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Saturday was so good, it left the question of how awesome Sunday could be. Just as, with perfect weather, an earlier arriving crowd, and a great line-up of artists. Following are scenes around the venue then the performers This was an awesome festival in every possible measure, and hopefully it will be back next year!
When the leader of an “Indie Folk” band appears on stage wearing an IDLES T-shirt (Irish rock/punk… not folk), it begs a question. What? The answer was a fairly furious rocking assault by leader Jonathan Russell… in comparison to their folk roots anyway. Russell also hopped off the stage to interact with crowd from the pit, and his energy carried through the night on stage.
The band played a 17 song set featuring their hits and spanning their five albums. As Ben Birdwell from Band of Horses had joined Futurebirds the prior night, they passed it forward appearing on “Lost in My Mind” late in the set. The band concluded with their biggest hit, “Rivers and Roads,” during which Charity Rose Thielen (violin, vocals) broke loose from her mic to roam the stage, emphatically singing the high end, culminating with Russell and Thielen’s husband (guitar), Matt Gervais. It made for a great choice, offering the crowd a mellowing sing-a-long farewell to the night and the festival.
Futurebirds dropped in for the second night of “their” festival, repeating some songs from the night prior, but winning the audience with their music and general positivity. The band appeared just as joyful in the experience of performing an interacting with the audience, particularly Daniel Womack (guitar, vocals) who roams his half of the stage with every chance. It was another great set and once again demonstrated that a good number of the fans were there specifically for them, singing the lyrics like they had a hundred times before.
Seemingly called out of retirement, The Whigs returned to the stage confidently with a 14 song set, . Credit to High Ball and Futurebirds for letting the shine sun again on this hard rocking band.
Kicking off the day was Hotel Fiction, an Athens band consisting, officially per their site, of Jade LOng and Jess Thomas who jumped full time into their career after putting out several singles beginning in 2019. Whether or not they’re now officially a five-piece band is uncertain, but they play like a polished unit. Since their initial album was released in 2021, Soft Focus, they’ve released EPs and singles. They’ve already toured extensively, and their confidence shows. It may take another album before they’re officially “the new big thing,” but they qualify for “next” easily. Great hooks, riffs and vocals are always welcome, but throw in guitar solos, changing rhythms, a variety of keyboard sounds and moods, and versatility and imagination shine through. They’re on Spotify and Bandcamp and likely other places, and definitely worth checking out.
