Acoustic Festival - Saturday afternoon

Monday 19th January 2009

This is a Crackerjack review of Bristol Acoustic Music Festival 2009. Do you agree? Rate and review this event.

Bristol singer, songwriter and local radio presenter Bashema certainly drew the short straw, for when she sat down at the grand piano to open this afternoon session the audience barely numbered more than a dozen people.

She didn't seem at all fazed by it, producing a very listenable set of mostly own songs, sung with an interesting voice with hints of old-school soul. What a shame that her last song, Whisky And Wine, was also the weakest song of her set.

By the time Jennifer Crook took to the stage the numbers had swelled and we were treated to the best set of the afternoon session. She writes gorgeous songs with obvious Americana and folk influences, she has a great voice and is a fine performer. Black Fly was really quite special.

She was backed by percussionist Josh Clark and by cellist Beth Porter who not only seemed to be playing with half the bands at the festival but was also a member of the five-piece Bath band Inu who were next on stage.

Their music comprised mostly traditional folk songs and tunes from right across Europe and their playing was excellent. Overall it was a good set, but sometimes, especially on the three Balkan dance tunes, they seemed to lack enough excitement. But then, it must be difficult to get yourself in the mood when it is a wet Saturday afternoon.

However, Miss Cecily, another five-piece, brought a real piece of sunshine to the proceedings with their own jazz-flavoured songs. Singer and songwriter Cecily Pearse has a really retro vocal style, and on songs like Leaving With You we could have been listening to Billie Holiday.

For some reason the sound, which had been perfect all afternoon, was very muddy and the drums and double bass often drowned out the  instruments and voices, which was a shame because it seemed like there was lots of really interesting things going on.

Hodmadoddery, the long established duo of Tony Carter and Steve Henwood, closed the session with a set of traditional songs, such as a spirited version of John Barleycorn, and their own songs. Great name, good singers and fine guitarists, but not everything worked, especially the extended, ambitious but rather messy version of Led Zeppelin's Battle Of Evermore.   

Keith Clark

This is a Crackerjack review of Bristol Acoustic Music Festival 2009. Do you agree? Rate and review this event.