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Folk 21 Wimborne Minster Folk Festival Showcases

Venue: The Allendale Centre
Town: Wimborne
Date: 14-15/6/14
Website: http://www.folk21.com/

It has to be said the organisers of The Wimborne Minster Folk Festival couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Mainly sunny, but occasionally overcast, it meant that people took the opportunity to explore both the outdoor and indoor events at the festival and for two of the days, the indoor events included Folk 21 sessions in the afternoon. To learn more about what Folk 21 do, check the link, but essentially it's to allow artists to showcase outside of their area, to try and give organisers at clubs and the like a chance to see artists they might not otherwise get a chance to see as well as provide great entertainment.

Essentially, Folk 21 Showcases are to help support the club and small venue circuit, by helping bands get seen out of their area and give clubs in the area where they are held a chance to see new acts.

Saturday  Sunday  Gallery

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Sunday

Like being the drummer of Spinal Tap, the DADA teacher in Harry Potter or the being the original bass player in an all girl band, being the opening act of a Folk 21 Showcase in Wimborne appears to be a cursed position, as like the previous day, the opening act was lost to circumstances beyond the artists control. Fortunately Forbes Moncrieff, who had closed the day before, were still around and stepped up to fill the gap and by doing so provided an gateway between the two sessions.

Whilst the weather outside was still good, it was slightly more overcast than the Saturday and whether that was coincidence or not, it seemed to have encouraged more people in for the start of the session, which is never a bad thing and Forbes Moncrieff did a grand job kicking the whole thing off.

Once again George Papavgeris is hosting the session and for the first time over the weekend he's announcing a change from one duo, Forbes Moncrieff, to another, Lazibyrd. It's also a passing of the baton stylistically with a move from more traditional folk to a more contemporary style that at times also brings in influences from the world of acoustic pop.

Consisting Sharon Martin and Tom Chapman, the duo won the South West Music Award 2013 for the best folk act and their debut album "Under The Sky" was well received, which has lead to the duo featuring at a number of festivals over the last couple of years.

What I enjoyed about Lazibyrd's set was that despite the obvious contemporary feel with most of the songs coming from within the duo, it was obvious that the sound had that heavy nod towards the traditional root with the presentation taking the language of the here and now, with the structure of the songs taking on that traditional element, albeit with contemporary arrangements . It was one of those sets that by blurring the lines between what gets described as contemporary and traditional folk, highlights that there is folk and there is interpretation.

The set was fresh and highlighted what the folk 21 Showcases are about, introducing bands to a new audience as well as audiences to new bands, it's an important distinction because both are important if the scene is to flourish, clubs have to take chances on acts they haven't booked before and acts have to take a risk and push further afield.

Next up is an artist that has a foot in both camps, Louise Jordan. In addition to being a writer performer, Louise is also responsible for ForestLive which sees her on the other side of the fence as both a promoter and booker, tasked with bringing an eclectic range of acts into her New Forest base. Regular gigging, both in her own right and as a support act brings her into regular contact with both new clubs and artists, giving her the chance to see, what is new and to regularly visit new venues to get an idea what works.

2014 looks like being a busy year for Louise Jordan with her third album due out towards the end of the Summer/start of Autumn and a good few dates between now and then. This was a chance to deliver a reminder of what it was that has brought her to attention as well as doing the groundwork for the aforementioned new album.

Louise is an artist I've been fortunate enough to watch the development of and all the time her performances gain that extra level of confidence, she's got a real interaction with her audience, understanding that performance isn't just what you deliver with your songs, it's what's there from the moment you set foot on the stage to the moment that you leave, the banter that helps you relate to your audience and them to you, needless to say, Louise Jordan went down very well.

Kelly Oliver had the combined experience of being the furthest travelled for the day as well as probably the least experienced act on the Sunday, though you wouldn't have been able to tell from her delivery, coming across as not only well assured, but also with a natural warmth.

One thing that did strike me during Kelly's set is comparatively there seem to be less female singer-songwriters that use harmonicas as part of their act. It's purely an anecdotal comment so don't castigate me for it, but thinking about it is a comment that seems to hold true. Hearing Kelly, both play and incorporate the instrument into her sent, it does make me wonder why it's not used more.

Like a growing number of singer-songwriters, Kelly has quite a fluid approach to genre, moving along the acoustic spectrum to find the point that suits the song best as well as drawing on a wide range of influences, some personal, some more observational, it means she's able to deliver a set that has a real variety to it, one where you're never quite sure what's going to come next, except that it will be entertaining.

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