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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

Over at the Drill Hall, duo of Gary Hammond and Sam Pirt who make up The Hut People had opened events in that spacious venue with their quirky set based round all sorts of rhythmic variations and variety of instruments employed by Gary alongside Sam's accordion. Their latest album 'Cabinet Of Curiosities' is a perfect title for what they include in their musical repertoire. They were joined by the Will Pound Band, with double bassist John Parker making one of several appearances across the weekend. The true king of the harmonica, Will does more than anyone for providing a case for the harmonica being seen as a lead instrument rather than one which adds nothing more thandecorative touches. Not only that, his playing of both the diatonic and chromatic harmonicas (for those with the technical know how) pushes the boundaries of the instrument. A genuine innovator who was able to push beyond the peripheries of folk and whose style and approach allows him into the roots of the community to spread the word.

Both bands also did sterling stints to spread the word at the local Premier Inn which provided extended hours for sessions which went late into the night and which were at the heart of what folk music and the passing on of songs and tunes is all about.

Everyone has a soft spot for Fisherman's Friends whose rapid rise to mass acclaim is tempered by the fact that they remain as unassuming and genuine as their roots and they seem to have come back strongly from the well publicised tragedies their group has suffered. Ranging from the boisterous and rousing clarion calls of 'South Australia' and 'John Kanaka' which truly show the extent of their harmony singing, they'll give a nod to fellow South Westerners, Show Of Hands with 'Cousin Jack' and also offer up some more light hearted moments when they launch into 'Drunken Sailor' and 'Paddy Lay Back'. The warmth with celebrated they were greeted and celebrated was typical of the reaction they get around the country. How long before they earn the 'national treasure' status? Fisherman's Friends represent yet another diverse branch of the folk tree and of the shows across the weekend, this opening evening at the Drill Hall may have been the most diverse.

Keston Cobblers Club followed up their appearance at the local Ramsbottom Festival and wowing the Cambridge Folk Festival with a headline slot in The Met's studio. Following on from the healthy vibe created by Lucy Ward's performance, they are a band who can't fail to rouse lethargic folk fans from their slumbers. They share the same youthful vibrancy and enthusiasm as their predecessor, with bells and brass all adding to their freshness and light hearted easily listenable sound. If as they say in one of their songs "we get judged by the things we say," their fun and friendly approach edges on the boundary of barnstorming while retaining an air of quirkiness and originality.

Lucy Ward's solo appearance in the Met Studio as a warm up for the Keston Cobbler's Club allowed her to take the chance to try out a set of mostly new songs. There's no doubt that the waves she's been creating in the scene, particularly with her marvellous 'A Single Flame' containing a darker and more ominous and threatening feel., are totally justified. The performance and delivery you get just from one Lucy Ward song is as much as you get in a whole evening or more from some bands. She is one of those performers who totally inhabit the song, and she's a photographer's dream, putting so much enthusiasm, articulation and expression in such a short space of time. It will be most interesting to see how her new material develops when she next dips into the recording process.

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