Festival Review: Maverick Festival - Easton Farm Park, Suffolk. Friday 4th July to Sunday 6th July 2025

www.maverickfestival.co.uk

Maverick: where hundreds of a pairs of eyes and ears embark on an individual path of music enjoyment. No two journeys are the same as the sights and sounds ferment to personally absorb what time spent at Easton Farm Park means. Festivals are unique and Maverick is no exception as witnessed from many years of winding around the lanes of rural Suffolk to the UK’s most established gathering of what we try to define as ‘Americana’. The printed programme introduction announced its coming of age eighteenth birthday, although Maverick reached a level of maturity a while back, most pertinently in 2020 with a timely You Tube reminder of what we were missing. Never taken for granted, the event powers on with 2025 showing what heights can be achieved with creative curation. 

Maybe the general awareness-weighting of artists booked as a line up entity didn’t match the levels of previous years but extract the impact and quality of performance and you were left with a catalogue of countless memorable moments, high class sets and an invaluable sense of communal excellence. Old favourites cemented their eminence while new favourites lit the fuse. The farm opened its soul and sincere sounds, mainly but not wholly stringed- based, filled the surroundings with opulent pleasure.

Sara Petite 

Away from the Barn, Peacock, Green and Moonshine stages, idiosyncratic novelties formed the backdrop. From yoga with goats to re-located prized pigs, rustic charm added to the natural scent amidst the idle chat of acquaintances meeting up swapping must-see lists and informal just-seen reviews. Some rigidly stick to a pre-researched schedule, others flit between closely located stages sampling as much as possible. The flexible thrive on recommendation, the casual are guided by open ears. Dancers loosen their limbs at every opportunity, singers need no second invite. Clappers quickly find their rhythm, listeners hone in on each lyric. There is no right or wrong way to get the most out of Maverick. Music in its purist form is open to all.

The aftermath of a successful festival is a comedown. An all-encompassing experience of total absorption will only ever be a limited high. Maverick takes you away from the real world into a land of real songs. Reflection leaves a yearning for a repeat; shared reflection provides a guiding light for outsiders to seek or fellow revellers to reminiscence the recent reverie.

These random moments that sealed the deal of Maverick 2025 are as personal as you get. They are a mere snapshot of what made the weekend special. Festivals need a chink of light to infiltrate a music lover’s horizon. The converted will concur; converts in-waiting may heed to the catalyst. Maybe you’re tempted to try it or return one day. 

Toria Woof

Unfazed Improvisation

No amplified sound; no problem. The Weeping Willows pitch up in front of The Green stage crowd on Saturday morning a couple of songs into the opening set and the show went on. Mercifully short before normal resumption but it nailed a willing interaction. 

Lighting the Spark

Style, voice, song craft and demeanour all set Toria Woof apart as a new artist with an enormous impact. The full splendour of Goth Americana from a stylish performer redefined Bolton as an area of West Pennine mystique and was one to seek out further beyond the realm of a festival. 

Conquering the Re-interpretation

Danny George Wilson, Paul Lush and Thomas Collison diligently stripped back the treasures of the latest Champs album on Friday night in the Moonshine replacing synth excellence with acoustic delight. Brave maybe, one-off possibly, evocatively effective definitely. 

Wowed by Development

Six years from first tentatively stepping into UK venues from her Australian home, Nashville-based Imogen Clark played an immensely powerful demonstrative set melding classy pop joviality with the heart and soul of Americana delivery. The Friday Barn performance was over too quick, but more soon, please. 

Touching Your Heart

Elise LeBlanc sensed a receptive space and Maverick proved the ideal setting for this Western Canadian to inspire through honky tonk and a shared personal experience full of guile and wit. Time is sacred at a festival and this Saturday afternoon Barn set wasted not a single second of affective connection. 

Feeding Your Mind

Word got around that Holly Carter’s Joe Hill story set induced a tear with its emotive sadness. Cue a dash to see an evening Moonshine performance with a wider songwriting remit raising the singer-songwriter bar to giving voice to deceased heroes of pursued justice and sharing a candid take on mental health. Enrichment with elegance was the name of the game.

Owning the Space

Maverick loves Sara Petite; Sara Petite loves Maverick. This time the multiple festival returnee had the honour of closing The Green stage on Saturday teatime and wooed all present with an invigorating display of heartfelt punchy music harnessing country sensibilities with rock ’n’ roll verve. 

Raise the Roof

Original music is the heartbeat of Maverick but the odd enhancing cover can add vibrancy to the moment. Cash, Springsteen and Dylan are the usual suspects but not for David Ford and Michele Stodart. Nothing is out of bounds when sung with grace and integrity as the Moonshine Friday crowd lent their voices to join in on ‘Show Me Heaven’. Yep, it worked a treat.

Consummative Ease

You want to frame the moment when music flows from the stage with the utmost relaxing ease. Sarah Jane Scouten is currently finding a rich vein when sharing her original songs in a timeless traditional country style. She grasped the invite to play a part in The Green Note/BPA Live joint birthday celebration on Moonshine Friday with relish. The winners were those in earshot.

Sarah Jane Scouten

Whether making my Maverick cut or impressing the presence of other festival goers, all artists played a part in this successful staging alongside the organisers and dedicated band of operatives from sound engineers to bar servers. A real team effort to reward your investment.

2026 anyone? Choosing Maverick won’t disappoint. Embarking on a 360 mile round journey from the West Midlands to deepest Suffolk each year since 2010 is the testimony. A tear shed in 2020 served to strengthen the resolve. No tears this year, just a contented music fan. 

My Maverick: Joe Martin. Ags Connolly. Imogen Clark. Michele Stodart & David Ford. Sarah Jane Scouten. Danny George Wilson. The Weeping Willows. Dan Webster. Linda McLean & the Awakening. Toria Woof. Elise LeBlanc. Sara Petite. Kelley Mickwee. Two Crows For Comfort. Prinz Grizzley. Casey Neil & Chet Lyster. Gypsy String Revival. Ella Spencer. Baskery + many more causally dipped into.

Gig Review: Todd Day Wait- The Folklore Rooms, Brighton. Monday 30th June 2025

www.tdwpigpen.com

The ceiling fan vigorously tried to keep a sweltering room cool. A task rendered near impossible with the added heat of smokin’ hot pedal steel. We have some fine players of this grand old instrument in the UK but few drive an evening along so sweet and prominent to what was heard in The Folklore Rooms tonight. This compact performance space in an upstairs room of a pub accessed via a steep winding narrow staircase had a very southern feel to it. A touch of the American south came to the English south coast for an evening of country music in the truest tradition. Todd Day Wait honed his style on the streets of New Orleans before seeking the recording outlet of Nashville Tennessee. A slate of originals reflecting a timeless age were interjected by the odd cover from artists such as Hank Locklin and Floyd Tillman. The music seamlessly flowed for 80 minutes before a packed crowd could seek some respite in a still very warm Brighton evening air. When found, the mind was still dancing to the lush tones of evocative pedal steel driven music.

Before the four guests from across the pond took to the stage, early arrivals had the pleasure of locally based singer-songwriter Sammy Harrison. Accompanied by his fiddle playing partner Bella, the style was more folk-Americana than the straight up country music to follow. The 30 minute set was an exemplar in how to open, set the scene and introduce your music to new ears. An Orcadian fiddle tune and a catchy singalong piece helped move the set quickly along in an entertaining fashion as well as paying homage to a patiently located pedal steel guitar in the corner awaiting its twang-laden strings to be expertly picked. Harrison has previously opened for Morgan Wade so no stranger to wooing crowds on a larger scale.

Todd Day Wait is undertaking a second consecutive European summer tour. He once again is scheduled to play the Maverick Festival and this year has secured a slot on the prestigious Static Roots line up in Germany.This time there seems to be a wider reach venue-wise including a booking from Cosmic American in the Midlands, nearer my natural gig habitat rather than seeking one out on a short sports-related break in Brighton. Being able to slot in a first visit to The Folklore Rooms, a rare occurrence of a venue flourishing since opening in 2021, proved a fabulous treat. 

Drums and electric bass provided support for the songs of Todd Day Wait to marvellously simmer in the stifling air, creating sufficient breathing space for the pedal steel guitar to sparkle in all its glory. A fair few songs on the set were introduced off the recently released album LETTER FROM THE ROAD and sounded sweet out the wrapper. Titles and names weren’t a feature of the show, thus leaving a mind less cluttered to savour the sonic delights spilling from the stage. Sometimes you need the snippets, other times it’s just blissful sitting back letting the music take the strain. 

It may appear a lazy association but remnants of Willie Nelson cut through the air both visually and vocally. Closer to home there was the astute grace of Ags Connolly, a UK artist capably crossing a huge divide. By the end of the show, Todd Day Wait had made a significant impression and successfully sold his wares to a cultured Brighton crowd. A southerner feeling at home for one evening only, though soon to be repeated in many places on a five-week tour.