One of the hottest, but still most satisfying, days spent by Americana UK last summer was at the inaugural Over the Hill festival in Witney, Oxfordshire, so it’s gratifying to see the festival mark II return for the August Bank Holiday this year. And the first three acts announced for the festival are likely to be of particular interest to readers of AUK.
Confirmed acts for Over the Hill so far include the following:
Bennett Wilson Poole. Danny Champ must have enjoyed himself at the festival last year as he’s back again in 2020, this time with fellow compadres Robin Bennett (The Dreaming Spires, Goldrush, Saint Etienne) and producer extraordinaire and king of the electric twelve-string Rickenbacker, Tony Poole (Starry Eyed and Laughing) – AKA Americana supergroup, Bennett Wilson Poole. The trio, stalwarts of the americana, roots and rock’n’roll scene, have appeared on Andrew Marr’s TV show and saw their album at Number 1 in Amazon’s ‘Americana Chart’. Their headline performance will present an opportunity to hear songs from their keenly awaited sophomore release.
Elles Bailey. Fresh from a recent appearances at Americana Clash – the launch night for the Americana Music Association UK (AMA-UK) festival in Hackney this January – Elles Bailey chose ‘This Is Radio Clash’ for her Clash cover and she not only wowed in her sparkly attire at the Oslo venue, but it was a song that demonstrated her vocal range to its fullest ability. Even better was to come for her 3 nights later, however, when her song, ‘Little Piece of Heaven’ (co-written with Bobby Wood and Dan Auerbach) was awarded UK Song of the Year at the AMA-UK awards show. The award is sure to give the Bristol-based roots and blues singer-songwriter – one of the hardest working performers on the circuit today – a platform for even greater success in future.
Kaitlyn Baker. Hailing from Pound, Virginia in the United States, 23-year-old singer-songwriter Kaitlyn Baker has been called the modern-day, “Coal miner’s daughter”. Baker’s debut single, ‘Burn’ gained national airplay and her song ‘Coal Train’ which was inspired by her hometown, is included in the 2015 Official Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards ZinePak album. Kaitlyn Baker has opened for several popular artists including Travis Tritt, Brett Eldredge and Josh Gracin.
Alongside the bucolic country setting in Witney, Oxfordshire, Over the Hill will return with catering such as the 5-star rated Burn Out BBQ, The Edge Eatery supplying vegan and vegetarian food options as well as the 2 The Moon Gin & Prosecco Horsebox. Sponsored by award-winning brewer Wychwood Brewery for a second year, the family-friendly festival is close to Witney town centre and has lots of free parking.
Tickets for the festival are available here.
