Enjoyed the first day of the 4th Moseley Folk Festival. This is the music event where I don’t really know any of the acts or, to be honest, have a great deal of passion for the sort of music on display, but I enjoy it because it’s a nice place to be for a weekend. The general folk festival vibe is amplified by the shockingly lovely Moseley Park which, when filled with hippies and gentle music, turns into some kind of faerie wonderland. Even in the rain.
I did, however, forget that standing outside on a cloudy September is distinctly unlike sitting indoors and just wore the one jumper. Won’t make that mistake again. But numb extremities were countered with lots of tea and I had a good time.
A few notable acts I intend to chase up.
Frida Hyvonen from Sweden brought an actual real piano into the park (which seemed incredible until I figured they couldn’t have dragged all the staging in by hand so drving it down the hill wasn’t quite so impressive) and impressed mightily. Comparisons with Amanda Palmer only went as far as “lady singing heartfelt and edgy songs while playing piano” and after that comparisons are hard to come by. But I fell in love, and not just because of the beautiful tapdancing drummer or the fact that she appeared to be wearing a curtain. Will definitely be getting a chunk of her tunes.
I enjoyed The Pastels and Tenniscoats but, if I’m honest, it was my shallow love of anything Japanese that did it. Any music event of a significant size needs at least one quirky Japanese act to make it for me and Tenniscoats were that. While I liked the collaboration I think I’ll seek out their own work.
Tenniscoats also played one song with a French guitarist who’s name I don’t know as he was a last minute replacement for El Perro Del Mar but I’d like to find out. Maybe it was my state at that moment – cold, tired, alone, coveting tea – but sitting on the ground by the stage, a band of people standing behind me making it feel like I was in a small room, I found myself lost in his deceptively simple music.
Over in the Bohemian Jukebox tent it was a pleasure to see Pete Green play again. I can’t believe I haven’t seen him since a gig in 2004 but maybe that’s right. But the highlight from this corner of the park was Samuel Walter who sung what I took to be traditional, often Jacobean songs from long ago. Nothing particularly interesting about that, you might think, but he did so in the style of Brian Blessed, bellowing in manner that would be quite at home in a wooden hall filled with men quaffing ales. And he had mad hair. His YouTube channel has him singing in his home. I’m not sure I’ve seen someone sing so loudly into their computer that it distorts. Wouldn’t want to be his neighbour. Although he did seem to be a lovely chap so I guess he’d keep it down if asked.
Other than that it was all nicely nice and nice, which is the point. Back again in a few hours. Will take more clothes this time.
The French guitarist is a Swedish guy called Andreas Söderström who records as Ass, is a member of the El Perro Del Mar live band, and has recently worked with Victoria (ex-Concretes) on her new Taken By Trees record.
He’s released a couple of Ass album on the Headspin label, the most recent of which also appeared on vinyl via Dorridge’s exemplary Static Caravan label.
http://www.myspace.com/assmyass