Sedentary performers were prominent at Folk In The Park. Richard Thompson had fallen down some stairs, while Tom Robinson was suffering from a more prosaic hernia. Poor Eddi Reader, meanwhile, had fallen ill but… The Show Must Go On and… what a show! Surely the UK’s most calm, friendly, laid-back and above all inclusive festival, Folk In The Park is run with boundless energy and steely resolve by the proprietors of the nearby Sound Lounge, Keiron Marshall and Hannah White, themselves mighty musicians of note and leaders of a dedicated team.
Emma Stevens and her ukulele kicked off the day with sad and happy songs before busily scooting off to two further gigs elsewhere. Versatile Texan guest Rodney Branigan treated us to a strangely hypnotic acoustic guitar and bass extravaganza, featuring heavily treated and looped a cappella chants. The variety continued with East Of Reno’s Band-like soulful take on UK americana, dominated by Garth Hudson-like piano.
The setup in the field is clever. The stages are positioned so that audience members (impeccably quiet and attentive) merely have to swivel their chairs around between sets. It also follows Festival Rule Number One, which is No Programme Clashes. Disobeying that rule had marred Richard Thompson’s set two weeks previously at Wickham. Unforgivably, he’d been placed against a destructively loud Alabama 3 in an adjacent tent.
If you were seeking a great festival act, what would you look for? Humour, versatility, virtuosity, beautiful voices and infectious songs? Ashley Campbell has them all, and in her song ‘POS‘, she has created a hilarious and irresistible anthem which will be sung along with for years to come. Her tribute to her dad, Glen, ‘Remembering‘, created one of the most moving, pin-drop silent experiences any festival has ever seen.
By way of a musical contrast, co-organiser Keiron Marshall stepped up with his Blues Matters to evoke memories of the legendary blues venues of outer London in the 1960s, when artists like The Yardbirds, The Stones and The Bluesbreakers would blast out the heavy, riffy blues-rock that we all love to this day. Incredible fun!
Ren Harvieu presented yet another musical contrast, pastoral folk that you could also imagine being played at Bunjies in Soho in the 1960s. The musical combo of Ren and Romeo Stodart is beautiful and was perfect for the afternoon festival vibe.
In keeping with the pleasingly eclectic booking policy, it was high time for some cheerful indie rock, courtesy of Dave Banks And The Loose Change, featuring the ubiquitous Tipping Brothers, some impressive guitar wrangling and a rousing climax with a cover of Tom Petty’s ‘American Girl’.
Describing herself as “your resident misery guts, come all this way just to make you sad”, Thea Gilmore is a brave artist who has successfully reinvented herself musically by harnessing technology to enhance her songs. And they weren’t all sad.
The resurgence of Tom Robinson reminds us what an incredible catalogue of unforgettable songs he has, everyone singing along to every word. Drummer Siân Monaghan propels them with energy and precision while Jim Simmons on keys and Adam Phillips on guitar honour an illustrious heritage. Out they all tumbled: ‘Too Good To Be True’, ‘War Baby’, ‘Martin’ (with the shout-back being loud enough to wake up the entire population of Sutton), ‘2-4-6-8 Motorway’ and of course ‘Glad To Be Gay’, during which, appropriately, the reluctant sun emerged as the entire crowd sang along. Tom’s Eddy Grant story, while familiar, remains comedy gold.
With close connections to the Sound Lounge, The Magic Numbers were a perfect choice to replace the indisposed Eddi Reader. This acoustic version of the band was ideal to chill down to as dusk descended, although nowadays acoustic just means drumless, as everything else remains amplified.
Could a solo Richard Thompson hold a crowd after such a varied day? Nobody should have doubted it, ‘Genesis Hall’ from “Unhalfbricking” and ‘Turning Of The Tide’ led into a boldly unpredictable set of unparalleled beauty. In a day filled with musical dexterity, Thompson topped it off in a gripping way, retaining the attention of a knowledgeable audience. ‘Beeswing’ triumphed as the song of the day while ‘Walking The Long Miles Home’ brought the day full circle, with Thompson reminiscing about the legendary Marquee and seeing The Move, The Who and The Yardbirds. Much joy was caused by the recognition of the initial notes of ‘Vincent Black Lightning 1952′, while Zara Phillips enhanced ‘Hokey Pokey’ and ‘She Twists The Knife Again’.
With so many half-baked festivals around, this day was an object lesson of an impeccable concept carried out with the vital skills of sensitive curation, sequencing and just pure humanity. Congratulations to everyone involved.
Huge thanks to Birgit Gray for her photographs of the day.
Yes great reviews, but just like to say the music never stops at the Sound Lounge, tonight’s Americana are the awesome Autumn Saints so don’t miss it 👌