This year’s event, run jointly by Tim Porter and Oliver Carpenter, had a theme of Downhome Americana & Roots.
The line up was headlined by The Zen Hussies and included The New Essex Bluegrass Band, Jamie Williams and the Roots Collective, Nuala Honan and Kit Hawes, Mumbo-Jumbo and The Peas.
The festival included burgers and hot food from Paddock Farm, teas and Cakes from The Gate Inn Brailes, pottery from Penny Varley Ceramics, a beer tent run by Chris and his team, a blacksmith and children’s entertainment and face painting.
The special festival beers on offer included Broomduster (aka Hook Norton LION) and Bluesbuster from Cats Brewery Co, Shenington. Also on offer was the award-winning Cotswolds Dry Gin from the Cotswold Distillery.
First on stage were the local intrepid Warwickshire duo of The Peas, featuring Kelvin Leitch on guitar and vocals and Kelly Rashleigh on double bass and vocals. They played a range of 80s and 90s songs, but played in their own unique style.
The songs included “Just can’t get Enough” with added Kazoo, The Erasure song “With a Little Respect”, a Spice Girls number “Spice up your Life”, a rap song “Pump it Up” before finishing with a classic Blues number from Muddy Waters “Got My Mojo Working”
After a short changeover (during which Emma-Jane Roberts ran a children’s workshop) we moved over on stage to Mumbo-Jumbo with event organiser Oliver Carpenter in the line-up. The full line-up was Oliver Carpenter (vocals/trumpet/percussion) Chris Lomas (guitars and vocals) and Phil Bond (keyboard and accordion).
They played a selection of songs in their own rootsy/bluesy style including “Rejoice”, Graveyard Shift”, “Sail that Ship” (which was shortlisted for a Blues award), a 1930s New Orleans song “Man Smart, Women Smarter”, “Black Rose” and finished with “Whoa Mary Don’t you Weep”.
They were followed by Bristol based Nuala Honan (though born in Australia) and she was joined on stage by Kit Hawes. The duo both played acoustic guitars and sang a range of classic traditional blues numbers including “Bear with Me”, “The Way it Goes”, “Lay me Down” and “Lonesome Blues”.
Next we had the first of two Essex based groups Jamie Williams and the Roots Collective, who are a 6-piece group who don’t fit into a musical box. They have taken songs from Blues, Folk, Country and Bluegrass and given it their own Roots Collective sound and energetic stage presence. Their played several of their own songs including “Voodoo Man” written by the bands Jamie Williams, and finished with another Jamie Williams tune "Come Home" which included portions of the classic "Long Tall Sally"
Then we had a change and style of music as The New Essex Bluegrass band performed around one central microphone (as musicians in the 1940s/1950s would have done) with a regular rotation to the front of the various fiddle player, banjo player, mandolin player and guitar player. With a four-part harmony at times this included the singing too.
Their songs included “Till the Day I die”, “Just Wondering Why”, “Ashes of Love”, “Who will Sing for Me” and “Old Train”.
Then after the crowd moved under the large Marquee to shelter from the light rain we had the Headline act The New Zen Hussies from Bristol.
They gave us a great sound with guitars, mixing with a horn section and great singing from lead singer Jonah Flatfoot. They gave the dancing crowd a selection from their recent Albums “Breadline”, Troubled Feet” and “Continental Adaptor”.
After their set had finished Barney Porter and Mark Jervis and others had a sing along around the camp fire in the woods next door to finish off a great day.
