Maverick, Maverick, so good we’ve reviewed it twice.
While our accredited reporter, Andrew Frolish, has turned in his extensive review of the latest Maverick Festival, another AUK writer, John Lee, was also there and has kindly offered up his thoughts on the weekend, too.
So here’s Andrew’s take, followed by John’s.
Maverick is the oldest americana festival in the UK, and this should be applauded and celebrated. It is no small feat to have got this so right for so long. Every year, there are familiar faces and new discoveries amongst the well-chosen, carefully-balanced acts. Returning to the festival this year was the mercurial, multi-talented Chris Murphy, who would once again share stages with many of the other artists, impressing audiences with his exuberance, humour and, above all, outrageously accomplished improvisation. This year, the legendary pedal steel player BJ Cole would also be accompanying others during their shows, providing heavenly sliding notes to embellish countless songs across the festival. Though the music was wonderful, it was, once again, the sense of friendship and community that remained, lingering in one’s heart long after the festival was over. The outstanding Casey Neill introduced his song ‘The Ones You Ride With’ by talking about the idea of ‘found family’ and discovering a tribe of people you bond with and who enrich one another’s lives. It’s a beautiful song that captures the unity and friendship that is at the heart of this festival. Each year, in early July, you can find your musical family here in Easton Farm Park.
“I found family // Forever family // We met in bars // On open roads // In spaces in between // In the liminal // Bonded by our youth, // Revolution and ritual // There’s no one like // The ones you ride with // The ones you’ve chosen // And those who’ve chosen you // The ones you ride with // The ones who’ve got you // I’ve got you, I’ve got you // You know I’ve got you.” (Casey Neill, ‘The Ones You Ride With’)
Friday night at The Moonshine bar is always a wonderfully atmospheric evening of entertainment. This fabulous little venue is one of my favourite place to be at any festival, incredibly intimate with the stage just a step away. The Moonshine pulls in a crowd, but is never too crowded. Often, acts that are due to play on the larger stages over the weekend will start here on Friday as the sun is going down, making a first connection with the Maverick community. For others, like Ags Connolly, this was the only chance to catch them at the festival. Connolly is widely regarded as one of the UK’s best ever traditional country songwriters. For this set, he was joined by the legendary pedal steel player BJ Cole, who would be seen alongside many a performer throughout the weekend. The opening song, ‘Wrong Again (You Lose a Life)’, was the perfect introduction to Connolly’s gorgeously warm, classic country vocal style. Cole supplied a sublime steel solo, travelling up and down his instrument with such fluid and natural grace. Connelly said, “We don’t have time to fit all my hits in, but we’ll do our best,” drawing a laugh from the crowd and easing into the show. Then, Connolly played an older tune, ‘Get Out of My Mind’ from his 2014 debut “How About Now”. This was a beautiful romance of a song, slower with swooning pedal steel and a smooth, tender vocal. ‘Tell Me What You Were Gonna Tell Me’ was particularly strong – Cole’s pedal steel provided sweeping background notes in the verses and then quivered and swayed in his solo over Connolly’s bright, high strum. ‘Heading South for a While’ had a faster strum and plenty of rhythm and sway. These last two songs were both from 2023’s “Siempre”, Connolly’s last album of original songs and a great place to start if you’re unfamiliar with his classic sound. He then took us back to the debut record with ‘I Saw James Hand’, which once again featured an outstanding solo from BJ Cole, who was simply lost in the music and mesmerising to watch. After ‘In the Corner, At the Table, By the Jukebox’ – a signature James Hand tune – Connolly went, “…back to my hits,” with the rhythmic strum of ‘What Were You Gonna Do About It’. Connolly engaged well with the audience, offering lots of self-deprecating humour and noting, “It’s hard to slink away politely,” although nobody would have wanted to during such a polished set. The authentic honky tonk sound of ‘The Meaning of the Word‘ led into two more songs from “Siempre”, ‘I’d Be Good for You’ and ‘In Love at All’, the former being a real highlight thanks to Connolly’s romantic words, warm voice and a glorious pedal steel ending. People danced and sang along to the rolling ‘I Hope You’re Unhappy’ before Connolly closed with the popular ‘Slow Burner’, for which he was joined by Canadian star Sarah Jane Scouten. It was a classy end to an outstanding show, and Connolly finished with a fun response from the audience when he announced he was going over the dark side tomorrow, by which he meant he was playing in Norfolk.
BJ Cole remained on stage to accompany the next act, which was one of the most eagerly anticipated of the weekend. Old friends David Ford and Michele Stodart performed together as a duo. Wonderfully talented as individuals, the pair were sensational together, starting with ‘Tumbleweeds’. The two guitars sounded rich and warm, and then Cole’s pedal steel gently joined them, and the combination was heavenly. Their voices were sweetly melodic together and were full of feeling when the guitars paused, focusing attention solely on the vocal blend. With the back-and-forth repetition of “You just fill it right up,” Ford and Stodart sang with real emotion. This tremendous opener was followed by the bright harmony of ‘Blue’. With plucked pedal steel, the sound was joyous and, by the song’s close, Stodart and Ford were both smiling, enjoying the show, the music and the company. Ford played his outstanding solo song ‘Waiting for the Storm’ next, starting with plaintive harmonica and an equally plaintive, weary vocal performance. Cole’s pedal steel emerged from the song’s melody, organically growing from the song rather than an embellishment. Then, when the chorus began, Ford’s impassioned voice burst forth, crying out with emotion, and this impassioned performance was one of the highlights of the festival. Ford took to the keys for the gentle ‘Push and Pull’, with Stodart centre stage, her voice intimate, like a conversation, for a gorgeous reflection on balancing touring and motherhood. The audience joined in a sing-along, which surprised Stodart, “I wasn’t expecting such a strong choir!” It is one of the best, most affecting songs from her recent album “Invitation”, quiet and smoky and perfect for an evening performance in The Moonshine Bar. Ford picked the wrong glass up from the stage to take a sip, before exclaiming, “That was damn straight whisky in a pint glass – who are you?!” to the amusement of Stodart and the crowd. It’s moments like this in the bar’s close confines that really make the experience feel communal and connected. He went on to tell us that sad songs make him happy before playing ‘Break My Heart if You Must’, his desperate words touched by resignation, “I will not ask you to stay // and if there’s somewhere you’d rather be // I’m not going to stand in your way,” in a raw performance – just Ford’s guitar and the pair’s voices, rising as the song built. The duo concluded their set with a gorgeous and unexpected version of ‘Show Me Heaven’, transformed into a heartfelt americana gem and a rousing finish.
Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Jane Scouten was next up in The Moonshine, and she began with the fast strum of ‘Wanderlust’ from her 2023 album “Turned to Gold”. It was a powerful opener with beautifully elongated notes that displayed her strong, pure-sounding voice. She explained that she’d just driven all the way down from Scotland to Suffolk and needed all the help she could get: “Do you honk? Do you tonk?” Of course, those in attendance responded with enthusiasm. The slower, gentler ‘Every Song I sing’ was full of heart and doomed romance, “Now every song I sing, I sing for you and me…I’ll always be right here if you need me// My sweetheart // We just ought to take it easy for a while.” It was written about a boyfriend who kept breaking up with Scouten, prompting her to write great songs. ‘Rose and Carnations’, a lyrical song written after hearing of John Prine’s death, was well-played on the guitar, finger-picked with her thumb picking out the bass line, and her vocal softened gorgeously in the verses. ‘Palomino’ was delicately played, and Scouten’s voice projected clear and bright in the standout song from her session – a new song that will hopefully be released soon. Scouten asked if the audience knew what a palomino is – a golden horse – and recounted introducing this song at a gig in Germany where the audience knew Palomino to be a brand of denim jeans available at the shop C & A. Throughout, Scouten engaged well with the crowd, telling amusing comments and personable stories and she noted, “Nine hours on the road are starting to catch up with me, so if I don’t play more upbeat numbers, I’m going to fall over,” and ‘Wilder’ was a suitably strong song with a fun singalong to keep her going. Scouten demonstrated her range on new song ‘Grey Galloway’, a delicate song about a friend’s divorce, linked to Dumfries and Galloway where she now lives, “Scotland’s best kept secret.” She continued to draw laughs from the audience with good-humoured banter, joking that Montreal is where the artists go, “…because the rent’s cheap and the laws are more like suggestions,” and asking, “Any requests? I need to know them and I need to have written them!” She finished with the higher notes of ‘What Music’s For’, a resounding finish.
One of the acts I was most looking forward to seeing at Maverick was Morton Valence, who describe their sound as urban country. The vocal pairing of Robert ‘Hacker’ Jessett and Anne Gilpin was joined on stage by BJ Cole, once again taking to the pedal steel and providing subtle backing in the opening story-based ballad. Extra texture came from Gilpin’s handheld bells and Jessett’s finger-picked guitar, all helping to lift his delicate vocal, which was almost spoken at times. Next up was current single ‘Hey Misty’, a tuneful strum and elongated steel notes providing the base for the duo’s understated voices, which wrapped around one another beautifully and danced around the sweetest of melodies. The upbeat ‘I’ve Been Watching You / You’ve Been Watching Me’, a fine song from Morton Valence’s last album, was brilliantly performed with their vocal dialogue at its heart. Gilpin played a Marxophone, an unusual string instrument with tiny metal hammers striking the strings and generating an ethereal sparkling sound. The Marxophone’s glittering vibrations also enhanced the next song, ‘Punch Drunk’, on which Jessett delivered a strong, rhythmic, storytelling vocal and BJ Cole supplied strangled, distorted pedal steel as the song grew. That pedal steel from BJ Cole, who produced Morton Valence’s last album, was again sublimely weeping and wonderful on ‘Absent Friend’ and ‘Golden Lights’. Next up was ‘A Tear for Every Year’, a country trope about being away in prison. The final song was ‘Together Through the Rain’ from the 2022 self-titled album. Initially quiet and moody, the song swelled with Marxophone and lilting pedal steel as the duo’s voices traded places, with Gilpin’s vocal perfectly subtle and understated. It was an atmospheric finish to a set that was full of smiles, fun and Jessett’s warm stage presence.
The evening finished with the accomplished Danny George Wilson accompanied by the masterful guitarist Paul Lush. Well known for his work with Danny & The Champions of the World and Bennett Wilson Poole, Wilson delivered an incredible set of songs, beginning with ‘The Truest Kind’ from the Champs’ 2008 debut. It was an intricate start on complementary guitars, the pair’s interplay building into a fast strum. Wilson’s voice was rich and tuneful and absolutely absorbing. Another older song, ‘Red Tree Song’, followed. Wilson’s voice rang out louder and then the volume dropped, allowing for quieter, more reflective moments. As well as a gorgeous acoustic solo, the song was notable for the way Wilson incorporated lyrics from Springsteen’s ‘Thunder Road’ seamlessly into the song, making them his own. This was one of the most dramatic songs of the evening and truly immersive. Wilson then launched into ‘Talking a Good Game’, the opening song from 2024’s “You Are Not a Stranger Here”, one of my favourite songs of recent years, and it proved to be one of the highlights of the set. Wilson’s strong strum contrasted with a softer vocal while Lush picked out higher notes and played a magical, melodious acoustic solo. Lush’s ethereal playing continued into the atmospheric ‘Kicking Tyres’, sounding something like an acoustic David Gilmour. And yes, he was that good, his high notes drifting above Wilson’s low tones. Another great song from The Champs’ recent album, ‘I’m in Love’, was well-placed next, an understated continuation of the mood, with keys sounding like drops of moonlight falling between the song’s rhythm and sway. Slowly, the song swelled until Wilson was powering downstrokes behind Lush’s acoustic solo. Those three recent songs translated incredibly well on a small stage with just two guitars and one voice to give them life. Then, we travelled back in time for a couple of fan favourites: the joyous, triumphant-sounding ‘These Days’ and the massive sing-along of ‘Henry the Van’ before Annie Dressner joined them on stage to assist on ‘Sooner or Later’ with her smooth, beautiful voice. Having thought time was up, Wilson was given time for another and delivered one of the best performances of the weekend with ‘(Never Stop Building) That Old Space Rocket’ – another soaring sing-along that got everyone moving and joining in. And with that, Friday evening at The Maverick Festival was over for another year, and I felt absolutely, utterly elated. The camaraderie in the bar after the music finished was, once again, what makes this festival what it is: a welcoming community of music-lovers and familiar faces. As an added bonus, this year my tent didn’t leak on Friday night, and I slept for at least a couple of hours.
After a hearty breakfast in the Willow Barn Cafe, Saturday started with a little sunshine on The Green, where The Weeping Willows, regular performers at Maverick, were filling in. Although it was their fourth year at the festival, it was their first time playing the larger stage outside. Andrew Wrigglesworth on guitar and vocals, and singer Laura Coates began with ‘River of Gold’ from their 2016 album “Darkness Comes A-Callin'”. Beginning with just their voices before the addition of a fast strum, the song was a showcase for the duo’s powerful harmonies and storytelling. Suddenly, after that first song, the main stage lost power, which I’m only mentioning because of the way this incredibly professional pair took it in their stride. They simply unplugged, walked out to the front of the stage, on the grass and up close to the massed attendees, and played most of the rest of their set acoustically. Despite this unexpected challenge, they appeared relaxed, and their bravery and easy manner must be applauded. In fact, it perhaps strengthened their connection to the listeners. An early high point was the low melody and delicate ‘House of Sin’, on which Coates added depth with the accordion. Several songs later, The Weeping Willows were able to return to the stage, problem solved, and their songs included ‘Fall Out of Time‘, a lonely narrative set in an old Texan dance hall with gorgeous guitar work and slow accordion, and ‘C.C. Rider‘, which featured a great guitar rhythm and a more powerful vocal from Coates.
For me, it was back to The Moonshine for a succession of great acts. I arrived early enough to see BJ Cole going through the intricate process of putting his pedal steel together, which was fascinating in itself. In the meantime, Chris Murphy was warming up for his set by jamming mandolin on a picnic bench outside, the sort of moment that makes this intimate festival so special. When the multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist Murphy started his set, he strummed and looped his violin to create rhythms and backing tracks – all original, recorded live – and the mesmerising sound swelled as the crowd clapped along. He journeyed outside amongst the audience members while playing, never missing a note. Time disappears while you watch Murphy sway and play, plucking, picking, strumming and bowing the fiddle with a sense of freedom and unreleased power. Having played the festival last year, many in the audience knew what to expect from Murphy’s songs, and they were ready to clap and sing along, joining in with gusto for the rhythmic, good-humoured ‘Never Learned to Drive’. ‘Early Grave’, a tribute to music from Louisiana, was a great example of how the looping was used to create flawless layers of sound and a rhythm track for Murphy to solo over, a richness and fullness of sound that one man can rarely summon up. BJ Cole was then introduced to the appreciative crowd as a “...legend of British music.” There was a thumping beat and grooving pedal steel on ‘Worn Thin’, a tense song about relationships with swampy, low notes. Cole produced a pedal steel masterclass, using his steel in various ways to produce a range of sounds – tapping, vibrating, stroking and sweeping down the instrument. Murphy said he’s received a lot of requests for ‘Halfway Around the World’, a song that has become his theme tune. With fast, high bowing and Murphy dancing far from the stage, this became a real sing-along, particularly vibrant and joyous when the music paused and the crowd continued to clap and sing. Then pedal steel notes began to drop back in before a burst of instrumentation. Cole’s pedal steel was sweet, sonic sunshine, a kind of musical light. Murphy’s shows are always a triumph, a coming together of folk in communal musical joy, and his performance style is perfect for a setting like The Maverick Festival, where it feels like he’s singing and playing for his friends.
Now, Holly Carter’s session was one of the most impressive and memorable experiences of the festival. This was no straightforward set. She presented the story of unionist Joe Hill, describing his life through talk and song. Swedish-American Hill was an activist, musician and prolific songwriter for the Industrial Workers of the World. He would take familiar songs and change the words to create protest songs and sing-alongs. Carter played ‘Casey Jones the Union Scab‘ with a wonderful, pure, bright sound from her Electromatic Gretsch. Then she spent time telling Hill’s tale, beginning with his upbringing in Sweden, where he was forced to leave school when his father died. After Hill’s mother also died, the siblings went their separate ways, and he migrated to the USA. Over the course of her show, Carter took us through the events and locations of Hill’s life, vividly reconstructing his experiences from news reports, word of mouth and letters. Through his travels in places like San Francisco, Portland and San Pedro, Carter described the important link between music and unionism at the turn of the 20th century. Jack Walsh, a powerful public speaker who was persuading workers to avoid the employment agencies that were exploiting them, was drowned out by the Salvation Army Band and had the idea of creating his own band. It was the start of a musical fight for free speech that would involve Joe Hill as one of the principal musicians and songwriters. In between the narratives, Carter played beautifully, her voice incredibly pure with timeless tone, and her claw strumming made the music roll and flow. Hill said that, “A pamphlet, no matter how good, is never read more than once, but a song is learned by heart and repeated over and over.” These wise words actually sum up the power of music in any context. Carter played a sweet-sounding ‘It’s a Long Way to the Soup Line’, sung to the tune of ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’, noting how humour is part of the struggle, before recounting Joe Hill’s execution in 1915 after a trumped-up murder charge and a brutal arrest. When Hill’s body was transported by train to Chicago, 30,000 people lined the streets. Carter played ‘I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night’, a song made famous by Paul Robeson, Joan Baez and many others. In many ways, a shocking story, it ends with small portions of his ashes being distributed in envelopes far and wide the following year, continuing to inspire people after his death. Carter also told us of how she wrote to Billy Bragg when she was a student to ask about the link between music and politics. His reply was that “…ours is not to lead but to follow,” an interesting take on an intriguing topic. This was no typical festival show. This was history and politics, entertainment, music and performance all wrapped up together. It was striking and remained with me long after most performances began to fade.
The legendary BJ Cole, who had already performed with numerous artists, was next on stage for his own show. He opened with ‘Last Date’, a timeless piano chart hit for Floyd Cramer back in 1960 that reached number two on the Hot 100, just behind Elvis’s ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’. Throughout the show, it was quite magical to see how Cole translated instrumentals and songs that were designed to be played on other instruments into pedal steel pieces. Then, as we were at an americana festival, BJ Cole played ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’, perhaps the most entrancing moment of the weekend; his twisting, quivering, weeping notes were shafts of desert sun and precious drops of rare desert rain in musical form. This was hard to follow, and Cole did so by going for the brighter, sweet ‘Daydream Smile’, “…from my Hawaiian album.” Often, a stage setup, the distractions of other musicians, and the focus on the picking and steel mean that you don’t really pay attention to a pedal steel player’s feet. Something so intricate and technical should not go unnoticed. Here, Cole’s feet were busy, and his working of the pedals was incredibly natural and instinctive. On ‘Tipsy Doodle’, also from the Hawaiian album, Cole crossed over his hands and picked the other side of his steel, continually showing a fluidity and inventiveness in his play. From “Transparent Music”, Cole’s second solo release, he played ‘Sun Tear Serenade’, a more classical-sounding original composition, in which the low notes hummed with feeling. Cole’s grandson joined him to play guitar on the atmospheric ‘Sleepwalk’, accompanying Cole’s meandering high notes, adding texture and serving to show how amazing it was that Cole could make the pedal steel on its own so absorbing for so long. Cole ended with the ominous notes of ‘Cry Me a River’, which he had arranged with cellist Emily Burridge. A moving finish, BJ Cole had succeeded in transporting his audience away from the bar to a place that was magically serene and sombre and felt profound.
Before heading back to The Green, I managed to catch a little of Casey Neill and Chris Murphy out of the way on The Travelling Medicine Show Stage. I would have the chance to see the pair of them again a few days later, performing in the basement of The Betsey Trotwood in London with the low rumblings of tube trains providing atmospheric backing. At the Betsey, as well as in each performance at Maverick, both musicians were utterly captivating. Then, on The Green, The Burner Band provided upbeat music in the sunshine. An early highlight was the fast notes and howling backing vocals of Billy Edd Wheeler’s ‘Coal Tattoo’, an American coal mining song. Then, an original song, ‘The Hotdog King’, introduced us to the story of Vietnam veteran Dan Rossi, who set up hotdog vendors so that other veterans could earn a living but spent years battling authorities over permits. Front man Lewis Pugh noted, “The American Dream can be a nightmare,” and joked, “If I’d known it was such a complicated story, I wouldn’t have written it!” New song ‘Beaufort County Jail’ tells another true historical tale, this time about Joan Little, who was charged with murdering a prison guard who had attacked her in 1974 but was acquitted at her trial a year later in a landmark civil rights legal case. The pacey ‘Setraline’ was followed by ‘The Ballad of Emily Swann’. Pugh said, “This is a murder song from Leeds…always a jaunty sentence,” before playing this Yorkshire murder ballad, which tells the true story of a woman arrested and hanged for the murder of her abusive husband. This was a quieter song with moody pedal steel and slower guitar. So far, it had been a day for true historical narratives set brilliantly to music. With a swift change of pace, The Burner Band finished with their rendition of ‘Olympia, WA’ by punk band Rancid.
Danny George Wilson was joined on stage in The Barn by Paul Lush, once again, and Thomas Collison on keys, filling out the sound. Their set burst into life with ‘Waiting for the Right Time’ from 2017 album “Brilliant Light”. It was upbeat and energetic and led into the dynamic ‘Heart & Arrow’, which benefited from an additional layer of elongated notes on the organ and then a bouncing solo on the keys. ‘Thinking About My Friend’ had tinkling keys and another rolling solo, alongside a teasing acoustic guitar solo from Lush, and the song was extended to include audience participation. Over a strong organ foundation, Wilson delivered a great vocal performance for ‘Stay True’, wailing away from the mic with power and emotion. After Grand Drive song ‘Firefly’, Wilson said, “It’s wonderful to be here with friends you know and friends you haven’t met yet,” which neatly summed up the feeling of camaraderie at a festival like Maverick. ‘(Never Stop Building) That Old Space Rocket’ was, again, a triumph, Wilson’s voice projected into the cosmos, and people came to the front to dance while Collison’s rhythmic keys and Lush’s solo took us into the stratosphere. Wilson introduced the dramatic final song, ‘Every Beat of My Heart’, saying, “This is a song about live music and being with your friends and I guess that’s what Maverick is all about.” Indeed.
Out on The Green, Sarah Petite was generating a great response from the crowd with lots of people up and dancing to songs like ‘Le Petit Saboteur’ and new song ‘She Runs With the Wolves’. One of the delightful things about Maverick is the way artists can be found mingling with the fans, and I had a lovely chat with David Ford under the warm sun. We talked generally about music and the industry, noting that people used to engage with music differently, making a conscious choice to engage with a physical product, but now, with algorithm-generated playlists, disengaged listening is becoming the norm, and “…subtlety doesn’t help.” Our discussion became quite philosophical when we moved into AI-created songs – it depends on what you think music is for, and if it does what you need, does it matter? We talked about the push and pull of economics and the way a market normally pulls something from a producer, but creatives push something out into the world that they would produce regardless of market forces. Not only was David Ford one of the standout performers at the festival (as I knew he would be, having seen him several times), he was also incredibly thoughtful, interesting and welcoming. And this conversation really did leave me reflecting on how my own little musical world sometimes feels under siege – from streaming, AI, small venues closing, festivals cancelling…but not here. Maverick Festival remains a haven for a musical culture and a way of life that is precious and must not be taken for granted.
I made my way back to The Barn for Portland’s Casey Neill, accompanied on guitar by the excellent Chet Lyster, who is well known for being a member of Eels and playing with Lucinda Williams. The marvellously rich sound of Lyster’s Fender Jaguar was in evidence on ‘Night Owl and the Skylark’. ‘In the Swim’ was a beautiful duet with a Simon and Garfunkel-like melody and harmony. The gorgeous ‘Sending Up Flares’ had been written all at once, out of nowhere, while on tour with Jerry Joseph. Slow and vulnerable at first, with a gentle strum from Neill and Lyster’s subtle note-bending on the whammy bar, the song then rose up on ethereal, transcendent notes. It’s a song that feels profound and transformative. ‘Darken Down’ – described as a night-driving song – came out in a flowing current of words over Lyster’s echoing, low melody. It was a moody, blurry memory of song. Then came one of the festival’s best moments – ‘The Ones You Ride With’. The song’s meaning has already been mentioned, and why it feels like this year’s festival anthem. Musically, it was steady and purposeful with a dream-like ending. Neill’s voice was clean and clear on ‘Idyll’, a song about rural American life, while the glow of the setting sun slanted into the barn. The pair finished an incredible set with the strong downstrokes and fabulous chorus of ‘Savages’.
The last dregs of sun streamed into the open side of The Barn, a magical quality of light mixing with the colourful stage lights to reveal David Ford and Michele Stodart in almost hyper-real definition for their second performance of the festival. The duo started again with ‘Tumbleweed’, their voices together, rising high and full of aching heart. The ubiquitous and supremely talented Chris Murphy was invited to the stage to add texture, tension and drama with his fluent fiddle-playing. Over the next few songs, the blend of voices was sublime, showing range and intimate vulnerability and particularly effective when Stodart’s voice dropped low while Ford’s lifted, emotive and high. Ford played keys on a gorgeous version of ‘Push and Pull’, those heartfelt lyrics about motherhood delivered with great control, her voice quiet and yet incredibly powerful and compelling. Then it was Ford’s turn to produce some more magic with his song ‘Waiting for the Storm’. He wished he had a good story to tell about the song, then joked that it was co-written with Bruce Springsteen and Vladimir Putin in a Paraguayan jail. Murphy’s sweet, long notes on the fiddle accompanied Ford’s delicate vocal, which exploded with passion in the chorus. Stodart took the lead on ‘Bed of Roses’, over subtle violin; in the chorus, the duo’s voices entwined in a quiet vocal embrace. Another tender vocal performance, sounding resigned and lost, perfectly conveyed the feeling of ‘Break My Heart if You Must’. The final song was, once again, ‘Show Me Heaven’, a song that clearly meant a lot to them. The pair often go on long drives together, taking turns to choose the music and, sooner or later, one of them will always select this. As during last night’s show, the harmonies were magical and they transformed the song into an americana classic that exploded towards the end as the song flew towards its climax. As with yesterday, this was a spellbinding show.
At around quarter to nine, I just wandered the festival, soaking it all in: the families still sitting around chatting on The Green, the young folk perched on the edge of the main stage, the array of kiosks with lines of hungry customers and the packed Peacock Stage where many of the artists had gathered for the Bob Dylan Tribute. A highlight was Sarah Jane Scouten and Elise LeBlanc producing a glorious rendition of ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’. In the end, there was an 18-piece band on stage for the finale, ‘Like a Rolling Stone’. People in the audience were literally bouncing – it was joyous, and all around I saw kinship and community.
In The Barn, the penultimate act of the evening was Prinz Grizzley, who opened with the uplifting ‘Wide Open Country’, which was full of open-hearted love. His voice was characterful, and the repeated lines at the end after the instrumentation stopped made for a special moment. Other highlights were the grooving ‘The Shovel’ and the rhythmic ‘You Don’t Know Love’. It was another fine performance, and by now, The Barn felt packed.
Saturday drew to a close with the mesmerising Errol Linton Band, exuberant performers who filled The Barn with their sound and spirit. Immediately, it felt like a party as the band launched into ‘City Blues’ from Linton’s most recent album, 2024’s “Break the Seal”. Linton’s harmonica solo was fluent, and there were colourful flourishes of keys. The next song, ‘Sad and Lonesome’, burst with an energetic, loud, bright guitar solo over the deep, slapping, bouncing stand-up bass while the crowd danced. Dramatic percussion opened ‘Shake for Me’, before the audience clapped along to a laid-back, languid rhythm, and it was delightful to see the joy in playing the bass on ‘Break the Seal’.
The harmonica was used to create the rhythm on ‘Cry to Me‘, and the groove was infectious. The harmonica was again central to ‘Howlin’ for My Darlin‘ – it’s an instrument that can screech and wail, but not in the hands of Linton, for whom it’s simply joyous. Over the next few songs, there was some wild dancing down at the front, and every member of the band had their moment, including great drums on ‘Packing My Bags‘ and ‘Mama Said‘. The feeling at the front of The Barn that night was euphoria, and the audience responded in reciprocal fashion to the dynamic energy and glorious joy of Errol Linton and his band.
As always, a relaxed Sunday morning began with a leisurely Big Farmers Breakfast at the Willow Barn Cafe. It is one of the things I love about Maverick – you can get proper food on proper crockery, which is not something that can be said for every festival. Mid-morning, there was a choice between Prinz Grizzley on the Peacock Stage and The Rabble Chorus in the sunshine on The Green. The Rabble Chorus were, of course, anything but a rabble, displaying great control of pitch and volume as their soaring chorus of uplifting, heart-swelling, gospel-infused songs welcomed in the day. Meanwhile, the Peacock Stage, Prinz Grizzley concluded his final set with ‘Much Too Sober’ from the album “Dear Leftovers”. It was a moody, slower finale with tinkling and bending pedal steel elevating his voice, which soared as we reached a dramatic finale. Then, it was over to The Moonshine Bar for another performance from ‘artist at large’ Chris Murphy, who started with hypnotic loops in a swirling instrumental, during which he danced out of the bar, playing to the crowd on the picnic tables and busking in the sunshine. Then he introduced, “…something unprecedented – reggae!”, ‘Lava’, a new song recorded in Hawaii for forthcoming album “Island Violin”, began with Murphy’s fiddle held low and plucked, a phrase that was looped while he began to use more dramatic bow strokes. Next was the rapid, short strokes of bluegrass song ‘Hard Bargain’. Once again, Murphy shimmied out into the crowd, which circled and surrounded him with handclaps and joy while his superbly fast fingers flew up and down the violin’s neck. Murphy put extra resin on his bow because, “…you people deserve it,” and he praised the festival and its attendees, saying, “I’ve made a lot of new friends and the music has been spectacular,” which was a fair summary of the weekend. Starting with delicately strummed fiddle and a quieter vocal, Murphy finished with ‘Last Friend’. A pulsing beat was introduced as the song gained momentum. Described as “…a little prayer,” this gospel-tinged song was a fitting way for Murphy to close his final solo set of the weekend. Suffice to say, he made plenty of friends.
Back at the Peacock Stage, the sun beat down on the mound to the side of the building. From this position, you could see both into the building, where Dan Webster was on stage, and you had a clear view of the children playing in the park. In other words, you could see in your line of sight the importance of the music and the family-oriented atmosphere. In ‘One to Remember’, Webster’s voice traced a weary, melodic path, “Sing me one to remember // Sing me one to forget / / Sing for me for the love that I’ve lost // Sing for the time I’ve got left.” Webster performed alongside violinist and vocalist Emily Lawler, and together they created a striking vocal blend, especially on ‘Basics of Love’, an achingly gorgeous ballad written by Webster’s friends Lachlan Bryan and Nia McMartin. This will be the opening track on an upcoming EP that will include selected songs from Webster’s last three albums, which were all limited-run physical releases that were not more widely available previously. While playing, a spider had somehow appeared from behind Webster and then crawled down the mic stand, leaving webbing behind, prompting him to tell the story of the time a huge spider crawled out from beneath the monitor wedge while he was touring Australia. Forthcoming single ‘Songs from the Radio‘ was immediately likeable and listenable, featuring lovely harmonies from the pair.
In The Barn, there was another compelling performance from Casey Neill and Chet Lyster. Neill’s voice on ‘Radio Montana’ was deep and sonorous while Lyster delivered contrasting low and high notes on his Fender Jaguar. ‘Sending Up Flares’, the title track from Neill’s recent album, is lyrically clever, based around the idea of a broken-down car in the middle of nowhere and sending up a flare for help. By the end of the song, there are flares everywhere. It’s all a metaphor for people in need and struggling with mental health – profound words set to a gorgeous tune. Was this the most straightforwardly beautiful song of the festival? In terms of sentiment, melody and performance, quite possibly. Next up was ‘Hollow Bones’ from 2013’s “All You Pretty Vandals”, followed by ‘In the Swim’, which features a second vocal part designed to weave in and out of Neill’s melody and was particularly effective with Lyster’s voice complementing Neill’s effectively. Neill talked about being an American in the UK for Independence Day weekend, noting the irony that they now have a President trying to be a king. At this point, grey clouds began to roll through the Suffolk skies outside and the sudden darkening suited the atmospheric music. The pair, two-thirds of The Norway Rats, finished with a cover of Springsteen’s ‘Across the Border’, and Lyster’s rich, dramatic guitar solo was backed by the sound of the rain now pouring down outside. It worked.
Gypsy Strings Revival combined fiddle, banjo, guitar and mandolin in a joyous, upbeat hoedown. There was a lot of fast fiddling as the band swept through a series of bluegrass ditties. One of the band’s best numbers was when they slowed down for ‘Looking For a Cowboy’ about singer Michelle Pennington’s friends looking for men in all the wrong places, in this case, a bar in Loxahatchee. The bass boomed, and the mandolin was playfully light. The band finished with the great rhythm and melodious bass of ‘Shame On Me’.
The final act on The Moonshine stage was Ella Spencer, singing gospel-tinged tunes with friends Casey Neill and Chris Murphy. It was a fitting Maverick ending. With Murphy on mandolin, Spencer on banjo and Neill playing acoustic guitar, she led the trio for a heartfelt ‘Fare Thee Well’. Then, ‘Ain’t No Place’, which was dedicated to Sister Rosetta, featured a superb, bright mandolin solo. Johnny Fewings, Ella’s banjo teacher, joined her on stage and they shared banjo-related jokes: “What’s the difference between an old fridge and a banjo? The fridge was once cool!” The pair performed Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Loretta’, played with much laughter, and it was delightful to see their enjoyment in sharing their music with one another and the audience. Spencer’s song ‘Warning Signs’ began with fluttering mandolin, and her voice was projected with a wonderful, rich tone as her notes rose and fell. Everyone listened with reverence as Spencer and Neill sang together on Steve Earle’s ‘Pilgrim’; it was hymn-like and simply beautiful. The best moment of the set was the trio’s rendition of English folk song ‘The River Don’t Run’, made famous by Nick Hart. The crowd helped sing the repeated lines in the chorus, and, do you know, I think we were pretty fine. A sing-along of ‘Down By the Riverside’ closed the show and the weekend for me. Murphy changed the lyrics to say that we’d had a good time at the Maverick Festival down by the riverside – and we really did have a good time. He spoke passionately in giving thanks to the fans and the festival, saying, “Words would only cheapen my gratitude to everybody.” Right back at you, Chris. Gratitude was indeed the overwhelming feeling as we bade farewell to friends and performers and left the farm for another year.
And, after Andrew’s exhaustive review, here’s John Lee’s take on the festival…
Maverick Festival, held at the ever-charming Eastern Farm Park, once again proved why it’s a standout of the music calendar. With its trademark mix of intimacy, discovery and musicianship, it delivered enough magic to keep the glow alive until next year.
Festivals must be a nightmare for anyone with FOMO – there’s always more music than anyone can catch. Maverick is no exception. I spoke to many people who had entirely different experiences, seeing artists I never even crossed paths with. But their enthusiasm and personal reviews gave me a list of names to explore this year. My aim here isn’t to cover everything, but to give you a flavour of what made this year’s festival special for me.
One of the joys of Maverick is that artists often perform more than once and often in different spaces. I saw the brilliant Casey Neil and Chet Lyster – two-thirds of The Norway Rats – three different times on three different days – admittedly, one of those times was through sheer serendipity. Across the sets, they played a number of great songs. The powerful ‘Sending Up the Flares’ was a common feature and showcased the fantastic harmony of Neil on acoustic guitar and Lyster on electric. It gave me a genuine “goosebumps” moment every time I heard it. Lyster is a fabulous guitarist and adds an extra slice of something special to all the songs. On Saturday’s performance of ‘Dark and Down’, for example, his playing was hypnotic. Neil, across a wide-ranging career, has crafted some excellent songs, which he also talks about passionately and perceptively. His explanation of ‘The Ones You Ride With’ was moving and captured the sense of being found, having been rejected. It is also such a beautiful song.
There were two artists, I think, who deserve special mention. BJ Cole and Chris Murphy. Both are regulars at Maverick and have an amazing ability to perform with others, always adding an extra level of musical depth to anyone they play with. I saw Cole, for example, perform with Ags Connolly, Morton Valence and Chris Murphy himself as well as on his own set. Cole is an absolute maestro on the pedal steel and quite possibly one of the best musicians I have ever seen on any instrument. Cole makes the pedal steel sing in ways I have never heard it before.
Murphy – a virtuoso violinist and charismatic performer – could be seen with Linda McLean and the Awakening, Michelle Stodart and David Ford, and Ella Spencer. His own shows were brilliant too. Looping and layering his own violin playing, which is itself highly creative as he bows it, plucks it and strums it – he builds an impressive multi-layered sound, and will often exhort himself – “play it Chris!” – before a violin solo. One highlight was the Celtic-inspired ‘Halfway Round the World’: Chris may not have gone that far, but he did – and this is one of his trademarks – tour the crowd whilst playing and even perform on top of a picnic table.
One of the combinations that I had been looking forward to the most was Michelle Stodart and David Ford. Both are brilliant writers, musicians and performers, and I was hoping for something special, and they didn’t disappoint. They took to the stage twice – once in the wonderful intimacy of the Moonshine Bar, and once in The Barn. What grabbed me the most was their simple delight in being there, and the joy they shared. It was infectious, and it would have been worth going to Maverick simply for the beatific smile on Stodart’s face. Musically, they drew on both of their back catalogues and some new numbers they have composed together. The performance of Stodart’s ‘Push and Pull’ – a song about the tensions of touring and being a mother – was a masterclass in what just two voices and one guitar can produce. Another highlight was Ford’s ‘Waiting for the Storm’ – a song he claimed he couldn’t remember writing. Brilliant song? Check. Performance nailed? Check. Great guitar work from Stodart? Check. Enhanced by some wonderful violin from Chris Murphy? Check. Spellbound audience? Check. They ended both sets with a surprising cover of Maria McKee’s ‘Show Me Heaven’, which was turned into an “americana banger”. Perhaps that’s one experience you needed to be there for.
As a festival, Maverick has a beautiful pace: Friday starts in the evening, so has a lot of energy; Saturday is the long stretched out day in which anything can happen; and Sunday is always a bit special with laid back sets that can match the feeling you might be carrying after a couple of days of full-on enjoyment. This year was no different, and I managed to see some great performances on Friday night. Linda McLean and the Awakening brought power and a lovely full sound to the Barn Stage. Songs like the new ‘Working It All Out’ were up-tempo and upbeat, and really engaged the audience. McLean has a gift of a voice, too. As does Austrian Prinz Grizzly, supported by his Beargaroos: all guttural growl one moment, soaring tremolo the next. They created a wonderful symbiosis with the audience: feeding off the energy – and the dancing – of the crowd, and then feeding the crowd with more energy. Songs like ‘The Shuffle’ certainly had a lot of people on their feet and gyrating. Sarah Petite – with her great country sound and songs like ‘Bringing Down the Neighbourhood’ – kept the feeling going. Morton Valence’s set was also rather special and built to a lovely climax in ‘Together in the Rain’ – a confluence of great guitar, more amazing pedal steel from BJ Cole and a strange and magical instrument which had a label on which read “Marxophone” – a sort of tiny harpsichord with a great sound.
For me, Saturday brought perfect festival weather: warm but not too hot or sunny. This may have influenced my decision to spend most of the afternoon outside on The Green. I was glad I did because the acts performing there typified the amazing variety of Maverick, and indeed the genre of americana. The Australian duo Weeping Willows, for their fourth time at the festival, brought a mixture of acoustic – in fact unexpectedly more acoustic than intended as the power went out- but the band delighted those there by performing in the crowd – country, their “texas waltz”, and the set ended with a cover of the classic blues song ‘C.C. Rider’. Fortunately, the last few numbers were back on the stage.
The Vagaband – a six-piece band from the East of England – brought their brand of roots rock, including the brilliant titled song ‘Tripping On Cheese’ and had lots of the crowd dancing. They also managed to include some funky guitars and a disco break. Very cool. Linda McLean and the Awakening performed again, bringing their blend of love stories, quiet hope and joy of music, sonically encased in a mix of pop sing-along, classic americana and rock-leaning elements. The Lamplight Club, from Colchester, were all classic rock, reminiscent of Uriah Heep or a darker Elton John, and songs like ‘Shake’ lifted the crowd.
Leeds’ The Burner Band were full-on upbeat country, with a whole range of other influences seamlessly intertwined. Lead singer Lewis Pugh was full of witty banter, but is also a brilliant storyteller: ‘Too Much Blues’ – a powerful song about being bullied out of a job due to mental health – was given a moving introduction, which was matched by the music that had a hint of Elvis swagger to it.
The Bondurants, another band from Leeds, were pure americana and showed how good they are at performing, despite their pedal steel player not being available. Songs like ‘Take Me for a Ride’ had great energy, and closer ‘The Devil Above’ was rousing hoedown rock. Sarah Petite’s brand of country and her massive smile – another theme of this year’s Maverick – showed how much she, as an artist, seemed to be enjoying the festival. ‘God Save the Queen’ – a song about Mother Earth, and one of the standouts of the set – had a great bass and drum line complemented by some fiery lyrics, with delivery to match.
Regrets? Like all festivals, I have a few. I caught the last two songs of one Two Crows for Comfort set, and then got my timings wrong for their second performance. What I heard was brilliant, and their harmonies were perfect – and I will definitely be trying to catch them properly in the future.
My festival started on Friday in the Moonshine Bar with the excellent country sounds of Ags Connolly. This is a man with a great voice, a real sense of tradition and a great ear for a tune. It ended, perhaps appropriately, back in the Moonshine with Ella Spencer and Friends – Casey Neil, Chris Murphy and Johnny Fewings – bringing a collection of gospel inspired numbers. The set was brought to a close by a very old song – ‘Down by the Riverside’ – which became a wonderful sing-along, with extra harmony from a very enthusiastic dog. Just before the end, Murphy thanked the audience on behalf of all the artists there, saying that for them, “sharing the music is the magic”. I would like to return that gratitude: Maverick 2025 was a very special experience full of magic because of the brilliance and generosity of the performers. Thank you, and see you next year.
