Katharine Lady Berkeley's Battle of the Bands Reviews

Ace of Spades:

Starting the day off with a classic rock kick is the dynamic Ace of Spades. Blaring out “Sweet Child of Mine” and raising their defiant fists to the sky they immediately got our attention in completely the right way. Considering this band had only been together for two weeks it was a cracking performance with humour aplenty.

Bryony, Tae and Priya:

As the youngest entry of the day these girls certainly blew us away with their strong voices and lovely pitching. Playing some awesome tunes courtesy of Jason Mraz and Ed Sheeran they really brought a summery vibe to the whole competition. 

Charlie and Travis: 

This rock and roll duo cooly covered a wide mix of classics whilst putting their own spin on things. They naturally handled big tracks such as “Crazy Train” and “Smoke on the Water’ with ease whilst still being humorous with their delivery.

The Anti-Christs:

With a name like that we really sat up and took notice! Loved their intro to their set with a grungy cover of the Universal theme tune. After literally rocking the truck with their performance and fun crowd interaction they took it one step further. They closed their set by making it rain KitKat Chunky’s amongst the audience with their comedic cover of “Play That Funky Music.” Amazing!

The Unstrung:

This cheeky lot had some serious guts playing the likes of Green Day and My Chemical Romance, but that’s why we loved them! Very engaging band who had the audience in the palm of their hand throughout. Inciting a stage invasion with the rebel raising Anti-Christs they brought the house down in true punk style.

Martha Clements:

As soon as Martha sang her first note we were in awe. Her beautiful vibrato tones made her cover of Kodaline truly come to life. Paired with the dulcet tones of her keyboard her powerful vocals left us speechless. Even the original songs she presented sounded polished and soulful. Love the light and shade in her voice, great performance all round!

Beth Butcher:

Beth was one cool character. Donned in her shades she effortlessly cruised through her set. What we really enjoyed was the clever mash-up of Taylor Swifts Blank Space and Stand By Me by Ben E King. The transition between the two were seamless and gave even more of a slick sound to her vocals. Fabulous quality to her tone which seriously packed a punch. 

Dan Watson and Gareth Hodgkins:

Another awesome duo who brought out the best in some of Nirvana's top hits. They were both incredibly talented, the bassist kept up an intense and high octane tempo whilst the lead guitarist belted out some raucous riffs. Great synergy between them.

The Rebellion:

Now these guys know how to engage an audience! With blaring guitar solos, hard-hitting drums and a big sense of fun The Rebellion are a tight-knit and well-oiled rock machine. Drawing in arguably one of the biggest crowds of the day they kept the entire audience enthralled predominately with their own material. Bonus points for the guitarist jumping off-stage and playing in-amongst everyone! 

Max:

Max bravely stood onstage as the first and only male vocalist of the day and what a range of vocal's he possessed. The low bassy tones of his cover of "Mexico" by The Staves sounded very mature and well put together for his age. He knew how to create a sense of intrigue with his voice, beautiful voice Max!

Steph:

Rounding off today's competition in style was the wonderful Steph. She has such a haunting quality about her tone that it drew us in from her very first track. We were extremely impressed with her musical arrangement of a poem by Rumi. It just added an irrefutable sense originality to her set.

It was a very tough choice but overall our winner for the battle of the bands was... Martha Clements! Congratulations Martha and a big thank you to everyone who performed, you did a fabulous job.

By Melissa Tucker

An Interview with Lila J

Lila J are the self-professed chameleons of the industry. From weddings where they played soft whispers of music at the altar to full on out-and-out clunky distorted noise at max volume in the middle of a bustling festival. They possess a repertoire that is highly lucrative for any self-respecting venue out there. Not only that, Lila J proudly sports two people and two guitars. Thats it. No overly-elaborate set-up, no added nonsense just them and the music they adore. "So many people think we have to have a full band. But it's really satisfying to know we don't actually need it." Lisa beamed as she said this. They’re a stage managers dream, little set-up with a huge-pay off.

What's even better is that their energy is simply infectious. The pair were bouncing off each other making jokes and giving off such an inviting vibe the entire time. An air of authenticity surround them. They were genuine salt of the earth people who didn’t care for the persona’s and pigeonholing of artists. They wanted to be taken for who they were and how they played their music. That’s where Ragged Moon stepped in. 

The pair had much to say about how Ragged Moon interacts with musicians. "They're hooked into the industry already and because they are musicians themselves they're looking out for us more so than most studios." The added value that they've gained was also a big talking point. "Our first stint of gigs in Stroud were entirely set up by Ragged moon and that was a really good thing for us. But there's the opportunity for management as well so there's more than just producing and engineering available at the studio."  

When reminiscing about their catalogue of gigs there were certainly some stand out moments. The most prominant moment thus far of 2015 for them involved a very iconic punk band. That's right, Lila J supported none other than The Damned at Gloucester Guildhall and they were chosen for the job by the band themselves. Being the acoustically driven storytellers they are it seemed like an odd line-up on paper. Lisa was incredibly dubious going as far as googling the gig to make sure it really was them and not a tribute act. 

"We didn't really know why we were chosen. My concern was that we are a bit quirky but we aren't punk!" All the doubt melted away however as the 400 capacity hall began to swarm with intrigued fans. "The room just kept filling and filling. What was a thrill for me was that people were coming in and staying in." The crowd were entranced by their raw rhythmic flair and they made quite the impact on a rather unsuspecting audience.

It’s not all punk-loaded madness though. The simple act of being the first band to play at a local coffee shop was also a highlight for the pair. The venue were slightly nervous about having them play but rest assured Lila J exceeded their expectations dramatically. "We had people coming out from the block of flats around the coffee shop to come listen to us!" With their unique and quirky sound it's easy to see why these guys have really picked up momentum in the past year. By that I mean they've released two albums and have been non-stop gigging across the country. They'll soon be disappearing off to the Isle of White over the weekend for a private party, how swanky! 

With this in mind we wondered what they looked for in their own music. Lisa pondered for a second. "Music has to be something you love, you have to have the passion for it and you have to be having fun. If there's no fun involved in the music it's evident in what you produce." It seems Lila J have embraced this mentality to the fullest as Gavin ellaborated further. "We were both involved in bands before this, for years I played in Foreheads in a Fishtank. But it just got to the point where I had to take a step back and walk away from something that no longer excited me." 


So their advice for eager musicians fresh on the scene? "You have to believe in what you are doing and don't make music for other people. Believe that your sound is something people want to listen to." For Lila J they have a very similar drive. "Our motivation is to do what we love for as long as we can and earn enough keep from it." There's no worry about this though. Because by the looks of the trajectory of their career and their achievements thus far it's only the beginning for this talented duo.

By Melissa Tucker

Emily Barker's Quest for Change

It’s no secret that musicians have always drawn on inspirations that surround them. Be it love, conflict or family it’s always been the driving force behind their songs. However one local artist has used a topic that is slightly overlooked in comparison. Protests for change. One petition in particular on change.org proved to be the catalyst for Emily Barker’s emotional song “Doing the best I can.” 

The petition detailed the struggle of a twelve year old girl named Lillian. Her wheelchair bound mother was detained leaving her alone to look after her gravely ill father. She implored online that her only wish was to get her mother back and to finally feel listened to. Just hearing about the amount of grief and suffering on this young girls shoulders is simply unimaginable. Thankfully people took notice of her desperate plea.

So much so that Emily Barker created this song in Lillian's honour to raise awareness of her story and to encourage others to support similar protests to highlight the issues faced by families of people detained in this way. We caught up with Emily herself to talk about bringing light to such important issues and how you can help the change.

How did you discover Lillian’s story?

I found Lillian's story via an article in the Guardian about the UK's detention centres and then clicked on the link to her change.org petition and was so moved by what I read, I decided to write a song about it. 

What affected you the most about her story?

I think it was her openness about her troubles and the fact that it was written in the words of a 12 year old. Her plea is so desperate. She is begging anyone out there to help her and to listen. 

Was there a specific direction you wanted “Doing the best I can” to go in?

I wanted to tell her story as close to how she describes it herself and therefore chose to use the first person and place myself as the songwriter in her shoes. I also believe country/folk music can be a great genre for effective story telling so I used that style to convey her message. 

What did you want the song to say to your listeners?

I wanted it to move listeners to the point of them asking themselves if they're listening to those around them who are having a hard time both in their immediate network and society at large. And then, is there anything they can we do to help? 

What was it like collaborating with Rob and Lachlan from Hot Feet and Misha Law?

It was fantastic. I've been wanting to collaborate with them for ages and it was a great opportunity to do that. I think Hot Feet are outstanding. Misha is a very dear friend of mine and she's an incredible violin player (Truffleshack, Other Mother) but she has also done lots of harmony work so it was great to have her voice on it. 

What was the recording process like?

It was straightforward and fun. Ragged Moon have a great space and some great equipment too with lovely and talented engineers. 

Are there any updates about Lillian?

No, not yet. I'm looking into her situation still. She is currently registered as a missing person since 12th December 2014.

What can people do to help?

It's such a sensitive issue and I'm still not sure how or even if to help beyond sharing her story. It may be that she has decided to go underground in order to avoid deportation, which is completely understandable. I think being informed is key and also focussing on small actions we all take as a part of our day to day existence. Paul Kelly, an Australian songwriter, wrote a song with a chorus that sings "From little things, big things grow". And I believe that. 

To see Lillian’s story for yourself click here. Emily Barker’s song “Doing the best I can” will be featured on the upcoming compilation album entitled “Land of Hope & Fury” and is available now for pre-order.

By Melissa Tucker

Hellen's Garden Festival

                 

Out in the beautiful Hellen Manor the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement and anticipation. With exhibitors and speakers aplenty there was so much to see and experience; Not to mention a wide variety of performers over the weekend that provided some much needed summer time vibes. 

The first was Lila J, a great friend of ours here at Ragged Moon. She had the rather daunting task of waking everyone up with her music at 11:30 in the morning! We loved her sound which was a fabulous mix of sultry and smokey vocals that really showcased a variety of her album tracks. 

Following on from such a solid performance was the winner of Ecotricity’s Got Talent competition, Archie Scott. He was a very down-to-earth performer who had the crowd in the palm of his hand with his engaging stage talk and even more captivating array of covers and self penned numbers.

After playing Hellen’s Garden Festival last year and hot off her latest performance at Wychwood, Sophronie returned to entertain the crowds. This time however she had a band, an EP and a debut album all under her belt. It was awesome to see how far she had progressed as an artist in the past year. Especially good was hearing her recently re- released single “Eyes Wide” being played live. Make sure you look out for her next release coming this Autumn entitled “Last Day Of Summer."

Clyde Jefferson was the penultimate artist of the day and he brought out all the prog-rock stops to keep the summer vibes going strong.  With twenty years of performing behind him he knew how to get everyone fully involved for the entirety of his act. His laid-back set provided the perfect backdrop for the glorious weather.

Thee Ones rounded off the day with a high-octane set that literally left the audience wanting more. Seriously they had to be dragged off stage at five despite the pleas and demands of the crowd. Loved their entertainment value and exhilarating up-tempo style, what a way to end the day!

Sunday

To kick off the Sunday morning, David Ireland reprised his appearance at the festival. This time around he played under his new alias, Casimir Greenfield alongside our very own Mike Cooling. Casimir certainly got the crowd warmed up with a wonderful selection of tracks including some exclusive songs from his upcoming album. Look at for his newest single “Immortals” to be released on June 12th.

To contrast Casimir's diverse range of ambient psychedelia Peeky Blinders brought their pop-grass style to switch up the ambience. Its clear to see they have an incredible dynamic between them both, most noticeably through their hauntingly beautiful melodies. With an extensive repertoire of covers played throughout it made for an entrancing listen.

Between sets of Peeky Blinders and Alchemists Wardrobe there was a rather impromptu but all the while riveting performance courtesy of Oogoo Maia, Joe Carey and Paul Boniface. Teaming the bossanova with Oogoo's native Portuguese created such an authentic and inviting feel to their sound. It just goes to show that the unexpected can prove to be just as impactful as the planned.

Alchemist Wardrobe had quite the trouble making it to the festival. After playing festivals throughout the weekend they encountered a calamitous traffic jam on the M5. But when they did make it they threw themselves into the music with gusto.  One stand out track in particular was the "Wicked Women", Lara's stunning vocals took center stage and made for an incredibly memorable moment. 

Speaking of busy bands, Ragged Edge had certainly been doing the rounds over the weekend. You wouldn’t have guessed they’d travelled 26 hours by car all the way back from Italy by their exuberant stage presence. Supplying the crowd with cover after cover Ragged Edge certainly lived up to their reputation of being a good-time, funky soul band.

All in all we had a weekend jam-packed with great people, exceptional music and surprisingly beautiful weather. Thoroughly entertaining and we hope the festival raised lots of money for charity. Thanks for having us Hellen’s Garden festival! 

By Melissa Tucker