Three Chords and the Truth UK

30 words for 30 sets and lot of late night Neil Young. Enjoy...  The Background In 2017, amongst a crowded festival landscape, Ramblin’ Roots popped up with a mission to succeed. Keep it simple, affordable, connective and real. Nine years later and some from that crowded landscape have toppled. Not the Revue. Provide the right platform, and artists and fans will buy in. Here’s why:  Clubhouse Alumni and Associates Luke Tuchscherer and the Penny Dreadfuls What better way to start the Friday fun than powerful protest rock from a paid up member of the fiery proletariat, evoking resistance while sparking your inner sense of rebellion. The Dreaming Spires Late night special guests of little surprise. The Bennett brothers are woven into the fabric of Ramblin’ Roots. A mass of normal people assembled in a normal town will concur.   Paul McClure Refreshed and restocked with new material ably supported by innate wit. The saloon was his domain and everybody embraced a finale for th...

‘Give me a child to the age of seven, and I’ll give you the man’. On its eighth birthday Beardy Folk has found itself. It has matured into a staple event, maximising sustainable parameters and forging an identity. Conquering south-westerly weather patterns is the final frontier and that has nearly been achieved. The fledgling cloak can be cast off and it’s all power to the walled garden, an enchanting place in mid-June. Bring on the ninth staging with double figures approaching, but let’s live in the moment, or at least three days from the recent past. It began with three women slipping into the mythical entity of one Wise Woman. Visually striking, vocally stunning, the scene was set. It ended in bizarre chaos bar the frenzied ceilidh with a mass of multi-aged folkies running amok to the sounds of Scottish Gaelic meets Jamaican Dub. Words are futile, actions immortal. Finish with An Dannsa Dub and you’ve ripped up the rule book. Demi Marriner 2025 had its poignant moment when Michele S...

In a parallel world, Niamh Regan would have been opening for Hothouse Flowers at the Institute. Instead, on this evening of extensive Irish talent in Birmingham, it was a privileged smaller gathering at the Kitchen Garden that savoured the talents of this succinctly evocative singer-songwriter. Imagining the person playing several feet in front of you commanding a bigger stage was an easy task. Such thoughts were instantly smothered by seizing the moment, and Niamh Regan knew how to capture the present. Owning whatever space you commandeer is a winning formula. A quirky aura and alluring sheen puts her qualities in focus and a convivial demeanour channels reams of affectionate songs. The smile was infectious, the voice compelling and a sixth sense wrapped a warm musical blanket around curious ears smitten by the effervescent charm.  Niamh Regan has an endearing vocal trait.Within each song she slips in, consciously or not, an odd word or line in a spoken form. This is a style remin...

  Ramblin’ Roots: a time of the year when spring gains momentum. A gathering of likeminded music fans bound by a love for something different. An event tightly run offering outstanding quality and kindness to the pocket. A festival not afraid to throw in a few curveballs. A revue where lighter moments jostle with darker songs. You can tell your friends but experience speaks louder than words.  Artists need an audience; an audience needs a performance. A fragile bond without effective organisation. Ramblin’ Roots is strong on all three fronts. The organisers deliver; musicians seize the opportunity; fans reap the rewards.  Country in all its various guises, Americana and roots music can be tough to explain to outsiders. Inside a welcoming wide tent, the converted require no explanation.  Sometimes music only needs a few accompanying words. In the spirit of the Japanese haiku, succinct on the spot reflections from an extensive weekend of superb performances are the fle...