A reasonably sunny Autumn evening shines on us as Gwenno Mererid Saunders arrives on the main stage. Gwenno was previously in indie pop band The Pipettes but flies solo with her own band these days and entertains us with an hours’ worth of ethereal folk / dream pop. There were mesmeric numbers like `Tir Ha Mor` which translates to land and sea, `Anima`, `Tresor` which was dedicated to the late Trish Keenan from Broadcast and `NYCAW (Nid yw Cymru ar Werth – Wales is Not for Sale)`. We also enjoyed an audience participation song inspired by a 13th century Cornish phrase about harvesting cheese. A delightfully Celtic tinged set and somebody who I definitely want to see again.
It was a short walk to the Janice Long Stage to catch up with Malawi`s Mandalisto Band who are in fact a duo, Yosefe Kalekeni and Yobu Malingwa who busked the streets of Mtandire in the country’s capital Lilongwe, between holding down regular jobs as a gardener and watchman. An enthralling fifty minutes followed of infectious afro beat rhythms that had a fair few jumping around and dancing along.
It was back to the main stage for Graham Nash one time member of sixties rock / pop band The Hollies prior to heading to America`s West Coast and becoming part of the legendary quartet Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young where his light tenor voice became integral to the band`s intricate vocal harmonic style. The set opens with a pair of Crosby, Stills & Nash numbers with `Wasted on the Way` and `Marrakesh Express` with a song from his time with The Hollies in `Bus Stop` sandwiched in between. A couple of anti-war songs follow with `Find the Cost of Freedom` and `Military Madness` where his get this entranced crowd to sing “No War” before he shares `A Better Life` from his latest album.
We enjoy further CSN&Y songs with `Right between the eyes` and `Critical Mass` which segues into `Wind on the Water` before the singer covers `Only Love Can Break Your Heart` written for him by Neil Young and Stephen Stills`s `Love the One You’re With`.
A shout goes out for `Chicago` and fair play he obliged before closing out the set with `Cathedral`, `Just A Song` written in Hawaii as a challenge to a bet for five hundred dollars and `Our House` written when living with Joni Mitchell in Laurel Canyon. Tonight, Mr Nash was aided and abetted by Shane Fontayne who was in Lone Justice and toured with Bruce Springsteen and Todd Caldwell who hails from Lubbock, Texas. The two-song encore includes a cover of `Everyday` written by another fellow from Lubbock, Buddy Holly before leaving us with `Teach Your Children`. An interesting mix of stories and song which I`m still not sure i`ve taken in yet.
I headed to the Kitchen Garden stage which was tucked away near the pool to catch My Darling Clementine who are husband and wife Michael Weston King and Lou Dalgleish, whose pairing is a homage to the classic country duets of the 60’s and 70’s. Amongst the gems tonight were `Going Back To Memphis`, `Jolene`s Story` a repost to the Dolly Parton song and `No Matter What Tammy Said (I Won’t Stand by Him)` inspired by the Tammy Wynette classic, you know the one. We enjoyed a couple of Elvis Costello covers with `I Lost You` and `The Crooked Line` before the show closed out. The band are playing the Kitchen Garden Café in early December and on the strength of this evening`s performance, it`ll definitely be worth checking out.
There`s probably no better band to close out the first evening at this three-day festival in the leafy bohemian suburb of Moseley than Squeeze. The writing partnership of Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford were hailed as “the heirs to Lennon and McCartney’s throne” during the band’s initial popularity in the late 1970s and it`s a shock to realise that next year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the band`s formation. There`s little fuss as the band arrives on stage and head into `Take Me I’m Yours`. We have a mixture of hits and newer songs throughout this ninety-minute set with more recent tracks like `Hourglass`, `What have they done?`, `Electric Trains` and `Footprints`.
The hits never seem to stop with `Up the Junction`, the country tinged `Labelled with Love`, `Slap & Tickle`, `Another Nail in My Heart`, reflective `Cradle to the Grave`, `Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)`, `Is That Love`, `Tempted` and `Cool for Cats` which really ignites this absorbed crowd.
The show closes out with an extended version of `Black Coffee in Bed` allowing the whole band to highlight their individual skills before we all head home.
There`s a fair variety of music at this boutique festival but also arts and crafts, spoken word lectures, dj sets, comedy and so much more and with two days left I’d advise grabbing a ticket before it sells out.
