"even doing nothing, I'm not quite doing it right"
Well isn't this a treat! It has been a few months since The Staves shared their latest studio album, All Now, and continued to cement themselves as one of my all-time favourite bands. I've so much love for that record, and its predecessor Good Woman. Just the absolute best.
As if a whole album wasn't enough, they've only gone and released a surprise new track - Waiting For The Joy. Tuuuuune. Obviously!
Over to the band... "This song began in the throes of the first lockdown when the feeling of isolation was so prominent. Everyone seemed so inspired and we were worried that we weren’t inspired by music in general anymore. The song was finished when we were recording ‘All Now’ and had made more sense of those feelings and we had lots fun turning it into a kind of sad-disco track in the studio."
If you're in the US, good news - The Staves are coming across the pond in November for an acoustic tour, with tickets on sale this Friday.
The Staves are back! Album announcement time! Isn't it exciting????!!!
It feels like time has been a little bit wobbly for the past few years - somehow, their last album came out in early 2021, meaning there will have been just over three years between albums. We are ever so deserving of this new album. That 2021 record, the excellent Good Woman, was my album of the year. My most listened to album of that year, the first show that I got to after the various lockdowns - a record that really unlocked a deeper love of this band for me. A little bit exciting that they're back with a new one then.
Produced by John Congleton and their first release via Communion Records (I mean - a perfect fit if ever I saw one?!) All Now arrives on 22nd March 2024, and features recent single You Held It All (again - excellent) and this new single, the glorious title track.
On the track, Jess and Camilla say "it's a stream of consciousness about frustration and feeling overwhelmed with modernity. Kind of a rejection of the performative way we have to express ourselves now in order for it to be deemed valid."
Discussing the video, which was directed by James Arden, the pair add "We were in love with the old footage of singer songwriters performing in shows like 'The Old Grey Whistle Test', and the way the audience hung on the singer's every word. We wanted to play with the idea of 'All Now' being an ideology and a message. Something that came from artists and creatives, but is then hijacked and commodified by corporate creeps, preaching the message to gain power."
You heard it here first: I'm well and truly back in my The Staves era. So many of my favourite artists are coming back with new songs and albums at the moment and I have fallen pretty hard for this one. The duo are back with You Held It All, their first release via Communion Records (a match made in heaven, I think?) and their first new music since the 2021 album Good Woman(my album of the year.) It is almost TOO good?! I haven't much to say, apart from that I love these sisters so much. Crossing my fingers that there's an album on the way, but for now, I'll happily listen to this one on repeat...
On the track, the band share: "You Held It All is a song about understanding, and the knots we tie ourselves in when we don't express our truth; and how much power and freedom there can be when we do."
It’s been a long time coming but it’s that time again, folks… I’m sneaking my albums of the year post out *just* before the new year. My diary is already filling up with upcoming albums from the likes of WetLeg, GangofYouths, MICHELLE, OrlandoWeeks and BuzzardBuzzardBuzzard but for now, I’ve been reflecting on the records that I’ve spent the past 12 months with. The albums that have filled me with joy, made me cry, brought me to tears and been a comfort in this crazy year. A completely self-indulgent list of my favourite records of the year, which I hope that you’ll love too - there’s a little bit of something for everyone here.
After highlighting 40 (!) albums last year across 6 (!) posts (entirely thanks to the free time furlough gave me…) things are a little bit more reserved this year - a ramble about my top 5 albums, followed by a list of 20 more albums (in release order) that have moved me in some way this year.
Without further ado, my albums of the year… and don’t they look lovely?!
Since it was released back in February, there has been very little doubt in my mind about my favourite album of the year. Sure, it had a bit of a head-start on most of the other records on the list, but Good Woman immediately burrowed itself firmly into my heart, and has been stuck there, and in my headphones, ever since. The record was (Spotify informs me, as well as my record player) my most-listened to of the year, and The Staves my most listened to artist. Their Nottingham gig in October was my first show back since before the first lockdown - they've really been the soundtrack to 2021 for me.
As always, there is something utterly transformative about those sisterly harmonies - pure magic. I've loved their previous work but this record really spoke to me, just a trio of good good women being the best. They've also got a pretty ace team around them on this record. Good humans all round.
Favourite tracks: Best Friend, Good Woman & Failure (but genuinely all of it)
2. Johnny Flynn & Robert Macfarlane - Lost in the Cedar Wood (buy/stream)
In the past couple of years, my interest in and love for the natural world has increased dramatically, with furlough offering up more time to get into the garden and to go on walks locally. As my curiosity has grown, I've been seeking out writing on nature, and was unbelievably excited earlier this year to find that one of our best natural history writers, the great Robert Macfarlane, was releasing an album with one of my favourite folk artists, Johnny Flynn. A masterpiece waiting to happen, surely.
As I expected, the pair did not disappoint - Lost in the Cedar Wood is something to treasure and an album I will love for years to come. It arrived at exactly the time I needed it and perhaps could most appreciate it. My favourite line, from Enkidu Walked, describing my experience of the past two years - "the birds have my heart and they won't give it back to me." When two brilliant writers come together to make art it was never really in doubt that it would be something truly special...
Favourite tracks: The World To Come, Bonedigger, Home and Dry & Ten Degrees Of Strange.
It truly is the year of The Vaccines, right? While every social media post that I've attempted to do about this album has tested my patience in trying to tag several health organisations before I can find the band, I've spent a lot of time loving their new record this year. In fact, when Back In Love City was released back in September I listened to little else for a few weeks. Soundtracking my bus journeys to and from work, I was finding something else to love with each listen. Back to back listens of the record confirmed what I already knew - they're one of my favourite bands and I have a lot of love for this record. This live performance of Paranormal Romance with an orchestra is one of my favourite live videos of the year.
Favourite tracks: Wanderlust, Jump Off The Top, Back In Love City & Paranormal Romance.
Now for the album that has probably made me cry most this year. The latest from Tom Rosenthal isn't quite the upbeat and quirky music that you might expect from him, but this record is stunning. The album looks back on the passing of his father, taking on various guises - at once mournful, reflective, beautifully nostalgic and full of pure joy. It's clearly a really personal record for Tom, but arrived at precisely the right time for me - a week or two after I lost my nan a few months ago. Music helps me to navigate situations and this record will always make me think of her, and it brought me a lot of comfort this year. The video below will probably make you cry, but is a beautiful watch.
Favourite tracks: I Went To Bed and I Loved You, Little Joys & Not A Catastrophe.
Would it be an album of the year list if this one wasn't on it?! You probably don't need me to tell you how brilliant Prioritise Pleasure by Self Esteem is, but I will anyway. The singles were all pointing towards it being a great album, but I don't think I was prepared to love it quite as much as I do. Fucking Wizardry is, as I said at the time of release, a fucking bop. The record is undoubtedly an instant modern classic, and fully deserving of all the end of year lists and praise that it is receiving. Rebecca is a true force of nature.
Favourite tracks: I Do This All The Time, Fucking Wizardry & Prioritise Pleasure.
Arlo Parks - Collapsed In Sunbeams Django Django - Glowing in the Dark Flyte - This Is Really Going To Hurt Low Island - If You Could Have It All Again Billie Marten - Flora Fauna Fryars - God Melodies Merpire - Simulation Ride Maja Lena - The Keeper LUMP - Animal Villagers - Fever Dreams Big Red Machine - How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? Liz Lawrence - The Avalanche MarthaGunn - Something Good Will Happen CHILDCARE - Busy Busy People Public Service Broadcasting - Bright Magic Bess Atwell - Already, Always Ada Lea - one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden Sam Fender - Seventeen Going Under Voka Gentle - WRITHING! Fleet Foxes - A Very Lonely Solstice
Well done (and thanks!) for making it this far... if you like what I do here on cool music and things, a friendly reminder that I have a Ko-fi page here where you can show the blog some support!
I’ve been struggling a little to get back into the rhythm of writing posts
regularly lately, but I have something pretty exciting to write about. In a
dreamy and somewhat spontaneous turn of events (hey - remember spontaneity?) I
went to an actual real life gig on Wednesday night. My first gig in almost 600
days. Long overdue and a completely joyous experience!
There have been a few shows lately that I’ve wanted to go to and haven’t for
one reason or another… it has felt a little as if I’m doing nothing but
working, interning and failing at being a blogger at the moment. It’s
difficult to describe quite how much of a gap live music has left for the past
year and a half and just how much I needed this show - but if you’re here,
you know that exact feeling.
Like many, getting out into nature has been a bit of a lifeline through all of
this and has, I guess, unintentionally filled that gap a little. It’s not too
dissimilar - both are an escape of sorts, an opportunity to come across people
with similar interests, not to mention the glorious birdsong. (Ps, if you’re
interested, I’m posting some nature pics to insta
here.)
It was such a treat for my first gig back to be The Staves, honestly.
Their latest record Good Woman has soundtracked 2021 for me, and it is
no spoiler to say that it will very likely be featuring pretty highly on my
albums of the year list.
First up, though, was Samantha Crain. A good woman indeed. And hilarious too.
Together with Kyle Reid (“I brought him over from Oklahoma with me”) she
performed tracks from last year’s record A Small Death and this year’s I Guess
We Live Here Now EP. A genuinely delightful performance. Once I’d got past
the novelty of being feet away from somebody performing live music I was blown
away by the skill on show. Sam’s vocals are incredible. I’ve (foolishly) not
done a deep dive into her back catalogue before, but will certainly be
making time to now.
The mind boggles a little at the man behind us who was there specifically to
see Sam, and loudly told somebody all about this during a couple of the
tracks. Gigs are back and… so are the obnoxious people who think that the
artist somehow won’t notice you talking loudly over their set, apparently. Joy. Don’t get
me wrong - he sounded as if he really loved her music and I love that energy
but... really?
After a quick change around, it was time for The Staves. Just two of them for
this tour, Jess and Camilla - Emily, as the pair jovially proclaimed between
songs, is selfishly skipping the tour to look after her baby. While it’s a
shame not to experience those beautiful three-part sisterly harmonies, the
show was pretty darn special regardless. Backing the pair up on stage were
their ‘beautiful baby boys’ (their words, and who am I to disagree) Marcus
Hamblett, Glyn Daniels, Chris Dagger and Rob Pemberton.
I’ve seen the trio once before, when they performed a secret set in the wine
bar at Bushstock Festival in 2015. It was a stunning acoustic set but I’d
never actually listened to them before then, and have been desperate for an
opportunity to see them again now that I’m pretty besotted with their music.
Performing the majority of the new album alongside a few older favourites, the
set was a stunner. I think I’d probably have thought any live music was pretty
magical after so long away, but this bunch are genuinely on another level.
My biggest takeaway from the show, though, was just how happy everybody on
stage looked to be there. To be back performing live and finally sharing their
new record with fans in the live setting. Their joy was infectious - I
couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense that I was exactly where I should
be in that moment. And more than a little bit weepy too. All of the emotions.
Now… when can I go to another gig?
A recent (ish) development in my music taste (or at least, a theme I've noticed developing) is that I listen to a LOT of projects where Marcus Hamblett is involved in some way. Maybe he's just reaaaaally prolific. A brilliant solo artist in his own right, he performs live and on record/in sessions with a lot of brilliant artists (as I'm quickly discovering) and you know you're in safe hands when Marcus is involved...
One of the bands he performs and records with is The Staves, who I adore. Imagine my delight at reading a post online from the band, announcing that they'd been in the studio with "bandmate and long-time collaborator" Marcus, revisiting some of the songs from their recent record Good Woman, with the aim of exploring "some of the more soft and tender parts that are there." I'm ridiculously excited to hear more of the reimagined tracks (the record is easily one of my favourite releases of the year, so I've naturally rinsed it a little) but for now I'm really digging the new version of title track Good Woman.
On a related note, The Staves are touring the UK soon - with support from the equally superb Samantha Crain - dates and tickets here.
Also - on another related note, Marcus joined the trio for a special Tiny Desk Concert performance live from their family home (the desk being the kitchen table) which you can and very much should watch here!
New The Staves yes yes yesssss!! God, I love these ladies. Satisfied is the third track to be taken from their upcoming record Good Woman (listen to the title track - it's a dream) which is due for release on 5th Feb 2021. Kicking off the year as we mean to go on with a brilliant record. Each single is excelling the last and I am super excited (could you tell?!) The harmonies!!! And the live video below, recorded at Sunbeam Studios and directed by Olivia Eames with their touring band is a total feast for the senses.
On the new track, the band explain "This started out with an acoustic guitar. The song asking its subject - will they ever be satisfied with what they have? Is it ever enough? But also urging them not to give up on themselves, and love. The song really came to life when we added the band, and gave strength and a backbone to the whole sentiment of the song (as well as a great groove!) Hope you enjoy..."
So it looks as if The Staves will be coming in with a very early contender for album of the year in 2021... I am over the moon with this news. They've just announced their record Good Woman, due for release via Atlantic Records on 5th Feb. Their first record in six years, there's a whole lot of experience, both individual and collective, packed into it. The ending of relationships, the birth of Emily's first child and the loss of their beloved mother. Self-produced mostly, with a little help from John Congleton along the way, the album stands as a sign of the trio's strength. The announcement is paired with the release of the title track, and I am LOVING this live performance of it, below. Warning, you might be singing this track for days after hearing it first... I know that I still am!
Talking on the record, the sisters share: "we have been working on this for a long time and are thrilled to share the title track with you. When we think about making this album we think about moments and snapshots of all the different contexts we were in as it was made. Living in each other's pockets and then living with oceans between us. On voice notes and field recordings and ideas in emails sent across continents. We think of homesickness and family. Of being an outsider. Of endless notebooks and scraps of paper. Of studios in the winter and recordings under the summer sun. Of rainy London days and long American night with coffees and beers, dogs and cats. We think of love. Big, big love. Our Mum. Our Dad, Our friends. And of loss. Death and birth. Womanhood, motherhood. Sisterhood. And coming home."
Good Woman is released on 5th February 2021 - pre-order the record here.
Something rather lovely to start the week off... The Staves are back, following up recently single Nazareth with Trying. Self-produced by the trio of sisters - Jessica, Camilla and Emily Staveley-Taylor - it's a complete treat. They're the absolute queens of three-part vocal harmonies. Sublime as ever. It's five years since their last studio record (If I Was, which you should certainly check out if you haven't yet) and I am so very ready for the imminent (I hope) announcement of their third studio album. I love these ladies.
Camilla Staveley-Taylor says about the track "I wanted to write a song about the state of things in the world and how broken our ability to communicate with each other had become as a society, but it became impossible as I was writing to separate my personal life from the broader message. I was living in America away from my family in a relationship that was failing. The state of America (and in Britain for that matter) and the state of my relationship seemed to become one and the same. The song became far more about my own situation.
I feel like trying is what we spend most of our lives doing really. Just trying our best. Trying to be better, to make things work. This was definitely a time where I was nearly tried out."
My first real introduction to The Staves was seeing them perform a secret set in a wine bar at my first Bushstock Festival back in 2015. The intimate setting, the fact that we'd just seen Alex Vargas and Nick Mulvey play and Nick telling me and a friend (in an apologetically freaking out way) that friend of The Staves, none other than actual Justin Vernon (!!!!) was upstairs, made for a real atmosphere of excitement. Turns out I was really really lucky to be in the room for that set, it was stunning. The sisterly harmonies are something to behold.
They'd not long released their second record If I Was at the time, and they brought out a collaborative EP with yMusic in 2017, but things have been quiet on the Staves front since. Outside of the band, however, they've been very busy bees. A lockdown podcast, an adorable baby and vocals on music from the lieks of Christof van der Ven, Bon Iver, Lucy Rose, Paul Weller, Flyte & more..... you get the picture: they're in high demand, and rightly so.
Nazareth is the first new music from the trio in a while, and it has all the elements that you'd expect from a Staves track. Self-produced by Jessica, Camilla and Emily, it is a thing of wonder. Seriously beautiful.
On the track, the band explains that "we recorded Nazareth in one take on a field recorder sat outside the studio in the summer of 2018. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. We tried recording it in the studio but just kept coming back to this version. It seemed to have the magic. The song was intended to be in the spirit of an Irish blessing or a kind of a prayer, asking to be kept safe - but it pretty quickly became a more personal and introspective lyric. Moments of glory quickly faded. Worrying, trying. How we mean everything and nothing at the same time. To everyone, to no-one.”
It's time for another interview and I am very excited about this one - the lovely Flyte guys agreed to answer some questions about their recent collaboration with The Staves, upcoming shows and what is coming up for the band this year. Dates for your diary: the band's new EP is due for release on 20th September and they headline London's Village Underground on November 11th.
Flyte with Jess from The Staves
Hello guys! It is wonderful to have you back, but for those who were living under a rock when you released your gorgeous debut 'The Loved Ones' back in 2017 - who are Flyte?
Well hello and thank you it feels very good being back. Ha, well that record still seems to be getting discovered by rock dwelling types, in fact it seems to be getting more attention now than it did on it’s release - which is I suppose is a good sign. Well we’re a band from London who all sing and all write and play instruments. I suppose we’ve become known for singing in harmony in an interesting way but that’s not all there is to it. Our influences are primarily from the past but we definitely bring those influences with us into the present day. Much like artists like Big Thief, Whitney, PhoeobeBridgers, people like that. There seems to be a fantastic wave of music from America and Australia that seem to be coming from where we’re coming from which we’ve found inspiring.
You released the track White Roses a few weeks back. It was a much awaited and longed for return for your fans and the reception looks to have been incredibly positive. The track features The Staves - harmonies upon harmonies! How did that dream collaboration come about?
Very kind of you thank you. We love The Staves, we were always in each others orbit but we only properly met recently. They came to see us on our tour with The Lemon Twigs and we hung out in the pub afterwards. We talked almost exclusively about Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and The Office I seem to remember. So we instantly got on. Not long after that they were doing a Christmas show at Earth in Dalston and asked us if we wanted to do a Christmas song with them. That was obviously a wonderful experience. So when we were making White Roses we instantly thought of them. We just knew it would work and people seem to be reacting really well to it, so hopefully it was the right move!
What's next now that you've got this new track out in the world? Should we keep our eyes peeled for album two?
Not sure how much information we’re revealing at this point but there’s plenty of music coming that much is for certain. It’s definitely a very personal collection of songs. The Loved Ones was very much an album about other people and this time round it's very much a personal thing. It feels strange and a little terrifying knowing how exposed the writing is.
I've seen various videos online from your years of busking and I get the impression that you are definitely a band that thrive off of live shows and sessions (your Arcade Fire cover is one of my favourite session videos to exist, ever.) How has it been getting back to playing live after a break - the recent Omeara gig must have been pretty special? Not to mention BST at Hyde Park!
It was always good for us to do those very simple live videos. You can sometimes go overboard in the recording studio by thinking everything has to be big and ambitious. Those live videos kept us in check and showed us how well people react when we’re just singing a good song, completely exposed. We’ve tried to bring that mentality with us into the recording environment this time round definitely. The shows we’ve played recently have been incredible, our fans are just the most amazing, thoughtful, passionate, engaged people and it makes preforming so easy - sorry a lot of hyperbole but its true! The only thing I will say is this new material is so close to the bone that I’ve felt emotionally drained after the shows, if you give that much of yourself it can definitely take its toll.
Where can we see you live in the coming months? A little bird (AKA some internet stalking) tells me you're heading stateside soon!
Haha yes it’s true we’ll be touring all over the States and then the UK and Europe this Autumn, that’ll be announced properly in the coming weeks!
Finally - what are you all listening to at the moment, any must haves for the tour bus playlist? For me it's mostly the new Friendly Fires album...
Weyes Blood's new album is fantastic, we went to see her London show and she was mesmerising. Aldous Harding is also fantastic. Tunnel of Love by Springsteen has been giving the goods recently - a really good divorce album, put it on the shelf with Blood on the Tracks and Graceland.
Stop what you're doing. Flyte are back with White Roses, the first track "of many to come". (Ahhhhhhh!!!) Somehow their debut album is almost two years old - it was one of my favourite records of 2017 - a gorgeous collection of tracks showcasing their often Beatles-esque breezy acoustic pop style, and those wonderful harmonies. One of my favourite videos of the guys is their cover of Arcade Fire's The Sprawl because the harmonies are completely unreal (watch that here.) So what better way to improve their sound than to release a track featuring The Staves - harmonies upon harmonies! Lot of love for this one.
It's never a bad thing when The Staves treat us to new music, and they're not disappointing with the incredibly soothing Trouble On My Mind. They recorded the track with New York based chamber ensemble yMusic, whose strings delicately mirror the beautiful vocals of the trio. Consider my interest well and truly peaked as the collaboration stretches to an entire record, entitled The Way Is Read, which is released digitally on November 24th and as a limited edition vinyl on December 1st. Take a listen to the new tune below and get pre-ordering!
As someone who listens to far more male than female artists its always a pleasant surprise when I come across a band such as The Staves. Though they are notoriously quiet artists, their beautiful harmonies give a lot of power to the performance. This is one of my favourite tracks from their latest record, If I Was.
They are currently supporting Florence & The Machine on an arena tour with upcoming dates at London's Alexandra Palace, and tour the latest record around the UK across October and November. All dates and ticket links are here.
This band of 'acoustic folk-rock' performing sisters, The Staves, were one of my favourite discoveries of this year's Bushstock Festival, where they rounded off an afternoon of secret sets by Alex Vargas and Nick Mulvey in a Shepherd's Bush wine bar. I was really impressed by their beautiful harmonies and the quiet, honest nature of their music. Of their latest record, If I Was, which I soon got my hands on, this track is one of my favourites. The record was produced by Justin Vernon who made a guest appearance at the band's Glastonbury set (following guesting at Kanye's set the night before!), which I streamed at home and loved seeing that they could perform so well to a large crowd too after seeing them perform in such an intimate setting. With a support slot on the upcoming Florence & The Machine UK tour and countless festival appearances over summer the girls are certainly bringing folk to the masses!
I've been to a couple of local free festivals, and had half a day at Cambridge Folk Festival a couple of years back, but on Saturday I took a trip to London (again) and had my first proper festival experience at Bushstock. After being offered the tickets by a wonderful friend who won them but had already bought some, I made the last minute choice, the day before the festival, to go along. In retrospect - brilliant choice. Organised and run by Communion, you know you're in safe hands in terms of the line-up, as the label has ties with the likes of George Ezra, Ben Howard and Half Moon Run. Though I left early and didn't check them out, this years festival was headlined by Lucy Rose, Michael Kiwanuka, and Villagers, with various other fantastic acts throughout the day.
As the festival started up, we checked out Ady Suleiman at The Courtyard, a new and intimate stage area in an outside part of The University of the Arts. Being a particular favourite of my friend's, his set was a no-brainer, but I went into it blind, having not heard any of Ady's tracks beforehand. What might be described as R&B with soulful vocals and harmonies, I found his set impressive, performing tracks from his recent release This Is My EP with his talented band.
Ady Suleiman
After Ady's set we grabbed some food and dashed around to the beautiful St. Stephen's Church, where Frances was playing. Having recently played on the Communion New Faces tour, I came to this set more prepared, but my expectations were exceeded. I'm not one to constantly compare artists, but she could be seen as a Rae Morris and Adele hybrid of sorts. Basically, Frances isn't short of talent. Her style suited the church venue perfectly, and her set was topped off by a beautiul performance of her recent new track 'Grow' (below), which is the title track from her upcoming EP, released July 10th. A brilliant, chilling live artist, you can catch her live at Servant Jazz Quarters in London on Wednesday 14th October.
After this set we decided to head to the Albertine Wine Bar, where the first of three secret special guests, Alex Vargas, had just been announced. Having heard good things of his music but not having listened to him, this was another great musical discovery of the day, alongside a wonderful stage presence and great stage banter, his haunting style filling out the intimate, packed wine bar in a stunning way. He must be doing something right as he's just sold out four dates in London this month, so I guess I should also be grateful to have seen him fairly early in what will probably be a fruitful and long career in music. Certain that the special guests could only get better, we decided to stick around and wait for the next announcement - particularly as there was apparently a huge queue to get into the venue for the second set. Shortly, this was announced to be the incredibly talented Nick Mulvey, a particular favourite of mine. As expected, his set in this jam-packed bar was incredible, and I felt genuinely lucky to have witnessed it. Time ticked on and the speculation was confirmed, the third act were The Staves. I was aware of their music and how well loved they are in the folk community, but again I hadn't really listened to them (it was a day of brilliant discoveries!) The harmonious, quiet, unplugged set from the gifted sisters was a pleasure to listen to. In short: Communion weren't lying when they said they were 'special' guests, it was a superb mini line-up.
Alex Vargas
Nick Mulvey
The Staves
The final act of the day that I checked out before choosing to leave early as I was tired and needed to catch a train home, was Port Isla at Bush Hall. I'd heart about them for supporting James Bay on his recent UK tour, and my friend was keen to check out their set. The set was energetic and fun regardless of the band being down a regular member, and I'm interested to take a listen to the band's EPs to see how their recorded music sounds.
Port Isla
It's my opinion that once you scratch the surface, the music industry is far smaller than it first seems, and this is obvious nowhere more than at this sort of day. Throughout the day I saw various artists, music industry people, and friends around, and everyone that I met was incredibly friendly - even the security! Overall I had a great experience at the festival which is fairly new, in only its fifth year, and I'd definitely consider going along to the festival next year!
