Strawberry Fields Festival 2013 Sunday
Slideshow
The Kirkland Turn, Strawberry Jam Stage at 11:00
By Dannileigh Robson
Kicking off with a gentle start to the day by this leicester based trio, The Kirkland Turn pleased spectators with clear vocals, up beat, energetic and infectious tunes. The group turn their music into a family affair with husband and wife duo Darren and Katie on vocals and drums and cousin Ian on bass.
The groups Cover of ‘feed the bird’ which was dedicated to Julie Andrews was rousing and lovely, such an unusual cover choice make this band stand out from the other numerous acoustic folk bands out there. Their second to last song ‘Miss Magdalene’ was my personal favourite of this set, with its catchy guitar rifts and upbeat rhythm of the drum you really can’t help but lose yourself for a few moments in the music.
Click here or here to see them perform at the festival
Demons of Ruby Mae, Strawberry Jam Stage at 11:45
By Dannileigh Robson
The second act of the day on the Donkeys ‘Strawberry Jam’ stage were The Demons of Ruby Mae, a due hailing from Hinckley. The pair entertained the crowd with a simplistic laid back approach to their music, featuring a keyboard, guitar, and impressive clear cut vocals.
Their performance was both uplifting, enjoyable, yet serious with balladic sounds that were an absolute pleasure to listen to.
Often, being the second act of the day can be a hard task for bands, however The Demons of Ruby Mae completely disproved this and certainly managed to impress the gathered crowd.
For those who are a fan of the likes of Ben Howard and Passenger check out The Demons Of Ruby Mae.
Click here to see them perform at the festival
Mahalia, Main Stage at 13:00
By Dannileigh Robson
First on up on the main stage was leicester’s 14 year old Mahalia – a female singer song writer.
Already pulling in reviews praising her for her easy listening and melodic songs its easy to see why! Mahalia had a clear distinct voice, lovely poetic and original lyrics that entranced the audience. She manages to successfully combine classic soul with modern folk creating a unique sound. Make sure you check out her debut E.P. entitled ‘Growing Pains’.
Click here to see Mahalia perform at the festival
Preacher & the Bear, Main Stage at 14:00
By Genica Monteanu
“The Blues is a healing music” declares the Bear, a giant bearded man, at the start of this early Sunday afternoon. He entices the audience to take part in this sharing experience by standing up to listen and boogie along. Preacher & The Bear is on a mission to remind us all of the forgotten, original meaning of music. They sing about the hardships and joys that constitute the core of life itself.
The crowd and photographers present all seem puzzled by the raw energy that has just taken over the stage. The Bear gives them their money’s worth by performing guitar tricks and stunts whilst holding on to his guitar; his playing sounds like incandescent psychedelic honey.
Preacher’s virtuoso keyboard moves from delicate to manic, his skinny figure slams the keys in an ardent pulse. To complete the line-up, recent addition to the band, drummer “Goodtime” holds a strong and steady beat throughout the set.
Some people are dancing, some just staring, mesmerized at the scene before them, some others do not seem to understand. Whatever the reaction, no one seems indifferent to Preacher & The Bear and their empowering music. For fans of Howlin’ Wolf and early White Stripes
Follow Preacher & The Bear on Facebook
Click here to see them perform at the festival
Free Control, Strawberry Jam Stage at 14:00
By Genica Monteanu
I might be being biased here, but another amazing set by the five piece band from Leicester. Sharing some of their new stuff as well as finishing with old favourite ‘Balloon’. Great stage presence, looked like they really enjoyed being here and the crowd loved it.
Find out more about Free Control at http://www.freecontrol.co.uk
Click here to see them perform at the festival
Brief interview with Sally Hossack, lead singer from Free Control
By Genica Monteanu
Poor Sally! She just got off stage at Strawberry Fields, and I jumped on her like a tiger on its prey to ask her two questions:
Genica: Who inspires you most as a vocalist?
Sally: I’ve always liked Rickie Lee Jones. Joni Mitchell, all her stuff, she’s amazing! I recently really got into the Cocteau Twins, so Elizabeth Fraser. Matt Berninger from the National has a great voice. Obviously, I like Portishead and also the singers from Massive Attack.
As you can hear, it’s a very wide range of styles. We’re all really into house music, Mike (Sole, the pianist) is into jazz, our drummer used to be in a punk band he does loads of electronic now he can be quite heavy but he also knows how to stand back and give space. We pick up different styles from everybody.
Genica: What is the role of an artist nowadays?
Sally: Making as much music as possible and keep making it not being put down by the idea that there’s no point trying. If you are an artist, you have to do it or you feel crazy if you don’t.
People who are looking for a quick fix, a quick album deal or a quick contract, it’s not going to be happening like that. We’ve been going for six years; I’ve been doing it for ten on my own. We’re not doing it for the big hit, but for the feeling you get after a great gig or the lead up to it.
You can find Free Control on FaceBook (which has links to their music)
See also:
Strawberry Fields Festival 2013