Day Three and I'm Dazed and Confused.....
The Hat was whisked back to that moment
when confronted by the listings for the third and final day of the
Festival. Although now pretty well practised in the regular
Festival-Goers art of pickin'n choosin' across the venues, the
quality and range of talent on offer on Sunday was such that The Hat
was inevitably going to miss some exotic gems. So apologies for that,
if I didn't make it to your gig. It's me, not you
– as they say in popular love songs these days. Sorry - I want you to know that we love you so
keep on heading down to The Crossroads.
After Saturday night, a visit to
Moyles at lunch-time to catch the Something Blue Duo felt
like a dawn alarm call but boy, was it worth it. Playing a packed
small room, Rob and Sarah Skinner, described recently as being
'impossibly talented' did a wonderfully polished romp through half a
dozen styles of blues, blue grass, jazz, folk and americana. A
sparkling sax and a range of other instruments left the audience in
no doubt as to why they are Blues Award nominees. The Hat is certain
we will be seeing a lot more of this duo. Then it was back to the
Horizons stage for one of their massive baguettes and to listen to
the fabulous Angelo Palladino. The Hat loves this artist and
is quite bewitched by his idiosyncratic guitar style and absorbing
self-penned songs. He played in Hebden earlier in the year and was
warmly welcomed back. With a voice that sometimes brought echoes of
Leonard Cohen and an easy relaxed way with his audience, he has
become a Festival Favourite.
The Hat can only describe Dave
Arcari as a man who does not play blues for the faint-hearted.
You really would want him on your side in a Guitar Street Battle.
Although off-stage he is a sweet and charming man, on stage H.G.Wells
intervenes and he turns into a roaring and towering, spectacularly
talented raw blues musicman.With the occasional beer in hand and an
intimidating head-on engagement with his captured audience, this is
exciting music. Scotsman Dave plays brilliant slide guitar and Delta
blues and yet just when you are not looking he manages to inject it
with wild trash country and even punk. Hugely entertaining, he has
played Glastonbury and across Europe. I have no idea what they made
of him in Estonia but Hebden loved him.
For some obviously colourful reasons,
The Hat enjoys the jokes that the charismatic Tom Attah tells
as part of his relaxed rapport with the audience. However, the
fall-about patter does nothing to stop you from being totally aware that this
is a seriously accomplished guitarist who understands the meaning,
history and styles of blues playing and delivers them to you in an
articulate and intelligent way. He is not above riffing off into
tales of Barnsley, acting and burlesque and his number on nice Lucy the
dancer otherwise known as Bam-Bam brought the house down - and yet the next
minute he wheels out Son House and Howlin', the audience silences and
we know we are listening to a proper bluesman. Top drawer.
A trip across the road to the Main
Stage encountered Russ Tippins. Have
you ever had one of those moments when you walk into a gig and the
guitar stops you in your tracks and you have to stand still until the
number finishes? This happened to The Hat on encountering Russ in the
middle of playing a slow blues. The spirits of Page and Moore soared
round the place as his guitar gently wept and you knew you were in
the presence of something very special. His back line of bass and drums
was, in the view of the Hat one of the tightest and best at the
Festival and when he broke into the ripping fast 'Electrickery' this
trio simply flew as one. This is a guy who can give you an acoustic
Classical Gas in a small bar and yet plays such dynamic guitar he
can, and in my view, should be filling major venues. Major, major man.
Unsurprisingly,
the Women of The Blues
night was one of the most eagerly anticipated of the Festival and
they delivered - and some. Lucy Zirins
giggled and charmed her way into our hearts as usual but her
wonderful 'I am just a wee lass from Burnley' schtick didn't divert
us from knowing that this is a hugely talented singer-song writer who
has the power to rip our hearts out with a sad song and put a smile
straight back with a cheery and wistful tale of when things are ok.
Listening to Lucy is like sampling a fine wine after drinking the
regular stuff. Beautiful songs, beautifully sung. A small glass of
'Tearing Me Down' is something special. Gotta go get some more but be
careful, you may just have to get more hankies...Then Hooson
nearly burned down the Picture House. Never has front lady Jenna
Hooson been on better form. The
understated Richard Kershaw
is one of those rare guitarists who can do it all but in such a
subtle way that you are hardly aware he has got all the good notes –
and the Hooson backline is as solid as a titanium rock. Audience on
its feet, dancers throwing shapes and cries for more. From Janice
Joplin roar to self-penned love blues 'Every Now And Then' - what
else can you ask. No wonder this band is rocket-powered upwards in
the business.....why has no-one signed them up? Cherry Lee
Mewis manages to get
some skiffle on to her terrific
most recent CD and her reputation for being able to mix up the genres
was endorsed by this set. If you've got Mud Morganfield, Seasick
Steve, Albert Lee and Walter Trout on your credits, you know that
this lady can do anything and brilliantly and she did, delivering a
cracking set with one of the tightest bands of the week-end. A
Festival Favourite, Cherry topped a fabulous evening with style,
class and a stage full of Sassy, Sassy and Sassy....
Back
at the Blue Horizons stage Paddy Milner and Marcus Bonfanti
were getting an excitable packed house fighting for oxygen. These
guys start at 100 miles an hour and just get faster. (I am a touch
biased as Paddy was playing on The Hat's keyboards and after this beating they will
probably never sound the same again). Their collaborations are an
exciting new development in the blues world and they clearly have an
almost symbiotic relationship that makes them seem to be joined at
the hip. Huge love from the audience is reciprocated and this was a
devastating set that went from roof-raising, keyboard pounding and
guitar shred to subtle, tender and moving. They were here last year.
We love 'em. We may have to kidnap them and lock them up to ensure
they come back again.....
The
Hat would like to write a whole blog on the Paddy Maguire
Midnite Jams. I shall not. I
shall just write those two words that you use when you are 'in the 'hood getting
it down with the groovers'..."Totally Awesome".
The Hat knows that all of you patient, hip, articulate and diligent
readers get my meaning. The last night involved Cherry and Jenna
singing with Todd and Todd jamming with Paddy and then there was Lucy and TJ and then that star Ron Sayer Jun getting
alongside that star and that star and then mixing this and then mixing that (pause for breath).. It was just a
wonderful Stramash - which,
to you my friends, could be a 'goal-mouth scramble' or it could be just 'a disturbance'.
How Appropriate. What a wonderful way to wrap up a Fabulous Three Day Party...
In
the words of all the Crew....Goodnight.
Pip Pip!
The Man in The Hat