The Waco Brothers, Hoge’s brash Joe Strummer-isms on guitar and knee pumping got a growing crowd singing and cheering along. He’s apparently back next year – get your Bandsintown alerts set right now. In (presumably) smaller venues, it’s going to be a heck of a show.
And then… a band I’d seen before, but as a sit-down trio – absolutely blew me and half of Warwickshire away. I first saw The War and Treaty play a Americanafest Day Fest show at The Local – a pub in Nashville, around 4 years ago and it was a gentle and reflective trio show featuring husband and Wife Michael and Tanya Trotter and long-time guitarist Max Brown. That in no way prepared me for this show though – WOW! Starting at tornado force and then hitting hurricane levels, this was a James Brown revue on steroids, a secular gospel explosion and a big warm hug of musical love that almost lifted the tent off its pegs. I’ve rarely seen a band able to win over a largely non-partisan crowd so ‘immediately’, but that’s what Mr and Mrs Trotter managed, within the space of less than half a song. This was something truly special and will be one of those “I was there” moments for most who witnessed them. Truly magical. Hopefully there’ll be a return visit, in the not-too-distant future – word will surely get around that this is a band that are going places.
Poor Kezia Gill must have been wondering how to follow that, but, aided by the combined forces of the UK Country crowd who’ve followed and supported her, she gave it her all and managed to build upon the exposure she got from duetting with Marty Stuart the previous year on the main stage at this festival.
One of my top gigs from last year was seeing Sierra Ferrell’s debut UK performance in Oxford, so her return was much anticipated. Unsurprisingly, the tent filled in anticipation and in an all too short 45 minute set, her reputation remained untarnished. Over the last twelve months, Ms Ferrell has been getting more and more experience of bigger stages and her stage-craft, compared to the aforementioned show that I saw, has come on in leaps and bounds. As well as favourites like “Bells of every Chapel”, “Jeremiah” and “In Dreams” there was a soon to be released new song called (according to the setlist I saw) “Fox Hunt” – it was introduced with an advisory by Ms Ferrell, qualifying that she doesn’t hunt, but it’s a song about the days when people had to do so to survive. It was incredibly catchy, and it’s still in my head, the day after hearing for the one and only time so far.
I then just had time to catch the last half of a delightful Emily Scott Robinson performance on the Front Porch before calling it a day and heading back up the M6 to home.
So – once more, it’s a well done to the organisers of The Long Road – while the different Country tribes in attendance don’t necessarily mix – in fact you might say that it’s several festivals in one – the fact that they are there and all enjoying what’s on offer, is a measure of its success and long may it continue.
PS (Kelly Willis, Brennen Leigh and Melissa Carper for Buddy’s next year Baylen, please)
Static Roots Festival 2023 Zentrum Altenberg Oberhausen Germany
There’s currently a triumvirate of established European Roots Festivals (four if you count Utrecht) that attract major followings amongst the Americana etc community. Static Roots (inspired by Kilkenny but taking its name from the fact that everything happens in one venue) is the German branch of the family, taking place at the Zentrum Altenberg, a converted former zinc factory in Oberhausen, a short train trip from Düsseldorf.
A two day festival, the brainchild of Dietmar Leibecke and run by a fine team of family, friends and professionals, it has a well earned reputation for its friendliness and the enthusiasm of its knowledgeable crowds.
This year, in temperatures hitting the mid 30s C, the pacing of the bill was important – and very well done it was too. One Eleven Heavy started things off with a lively Grateful Dead type sound, featuring a lot of guitar-led sonic variety – restricted to a 45 minute set, that meant that there was no unnecessary excess too.
Second up was the return of one of the previous year’s stand out performers, Canada’s Evangeline Gentle – there was a reason for her re-invite – she’s an incredible performer. Diminutive in size but huge in delivering songs of emotion with a voice to break hearts, she topped the previous year’s performance, but this time also featuring songs from her second album, due for a September release. At the end of her set she was joined by her producer, Jim Bryson who provided backing vocals on the song “Sundays” – and at the end of his own set in which Bryson shone as a raconteur and surreal observer of life’s foibles – the favour was returned.
There was a change of pace following this, with the sophisticated pop-punk of Irish trio Rowan – reminiscent to these eyes and ears of a younger Ash. Their riffing energy started to crank up things before the arrival of the first day’s headliners, the Cordovas. I’d caught the latest incarnation of the band a couple of weeks earlier in front of a fairly tepid crowd at the Down by the River Festival in Venlo in the Netherlands, but this was different again – starting with a batch of trio harmony songs featuring new vocalist Kelsey Lepperd they pitched their performance well, before transforming into a soulful-punky jam band which incinerated what was left of the audience, to a rapturous reception.
Overnight the temperature nudged up a couple of degrees more but there were few visible signs of wilting from either side of the stage.
For those nursing the effects of the previous day’s lubrication, the Dutch harmony trio Woolf was a soothing opener – incredible kudos too, to band member Ellen Tackenkamp who performed at 37 weeks pregnant!
Beth//James then brought a batch of enthusiastic husband and wife pop duo songs to the proceedings, before session hardened performers, Canada’s The Hello Darlins provided a lively and catchy set of originals and crowd pleasing covers, including Kit Johnson’s Neil Young vocal clone of “Helpless”.
The previous day, there had been a pre-festival tour, as is traditional (your reviewer was the translator for the non-German speakers) – this year the tour was of the Duisburg harbour – music was provided on the water by Dylan Earl – and it was he who closed out the first half of Saturday’s proceedings with an extremely mature set of literate, singer-songwriter material, which he concluded with a tear jerking cover of “Wild Mountain Thyme”.
There was then an hour’s comfort break for all concerned before Malin Pettersen and band took to the stage – the poor musicians had flown from Norway that morning, but their instruments and cases hadn’t made it – so they were left to play with borrowed instruments and the clothes they were standing in. If anything, this spurred them on to even greater heights, with a ferocity to the set that defeated the sound gremlins too. (Note – their gear turned up in time to go back home…)
Ferris and Sylvester then brought their stadium rock sound to the Zentrum Altenberg, much to the delight of a 300+ Saturday crowd – in their quieter moments they showed a more interesting dynamic to these ears.
Topping off the weekend was the reunion and return of John Blek and the Rats – no strangers to the Static Roots stage – they were there performing at the start; this was their return after ten years away. You wouldn’t have guessed though (apart from the regular reminders from the stage) as this was a fluid and passionate performance of the highest quality spanning a variety of rootsy styles and impeccable musicianship.
Post the cessation of indoor performances, there was time for a couple of hours outside the venue, drinking and singing along to legendary German busker “Fisch” (no relation to the Marillion guy) before the audience dispersed into the night and then back to Germany, England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Spain, and even the US of A – separated by physical distance for the rest of the year, but united in the love of music. I may sound all hippy about this, but that’s one of the greatest strengths of Static Roots – it’s a wonderfully diverse and friendly festival that has established itself as one of the best, in any genre, anywhere. Long may it continue and long may it prosper!
The Rocking Magpie 