Our fourth trip to Skegness (it's so bracing!) for the Great British Rock and Blues Festival. Back again for great music and horrible weather. As it turned out the weather was better than previous years and the music as good as ever with new artists to discover.
It has to be said it may be the whitest event I have ever been attended: 4,000 punters and only one person of colour! Also I am sure the overall demographic has shifted. The first time there were huge numbers of old guys with beards and grey ponytails. Many of those appeared to have died off and there were more younger faces in the audience.
As well a lots of music we even fitted in a bit of parkrun tourism with the recently instituted Skegness Boating Lake event which is a lovely, flat course on the seafront.
Venues
The way it works is that there are four stages between which you can wander at will. We usually chose the venue with the acts we most wanted to see and then queue up to get good seats. Then one or other of us would occasionally pop over to the another venue for a couple of songs of alternative artistes.
- Introducing (aka Skyline) - is in the main big tent where up-and-coming acts play in the afternoon / early evening. The audience vote each day and the daily winner gets an opening slot the following year.
- Center Stage - is the main venue with cabaret style seating off the big tent.
- Reds - is similar to Centre stage but in a separate building.
- Jaks / Hotshots - Jaks was the worst of last year's stages both acoustically and in terms of layout and they are not using it this year. because of refurbishment. Hotshots is the bowling alley and the replacement for Jaks this year. The acoustics are better but the layout is still pretty awkward with the stage in one corner.
List of who we saw with star rating and (venue).
Fri 17th:
Sunhouse** (Introducing)
Red Fish (Introducing)
Hollowstar* (Introducing)
Johnnie "Guitar" Williamson* (Centre Stage)
Catfish (Hotspots) FULL - NOT SEEN, Boo!
Howling Mojo Bones (Hotshots)
Animals and Friends** (Reds)
Billy Branch and The Sons of Blues*** (Centre Stage)
Sat 18th:
Starlight Campbell Band* (Reds)
Clearwater** (Centre Stage)
Geordie (Centre Stage)
The Flying Burrito Bros (Reds)
Mojo Preachers (Introducing)
The Stoned Crows** (Introducing)
Joan Ov Arc* (Introducing)
Killit* (Introducing)
Miguel Montalban and The Southern Vultures** (Centre Stage)
Jo Carley and The Old Dry Skulls* (Hotshots)
Paul Lamb and The King Snakes** (Centre Stage)
Dana Gillespie* (Hotshots)
Mike Farris** (Centre Stage)
Sun 19th:
Sam Kelly's Station House** (Centre Stage)
Ma Bessie and Her Blues Troop*** (Centre Stage)
Mud Morganfield*** (Centre Stage)
Eliana Cargnelutti** (Introducing)
Snake Oil Band* (Introducing)
James Oliver Band (Introducing)
Matt Pearce and The Mutiny* (Introducing)
Climax Blues Band*** (Centre Stage)
Dr Feelgood*** (Centre Stage)
Bernard Allison** (Centre Stage)
Photos and comments.
For most of the acts I would wander down to the mosh pit for a couple of songs. One of the things I like about this festival is that you can wander right up to the stage and see the acts really, really close up. Due to the poor quality of the iPhone camera many photos were not fit to publish.
Fri 17th:
Sunhouse** (Introducing) - proper raucous blues singing from the lead vocalist.
Johnnie "Guitar" Williamson* (Centre Stage)
Marion Diaz (Centre Stage) - Daughter of Little Walter. How to clear the hall in record time. It was an interview interspersed with his music to publicise Marion's book but the programme had given no clue that it was going to be a talk. It just didn't work for that time on the first evening.
Catfish (Hotspots) The venue was too small and quickly filled up with a long queue waiting for people to leave - one in, one out. Bit of a shame as they were one of the discoveries from our first time and high on our list to see.
Animals and Friends** (Reds) - classic British blues band with a couple of original / early members.
Billy Branch and The Sons of Blues*** (Centre Stage) - classic Chicago blues band with Billy excellent on "harp".
Sat 18th:
Starlight Campbell Band* (Reds)
Clearwater** (Centre Stage) - this is listed in the programme as the Clearwater All Star Band which we think is a.k.a. Creedence Clearwater Revisited, founded by two of the original members of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Geordie (Centre Stage) - apparently they were glam rock regulars on TOTP but I don't remember them at all.
The Flying Burrito Bros (Reds)
The Stoned Crows** (Introducing) - more rock than blues and they got our vote.
Joan Ov Arc* (Introducing)
Jo Carley and The Old Dry Skulls* (Hotshots) - a somewhat eccentric act.
Paul Lamb and The King Snakes** (Centre Stage)
Sun 19th:
Sam Kelly's Station House** (Centre Stage)
Ma Bessie and Her Blues Troop*** (Centre Stage) - really good, fun entertainment singing the songs of Bessie Smith. Apparently she also does a Bessie Smith musical with additional biographical narration which we will definitely look out for.
Climax Blues Band*** (Centre Stage)
Bernard Allison** (Centre Stage)
From Skeggie we headed onwards to Penrith to check out progress on the money pit.
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