Posted by UBR Admin | 09 August 2012

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Day Eleven Of London 2012: Country, Folk and Carnivals

Day Eleven Of London 2012: Country, Folk and Carnivals

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As the eleventh day of our Olympic festivities commenced, another spellbinding set of emerging musicians performed to an international audience. And yet again, an eclectic mix of staggering talent serenaded the park from the throat of our ‘shark’s mouth’ stage.

Kicking off at 12:30pm was Longfellow, an indie folk five piece hailing from London. They've had a fair bit of time to practice for this gig, with Owen, James and Kev having jammed together since they were secondary school little 'uns. Shortfellows, if you will. With an authentic indie-rock sound echoing Arcade Fire and Snow Patrol via a little Guy Garvey-esque magic, these guys have done a hell of a lot of box ticking. Acoustic and electric guitars combined is always a pleasantry to the ears, and Longfellow are no exception.

Deep and filling like the apple pie cooling on the farmhouse windowsill (don't get any erotic ideas), their sound has an impressive richness to it. Heartfelt vocals are textured with backing from Ali drift over their choral and emotive harmonies, producing a truly mesmerising sound. As a frontman, Owen has his own personal richness too  - not only in his vocal but in his personality ... he has that unique balance of being naturally endearing, dashing, and folk-cool; without being a knob about it and feeling the need to grow a beard like many other bands in their genre. Beard or no beard, you can take this folky pop rock band seriously. Longfellow are gracefully skipping down that dusty track to success, and it is a privilege to have had them play today.

longfellow

Liz Lawrence and her Hackney-based band followed with a folk-indie style three-piece of vocals, acoustic guitars and a cajon. Despite a minimal array of instrumentation, they delivered a truly compelling performance. With harmonised vocals from all members alongside tender strumming, the trio released a sound that was deep and textured with emotion. Soft percussive rattles complimented Liz’s delicate, soothing voice, concocting an original tone with folk influences, such as Laura Marling and Feist. Her live performance had the audience entranced, clapping alongside her easy listening and soothing tempos. Her songs brought warmth to the cold and windy day, upbeat and sentimental sounds soaring around the stage. Hers is an act that provides a sensitive, uplifting development to a genre constantly exacerbated with mundane, monotonic musings.  Having supported acts like Ben Howard and Michael Kiwanuka, Liz is well on her way to being an established icon of her style.

Liz Lawrence

With a killer dress sense lending style to the Old West, Gentlemen Duke gave yet another carnivalesque performance for us today. Blending country, folk and gypsy jazz, this fun-loving quartet hailing from south-east London put on a fast-paced, energy-saturated blast into the past with a modern twist. These guys were born to entertain - playing their set like it was their last. Their later slot was at 5:45pm, allowing for a more dazzling performance once the heavens had opened around us. A huddle of anoraks and umbrellas stood at the foot of stage, nodding heads and clapping hands to an electric exposition.

Gentlemen Duke’s sound is an amalgamation of so many influences and styles that we simply don’t have time or space on this page to dissect their music.  Frontman Andy’s American country-vocals have a definite link to Johnny Cash and punchy riffs belted from his jazz guitar blurt invigorating bluesy sounds echoing Woodie Guthrie and Sam Cooke. To compliment a modern twist on the country form, both electric double bass and violin, alongside harmonica in a fast tempo environment, make the sound resonant of gypsy jazz style. Leaping around stage like true rock ‘n’ rollers, it’s baffling how these guys haven’t been signed. But they’re keeping busy, and with a new EP on the way alongside festival slots throughout the year, the time will surely come for them to step (or skip) into the limelight.

gentlemen duke

Joia were our final Emerging Icons that we had put on a show today. With a sextet of musicians travelling from London, Essex, Surrey and Athens, their eclectic sound is both enchanting and dissonant. Evident Radiohead influences play a major part in a lot of their chromatic riffs and sweetly drifting vocals, whilst some of their darker vibrations lean towards a post-rock style. Soulful singing and slow tempos paralleled with keyboard licks link to earlier Coldplay work, moving their overall sound towards a pop-rock genre. A ghostly, sorrowful soundscape brought a cool atmosphere to the stage, and a hypnotic, distinguished set cause their music to toy with the emotions. A tight, sonorous performance, and definitely a band to keep an eye out for.

Joia

With less than a week to go before the Olympics are over, we’re still seeing as many talented artists as we are medals. And it truly is a pleasure to showcase such amazing talent.

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