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Homegrown + English Folk Expo

Venue: Various
Town: Bury
Date: 16-18/10/14
Website: http://themet.biz/homegrown/

Although the Summer festival season has ended, there's always one more event on the calendar to which folk fans can look forward. And what an event the Homegrown weekend has started to become. The event is now in its third year and an already stellar bill continues to get better and better, with The Met attracting an established audience from the local area and beyond with a varied programme across three venues in the centre of town, often leaving the public spoilt for choice and reflecting the very best in English folk music. Thirteen different shows utilising the 2 performance spaces in The Met itself, plus the larger capacity Drill Hall and the recently opened Clarence pub, a staggering total of thirty acts scheduled for public performances across the Thursday and Friday evenings plus a full day on Saturday.

Hand in hand with the musical events is the English Folk Expo music industry gathering, which allows The Met and the musical performances across town to showcase the best and exciting new talents of the genre which go some way to spreading the word on what English music has to offer. Whilst being offered the full programme of events which make up the Homegrown part of the weekend, the delegates who attend the English Folk Expo can add a whole host of their own events which make the most of marketing the artists and the music. The main mover behind English Folk Expo is Terry O'Brien of Playpen Music Management & Agency who took some time at the end of the festival to chat about her tireless work to promote traditional English music - more of that can be found here.

Thursday Friday Saturday Interview Gallery

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Dateline : Friday

Which in future years should be known as 'dilemma day'. With the English Folk Expo delegates being able to dash between different venues to catch performances start or end or even midway through, the general public have less of that luxury so choosing between the 2 Met venues and the Drill Hall each with a mouthwatering bill, becomes a bit of a challenge.

Up in The Met's main theatre, young folk starlet Blair Dunlop had brought along his band including fiddler Kat Gilmore and added Billy Bragg's bass player to the line up which toured earlier this year. For many Blair carries the hopes of the nation on his slim shoulders and not surprisingly; his two albums and live performance bear testament to his songwriting skills and exceptional guitar picking and playing which seems both natural and easy. He's not far from being quite a polished and well rounded act, and took time to perform 'Bright And Blossom' as a solo piece - something he does with a maturity and proficiency which shows as a solo artist, he's compelling to watch; the rest of his set used his band's subtle backing on a selection from his two records, including the rolling rhythm of notes which accompany the gorgeous 'The Station' and highlighted yet another young artist and his band on whom the future of English music can rely.

Lisa Knapp, clothed in deep red topped off with a collar of dark feathers, cast an intriguing figure. From the outset caressing her mini harp almost entranced, delivered a set which challenged and thrilled at the same time with a combination of traditional song and compositions which espoused an otherworldly atmosphere. Backed by a band including Gerry Diver and Pete Flood, best known maybe for his work in Bellowhead, songs of water and of seas and sailing merged with a flurry of clangs and cuckoos with the squeaky toys and ice cream van chimes thrown in for good measure - right up Mr Flood's street. At times, it felt like she'd invaded the subconscious and was providing a dreamlike soundtrack, veering from the intensely quiet to the rumble of drums invoking another discordant episode. Jazz like free form moments combined with high pitched squealing and loops of vocal noises and enchantments all added to her creatively hypnotic performance. At other times, Lisa played it completely straight, singing from the canon of Lal Waterson and referring to a 'carry on of folk songs' judging by the amount of innuendo some songs contain. Bearing in mind some of the acts who played the first ever Homegown event - Dizraeli and the Small Gods with their urban folk rap and Skinny Lister's rebellious yet wholehearted and raucous rendering of folk - Lisa Knapp might be less threatening but certainly boundary pushing.

The three instantly recognisable names of Saul Rose, Paul Sartin and Benji Kirkpatrick who make up Faustus induce a feeling of expectation which is entirely fulfilled. In fact, they've been quoted as saying, "The intention of the band is to deliver English traditional music with a bit of vim and vigour" which is what they do in spades. Faustus deliver their intentions comprehensively with a blend of unrivalled knowledge and respect for traditional English music, combined with cutting wit and the occasional paddle in the waters of the sea of innuendo.

Alongside tales of lonely shepherds and their sheep (nudge nudge), we get a "song of futile courting" in 'Lovely Johnny' and they encored without the rigmarole of going off and coming back on again ("we just can't be arsed" apparently) with 'Brisk Lad' whilst at the same time sending their audience with a story of thievery and stealing almost seemed somewhat appropriate if not leaving the audience a little apprehensive about venturing out amongst Bury's Friday night revellers. The blend of the three voices offers up an impressive variety in their delivery and their musical pedigree is in no doubt.

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