Maryport Blues Festival (Page 2 of 2)

I hear that Simon McBride is filling Hokie Joint's slot on the bill. Not a bad replacement. 

Have a great time all who are going.

Phil

Hi Martin, we got back from maryport last night, what a fantastic weekend and great line up. Rushed down to see Virgil and the boys at the family tent.  Excellent performance with the time they had, would have liked more.  Would like to congratulate VATA on such a fantastic first album. Havnt stopped playing it.  Will spread the word.  Keep up the good work and cant wait to see you at one of your gigs in the UK.

Sorry for the delay, I've been so busy working on my 'official review' for Blues Matters that I've not posted anything on here.
Firstly it was nice to see Icon and Maxx, and meet Mandy and Triggermala and Bonapostle, and Suzanne too, although we met a few days earlier.

Maryport was a great festival which I enjoyed from start to finish. Here's some key points.

Balmoral Road were the battle of the band's winner, they are young and inexperienced, and not especially bluesy, but gave a good performance they can be proud of.
Then a big moment as Henrik and his band took to the stage. Visually assured, they played The Blues before Longer Days. The Bridge before Henrik's great version of I Love Another Woman (see the video). Bad Dreams was maybe a little long but Breakout got the crowd behind him before the tribute to Gary Moore which was stunning.
Joanne, Virgil and Gabe played a great set, with Going Home and Time Has Come highlights before Manic Depression. Then Joanne invited Henrik back to the stage for Going Down. I hope it's been captured for you to see...
Joe Louis Walker then played a fine set, with some great inclusion from Todd Sharpville, a class act.
Sandi was asked where Joe was during her set, to which she answered Manchester. She performed well and I enjoyed her band, particularly her guitar player who also has a great voice. I did not catch his name...
The crowd was quite low for Simon McBride, and I think many had gone to see Virgil. Simon was solid and the band's performance was good, but not really any better than the record, they'd relaxed for Power Of Soul, yet that was the last song. When Philip Sayce came on you saw immediately what Simon doesn't yet have. Philip was loud at the start, but it balanced out and he did a set with plenty of light and shade. He's a real presence and was as good as I've seen him. Jonny Lang headlined and it was great to see him for the first time. His earlier songs got the best recognition and he has a great band behind him.
Sunday saw Ian Siegal in fine form, despite an early flight from France and Giles King joined him on harp for a few songs. Trampled Under Foot were playing the UK for the first time and were a real revelation for the crowd. Danielle's vocals in particular were excellent and after showcasing their own material, played an emotional version of I'd Rather Go Blind. Dana Fuch's was another debutant and was a very graceful and energetic performer. She played a very upbeat set and like TUF, I think she's likely to develop a good following in the UK.
It was a really good festival and I'll certainly be back!

Thanks Pete, glad you enjoyed them.

Anyone get the Joanne/Henrick jam on video, I had stunning footage but gave lost it:)

Haha – I did my best but the spambot ate my words. I must get into the habit of C&P before I hit submit – I couldn’t be arsed to start again and logged off in a huff.
So here’s a slightly shortened version of my response………….. with links to my photos.

Our second year at this festival, and I’m convinced it has to be the best in the UK. Good to meet up with a few familiar faces from the forum there, both at the main stage, and the breakfast table.

Great to see Henrik Frieschlader’s UK debut – excellent tone, playing, and vocals. Wish he’d face the audience rather than his band when soloing, and yes Duncan, Bad Dreams did go on a bit thanks to a somewhat uninspiring impro solo, but overall I can’t wait to see him again. http://www.flickr.com/photos/42034502@N … 9845/show/

Joanne was superb as always, despite a few technical problems with her main guitar – good to see her invite Henrik up to join her on her last number – good fun for them and the audience. http://www.flickr.com/photos/42034502@N … 5976/show/

Unfamiliar with Joe Louis Walker, but enjoyed his set – especially the slide playing and sparring with Todd. A bonus to hear some songs from Todd’s album “Porchlight” too. http://www.flickr.com/photos/42034502@N … 3679/show/

Only stayed for the first three songs of Sandi’s set as we wanted to catch Virgil and the guys on the other stage – she does have a good band behind her as Duncan says.

We rushed back from Virgil’s set on the family stage (great  stuff, but too short due to the previous band running over, and more technical issues) to catch the end of Simon McBride’s set on the main stage. What we saw of Simon was really excellent, and he really got the crowd wound up with his final number. http://www.flickr.com/photos/42034502@N … 9087/show/

I’d forgotten my earplugs, but fortunately the soundcrew had the screws down on Mr Sayce in the next set and he was far better than when I’d last seen him. Less showmanship and more musicianship. http://www.flickr.com/photos/42034502@N … 0631/show/

I’m sorry to say that Jonny Lang did nothing for me. I was not familiar with his music and swallowed all the hype – I accept he can do great things with his voice, and he’s not a bad guitarist, but I don’t like his voice, and the choice of songs he performed conveyed – for the most part – little but misery. At least I stayed until the end – Mrs Icon was outa there with a half hour still to go, so it wasn’t just me. It’s no exaggeration to say it left me feeling quite depressed. http://www.flickr.com/photos/42034502@N … 7291/show/

Fortunately the antidote was first up on Sunday with a new band to me – the Wildcards. A very entertaining upbeat “jump” blues set with hints of swing and rock 'n roll snapped me back into high spirits. They’ll be on my see again list for sure. http://www.flickr.com/photos/42034502@N … 9531/show/

What can you say about Ian Siegal – despite being “all over the place” he probably got the loudest calls for an encore of the entire weekend. Superb! http://www.flickr.com/photos/42034502@N … 7171/show/

Trampled Under Foot were one of the new names I was most looking forward to seeing perform, and they soon had the crowd taking notice. Danielle’s soulful vocals were stopping folks in their tracks and Nick’s clean sharp guitar tones gave them a very different sound to many of the bands over the weekend. I was just slightly disappointed that they chose to play quite a few covers, as they have so much strong material of their own. Best version of Rather Go Blind I’ve ever heard live though. http://www.flickr.com/photos/42034502@N … 6541/show/

Dana Fuchs – I can see why Amsterhammer said to make sure we didn’t miss her – wow! Knows how to work an audience – and how to belt out a rockin’ number or two. Don’t let a chance to see this lady pass you by. Another one with a great band behind her – and she’s so photogenic! And Tall! http://www.flickr.com/photos/42034502@N … 6111/show/

Roll on next year!

Ian

A quick heads up to say that the Maryport Blues Festival mainstage line up will be announced tomorrow. Expect to see some good British acts on the bill...

Here's the main stage line up for Maryport Blues Festival:

Solway Deltas
Lewis Hamilton and the boogie brothers
Blues N Trouble
Aynsley Lister

Saturday 27th July
Lucy Zirins
Bare Bones Boogie Band
Jo Harman and Company
Babajack
King King
Bernie Marsden

Sunday 28th July
Bluesbeaten Redshaw
Dove and Boweevil band
Albany Down
Blue Swamp feat Bowden and Williamson
Pat McManus
Ian Parker