Sunflower fest 2010 – Day Two

August 30, 2010 No Comments

For Day One, click here

For Day Three, click here

Words By: Matt Wheavil

After a night which included silent disco (a schizophrenic delight for the ears), some open mic campsite action and a couple of hours “sleep”, it was time for a second day of Sunflower fun.

Fittingly, the sun was shining, so I spent most of my day enjoying a string of fantastic acts on the main stage.

Luckily for those who were hungover, the afternoon began with a few gentle acoustic acts. Of these, Junior Johnston and Joe Echo were the major highlights. Junior treated a modest gathering of bleary eyed campers to some soothing country twangs. His deep voice resonated across the field, backed by sweet and soulful finger-picking – like James Taylor with more grit.

Thinking acoustic guitar playing couldn’t get much better, Joe Echo arrived and proceeded to blow his highly talented predecessor away. He presents himself as a one-man-band package, looping several percussion and guitar tracks live on stage, singing beautifully over it all as he goes. Echo performs a song from the forthcoming motion picture, ‘Killing Bono’ which was shot in Belfast earlier this year – it’s a gorgeous, shimmering masterpiece, brimming with melody and atmosphere. This man could hold any stage – a multi-talented spectacle.

As the afternoon sun stared down on a now more populated sunflower fest, a Phil Lynott/ Jimi Hendrix lookalike strolls on stage and declares “You don’t know who we are but you will by the end of this”, before launching into a set packed with blistering guitar riffs and funky beats. Christened ‘The Dead Presidents’, these guys for me were the band of the day – they actually sounded like a tantalizing blend of Thin Lizzy and Hendrix – the best of 60s and 70s rock intertwined and blasted out at a hurricane pace.

Next were Bandwagon – a little less refined than DP but still bursting with energy and incredibly tight. Their drummer proved the most entertaining of the trio, brandishing his drumsticks in an intense flurry and gluing their hard rock sound together (despite having injured his foot the night before – top marks for stamina!)

Sweet Savage and Payola also gave classic rock genre a good name – the former a bluesy old-rocker duo and the latter a sort of Creed/Pearl Jam-esque affair (swaggering front man included). Both produced accessible sets, bursting with attitude and kept the crowd engaged despite a few spots of rain.

Providing something a little different, Katie and the Carnival hit the main stage with their gothic fairytale charm; an eclectic mix of washboard rhythm, keyboard flute, lush guitar and catchy piano – it’s great to see them at a festival setting where their eccentric, eclectic music feels at home. Katie’s confident vocals are the strongest element, as she enthralls her bemused audience with melodies of the ‘Ba ba ba ba’ kind. Great, hugely entertaining stuff.

I missed Swanee River interviewing headliners Mojo Fury, who felt that Sunflower fest could be its own thing next to Glasgowbury, “showcasing the best in new, underground local talent as opposed to the best known.” (full interview to follow next month!)

I made sure to get back into the fray for Pocket Billiards who completely conquered the indoor barn stage. They brought their usual party atmosphere, executing their energetic brand of Clash/Specials ska to perfection. There was a touching moment when the front man invited his daughter on stage, who shuffled her little feet along with the music. Meanwhile, the audience were doing a lot more than shuffling – the entire front row shook their limbs wildly, clearly enjoying the fresh, vibrant Billiards sound.

As PB ended their set a sudden realization hit everyone – Mojo Fury were next on the main stage! We all rushed out to witness one of the most anticipated bands of the weekend and they definitely did not disappoint. Blasting through anthems of the Northern Irish scene, “What a Secret” and “We should just Runaway” with passionate urgency, Mojo Fury heightened the atmosphere to unprecedented levels.

The audience relished every moment too, punching their fists in the air with bucket loads of enthusiasm. The best moment came when Mike Mormecha shared bunches of Sunflowers with the crowd as Mojo performed their forthcoming ‘debut’ single, ‘The Mann’ – a volcanic rocker teeming with high energy and plenty of intriguing twists and turns. What a great send off… best of luck to them on their UK tour – after six years at the top of Northern Ireland’s scene, it’s time for everyone else to enjoy our treasured gem.

The rather glorious, if very rock orientated, second day of Sunflower fest ended with a ska act from Scotland – ‘More from Jim’. These guys brought just as much fun to the barn stage as Pocket Billiards, entertaining everyone with silly ska covers of famous songs, including the Ghostbusters theme tune – which, with its famous “Who ya gonna call?” crowd chanting moment, leads me to think more bands need to perform this song live.

I finished my second amazing Sunflower fest day sitting around a camp fire getting to know a few of the More from Jim members – awesome guys – here’s hoping they return with a few more Scottish friends next year…

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