Gig Diary: Moseley Folk and Arts Festival, Birmingham. Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th September 2022

 

www.moseleyfolk.co.uk

The banner at the side of the main stage states ‘all music is folk music’; a phrase that wholly rings true when the team at Moseley Folk assemble to choose a line up for their annual September gathering in the scenic landscape of the suburb’s rolling private park. Eclectic is the name of the game all within a tight network of parading the art of the significant song showing some element of lineage. 2022 was no exception, whether you were sold on the headliners or viewed the soul of the festival in a mid and under card brimming with talent. Throw in an extended arts section to build on the evolving name and the result was another resounding staging to cement a place at the point where the festival season slips into the primary return of the indoor show. 

Bonfire Radicals from a distance

Four performing areas, now entities in their own right, reflect growth in spirit if not necessarily size. The new highly focussed Speaker’s Corner is almost a festival within a festival to give the ‘Arts’ tag a finer edge. Folk on the Slope aka the Kitchen Garden stage continues to bring some quieter finesse when the ears need resting, although rockier bands on the second stage can still test an artists’s focus. That second stage is now named the Janice Long Stage in honour of the festival’s most high profile supporter, and a sad loss to the wider music world since the last event in September 2021. The schedule still dovetails the two main stages leaving Janice Long and the Kitchen to provide the only element of set choice from the opening chimes of Friday lunchtime to the final throes of Sunday evening. Of course a festival is what you make it and often a deeply personal experience within a shared community. Whether you rambled across the site taking in the tunes as a backdrop or made your way to the front of the stage to soak up the sounds totally unfiltered, musical treasures consistently popped up. From the faint folk strains of Ellie Gowers to the bravado prog rock of Jethro Tull, Moseley toyed, tempted and duly delivered.

Jethro Tull

Any festival is defined by the artists personally witnessed, so any thoughts on headliners Supergrass, The Coral and Seasick Steve will need to be sought elsewhere. The only slight downside to leaving early on Friday due to an another commitment and deciding to cut out the main acts at the weekend was missing Kurt Vile and Violators. However, a presence at the start of each day and a grand sum of well over twenty sets intently enjoyed proved a healthy yet mind stamina sapping exercise that locked the treasures of Moseley Folk 2022 firmly in the memory bank. 

Ellie Gowers

From the macro, now a deeper dive into the micro of what sets, songs and sentiments moved, shook and serenaded ears tuned into the broadest show of folk you could imagine. Let’s go through the stages from the Kitchen to the man via the Janice Long with a dose of random selections. 

Diana Jones

Of the eight acts seen on the Kitchen Garden stage, the highest profile and most experienced artist was Diana Jones. Her slot on Sunday teatime gave that day a very Americana theme as she followed four of her compatriots forming a procession on the main stage (more on them later). Diana was playing the Kitchen Garden long before any of the other performers surfaced and to this day still serves up a powerful volley of meaningful American folk songs. 

Katie Spencer

Two other artists steeped in the folk tradition are fast becoming personal favourites. The two year anniversary of first seeing Ellie Gowers is approaching. That was the isolated 2020 Beardy Folk Festival that defied Covid. For her Moseley Folk bow, she assembled a small band together including Lukas Drinkwater on bass to rev up before the release of her debut album later this month. Beardy Folk this year, and in previous years, has showcased Katie Spencer and it was no surprise to see her get a debut Moseley call in light of her ever growing Midlands following. It was business usual in terms of quality, and that deftly played John Martin cover on electric is always sublime.

The Magpies

Also seen at Beardy Folk this year were Bella Gafney and Holly Brandon. They played different sets there, but came together as The Magpies (Duo) for Moseley. Holly consolidated her position of the fiddle find of the summer, and although this was a slimmed down Magpies format, the pair impressively held court for the allotted time. 

Billie Marten

In contrast to the acts mentioned so far, Jessie Reid opening things on Saturday and The Often Herd playing Friday teatime before the early departure were presenting their music to me for the first time. Jessie had unfortunately pulled out of an opening slot for a Kitchen Garden gig attended earlier in the year, while The Often Herd have a headline show next month. Both artists used this festival showcase well to tempt folks to catch them when back in town.

Wychbury

The final two artists from the Kitchen Garden stage to get a mention both played Friday afternoon. The feisty Jess Silk with her Stourbridge entourage kicked things off with a bout of fervent political fire akin to Grace Petrie; an essential addition to any folk festival. Transatlantic duo A Different Thread extended their usual format with a couple of band additions to successfully delve into strains of Americana, which became more of a theme across the festival on Sunday afternoon.

David Ford and Annie Dressner

As previously mentioned, the Kitchen Garden stage goes head-to-head with the Janice Long stage. Six artists were avidly sought there across the weekend spanning the full breadth of folk music. Those arriving early on Sunday morning were treated to a highly promising traditional duo going by the name Wychbury. The pair of Rhiannon Kenny and Che Bradley hail from Stourbridge (hence the local landmark name), but are now Leeds based. They possess all the credentials to flourish in the folk world from diligent song research to exemplary presentation. 

Lady Nade

Although the stronger Americana presence was felt on the main stage on Sunday, a couple of acts on Saturday tilted in that direction. Annie Dressner and David Ford brought their newly formed duo act to Moseley to loosely fit the label. Annie may have lived here for a few years, but intrinsically threads the heritage into her work. This latest collaboration with full-on Brit David Ford came across as effortlessly impressive prompting an urge to seek more. Later in the day, a firm favourite from the UK Americana scene Lady Nade brought her full band show to Moseley with the sole sighting for the weekend of pedal steel; maybe one more than at some country festivals these days. Lady Nade brings an awful lot of passion to her music, in similar heaps to the guile and groove William the Conqueror add to their sound. Ruarri Joseph and his rhythmic trio closed out the Janice Long Stage on Saturday evening with a pulsating set of wordy efforts amidst the most infectious guitar driven beats. 

William the Conqueror

There was a little bit of synergy between William the Conqueror and The People Versus, who played the same stage the following afternoon just as the threatening rain decided to impact what was thankfully a modest pour. This Oxford-based band put a heavy mix of groove into an act that can quite easily transcend folk festivals. A third festival appearance seen this summer after Beardy Folk and The Long Road probably bred a little familiarity that led to this being the best yet; no complaints here. The upbeat mood generated was built upon by Birmingham-based favourites Bonfire Radicals, who bounded onto the stage to the delight of the assembled throngs intent of buying into every beat of this eclectic folk band. Stirring sounds to close the reflection of what surfaced favourably from a stage set to keep a familiar and well honoured name into the future.

The People Versus

The main stage at Moseley is unnamed and stands out as the focal point of the festival. It remains unchanged from the early days and its ideal location means you can enjoy the music both from afar and right up close. The music scheduling means every performance is unchallenged and the vast array of styles on show kept fans of all strands of folk content. There is also an ideal mix of the legendary and those of a lesser stature for now. Rocking out can be the order of the day alongside more delicate efforts. 

Karolina Wegrzyn

Away from the earlier missed acts referred to, a grand total of fourteen sets were seen (or heard) on this stage including a gentle stroll around the grounds to a background sound of the legendary Jethro Tull bringing a full rash of prog rock to an array of dedicated fans at the front. A style not high on the personal agenda, but you could appreciate its eminence and quality. Keeping on the legendary theme, Martin Carthy just needs a guitar, an innate skill and a lifetime of folk songs in his head to hold a crowd in awe. Cherishing artists like this becomes increasingly important. 

Martin Carthy

In complete contrast to Carthy and Tull, the pop country of Florence Sommerville and Polish-influenced accordion player Karolina Wegrzyn had the honour of opening the main stage on Saturday and Friday respectively. Also making their Moseley debuts were Memorial, an act championed by the festival organisers outside their usual September remit. An artist firmly fixed at the opposite end of the sound spectrum to the wispy vibes of Memorial was Billie Marten with a full band edging things in the direction of indie-folk pop rock. She drew a younger crowd to the front of the stage and possessed an aura to command interest from music fans of all ages.

Talisk

The main stage offering continued to spread its tentacles far across the folk world as Saturday teatime eased into early evening. No folk festival is complete without some rampant fiddle driven Scottish exuberance and Talisk met that desire with an awesome energetic trio performance bringing the sounds of the Highlands hundreds of miles south to the English Midlands. Straight after Talisk brought the house down, the popular shanty style of The Longest Johns kept the mood positive and buzzing. The only hitch was a late start probably due to technical issues, but forty-five minutes was probably sufficient in the end.

The Longest Johns

Occasionally you feel the urge to check out a new artist’s music prior to a festival. Bess Atwell fell into this category in the run up to Moseley 2022. Liking what was heard extended to her Friday afternoon set on the main stage. The only difference to much of the recorded output was the lack of a full band as she elected to perform as a duo. Admittedly, there is evidence of her stripped back content online and it didn’t impede on the effect of an artist who slips easily between eclectic folk festivals and more contemporary gatherings that reflect a wide variety of music with a cool demeanour. 

Bess Atwell

Americana Sunday has been earlier alluded to and it was certainly apparent on the main stage in the first four acts on Sunday. Opening proceedings was the amazing North Carolina-based guitarist Yasmin Williams. One for the guitar geeks with a totally instrumental show, but an intrinsic style to bring the essence of the mountains to a worldwide audience. Fully aided by informative and enthusiastic banter. 

Yasmin Williams

Straight after Yasmin Williams came Margo Cilker - a new favourite of the country-folk Americana scene - and one brought to UK eyes and ears through influential London label Loose Music. This was the last date of her UK tour and a solo one to boot with the band jettisoned. Not to worry, Margo Cilker is an exceptional solo performer and held court for the standard set time with story songs heavily influenced from her western States background. San Francisco was where she hails from, Oregon is where she is based now, but basically anywhere west of the Mississippi is game for her perceptive and exceptionally good songs. 

Margo Cilker

If Yasmin Williams brought a stateside traditional stance and Margo Cilker a country tinge, Anais Mitchell is the epitome of artisan folk East Coast style. She is such a talented creative artist with many strands to her canon. 2022 has seen a self-titled album come to the fore and the ensuing tour has assembled a top band. The way Anais and her lead guitarist interacted was a joy to witness. Her quirky style adds a layer of mist to the music to which lies a rich vault of material and a very warm return to Birmingham for this year’s Moseley renewal.

Anais Mitchell

All the way from Denton, Texas, Midlake delivered a bout of forceful Americana focussed folk rock to the event, and like the previous artist were returning to an area that had treated them well in the past. This full band performance was loud in places without losing its craft. They are obviously a top notch outfit unafraid of putting a lengthy credibility on the line. 2022 is a sort of comeback year for Midlake with a new album to support the shows. They were equally pleased to play this festival and cited English folk rock as one of their key influences with occasional blasts of flute coming from the keyboard player. 

Midlake

So one set reflection left and for this we go back to Friday afternoon on the main stage. The Weather Station were a distant undiscovered enigma prior to the festival. Their latest album had been sampled, but this proved not wholly representative from what was dealt on stage. From the moment Tamara Linderman introduced her band, the set became a transfixing, mesmerising experience. The way the tempo changes were blended impressed mightily and this was music to get totally lost in. Maybe it has taken a while to get into this Canadian contemporary folk band, but without hesitation they became the personal highlight of Moseley 2022. 

The Weather Station

As the festival edged toward closure, confirmation of the 2023 dates appeared on the screen. Always a reassuring message in challenging times. Moseley Folk and Arts Festival continues to evolve within a tight template. It brings so much to different people that reflections and experiences can be tailored strictly to the individual. A festival’s legacy is not necessarily the input, but rather the output and the impression it leaves. 2022 will have been different to fans on so many levels. The key is to find your zone and let the music (or arts) do the rest.