Waterside 2009: Part I

Jun.20.09

Waterside, our first article last year and now things have come full circle as I find myself in Great Linford once again. No problems and the weather is looking quite peachy, which is always a good start. Looking at the programme tells us that the stages have been condensed a little now with Stage 2 and the Monkey Kettle stage being the one and the same while the main stage rolls off the big bands. Admittedly, I find myself more inclined for the Monkey Kettle stage this time, it’s a little more scene orientated so I meet up with our Josh, who’s due to play in some time.

Before that though, it’s probably tradition that “The Further Adventures Of Vodka Boy” start things up. A two piece formed from the Monkey Kettle scene, with Matthew and Martin taking on the keytar and guitar respectively, though the keytar is still a bit of a mystery as a track called “Blonde Girl” proves, no-one is quite sure what keys are which notes, they may as well all be “h”. 80′s instrument mishaps aside, the two go on with a some chilled out material to get the ball rolling.

Ellie Walsh is the first of the local acts up (besides the opening of Vodka Boy, of course) and brings us in with a bit of an acoustic affair. Her style is pretty simple, using catchy melodies alongside some enviable vocal talents to form some memorable songs like “Grin And Bear”, and pulling off Laura Marling’s “New Romantic” off quite well. In the early hours of Waterside, you can’t really beat chilling out to some “indie-folk” and Jenny is our ticket to doing that today.

Then there’s our Josh, before the gig he took the liberty of writing his predictions of a crowd reaction that would probably have the odd Mexican wave, though not many people were jumping about he still seemed to go down quite well, mixing in some twelve-string action along with some instrumental work to save his voice that is suffering a little at the moment. Most of the tracks are his own works, like “Recluse” that crops up fairly early in the set, though an “Air Traffic” cover also works it’s way in there too.

After Timmins has gone through his set, it’s up to DJ Herr Doctor to rack up a few tunes while the next act arrives, a good time to check out what’s causing a ruckus on the main stage. It’s none other than Mutabilis who I remember from last year, a rock n’ roll band totally suited to the family atmosphere today as the play through some surf riffs as kids and non-kids start mime surfing. Then they announce that the next track is the last, so I decide to make my way to Stage 2 to see if the other act has arrived. I’m halfway across the field and the BAM!! It’s a cover of Jonny B Goode and those who know my Delorean-tainted tendencies can guess that I was over like a shot to see the guys finish off.

With that, I get back in time (pun absolutely and totally intended) to catch Bine The Peg set up, a collection of solo works from Anna who plays in Harassing Anna. The set takes her from keys to guitar and back again for a mix of styles, a bit of reggae here, a bit of soul there, with songs about posters, dissonance and self indulgence. Talented on the piano and guitar, her main strongpoiny are her vocals which come into their own in a cover of Lemar’s “Is There Any Justice” that finishes off her set.

With that, it’s just after two and lunch takes it’s course along with a bit of a walk around the site to see what’s on and grab a bite to eat along with a beer from the pub-tent where the Tombstone Bullets crew are helping out. After sorting myself out with a chilli jacket spud and a cider I get a programme and get back to see what’s on at Stage 2.

It’s time for another familiar Monkey Kettle face, in the form of Phil Sky. I remember the first time I seen him in Stone Circle, though young Phil has done a fair few more things with solo and side projects and an album coming out later in the year. As is the usual standard for today, the set is mainly his own material with a few covers thrown in. For the last half of the set, Phil decides to get a little proggy on us with “Hoedown Song” that features on the Monkey Kettle Cd I picked up earlier, mostly an instrumental number that seems not too suited to a live performance but doesn’t go down too badly.

Poetry Kapow are in the midst of some performances when I return, I’ve been seeing more of the group around since “A Perfect Evening” which isn’t too bad seeing it as another avenue of creativity. Most of the assorted poets are new to me, though I do remember Faye from back at Lost And Found, and with different writers and backgrounds we get quite a variety of pieces with summer n general, politics, Solstice (as it is today), friendship and dolls houses, just to name a bare few of the topics covered.

The weather takes yet another turn for the worse and what starts as a small shower starts to pick up a little, but that’s not enough to stop Trash Monkey on the main stage, or the legend I seen last year in the form of “Dancing Guy”, a bloke in a hawaian shirt who knows how to enjoy himself and has more energy that some of the younger faces around. That aside, Trash Monkey are looking a bit tighter these days and make full use of the large stage. There’s also some new material on show too that isn’t too bad and sounds like the band are heading in a more solid punk-rock. There’s the old tracks around too, with “The Blues” taking on solid gritty riffs though something seems lacking in the sound during “German Girl”…

Seeing Jeff Sewell of the Sunset Lounge on Stage 2 with a set isn’t much of a surprise, after all, you can’t run an open mic night and not be a showman. With the weather dry he’s right out onto the path, asking passers by to dance along to his bluesy tunes though not one of them seems to be in the spirit of things. If you go down to the Cannon on Thursdays then you should have a grip on what Jeff plays through his set, with some of his own material and a few covers working their way into his fingers and onto the blood-stained strings of his guitar.

It’s been a while since I seen the Tombstone Bullets in action, in fact it was back at the last Band Blitz competition. The guys are still looking rather lively with a 70′s rock tinged showcase of their material that is the first breath of Rock n’ Roll on Stage 2. It’s lively and powerful, but something is missing and it’s easy to tell it’s the bass. Something is up somewhere down the line and the bass is cutting out which causes the raucous rock to lose it’s low-end groove. Frontman Alex tries to keep us occupied with some banter while different fixes are tried, but the set goes on with/without the bass and it does hurt the set’s outcome.

Sound problems are still kicking around for the next band too, not exactly good when you’re Kids Picked Last and you have a lot of stuff to go through the PA, shall we say some synths, two guitars, two vocals, bass and drums? Not exactly suited for a small stage and PA. It’s a bit of a slow start as the intro needs to pause and there’s still problems cropping up with vocals. By the time the lads get to the middle of their set they seem to be loosing a bit of patience as their set goes back and forth between good and bad. It’s not until the last couple of songs that things start to actually gel without much in the way of problems, but it’s a festival and Murphy’s law is looking strong…

So with that, the only stage continuing is the Main Stage, where we find ourselves before the Silver Brazilians, a rockabilly or “surfabilly” act suited and booted with a lot of tongue in cheek songs, saving the day last year as a last-minute addition and unleashing blues-infused rock n’ roll on the headline slot today. “Iraqdonalds” gets a bit of a jive on with a tempo made for dancing while “I’m What You Wanted” has the hooks and choruses to get people singing along, a pretty good mix and what’s needed to finish off the day as some people up front dance the day away (and not just Dancing Guy!).

The day isn’t quite over yet though, with an interview with The Tombstone Bullets on the way too, but the day’s kept me on my toes, as the past year has and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Craig \m/

Waterside Festival
Monkey Kettle
Poetry Kapow!
Kids Picked Last on Myspace
Tombstone Bullets on Myspace
Trash Monkey on Myspace
Phil Sky on Myspace
The Mutabilis on Myspace
Josh Timmins on Myspace
T.F.A.O.V.B on Myspace