The annual Moseley Folk and Arts Festival returned for another year hosting a variety of musicians, comedians and spoken word artists, both local and from across the globe in Moseley Park for 3 days of pure folk fun. The second you walk onto the site you’re naturally led into a whimsical forest with music bouncing through the trees, arts and crafts stalls and a summer festival, feel-good vibe. Due to the festival having no camping, you also gain a sense of the local community whilst walking around and soaking in the scene.
The city’s biggest folk and arts festival opened the stage to some well-known names within the folk community with Friday’s line-up starting with a bang! Opening acts across the main two stages, and names to keep an ear open for included Ollie Cook, Maddie Morris, Frankie Archer, Cat Clyde and Odie Leigh. The Scratch was a standout band for me with their perfect combination of grunge meets folks, especially during their cover of The Pogues Sweet Sally, which gained a quick approval from festival goers across the park as a cheer exploded through the field.
Flogging Molly warmed up the stage for The Levellers and had the crowd roaring from start to finish. They opened with their classic ‘Drunken Lullabies’ which erupted a contagious energy through the audience, and you couldn’t help but tap your foot, have a little jig or simply smile! Throughout their set we were gifted little backstories that influenced certain songs, as well as little facts that really made you feel connected with the band. Lead singer Dave King told us tales of his family including that his Mam was from Birmingham and “caused controversy wherever she went” dedicating ‘Rebels of a Sacred Heart’ to her, before introducing his wife of 17 years and fellow band member, Bridget Regan on the tin whistle. The instruments used throughout their set transported us all to a cosy Irish pub with a fiddle and bow, a bodhrán, accordion, banjo and acoustic guitar – all entwining and creating the much-loved, traditional folk sound. This was their last show in England for this summer and they even had a slot as part of Bloodstock which after a deeper thought, and having then watched their full performance, I started to appreciate why their punk-esque style slots perfectly to an audience of a number of genres. A must-see live band.
Beans on Toast closed stage two and has also supported Frank Turner alongside Flogging Molly for a previous tour, making this sequence of bands a perfectly planned schedule. He performed a number of tracks based around his personal experience as a Dad and previous life experiences with a humours edge that rippled laughter through the festival goers. Finally, the mighty Levellers brought their well-known high energy performance to the people of Moseley with an hour and a half-set delving into the depths of their back-catalogue. Their anarchic folk infused rock combined with punk attitude was fully charged throughout, with the band playing a great combination of songs from old and new, including Carry Me, Another Man’s Cause and One Way, before closing their set with their iconic Beautiful Day. A perfect finish to day one.
Katherine Priddy started off my Saturday, a name that has recently been echoed throughout the folk community. She was accompanied by George Boomsma, who also had his own set on Sunday. A remarkably talented duo who complemented each other perfectly. They played a number of songs from Katherine’s most recent album, released in February, titled ‘Pendulum Swing’ which explored a number of traditional folk techniques and characteristics that were perfectly executed throughout the set. During her performance, Priddy commented on the fact that she was honoured to be playing on such a female-dominated bill for the Saturday, and its easy to understand where she is coming from with performers such as The Staves, Dominie Hooper, CMAT and Bess following that day, an explosion of talented female performers.
The Staves were introduced with a wonderful dedication to Moseley Folk Festival supporter and late BBC DJ, Janice Long. Throughout their performance they often referred back to when they first met Janice, and how they owe it to her for not only suggesting them for the festival but giving the sisters their first radio opportunity. Their humour, whit and sisterly bond are always key components to their live performances and this occasion was no different. Their one-hour set explored their perfect blend of harmonies with bold tracks such as Black and White and Good Woman, to gentle acoustic numbers that were a perfect showcase of their vast talent.
CMAT co-headlined stage one who was an artist that was a complete highlight of the weekend for me. A natural performer with a unique and wild stage presence. Her chemistry with her band breaks the barrier between the stage and the crowd, making the whole experience one giant party! From striking a pose when strutting onto the stage, to dancing with her band, getting the entire crowd to do jazz hands, to ending up in the crowd, CMAT is an exquisite and must-see performer. Of course Dexys closed the main stage on Saturday as well with tracks such as ‘Tell Me When My Light Turns Green‘, ‘Plan B‘ and ‘Coming Home‘ before their classic crowd-pleaser ‘Come On Eileen’.
One band I was excited to see live was Hejita who did a set of Joni Mitchell songs but as their own arrangements, and wow – did they do the folk icon justice. Performing unique renditions of some of Mitchell’s classic folk-shaping originals such as Woodstock, A Case of You and Underneath The Stars this was a complete weekend highlight. Throughout the afternoon there was local music groups marching throughout the audience as well as a hay-throwing workshop and of course some spoken word performances.
But the lead performer of the day, and possibly of the weekend for me was the Barnsley Nightingale Kate Rusby. A folk favourite who gave an incredible set with some cover tracks from her lockdown album Hand Me Down, including ‘Manic Monday’ and ‘3 Little Birds’, as well as some of her leading singles ‘Awkward Annie’, ‘The Lark’ and ‘Underneath The Stars’. Her storytelling pulls you in and her Whitty-humour engages you throughout the performance. Especially as her husband and fellow band member, Damian O’Kane was celebrating his 40th birthday, with the crowd singing to him whilst he cut into some cake on stage! Belle and Sebastian closed the three-day event with a mammoth of a set, bringing the weekend to humble close.
A smoothly ran, fun, relaxed, family-friendly event. Mosley Folk Festival was a perfect end to the summer festival period.
Words by Charlotte Hooper
Photo Credit: Si Dunkerley
