Our comprehensive review of the music at Cheltenham's arts festival GREENBELT concludes. A total of 17 reviewers filed 70 reviews. Read and be amazed.
Continued from page 1
PSALM DRUMMING WORKSHOP - Christian Aid Performance
Café - 10am
You can't have been to Christian festivals in the
UK in the past five odd years and not come across the Psalm Drummers,
a collective of drumming Christians who passionately believe in the
power of using drums in worshipping God. This was a workshop more than
a performance. There were about 300 present to listen and take part, a
lot of them teens and kids. We were told that drumming was about
church unity and that was what a big part of their existence was
about. Musically, we're not talking about super-tight showmanship, but
a valuable rhythmic contribution to the wide spectrum of music for
worshipping God. Their performances were well crafted pieces of
percussive music. Long-time Psalm Drummer associate Chip Bailey led a
part of the workshop where we learned that everything has a rhythm.
His enthusiasm about drumming manifested itself in exuberant and comic
dancing and he soon got lots of the audience drumming along under his
direction on various instruments that were handed out. All in all
there were some valid points raised and lots of people had fun
praising God through percussion and that's a great thing.
Dave
Griffiths
ONE LIFE LEFT - Stage 2 - 10:30am
The most
obvious thing to say about this gig would have to be, "so good they
bled." And you can quote me on that. One Life Left played a set that
was defiantly in my top 10 of the Greenbelt weekend, and even bleeding fingers
didn't stop them. What is so good about this South Coast band's music
is that it is something fresh, it stands out with killer bass lines,
to great guitar solos and instrumentals, which have a captivating
melody and rhythm, to them. The performance was full of substance and
variety, which soon got the crowd clapping along to the impressive
rifts and tunes. The boys, who originally formed back 2000, showed us
all at Stage 2 how a combination of backing vocals from Chris Gatland
and Joe Hurr can really complement the performance of the lead
vocalist Simon Paylor. Simon's performance was top notch; his vocal
talent unquestioned and his ability to hit high, high notes is up
there with Bedingfield. My personal favourite from the gig was "Ghost
In The Machine", which starts with a punchy bass line and builds to an
excellent harmonious climax. One Life Left showed how talented and
tight their musical performance is. Defiantly ones to watch in the
coming years.
Mark Lawrence
REVELATION - Stage 2 - 11.20am
Having not
consulted my programme I wondered into the Stage 2 room having not the
faintest idea who or what Revelation were but half expecting some
ear-splitting rock. But then revelation struck. (Okay, no more obvious
quips.) There hunched over the turntables were James Bragg, a doctor
of medicine who down in darkest Bristol has been pioneering club music
worship for many a long year, and Tony 'The Psalmist' Silcock, whose
album production work and work with gone-but-not-forgotten Psalmistry
has contributed much to the UK scene. With a charming female singer
supplying the vocals the Revelation team ably transformed a couple of
well known worship choruses into house music whoop ups which
thankfully displayed none (or little) of the cheesiness that blighted
many of those Nitro Praise albums of yesteryear. The DJ and VJ mixed
the vibrant, slightly psychedelic graphics onto a screen at the back
of the stage. The set progressed into some Andy Hunter and other chart
friendly dance anthems, all with a clear theme of intimacy with the
Lord. I have never appreciated DJ-led worship as much as I did during
the Revelation set. They were worshipping God themselves and it made a
great difference. Their set left me refreshed. I really valued the way
they didn't feel the need to yell at me constantly, but the only
spoken words they used were Scripture. Amen to that.
Dave
Griffiths
EMERALD STRINGS - Christian Aid Performance Café -
12noon
This classical duo from Hertfordshire performed on violin
and acoustic guitar. The melodic undertones of the guitar complimented
the strong sounds of the violin. Playing a variety of classical style
music varying from Vivaldi to South African music from early 20th
Century they entertained the audience. I feel I must comment on the
style of the guitar playing... with the tapping of the guitar and the
style of the strumming it felt like the guitar was being used more as
a percussion instrument than a guitar. This really suited the way the
pair played. The duo were thoroughly enjoyed by all the crowd both by
the classical music buffs and by those looking for something to chill
to.
Daniel Cunningham
NLIGHTEN - Stage 2 - 12.10pm
His fellow
musicians and feedback initially drowned out the lead vocalist but by
the second song things had much improved and the crowd were getting
into the music. NlighteN have a good indie sound, and I know bands
hate to be compared because they like to have their own style but they
did remind me of Coldplay and Delirious? at times, particularly on
"Struggle". I particularly enjoyed the bass on this song. They played
a short set finishing with a brilliant number with quiet intro and
vocals as the sound gradually built up to include the whole band in a
powerful explosion of sound. A great finish. I liked NlighteN, they
were full of enthusiasm and were obviously enjoying their set but one
thing bugged me. The lead singer kept turning around to sing at the
drummer instead of the audience and I found myself trying to figure
out what was on the back of his t-shirt rather than giving my full
attention to the music. Sorry! Can anyone help me out? It read, "...
Tenfoot Tigers". I missed the first word!
Ruth Saint
DAVID CLIFTON - Christian Aid Performance Café -
12.45pm
This was Dave Clifton's first solo gig at Greenbelt. After a brief
introduction he played to a small but appreciative crowd opening with
a poignant song of love. The stage was big and he was one man and his
guitar modestly serenading the crowd but he filled it perfectly well.
David's music is timeless and there's clearly a mixture of influences.
He puts Bible passages to modern tunes and there's a gentle passion
running throughout his worship songs while his mixture of funky rock
'n' roll guitar rhythms brought something different to the modern
worship scene. David's rendition of Isaiah 43 was particularly
poignant and powerful. Despite the background noise of the café his
set was contemplative and humble. He ended his half hour set allowing
the audience to sing along with a rendition of Bill Withers' "Lean On
Me", departing the stage to heavy applause..
Rachel Nixon
JESSI MARKEE - Stage 2 - 1pm
She's the daughter
of pastor, writer, broadcaster and bassman extraordinaire Dave Markee
and has been singing from the age of eight. Jessi has a lot of
credentials but would her performance of soul music at Greenbelt's Stage 2 live
up to them? It most certainly did. She began with the beautiful
"Seasons", which, like all the songs in her set, was about love.
Jessi's vocals were gorgeous and clear, every word was sung with
precision and beauty. Her two backing singers were equally stunning
vocalists and their harmonies with Jessi were sheer class. They were
also given several opportunities to show the audience what they could
do solo. One such occasion was in the second song of the performance,
"One More Chance", where Lynieve gave an astounding vocal performance.
Jessi's favourite song of the set, "Tongue Tied", was particularly
well received getting a second performance straight after its first
outing. It had a sexier tone than the previous numbers and showed the
vocalists' amazing abilities with each singing a different part but
all three blending beautifully. The group clearly enjoyed performing
and a huge grin never left Jessi's face. The emotion was contagious
and quickly spread to the whole audience, who had a great time dancing
along to the infectious rhythms. It was a set that thoroughly deserved
a longer time allocation.
Sarah Lawrence
LUMA - Stage 2 - 2pm
After gracing the giddy
heights of Kingdom Bound Festival in the US, Greenbelt may almost seem like an
anticlimax, especially after coming out to such a small crowd (which
thankfully grew substantially throughout their set). But Luma's brand
of indie/thinking-man's rock kept the audience entertained. I saw this
band at least year's final of the Ultimate Showcase where they were
outshone by the likes of The 29th Chapter, Dweeb and Soulcry - now
they seem much more capable of standing on their own two feet. However
showmanship is not so much a part of the live experience of art/indie
rock bands, so anyone who expected fireworks and a blistering light
show was bound to be disappointed. Anyone who came simply to let the
music soak in and let it touch their heart and soul left with a soft
smile on their face. Unimposing but thought-provoking, Luma simply
were what they were.
Greg Sammons
UNCLE STONEHILL'S HAT - Christian Aid Performance
Café - 2pm
Still suffering from jet lag, Randy Stonehill arrived
at Greenbelt Saturday
midday after a morning journey from Portsmouth, following a Friday
evening concert. Almost immediately he was performing in Martyn
Joseph's The Rising songwriting circle. Consequently at 2pm when he
entered the Christian Aid tent for the pseudonym Uncle Stonehill's Hat
performance, Randy must have been worn-out. However, dressed in a
black tail coat, multi-coloured Hawaiian styled shirt, orange and blue
dotted tie, black trousers and a large black hat, Randy
enthusiastically marched on to stage.The Uncle Stonehill's Hat show is
something that came about over 10 years ago when Randy began noticing
that the look of his audience was changing and older fans quite often
were returning with their own children. After a concert, children
wanted to meet Randy. "There was a real connection there, and they
seemed to respond to the kid in me. They liked my story songs, my
vulnerability and my sense of humour. So my enthusiasm for this whole
new audience bloomed into what I've described as a musical adventure
for children of all ages." Uncle Stonehill's Hat is basically an
adventure with a story line - a niece and nephew come to visit their
somewhat quirky and mysterious uncle who lives in an odd hat-shaped
house. As they begin opening the different doors to the rooms inside,
they meet new characters and embark on wonderful adventures. So, as
the doors are being opened, the intent is that the eyes and the hearts
are being opened in the process to the miraculous gift of this life.
With the help of Terry Taylor, a CD of the songs has been released and
it is hoped that it will bloom into a book series, a video series, or
possibly a 30-minute television show. Currently interest is being
shown by a film maker. The Christian Aid Tent at Greenbelt is divided
into two sections by open plan. The half nearest to the stage is for
the concert audience, the other half is a Christian Aid run café.
During Uncle Stonehill's set the concert section was full of young
children with accompanying parent. Randy endeavoured to get the kids
participating with question and answer chat, show of hand games and
fun sing-a-long songs ("Mouse In My House", "Shut De Do'", etc).
However in the background you always got the impression that Randy was
competing with the clanging noise of a canteen and folks chatting over
the adjacent café tables. The time allocated to Randy to communicate
the theme of Uncle Stonehill's Hat was too short allowing for only
five songs. And the Christian Aid Tent venue was frankly
inappropriate. However, given all the circumstances the children
appeared to enjoy their contribution to the Uncle Stonehill's Hat
show. Watch out for the movie!
Alan Gibson
BRIAN HOUSTON - Centaur - 2pm
The
stage in Centaur is actually bigger than nearly all the other stages
at Greenbelt, except
the new main stage. A nearly capacity crowd of about 700 'belters had
come to witness one Ulsterman fill this venue with his flamboyant
music and big personality. Houston used both electric and acoustic
guitars to delight his audience and his stage presence was enough to
captivate me as he rocked his way through old and new material. In a
stark contrast to his acoustic contemporary and friend, Martyn Joseph,
Houston's songs fill the mind with images of a happier disposition.
His lyrical content is often written from his point of view rather
than detached story-telling a la Joseph. His Celtic orientated guitar
skills were particularly impressive on a song from his latest and 10th
album, 'Sugar Queen' called "These Days". A more delicate and poignant
tune was "Woman's Touch". The set ended with a rousing rendition of
"Childish Things", easily a standout track on 'Sugar Queen'. I jotted
into my note book, "sounds like 1970s Van Morrison" and then he
suddenly burst into the closing refrain from "Caravan" off Morrsion's
1970 hit album 'Moondance'. Houston happily displays the influence of
his fellow Ulsterman in his musical and lyrical style, but one thing
is for sure; you'll get more movement and passion out of Houston these
days.
Dave Griffiths
RADIATE - Stage 2 - 3pm
It would seem that the
Stage 2 bad sound production curse had hit Woking-based Radiate at the
start of their set - they were no doubt not allowed the same lengthy
sound-check that they had last year. Vocalist Steve seemed to be
giving the man on the sound desk the middle-finger, but hopefully the
crowd realised that he was simply asking for more vocals. Yet the
further away from the stage you went, the worse the bass sounded
(something not unique to this band's set though), something that was
left unresolved. However, the band put on a good gig and gave the
near-to-capacity crowd plenty to sing and dance about. New songs
slipped in with ease alongside more well known songs - sing-alongs
happened naturally and brought the gig to life. Their brand of
Britrock meets nu-metal leaves me baffled as to how to better explain
them. But suffice to say the band, now established as a Greenbelt favourite, are
well worth catching - particularly when they complete the line up and
replace their recently departed guitarist.
Greg Sammons
COURTNEY PINE - Centaur - 3.30pm
A long
queue snaked round and round outside the Centaur venue. It took half
an hour to get everyone in. Greenbelters had turned out in force to
witness a living legend. Saxophone wielding jazz giant Courtney Pine
took the stage to excited applause and cheers. Dressed in a flowing
African silk shirt, with his dreadlocks flowing down his back, Pine
was supported by drums, a double bass, Hammond organ and fiddle. The
first track was called "Right On" and Pine used some incredible
circular breathing techniques to play notes that went on and on.
Members of the audience looked on in admiration as he flung notes out
into the ether with this extraordinary ability he has. "Shakedown" was
a funky number rooted to a drum and bass rhythm with a sweet breakdown
near the end of the piece into a nearly conventional chord sequence!
Next was "Devotion", another piece set to a break-beat played by his
gifted young drummer. All the musicians made it all look so easy. I
must admit that I am not really into jazz. I can appreciate great
musicianship, and that is what I was taken by, but sometimes when the
free-form honks and squeaks really kicked in we were back in the era
of Coltrane & Ayler when the avant-garde seemed less of an
artistic cul-de-sac, it eventually became. But on the whole the
rapturous reception shown this most gifted of improvisers showed that
for a sizeable number of Greenbelters jazz is a much welcome
alternative to most of the other Greenbelt music fare.
Dave Griffiths
ZEALOUS - Stage 2 - 3.40pm
Zealous are a
different beast from the band I saw last year. For starters, only one
ex-Zedisforzebra remains, with bassist Pete now residing in New
Zealand. Secondly, all the songs they played are new (or should I say
less than a year old). Musically they are in similar territory - a
form of rock and roll that incorporates funk and early '90s grunge.
Lyrically, it's hard to guess on first listen - but it seems to be on
familiar territory. One song was made particularly poignant by the
singer's recent loss of a close friend - as mentioned in his
pre-amble. But without a familiar song, the band don't seem to be as
good as I remember them being last year. The one familiar song was a
David Bowie cover, but sounding like it was sung by Jamie Hill of
Quench! The band was enjoyable but for me a little something was
lacking - for now I'll use their lack of a full time bassist as the
scapegoat.
Greg Sammons
FOR THE DAY OF REDEMPTION - Stage 2 - 4.20pm
Anyone for straight-up hardcore Belgian-style? Don't bother
answering, it's rhetorical. The point is I was, and boy was I in for a
treat. Taking their influences from NYC tough guy hardcore, their set
was jam-packed full of passion, power and integrity. To be honest, I
spent most of their set flinging my arms around like an idiot - an
endorsement in itself - but by all accounts it was straight-up with
build-ups and breakdowns. What was encouraging to hear was that the
band hail from a burgeoning Belgian hardcore scene, although they
remain their only Christian band, much like Taking Names here in the
UK. More power to them, long may they bring light to their domestic
scene. I really am looking forward to their next EP but more
importantly, catching them live again.
Greg Sammons
wow you did good and have you listened to LZ7 they are respectful xx
Kerry xx