Alt-Folk? what's that all about?

So, we got the call from the organisers of Middlewich FAB Festival to host a day of Alt-Folk this year, at one of the premier venues of the festival, 'The Cheshire Cheese' , and also to headline the Alt Folk stage....good to be asked, and we don't let opportunities pass us by if we can help it...so we agreed of course, let's face facts, we'll play at the opening of an envelope if asked as long as it doesn't clash with anything else in the diary either for Headsticks or other commitments so to speak!!!.......but hey, what the hell is alt-folk I hear you say: well that of course depends on your view of what folk actually is if you see my point....and I don't really have a view which makes this even more difficult!


So, every year the Middlewich FAB festival comes and it goes and a good time is had by all,right!....the FAB by the way is an abbreviation for Folk and Boat, Middlewich being a canal side town in Cheshire, and a really welcoming, open minded sort of town generally (generally I say!). Our date was Saturday June 15th, and we were asked to provide a selection of acts between 2pm and 6pm and then have a couple of hours break before headlining the stage with a set kicking off at 8pm.....but well, I sent out emails, messages, pigeons to various folk and because the word 'Festival' was mentioned, well, loads of people wanted to come and play...and from all over the place too...so I let them, and this extended the line-up from 2pm right through to a 9pm finish..leaving time for a an hour or so of non alternative folk from local favourites Calico Jack, who do what they do, and do it very well....it's kind of set in stone that they finish the proceedings at this venue every year, so that's fine by us!


So, the stage is set, the weather pretty decent and plenty of punters beginning to assemble...the thing is with this festival is that the people from the town and surrounding areas do turn out in full force for a weekend of high jinks...drinking, dancing, cavorting, etc as you do....various venues in the town put on plenty of acts, and the acts cry out to play the festival, knowing full well, that they will be playing to a decent crowd hell bent on enjoying themselves...so it sort of works both ways see....a win, win situation for all. The stage itself is in the beer garden,and it's a decent set up too, good sound system and an outside bar to compliment the inside bars, all of which were jam packed all day but well attended by the staff who by mid afternoon were floundering in the hot, sticky atmosphere a little, though the landlord John, (a kind of rotund smiling machine) was not floundering at all...no, he was loving the sound of the till ringing, the sound of crumpled notes and the sound of punters urging him to serve them next...and why shouldn't he be loving it? The pub trade is hard enough at the moment so a weekend of respite is long over due for these people who work long hours and some times wonder why they bother!!! Cash it in John we say, and enjoy it...oh, don't forget a few free ales for the artists though eh? Nice one John, great work...aaaaaaaaaah!


So, far from it from the likes of me to comment on the acts that gave their services that day, to dissect their sets, their musicianship, their overall contribution to the world of Alt-Folk...so here is more a guide to my observations of these wonderful people, the reaction to them by assembled punters and then a quick view from the perspective of one of the acts (Headsticks that is to avoid confusion!)...so here goes:-


First up, Miss Elly Kingdon....what can I say of this crazy kipper that hasn't already been said? I have previously described her as 'The Ukulele wielding folk punk Princess', and I stand by that! she looks great up there on stage....a fifites vintage throwback, bright red hair, attitude a plenty and a baritone ukulele of course as you'd expect.....by the time she takes to the stage, a little behind schedule due to parking issues in the town, she is, by her standards a little flustered and rushed, but she's there, large as life and ready to make the assembled boisterous crowd have what she has to offer, and what does she have to offer? well, it's a commentary on the life of a fiesty, politically motivated, opinionated little minx...and I am a lover of this!!!! Her songs are delivered in a very modern style, the language is raw and honest yet delivered with a very quirky innocent style and each song quickly followed with a 'thankyouuuu' to further endear her to the audience. She some how coaxes words to fit into songs where they shouldn't, but they do as they are told and it works, it really does work! the gathered 'masses' accept Elly very quickly and she receives a very warm reception, a couple of wolf whistles (which she will frown upon to say the least) and off she trots.....a successful sortie and a fine opening to the afternoon's proceedings!


So, next up, is Jonathon Tarplee, well, that's who I originally booked for the gig, but as a bonus we got his full band 'The Blue Yellows' into the bargain! Now, folk police by this point of the day may well have been gathering to storm the building as Jon assembled more pedals around himself than Peddling Peddle McPeddle, winner of last years guitar peddle collectors competition...and electric guitars!!!!Oh, My God! (you can hear that lot at Dylans first electric gig all those years ago...'Judas, Judas').He took lead vocals...and the full line up included bass guitar, percussion of all shapes and sizes, keyboards and backing vocals. These guys had made this a bit of a come back gig having taken the best part of a year out to have a baby...not all of them you understand, just the young lady whose name escapes me, on the keyboards.....They trundled through their set, looking a little nervous, and played their greatest hits to the punters, who accepted what they offered, applauded generously and asked for more..and it's easy to understand why really, because though by Jonathon's own admittance this was a slightly rusty performance..it felt good, real feel good stuff and that's what you want at a fessie...you don't want some middle aged agitated, folk punkster raging on about the state of the world...oh...aaah....So, yes, another success and a chorus stuck in my head which would cause some annoyance as days unfolded through the following week...not to me but to my kids! (here's a little sneak at said infectious melody...enjoy these guys..they are good eggs, and I will allow them into my church of Alt-Folk, as long as they take their shoes off....http://jonathantarplee.bandcamp.com/track/big-low-copper-moon ).


Right, now then...The Portraits...all the way from London town don't you know!First of all I have to say that we were asked by the organisers to accommodate these very lovely people, and so found them a half hour slot as near to the time requested as possible...they were a duo playing piano and guitar and shared vocal duties, new to me, and genuinley very nice with it...but Alt-folk they weren't!!! The music they produced was of the very highest standard no doubt...sort of jazz infused folk...very middle of the road and easy on the ear...but to be honest it became back ground music as they did not engage what was basically a drinking, shenanigan seeking audience....they were very politely received to be fair, but they were never going to win over a noisy, transient crowd...and worryingly the atmosphere did drop a little. Now, put these guys in a seated auditorium, with an audience of listening folk music enthusiasts and these guys would have blown the best of them away...top drawer stuff, but a little passive for our army of thrill seekers! I've subsequently listened to their album which is polished, beautifully crafted and deserves to be highly regarded...check them out http://www.theportraitsmusic.com/home.cfm


The afternoon is heating up, metaphorically and actually...the sun shining down on the lawn, punters swilling merrily and the occasional torso being offered to the folk gods of Middlewich...so who better to take to the stage than the Urban Folkstress that is Clair Brennan? Well, let's see shall we? Up she crept to the stage, petite, unassuming and raring to go! Now, I've seen Clair numerous times since first she caught my attention at an open mic some 12 months ago...since then her confidence has grown beyond belief and so has her reputation...but I was a little concerned after seeing the previous act received only politely that Clair would be up against it a bit and would need to raise the mood again quickly...I'd only seen her play locally and generally with a large gathering of allies in attendance..so how would she faire amongst a crowd mainly oblivious to her journey thus far?...I'll tell you shall I...she grabbed 'em by the short and curlies and and made them listen, made them take note and made them part of her journey; even when confronted by bare chested, beer swollen, football style chanting riff raff she made 'em have it where others may have folded...she tipped them a wry smile and a wink and won them over, hushed them down and played the best set I've seen her play, lifting the mood again and showing why she is becoming so highly regarded!!!
https://www.facebook.com/ClairBrennanOfficial


At this point my ailing memory becomes a little hazy and the running order may be different in my head to what actually happened, apologies if that be the case.....no harm done I hope! I'm convinced next up was Jack Marshall, accompanied by (sister in law, I think) Becky Marshall. Jack plays guitar (to an annoyingly high standard and with a remarkably individual style) and stomp box and takes lead vocals (again to an annoyingly high standard and remarkably individual style) while Becky ,as well as sporting leg cast due to a very innocent injury (so SHE says) plays various percussive items and sings beautiful harmony vocals. They have a great confidence and take the audience by the scruff of the neck, playing mainly original, definitely, alternative folk songs...sort of a sweeter version of Nick Cave is how I hear their sound...very engaging, very uplifting, very inspiring too and received with enthusiasm by the ever growing throng of revellers. As the set progresses they throw in an outstanding version of Irish favourite 'I'll tell me Ma', which is delivered in a manner which takes it as far away from the usual hammed out drinking song as is humanly possible to something quite different...the punters love it, as they do the entire set and off the Marshalls go to a rousing reception, 100% deserved, and yes, you've got it a definite success...top stuff again!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Av_9vQL1Y


Lucas Marks next up (I think)...all the way from Manchester to do a set for us...they had previously played as a duo at Folk and Foam at the Old Brown Jug a few weeks ago for us...and were polished to say the least. This time there was three of the blighters...two on guitar, one on mandolin and harmony vocals...bloody good ones at that!!!! I have to be honest here, having listened and listened to their album which is produced to the very highest standards and includes so many tracks which are addictive in an easy listening sort of way...sort of The Eagles playing English folk!!!, and having seen them a few weeks previous, I was worried that they wouldn't fit the bill here, that their stuff was too, well, nice....Mark, the singist assured me they would be a little more raw...and kept to his word, they didn't even shave before they came!!!! Lucas Marks were oustanding here, genuinley outstanding and had the audience, remember a transient, drinking, boisterous rabble, in the palms of their hands...demanding more and getting it too. These guys would grace any festival mainstage, no doubt, and could adapt to the audience make up...playing a polished, harmonious set where required or giving it some bollocks where necessary.....so why aren't they doing mainstage...well, you need to ask the folk God's for that answer, for only they know the answer to that (nothing to do with the folk circuit being controlled by the folk illuminate and so incestuous it beggars belief...)...any way take a bow Lucas Marks! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bpvPc4573Q


Aye up now...it's only time for the John Macleod band, doing a stripped down acoustic set....Matt on accordion, John on guitars, Paul on Bass, and Angela on various drummy type implements....They had a slightly longer set than most and filled it with some absolute gems!!! John has an ability to write melodies that get right inside your head...and stay with you, like it or not...fortunately I do, so I'm al-right Jack! they were well received and the enjoyment they had on stage was so obvious to all..really uplifting despite some of the themes of the songs!!! Surely the mark of a great band is to be able to carry off songs about killing a flatmate and still make people feel good!!! I have to point out that John does not condone the slaughter of any flatmate and this is just a song...sing it, but don't do the actual deed please. It's difficult to pigeon hole the John Macleod Band into any genre or even genre within a genre it's sort of covers alternative folk for sure, especially when performed in this stripped down set up, but definitely crosses numerous musical stylees to produce something that is refreshingly different...that's good right? Yep, well played, well received and thank you very much The John Macleod Band...right get yourselves off now for an interview on BBC introducing why don't you eh? https://www.facebook.com/mrjohnmacleod?fref=ts


Giro Juuuuuunkiiiieeee! Yes, Rich Bloor AKA as Giro Junkie took to the stage next....the crowd had dwindled ever so slightly now, no one to blame...just a bit of inclement weather and coinciding with tea time I suppose...though to be fair, had the assembled crowd left there now been the most that there was in the venue all day I would have been more than happy with numbers..so no panic! Right then Rich what you got for us? About half an hour of sheer brilliance by any chance? Yep, thought so!!!! Young Mr.Bloor is probably one of Stoke's most loved singer-songwriters...fact, yet he gigs far too seldom, does not believe what people tell him and just won't step up to the next level when he so easily could. His songs are so well put together, melodies (I hate to use the term again) are infectious, stage presence so different to any one else I've seen and delivery so passion infused and sincere. Despite stage invasions by half naked ginger men, and the incoming rain, he engaged the audience, probably more than any one else up to this point, and received great plaudits from those so engrossed in this very different performer...quality, quality, quality Squire! the final number was beefed up dramatically with the use of the loop pedal and culminated in an almost orchestral cacophony...an alt-folk wall of sound! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11N3PnVZp8E


Right then Paul Henshaw, 'the Frank Turner of Shropshire' eh?...well, here's a chap who is no shrinking violet...6'6", purple moleskin trousers and a big voice to boot!!! Up he steps, kicks in and has the gathering in the palm of his hand before you can say 'David Cameron, you're a w***er'...a mixture of alt-folk covers, sing a longs and original stuff, delivered with gusto, enthusiasm and sheer unadulterated bollocks....100 mile an hour stuff, just man, guitar and stomp box going ten to the dozen. For me this is acoustic punk, definitely in the alt folk bracket and sure to cause annoyance to the folk brigade who for so long have had us believe that they are the keepers of the tradition...that, they are not, they merely keep the tradition on a life support machine instead of allowing it to flourish and grow... Mr. Henshaw is of similar mind set to me, bring it to the masses, make it accessible and nurture enthusiasm for it...and that's what he did for half an hour as the crowd began to grow again and accepted what he had to offer willingly. We look forward to working with Paul and his band in the near future and would willingly encourage you to cross the Shropshire border to check his shows out...if you can't, well, here's a snippet for you! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9eo7AV7VeA


Someone who I nearly forgot about is the nearly legendary Trent Vale Poet, who joined us to yell a few of his punk poems at the assembled...to be honest young Mark struggled a bit to be heard...the natives were restless and in no mood to listen to poetry no matter how irreverent it was! With TVP, you either get him or you don't, and unfortunately the Middlewich drinking/cavorting posse were not up for him! He carried on regardless, did his all and sloped off to the shadows to regroup, not in the least bit discouraged....and why should he be, for, it's fair to say he's a bloody genius and has been there and done it, long before most of the whipper snappers intent on heckling to a ridiculous level, were ever aware of the meaning of the word Chav.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X6fpKRt4f4


So, it's eight o'clock and time for us to do our stuff...the crowd now is at it's largest of the day, and that's not down to us entirely if at all...it's Saturday night, it's a great boozer at a great festival and we just happen to be there...intent on giving our all and hoping that the Middlewich brigade would be as generous to us as they had been to our previous incarnations...so here we go!!!! We kick in, give it some nuts and do our best to encourage the bemused standers by to join us on our crusade, our crusade to say it like it is...and thankfully the majority of them take to us relatively quickly...though the others are a little slower to the fore until demanded to join in the assault on musical correctness!!! they go for it, clap hands, stamp feat, respond to chorus after chorus, demand more, and more still...but as we conclude a successful sortie on the eardrums the band to follow us is beginning to amass their equipment in front of the stage as if to say 'right, that's you're lot'....so we get off, pack up, load up, take a pat or two on the back...bid farewell to John the Landlord who has now become just one huge, round, walking grin! and set off for Headsticks HQ, content in the knowledge that the day has been a success all round and even more pleased to be part of this festival...a festival which has it's highs and lows, but is hopefully on the up!!! so 'til next year when we have been promised a main stage slot...that's your lot...thank you!!!!!!!!!!

The Month of May-hem....or not......as the case may be! #2

So May continued, the month of May-hem as it were....and three shows remaining on the schedule, all prospective tub-thumpers and all with the possibility of lifting spirits after a few disappointments. But the fact of the matter is that maybe, just maybe we expect too much, and should be more realistic and be satisfied in the opportunities that come our way, as the band is still young and does not even have an album to offer yet, we should embrace the episodes that unleash themselves upon the Good Ship Headsticks as maybe they are sent to test the resolve of this band of ageing agit-folksters (Tom is exempt from this description as he is barely out of nappies and is a metal head type in all honesty!). So part one of the three remaining episodes or part six of them all depending upon your point of view... in fact we'll run with part six just for the hell of it!.....Audlem Festival, The Bridge Stage, Saturday 25th May, 4pm....For those unsure of the geography and history behind this festival well here is a very brief synopsis, accurate as far as I am aware:- Audlem is a very small Cheshire town, on the cusp of Staffordshire and Shropshire, but very proudly a Cheshire town with an overriding bohemian vibe: in fact you'd be forgiven for thinking you were in Devon or Cornwall after you'd consumed a pint or four, that sort of a feel. the festival has run for thirteen years and was the culmination of discussions between resident musicians and artists who felt that the town deserved it's own showcase event.....and so they created one, which grows from strength to strength as each year passes! Fair play people of Audlemshirestonville I say! Headsticks were greeted enthusiastically by the organizers, welcomed and ushered stagewards! We caught several songs by Creature Comforts, a Manchester based post punk band, who received an extremely warm reception from those punters assembled beneath the canopies expertly assembled down by the canal car park....it's a lovely setting and the weather is doing its very best to behave for once;so far all the omens are looking favourable and we are raring to go!The audience consists of all ages from children to wrinklies and everybody seems in good spirits...so we take to the stage, and here we bloody well go....song after song well received and enthusiastic banter from both parties....the majority of folk seem hell bent on enjoying themselves which is half the battle won...and those that take the time and effort to put on this festival are hell bent on getting it right, taking particular pride in the output of the sound desk...and they succeeded with us... absolutely brilliant on stage sound, and by all accounts it sounded pretty damn good out front too...meaty, beatie, big and bouncy....much like a fair chunk of the onlookers to be fair!!!! So through the set and onto the final number, which if I'm honest I can't remember what it was!.....but it went down a storm and was greeted with cries for more! more! more!...well, to be fair we don't need asking twice so decided to do a song which had been purposely left out of the set due to that weeks events shall we say! Tensions everywhere were high, and we had made a decision that some of our material could be misconstrued, maybe even be considered inflammatory....however the time seemed right and so we went for it, introduced Paper Flowers, dedicated it to Drummer Lee Rigby...and played out...very emotionally, in fact very close to breaking point........the response was amazing, and we were thankful that it was received as it was meant to be...... Subsequently we left the stage and sales of the new EP CD were overwhelming, and the comments so positive from people of all descriptions... particularly from a large group of ageing punks and skinheads who really took to what we stood for...I hope! unless of course they got the wrong end of the stick!!!! Well, if they did who are we to argue...they were big feckers for sure! Next up, the following evening we headed to one of our favourite haunts, The Rigger, in Newcastle Under Lyme...home turf, and this was part of the towns attempt at a music festival...the Jazz and Blues Festival...though to be fair you'd be mighty hard pushed to find a great deal of Jazz,although blues was available to varying degrees. Anyway, we, obviously are neither..so we fit in along with numerous other bands pretty well!The Rigger itself is a much loved enclave for many, though misunderstood by those who have never entered the place...it's run by decent folk who certainly do give a shit about their punters, about the ales and about the music...generally! We played at roughly at 8pm, without a sound check, but thankfully Matt 'The Sound' was on tip top form and had us sorted PDQ....again a well received set of roughly an hour and a decent mob in to watch the proceedings....all quite understated and relatively low key, but good sales of the CD, T's and more positive comments than you can poke a stick at from a wide range of folk again...so job done! Final episode in the Month of May-hem was 'Folk and Foam' on the following Bank Holiday Monday, based at the rear of The Old Brown Jug, again in Newcastle. For this one, we were asked to host as well as headline and also given free reign to book the bands and performers. All pointed to this being a bit special...the venue had given us a decent budget to work with and we had acquired the services of some quality acts, some local and some from further a field...all wanting a piece of the festival limelight and all more than willing to do their bit.....well, mostly anyway. This festival was a sort of subsidiary of the main Jazz and Blues festival, making it a festival within a festival and unfortunately as a result it received nigh on nil publicity!!!!! the producers of the main programme didn't list it at all despite the fact that headliners for both of the previous days were relatively well known artists, more established than many, if not all of the performers on the main festival, and receiving regular air play on the likes of Radio 2 etc....so quite bizarre that it was missed out! Any way, that aside, we had called on the services of a total of sixteen acts....one couldn't make it due to illness or fatigue and was sorely missed as one of my favourite local singer song writers, but everyone else responded to the call and did their very best to keep spirits high and provide a sound bite for the forthcoming summer....then the heavens opened, and the stream of people wandering in to the tent became a trickle and that was about the size of it really......an abundance of talent playing to small numbers but giving their all!!! For everyone's effort I'd like to give thanks, but have to say, if I see another bloody music stand on stage I will scream...they are not necessary at this level, within these genres and should be banned...for goodness sake, it's been said a million times, if a song is good enough to perform , then it's good enough to learn...so please learn them!!!! Please, just for me......... So, we finally got to play at around 10pm....it was cold, dark and wet, but there was a smattering of people around to listen...and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed playing for them...the banter was great fun from both sides I think, and judging by the reception, the merch. sales, and the kind words it was a successful sortie!....but that was it...the month of May-hem over and done! Many friends were made, and new musical experiences had by all....the weather was generally poor but the spirit, though wavering a little, held out until the last and, yes, after all the comings and goings, all the ups and downs we have to look back with great fondness at this month of gigs...a learning curve in the life and times of a folk punk band....and , yes, we are more than thankful for the opportunities that came our way and will use the experiences to guide us as we attempt to continue on our crusade to say it like it bloody well is!!!! Thank you so much to all who came, supported, sung, danced, purchased merch, cuddled, loved and above all believed in Headsticks..... thank you kindly people!