Artist:The Rails Hometown: London, U.K. Song: “Something Is Slipping My Mind” Album:Cancel the Sun Release Date: August 16, 2019 Label: Thirty Tigers/Psychonaut Sounds
In Their Words: “I think the reason we’ve cited the Kinks as such an important influence on this album is that they were so influenced by rock ‘n’ roll, but they distilled it in a very English way. That’s where that distillation image helps. Like something in a still. It’s a process. They were so confident about their Britishness and whatever they wanted to say even if it was off the wall. But it just made them so distinctively themselves.
“For Cancel the Sun we really wanted to stay home and work on our own schedule. We were quite involved in the last two records, and so for this one we really wanted to be produced so we could just play the music, so it was wonderful to get to work with Stephen [Street as producer] this time around. We tried not to listen to so much music while we were writing, to sort of shut down and not to be quite as as influenced by other sounds ourselves. Thus I think we sound more like ourselves than ever before. Like, ‘Close your ears and just do you.'” — Kami Thompson
The sun’s finally out, and we all know what that means — festival season is here, with its promise of long days, late nights, and all the truck-burgers you can hold down. Look, we love Glasto. But if you’re the kind of music lover who wants to actually be able to see the band while they play — and even, perhaps, locate your tent at the end of the night — can we offer a few alternatives? Here’s our guide to some of the best folk, roots and bluegrass festivals happening in Britain this summer.
Fire in the Mountain, 31 May to 2 June, Aberystwyth, Wales This brilliant little festival in Wales has sold out every year since its inception five years ago. Held on a former riding school that a group of friends and volunteers have loved back to life, it’s an event that exists purely to support and popularise quality roots music, and everything about it holds true to its mission, from the eclectic line-up — which this year includes Bruce Molsky’s Mountain Drifters, Po’ Boys Cajun Band and vintage calypso from Trinidad and Tobago – to the extremely good value ticket prices. You’ll also find only CAMRA-approved local ales and cider at the bar. Camping options include pre-pitched tents and Bell Tent glamping, and this year there’s even a ‘music only’ ticket for sale, although fair warning, it involves wearing a blindfold.
Black Deer Festival, 21 to 23 June, Eridge Park, Kent Launched last year to pretty instant acclaim, the Black Deer festival is run by two women who used to book the much-loved (but sadly short-lived) Hop Farm Festival. Its acts are a who’s who of Americana and roots-rock, including Band of Horses, Kris Kristofferson, The Shires, The Staves and The Magic Numbers, while Billy Bragg, John Smith, Justin Townes Earle and Jessie Buckley fight for second billing. Their food offerings are as lavish as their line-up, with a focus on authentic Southern smokehouse dishes and a barbecue competition. But our favourite thing? Their partnership with Supajam, a nearby school for teenagers who’ve fallen out of education, and who actually get to run one of the stages themselves.
Black Deer Festival. Photo by Carolina Faruolo
Maverick Festival, 5 to 7 July, Easton Woodbridge, Suffolk The UK’s first Americana festival, with 11 years under its belt, Maverick is proof that the people of Suffolk knew a good thing when they heard it. This year’s line-up includes the sensational Brother Brothers, so it’s clear they’ve still got great taste. The rest of the bill is a thoughtful one that uncovers so much lesser-heard talent we’d suggest the organisers move into R&D. Oh, and Otis Lee Crenshaw – the redneck jailbird musical alter ego of comedian Rich Hall – will be playing a set too, which makes it just about unmissable.
HebCelt, 17 to 20 July, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis A magical combination of folk, pop and tradition, the Hebridean Celtic Festival is one of those destination festivals where the venue is truly worth the trip. Set in the grounds of Lewis Castle, with views that look out over Stornoway Harbour to the ocean, this is a chance to experience ancient (and modern) music in one of the wildest, most remote parts of Britain: the Outer Hebrides. Expect upbeat headlining from KT Tunstall, fantastic support from the Elephant Sessions, and a whole host of Scottish folk royalty including Kris Drever and Talisk. After 20 years of making their visitors wish they lived here year round, HebCelt have even brought their own cookbook, so you can recreate the comfort of that haddock pie at home.
Beer and Bluegrass, 26 and 27 July, Poole, Dorset A relative newcomer to the scene, Beer and Bluegrass has successfully identified the two key elements to the happiness of mankind. It’s a great place to discover new international bands – from I See Hawks in LA (who are, not surprisingly, from Los Angeles), to The Local Honeys (Kentucky) and Massy Ferguson (Seattle). But it has a serious commitment to what’s behind the bar too, sourcing a wide range of craft ales and ciders both locally and nationally. They even have sessions where you can meet the brewers – and there’s a Somerset hog roast to help you soak up the booze.
Cambridge Folk Festival, 1-4 August, Cherry Hinton Hall, Cambridgeshire The original and still the best. You won’t hear a bum note at this perfectly curated event. Cambridge has been showcasing the brightest and best since the folk revival reached the UK in the 1960s, and was founded as a direct inspiration of the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island (its first year’s line-up included a young Paul Simon). The mouthwatering line-up includes legends Ralph McTell, Graham Nash, and Lucinda Williams; elsewhere, Blind Boys of Alabama will be teaming up with Amadou and Mariam to present “From Bamako to Birmingham.” The glamping’s already sold out but you can still get in at the Cherry Hinton and Coldham’s Common Campsites.
Fairport’s Cropredy Convention, 8 to 10 August, Cropredy, Oxfordshire Festivals don’t get much more personal than this one. There’s something of the family reunion about it – no surprise since it’s been held every August since 1976 as a way for the band members of Fairport Convention to get back together, long after they went their separate musical ways. This will be a big year for guitarist Richard Thompson (although aren’t they all?) who’s celebrating his 70th birthday in 2019, and as ever the single-stage line-up is a blend of veteran and young folksters from across the UK, including Martin Simpson, Martin Barre Band, Seth Lakeman and Frank Turner.
Shrewsbury Folk Festival, 23 to 26 August, Shropshire Someone in Shropshire has clearly been working the phones. This one has a belter of a line-up, with stellar US acts like Birds of Chicago and Amthyst Kiah rubbing shoulders with British (wait, let’s not be modest about this – global) sensation Kate Rusby. There’s an appearance by evergreen Celtic giants Capercaillie, while Rev. Sekou will be bringing the blues and Mankala the Afrobeats. And if you don’t enjoy comedian Grace Petrie’s set, we suggest you get to the doctor stat and have them check your funny bone.
Photo of The Long Road: Steve Turvey
The Long Road, 6 to 8 September, Stanford Hall, Leicestershire Full disclosure – there’s a reason BGS gets especially excited about The Long Road, the UK’s most comprehensive three-day celebration of country, Americana and roots music. And that’s because, for the second year running, we’ll be staging a takeover of the Honky Tonk to bring you some of our favourite singer-songwriter acts. With performances from Rhiannon Giddens, Sam Outlaw, John Paul White and Kip Moore – not to mention a whole host of family entertainment with a country feel – you honestly can’t afford to miss this one.
Artist:The Southern Companion Hometown: Lymington, Hampshire Latest Album:1000 Days of Rain
Sounds Like: Counting Crows, The Black Crowes, (yes they sound like two bands with “crows” in their names. Never thought about a crow genre before, but there ya go). They also remind me of some non-crow artists like Eric Church, Tom Petty, and Ryan Adams.
Why You Should Listen: The musicianship in this band is off the charts, with members having played for Lana Del Rey, Tom Jones, James Morrison, Rumer, and Vanessa May, these guys aren’t messing around. They’ve played together on and off for more than 20 years, and you can hear that in their debut album 1000 Days Of Rain. Yes, it took them two decades to get around to making an album, but sometimes good things take a while – come on, they were busy.
The comfort and musical version of “finishing each other’s sentences” that comes from a band that’s known each other and played together for so long isn’t something you can fake. This band is tight and it sounds like they are having the time of their lives. In a different place and time, lead singer Darren Hodson’s voice would have made him a 90’s “modern rock” god and that’s a wonderful thing as far as I’m concerned. His voice and this album remind me of so many bands I was listening to growing up, that I almost had to check I didn’t already have 1000 Days of Rain on cassette somewhere.
That’s not to say this album is a pastiche or retro, far from it, but the influences are clear. That’s something they acknowledge with a bit of old school yesteryear glorification on “Wrong Side of the 70s.” For an emotional deep dive, check out “Dead Man Walking.” This album has been out for a minute, but it’s taken me until now to fully appreciate it, and sometimes that’s how it goes. I just hope we don’t have to wait another 20 years for more music from them.
Photo credit: Wilky
As a radio and TV host, Baylen Leonard has presented country and Americana shows, specials, and commentary for BBC Radio 2, Chris Country Radio, BBC Radio London, BBC Radio 2 Country, BBC Radio 4, BBC Scotland, Monocle 24, and British Airways, as well as promoting artists through his work with the Americana Music Association UK, the Nashville Meets London Festival, and the Long Road (the UK’s newest outdoor country, Americana, and roots festival). Follow him on Twitter: @HeyBaylen
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
