Saturday 2

It was time to swap stages and swap across the Atlantic to pick up a song or two from the up and coming form of Mindy Smith. Mindy is a country singer of the stripped back bare kind. As she took to the stage with just a mandolin player, whose name I managed to miss, as support, I was strongly reminded of a young Lucinda Williams.

That recollection became stronger the moment that I heard Mindy sing live for the first time. You could immediately hear the quality that had given her the position of being the only newcomer to appear on the Dolly Parton tribute album, “Because I’m A Woman”.

Her style is a little bit quirky. She comes across as slightly nervous, her movement on stage seems sorta jerky, but oh what a voice.

Mindy Smith emotises her songs to an incredible degree, even when she hasn’t written them herself. She’s one of those artists that could sing in any language and you would still know what she was talking about.

The crowd are really getting into her performance, you can see why she’s becoming so regarded. It’s a set that catches the moment, it’s hot and sultry in the tent, you can feel the sweat, it’s raw, it’s absolutely great.

I leave Mindy early, she’s playing again this evening, to catch a surprise appearance from bluegrass band Old Crow Medicine Show, who are currently on tour in this country with Gillian Welch. There’s just time to catch one of the big sessions at the session. There’s about a dozen musicians on stage including members on NO I.D that had set the same stage alight on the Thursday evening.

Old Crow Medicine Show are spearheading the new wave of bluegrass and oldtimey music. They’ve just released an album on EMI and are well talked about. They look the part, the bass player looks like he’s just walked off the set of Oh Brother Whereart Thou. It’s a really great set, one that confirms their status. This being the session we only get to hear about three or four songs. It’s not enough.

Back to Stage 1 a pipe player from the Galician region of Spain. This is piping as I’ve never heard it before. Forget any preconceptions you have about piping, Susana Seivane shatters them all.

This is not a piper that just stands that and twiddles, this is a piper that bounces around the stage, one that is full of energy. The songs have an Iberian flavour, boundless amounts of rhythm. Susana Seivane is not about warming up the crowd, she’s about, “Here we go!!” It’s a command you are compelled to follow.

It’s a startling contrast to the act that’s gone before.

Susana is supported by an excellent group of musicians who give her the threads to weave her tapestry around. I could listen for ages, but then suddenly it’s over.

Continued