Sherdley Park, St Helens Saturday 7th september, 2019
Due to work commitments we were a bit late arriving but after an easy cruise down the M6 we rocked up at 7.30. A couple of helpful security guys escorted us to the main entrance only to find that unfortunately the production box office was at the other side, another guard took us to the right place. Roddy was apparently a kick boxing champ and after we saw him in action on his phone I relaxed, to be fair I’ve never felt safer. A few early casualties were being seen to by what looked like an experienced and effective set of first aiders.
After processing we headed to the Love House Arena full of optimism. For once I was in the demographic as the Festival was overtly a celebration of the 90’s dance scene. Jon Pleased Wimmin was just finishing his set with some bangers, we were starting to feel very at home so we headed out and about to find the Judgement Arena. Along the way we managed to trip over a very nice bar serving proper cocktails. Suitably fortified with industrial strength gin and tonic we found our destination where surprisingly Micky Slim was also filling the floor with a set of 90’s classics, are you starting to spot a theme? I can’t remember what the fuck he actually played but just type 90’s rave classics into your search engine, you’ll get the idea.
Judge Jules was worth the entry and the drive all by himself, here’s one of the old timers who’s still smashing it everywhere he goes. One of the old school who’s kept it real over the decades he didn’t disappoint and I could have gone home happy after his set. This was lucky because the whole thing was set to shut down at 11.
My companions think we saw the live set of Tricia McTeague but personally I can’t remember, I’m sure it was excellent though. She’s sung with all the greats over the years and now me, her life is complete. Love Inc got the main stage crowd singing along and bouncing, hard to tell with their scouse accents but I think they got the words right. Lee Butler and Sosumi’s sets looked absolutely amazing, the organisers must have spent a fortune on visual effects, no wonder it was £85 a ticket what with all the security and everything.
If you can remember the 90’s you weren’t there but I’m pretty sure I saw Anton Powers and he was brilliant. Mike Lewis was great and finally I found what I was looking for where the streets have no name. 3-0 ya beauty! In the end everyone plays drum and bass. Banging out Danny Byrd’s Ill Behaviour. With a great MC. I just don’t know who is was! When everything started shutting down we were allowed a go on the shows for £5 and the guy kept it going for ages but with no music. Eleven!!!! Then I had a massive whitey which prevented me from attending the after parties.
I know this is meant to be a review of Reminisce but actually I had a much better time at the Urban Flava 2019 party in Dundee with my good friend The General a Mains Castle, three floors of banging tunes from the attic to the garden. Easy days boys.
Words: Graeme ‘Steely’ Steel Photography: Mark ‘Parky’ Parker
Deerstock is a beautiful festival with a beautiful heart… & a beautiful guy behind it
Hello Jed, so where are you from & where are you at, geographically speaking?
I am actually an Essex boy but moved to Newark Notts in 1978 and have never returned South I now live in Gunthorpe Notts about 1 mile from the Deerstock site
How did you develop an appreciation of music?
From my days at Boarding School I was lucky to have a Mass Media teacher who used to take us into London to see bands
Where, when & how did the idea for Deerstock Festival originate?
In 2011, my friend ran a pub called The Reindeer (hence the name) in East Bridgford we decided to have a festival in his back field, unfortunately the NIMBYs in the village weren’t keen and the council refused us permission to run it again but a lovely farmer who loved the fact we were a volunteer based charity event offered us the Cross Country course and we have been there ever since
What is it about organising festivals that makes you tick?
The buzz of introducing bands that people would never normally see, the talent around is unbelievable we get over 500 bands applying now!!
Can you describe one of your family-team festival planning meetings?
We are old hands now and respect each others roles (the most important thing when running a festival), my son James has taken over the actually physical creation of the festival which means I just deal with the fluffy bits.
Can you tell us about the site & how it contributes to the vibes?
The site is a Horse Riding Cross Country Course in the Trent Valley we have fantastic sunsets every evening.
How is the festival’s working relationship with Nottinghamshire County Council?
We actually come under Rushcliffe Council and they are very helpful (since we moved lol)
Can you tell us about the charities who benefit from Deerstock?
This year we have Framework (Homeless Charity), IMARA (Child Abuse Charity) REACH (Learning Difficulties Charity) there is a list of previous charities on http://www.deerstock.co.uk we have raised over£80000 since we started.
What is the highlight of the 8 years running Deerstock?
They have been many highlights for me personally Getting Eddie and the Hot Rods (one of my favourite all time bands) seeing Dreadzone absoloutely smash the event but I must admit it would be seeing my daughter KT (a trained musical theatre actress) singing onstage with Doggens All Star Band (Doggen is the guitarist in Spritualized and a very good friend of mine).
What acts have you guys got for us this year?
Our Headliners are TransGlobal Underground, Unknown Era, Doggens All Star Band, Tony Wright from Terrorvision & Tom Williams.
What allowance do you make for local acts gracing the stage?
90% of our bands are local
This years theme for Sunday Is The Summer Of Love, Time to let your inner Hippy shine man!
Can you tell us about the ‘I’m not from London’ posse?
They are a Nottingham-based music company who have been very supportive in the past, we thought it would be a great idea to have them curate a stage for us bringing a new dynamic to the festival
To someone who has never been to Deerstock, what can they expect?
They can feel part of a lovely community who all come together to have a great celebration of music and laughter. We have the also local firm Experian supplying volunteers to help at the event this year too.
The Mumble managed a wee blether with the mastermind behind Birmingham’s funkiest party…
Hello John, where are you from & where are you at, geographically speaking?
I was born and live in South Birmingham in a town called Northfield.
How did you develop an appreciation of Music?
I’ve been into music for as long as I can remember. I have memories of dancing to ‘Surfing USA’ as a child, listening to my parents Dubliners record growing up, getting into Punk in my early teens and discovering Dylan and picking up the guitar. Through out my twenties I was trying to be a musician whilst having a very business oriented job.
When did you first get into events?
I dipped my toe into promoting when I was around 20 years old. I put a show on and made £200 then I lost £600 on the next. That put a stop to it for a while. Naturally, the business job didn’t sit well with trying to be a musician. The manager of my band also ran a festival so as soon as the job came up at the festival I jumped at it starting off as a festival assistant and now I am the festival manager.
You’ve got three famous musicians coming round for dinner. Who would they be & what would you cook; starters, mains & dessert?
Ha! Definitely Dylan. He is invited everywhere. I like Black Flag but for his personality and intrigue Henry Rollins. Finally, I’d probably invite Jimi. I think that would be some party. As for food they are coming to England so it would be Fish. Chips and Mushy Peas 🙂
Where, when, why & how did you get involved with the Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul Festival?
As mentioned I was working for a company running the office and this job opportunity came up. It was for less money initially but doing something that I really wanted to do was the key. Definitely recommend it to anyone.
Who have been some of your favorite bookings over the years?
I think we’d all agree here that Chic was the best booking for Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul. We booked them just before they released Get Lucky and the Chic resurgence began. It sold out and the atmosphere was incredible. Another Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul booking would be Public Enemy. Sugarhill Gang pulled out with a month to go. There was a lot of panic to get a new headliner but we managed to get public Enemy and the announcement couldn’t have gone any better. Plus they were all lovely and played a killer show! Away from the festivals we promote other shows. I think my favourite would have to be John Prine. A lot of people in Birmingham had been waiting for John to come to Birmingham so I was glad to be the man behind that. Robert Plant came down as he is a big Americana fan.
What have you got for us this year?
This year is the 10th anniversary so we really wanted to deliver something special with our headliners. We managed to get Burt Bacharach as our Sunday night headliner which we were all buzzing about. After that we managed to secure The Jacksons for Friday night and The Brand New Heavies for Saturday night. We then rounded off the line up with some cool contemporary artists such as Ibibio Sound Machine, JP Bimeni & The Blackbelts, Oscar Jerome, Ishmael Ensemble and probably the act I’m most excited about Khruangbin!
How the hell did you get Burt Bacharach to play?
When it comes to booking the bigger artists there is always a little bit of luck. We got in contact with Burt’s team just at the right time. They were planning a couple of dates in London and were looking for interesting events for him to play. Our date landed two days before his London shows. It is the way it works out sometimes. What works one year won’t work the next.
What allowance do you make for local acts gracing the stage?
We pride ourselves on promoting local music at our events. We have 2 stages that sit side by side and alternate so the 2nd stage artists play in behind the main stage artists to the same crowd. This means the music is pretty much constant all day! It also means we can programme local artists on the second stage so for example, Delta Autumn (Birmingham band) will be playing between Khruangbin and Burt Bacharach.
The Festival is held in Birmingham’s Moseley Park, how does that help the vibes?
Moseley Park is definitely one of the more interesting festival sites in the UK. It is set in heart of Moseley which is a village recently voted as the #1 place to live in the UK in Sunday Times. The park is set in a gated park was has natural slopping amphitheatre towards a lake. It truly is a beautiful site. As we are surrounded by houses we finish in the park around 22:30 and the crowd head into the village and local pubs. Perfect format for a music event!
How has the Birmingham community taken to the festival, & do you have a wider catchment?
We actually achieve between 30-35% from outside of West Midlands which is quite good for a non camping event. The local community has taken to it extremely well. It has contributed to culture and vibe around Moseley and we rarely get complaints. We are quite forthcoming in conversations on how to improve and make it easier for local residents.
To someone who has never been to MJF&S, what can they expect?
I think the venue will steal the show when you first walk in. Its a welcoming site and extremely small so the atmosphere is incredible. Plus it is always good to not have to walk far. I think how close you can get to the stages is a real selling point as well. The stages are low so you can really get into the set and music. We have plenty of cool little bars, food stalls and you can re-enter which is a rarity at festivals. Above the music is what we all go for. There is a great mix flowing from Jazz, Funk & Soul with some addition of Hip Hop, Afrobeat etc. I really do think its one of the parties of the summer.
L-R: Nigel Greenaway, Ed Butcher, Peter Shaw, Caroline Smith
The Walton Folk Festival is charging into its second year… The Mumble met the organisers down the pub…
Hello Ed – how did you develop an appreciation of Folk Music? ED: In the same way that I developed an appreciation for blues, metal, rock, classical and baroque… I just like it. I started listening to Steeleye Span, and developed a taste for folk rock, and then bought a lot of compilation CDs (all before the interwebs) – that’s when I realised how varied the genre is – it’s a verrrry broad church, and that’s exciting. When I got involved with Riverhouse Barn, I discovered that the artists are the most approachable bunch you could hope to meet. It’s basically a big musical family that relies on grass-roots live music venues and events, and when I get the chance to be a part of that, it’s incredibly rewarding.
Hello Caroline, so what is it about Folk Music that makes you tick? CAROLINE: It make me smile and sing a long and tap my feet. I also like the community and the friendliness of folk music. If you got to a folk festival the acts will be wandering round; chatting to the crowd and listening to the other people on stage. The musicianship impresses me too – so many multi-instrumentalists which as a non-musician is even more impressive.
So where, when & how did the idea for Walton Folk Festival originate?
ED: It happened fairly organically, building on conversations between us all after our regular monthly Sunday lunchtime gigs. Riverhouse Barn has been booking great acts for a long time, and audience numbers had been growing, so that definitely gave us some confidence that we could pull it off. Having a venue available also helped fan the flames, but I can’t remember who said “let’s run a festival” first of all. I’ll take credit if no one else does 😉
How did you get involved with WFF? ED: I was in the right place at the right time: I’ve been volunteering at the Barn for a few years, usually behind the bar on comedy nights, and coiling cables for Nigel before and after folk gigs. Nigel, Caroline and I had had the “wouldn’t it be great to put on a festival” chat a few times and that progressed to a “what would a festival look like” drink in our local (you know things are serious when Nigel convenes a meeting in the pub), and then when were confident, we had a formal chat with Emily Boulting who is Director of Riverhouse Barn about dates and budget.
Hello Peter – last year was the debut for Walton Folk Festival, how did it all go? PETER: It was a fabulous day. Great weather helped but the real stars were the musicians both on the main stage and in the courtyard. As most of my role in the team is publicity – and eating crisps, frankly – I basically came as a punter with a few friends. So I got to experience the day as the festivalgoers would and it was brilliant. There were so many highlights but I felt particularly proud of Jack Cookson. He’s a friend of my brother, a BBC 2 Young Folk Awards nominee and a stunning guitarist, singer and songwriter. I championed him to the team so it was a real thrill that his set was so mesmerising, and he has a compelling stage presence. In the evening the atmosphere changed a little, the blazing sun died down and after a few beers were flowing, people began to dance and really show their appreciation. Kim Lowings and the Greenwood warmed the crowd up marvellously and The Urban Folk Quartet rounded off a brilliant day in true style. I remember walking home just buzzing at how great the day was and not quite believing the quality of acts that had played in my home town.
At which point was it decided to go again for 2019? ED: At about 10:00pm on the day of 2018 festival. We’d had a blast, the audience loved it, the acts loved it, and we didn’t lose money! For a first attempt, that ticked all the boxes and then some. We really want this to grow into a “proper” multiday event, and be rooted in the heart of our community, so we have to keep going to make that happen.
Can you describe one of your team meetings? CAROLINE: There’s usually a pint or two. We all live locally and can walk or cycle to the Riverhouse or one of the local pubs which means we can meet up regularly for a chat. There’s a lot of laughing, and we get on really well but manage to get through what we need to as well. Nigel knows the ins and out of the venue and all the tech possibilities , Peter knows the up and coming acts and has some good connections, Ed will go out scouting for local acts and talk to anyone who we need to chat to on the marketing front and I remind them all what we need to get done and speak to the promoters so we have a good mix.
What allowance do you make for local acts gracing the stage? PETER: We’d love to have more, and we are actively reaching out to local performing arts schools, open mic nights and so on. The courtyard, where performers can play a few songs between the main stage acts is an open opportunity to showcase local acts. We will prioritise people from Walton and the surrounding area in the courtyard. Last year we had some fab performers but Zach Johnson – a Surrey-based performer – really stood out for me. He’s been back at the Riverhouse and we want to see more of him before he gets too big.
How are the acts selected for the WFF? CAROLINE: We recover from the previous festival and then use a couple of ways. We ask our usual promoters who is touring in May to see what we can fit into and then we all throw in suggestions of who we would like to see. We end up with a big playlist that we listen to and then get together to shortlist based on what we like, and who we think would work in our venue. We also chat to the other local folk festival in Guildford which is a few weeks after ours to make sure we don’t book the same acts.
Who are you most excited for this year? PETER: I can’t believe the lineup we’ve attracted to the main stage and I am looking forward to each and every artist. Megson will start the day off with their infectious and heartfelt songs. I’ve seen them a few times and they really win crowds over. I was introduced to Hannah Ashcroft by Alex Gallagher from Folk Radio (who is really supportive of the festival and our folk gigs). I reviewed Hannah’s EP last year for Folk Radio’s website and I’m keen to see her live – her performances on youtube are stunning. Lukas Drinkwater is another friend of the Riverhouse, he’s played plenty of times with different acts. But I remember the first time I saw him with Jim Causley and Lukas did a solo song. No disrespect to the brilliant Mr Causley, but Lukas’ solo spot was amazing, just him and a guitar. So I want to see a full set, and that’s what we’ll get.
Last year the rest of the WFF team went on a field day to the London Folk Festival. Which, strangely, all three of them forgot to tell me about. Anyway, they came back raving (in a good way) about The Trials of Cato. And so is everyone else apparently. Mark Radcliffe described them as, ‘One of the real discoveries on the folk circuit in recent times.’ Daria Kulesh is the act I know least about, but Ed really rates her and I’m looking forward to something a little more exotic in the lineup. Although based in the UK, Daria has Russian and Ingush roots. What I’ve seen and heard of her music really makes me want to see her live. And in (deliberate) contrast to Daria, we close with False Lights. I’m still kind of in shock that they will be at the festival. Jim Moray is probably the most important innovator to emerge on the UK folk scene in the last few decades. I’ve seen him live but teamed up with Sam Carter and the rest of the Lights is a real thrill live. They are such a powerful and impressive band. They are following the folk-rock electric band setup of the likes of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Oysterband and The Levellers but taking it in exciting new directions. But I kind of won’t believe they’re coming until I see them on stage. And Nigel’s face when they unload all their gear.
How has the Walton community taken to the festival, & do you have a wider catchment? CAROLINE: We have a group of regulars who come to the Sunday shows and the festival and then the acts bring in some of their own following. In 2018 we held the festival on the Sunday of the May Bank Holiday with the Riverhouse May Fair on the Monday so we had two days of sunshine and smiling faces around the venue. We wanted to bottle the atmosphere.
Will there be a Walton Folk Festival, 2020? PETER: We don’t have a big budget or sponsorship (yet). So we have to have a good attendance to pay for the festival. So, if it’s a sell-out like last year we will definitely be back for 2020. And we hope to expand to an extra day and maybe other venues. Ideally, it would be Walton Folk Week, but that may have to wait until 2021.
After processing we headed to the Love House Arena full of optimism. For once I was in the demographic as the Festival was overtly a celebration of the 90’s dance scene. Jon Pleased Wimmin was just finishing his set with some bangers, we were starting to feel very at home so we headed out and about to find the Judgement Arena. Along the way we managed to trip over a very nice bar serving proper cocktails. Suitably fortified with industrial strength gin and tonic we found our destination where surprisingly Micky Slim was also filling the floor with a set of 90’s classics, are you starting to spot a theme? I can’t remember what the fuck he actually played but just type 90’s rave classics into your search engine, you’ll get the idea.
Mumble Festivals 