Feature: Strawberry Fields Festival 2011

This page is part of the festivals section.

Festival report: final edition

This page: festival coverage for Friday 26th August

Festival overview

Friday 26th August

Saturday 27th August

Sunday 28th August

Our selection of the acts appearing today

There were no acts today on the main stage

The Strawberry Jam Stage

Themselves | The Chairmen | By The Rivers | Val Verde| Charlie & The Martyrs |

Orange Tree Lounge Bar Stage

Hells Addiction | Preacher and the Bear | Stephen and the Heathens | Joel Wildgoose

This is our first edition of the page for Friday; please come back in a couple of days for more details, reviews, photos and videos.

Themselves

Leicester band Themselves played on the Strawberry Jam stage today.

This Leicester quartet featured three strong vocalists and a set of enjoyable songs that had a lot of rock resonance. Laden with big bouncy beats, the guys put on an exhilarating performance.

A terrifically good set.

Themselves on stage

The Chairmen

Jonny Gavin, lead singer and Matt Walker, lead guitar.

The Chairmen are our Band of the Month for August 2011.

After the rousing set from Themselves, the Chairmen kept it going. Beginning with an atmospheric introduction, the Hinckley based band swung into action with Jonny Gavin's powerful vocals filling every inch of the big Strawberry Jam marquee.

They broke into their hallmark signature tune "twenty twenty vision", and wow'd the crowd with its infectious melody and chanty chorus. Jonny Gavin always puts on a star performance, backed by Adam Rowley, the Walker brothers and Owen Crutchley, any Chairmen appearance is a good musical experience. With the quality PA system, this set was a highpoint. They got the audience bouncing to their beats and waving to their anthems. Over the past few years The Chairmen has been a defining element of our local music scene. They know how to write a good song. Today's performance was top notch. Superbly good.

Video of the Chairmen on stage | Second Chairmen video

You can see the Chairmen when they play at The Firebug on Saturday 24th September.

By The Rivers

Nile Barrow of By the Rivers, on stage at the Strawberry Jam Tent.

Everybody knows Leicester's By The Rivers. Well you would think so, judging by the large number of people who always turn up to see them play. People were pressing towards the front for the start of this seriously good band. The clap-o-meter shot up when the lads walked on to the stage for the start of their set.

With their beautifully harmonised vocals and captivating rhythms, their songs appealed to everyone. Jordan Birtles was there, at the back, on the drum riser with his vocal mic. Nile was at the front with his guitar and the brass section were easy to hear, if a little obscured by the speakers.

All of them lived the music on stage; as good to watch as they were to listen to. Their reggae flavoured songs were skankingly satisfying. The vocal harmonisation was pure magic. The substantial audience loved them and all that they did throughout their set.

Completely enjoyable.

By the Rivers video | Another video of By The Rivers

Val Verde

Val Verde are a five piece indie rock band from Dunfermaline in Scotland. Even though I had not seen them before, I did enjoy their music.

They have released a double A-side to positive acclaim and now have four EPs on their BandCamp site. Their energetic songs were compellingly good and very contemporary in sound. Described by one reviewer as "Scotland's answer to the Kings of Leon", the band has a growing fan base and reputation to go with it.

Ryan, lead singer from Val Verde. Robbie plays guitar, Kenny plays bass and Kyle is the drummer.

After the show, I asked lead vocalist Ryan if this was the band's first time in Leicester. "Aye, it is", he told me in his broad Glaswegian brogue. Val Verde have been on tour with fellow Scots Modern Faces, so I asked Ryan what he thought of Strawberry Fields festival. "We've only been here for an hour and a half but it's been good so far." I tied to convince him that it's not always as wet as this around here. He laughed and said "Aye, well it's always wetter in Scotland." I asked him how the set had gone gone: "It was ok although the roof started leaking just as we finished the last song". Would he come back to Leicester again, I asked: "Aye, definitely" he said. I tried asking him about the band and how long it had been going but in the mashup of background noise and Scottish accents, I didn't really get most of it, although I think Ryan said they had been going for a few years and had originally met at school.

I let Ryan get on with loading the van in readiness for setting off to their next gig. Well if they do appear in Leicester again I will certainly want to go see them. Nice music and nice guys, it was good they had come a very long way to play for us.

Top notch songs.

Val Verde played on the Strawberry Jam stage.

Check out Val Verde on MySpace | and on Bandcamp.

Charlie & The Martyrs

Charlie Jones at the mic with her band The Martyrs.

It was just one great band after another on the SJ stage tonight. Charlie's songs are big on melody and rich with rhythms and when ever or where ever they play, it's always a hugely enjoyable experience.

I love the energy of this band's music and they really get everyone in the groove. They brought half an hour of brightness and warmth to the cold, wet evening. Charlie Jones radiated her glowing personality from the front of the stage.

A greatly enjoyable set.

Video of Charlie & The Martyrs | Another video

Hells Addiction

We like these guys; they play blisteringly good music, full of vitality and a set of rock to relish music. Decorated with some monumental guitar solos, they really rocked the socks off the crowd. Our reviewer Bee Tovey liked them too when she heard them play on 15th July. She wrote 'Ben Sargent, guitarist and lead vocalist, didn't hold back with his powerful voice that seemed so effortless. He oozed polished stage presence and charisma that clashed fantastically with Liam Sargent's raw, gritty, lightning quick guitar virtuosity.' I think Bee summed it up nicely and Kevin G and I very much appreciated and enjoyed their set of invigorating songs. One of their roadies gave me a free HA CD, so I shall look forward to playing that when I get a moment. By the way, loved the White Snake cover too.

Bee Tovey's review of Hells Addiction.

Find out more about all the bands of Leicester/shire from our Leicester Bands page.

Hell's Addiction video | and another

Preacher and the Bear

Preacher and the bear on the OT lounge stage.

Amusing and full of life, this lively duo seem to be a hit everywhere they go. Having seen them several times, most recently at the Firebug, I can see that they stand out in the wide spectrum of Leicester's always colourful music scene. They don't just play songs, they put on a show and two guys were on festival form tonight.

Stephen and The Heathens

Stephen and the Heathens; lead guitar/vocals Stephen Walker.

"Rock n' with soul" is their slogan and Stephen, Dan and Alex gave plenty that tonight. Just to give you a flavour, back in September 2010 we wrote: ' Stephen and the Heathens were, as usual, "shit hot and ready to rock" and lived up to their slogan with an exciting set that drew the crowd down to the front. Large sounds studded with rolling riffs and loaded with plenty of attack, their gutsy performance soon had the room on heat. A set of dazzling songs were presented by the trio, featuring some cunning guitar work, atmospheric blusey ballads and kick-ass tunes. A commanding band playing revved-up music.'

Well, they are just as good now as they were then and all I could say is more of the same.

Video of Stephen and the Heathens

Joel Wildgoose

Joel Wildgoose got to sing on the main stage

Joel Wildgoose did a crackin' set on the OT stage.

This local singer knows how to get an audience engaged; playing late at night, he brought one musical delight after another that left the audience calling for more and more. He did a Newton Faulkner song and for me this was a magic moment in a set that was all round good stuff. Even after a long day of fine music, Joel managed to ice the cake - he's clearly the kind of artist that festival goers love, those who just can't get enough.

Today at Strawberry Fields 2011

The Artsin team managed to get on site and get our tents up while it was still dry. In the evening, however, it rained ... seriously.

Rain outside the Strawberry Jam Stage

Well some would say it wouldn't be a proper festival without a bit of rain. Fortunately there were plenty of places to get into, to avoid the wet and get some seriously good music. The site was well drained and despite the inches that fell on it, the ground did not turn into a sea of mud and puddles.

Friday was a bit of a festival warm-up night. No main stage acts but two stages of bands and singers and two bars, one with a DJ set on the go, meant that there was a relaxed atmosphere and a chance to meet lots of nice festival goers and enjoy a pint of real ale or a cocktail, or both. It felt like a festival pre-party, after the bands had finished.

A wide range of real ales were on offer in the Orange Tree Bar

I checkout out the Orange Tree bar, a spacious marquee with places to sit down and enjoy a sample of their seriously wide selection of real ales. In the evening, the DJs were on the decks putting out some ace sounds and chucking light sticks into the throng. The space filled with emanations from the smoke machine to add to the atmosphere and it was clear the crowd were loving it. A nice friendly bunch of people too! My word for it all: Wikkid.

On the other side of the site, people really liked the Orange Tree Lounge with its arm chairs and sofas inside and its intimate boudoirs outside. SFF organisers and their Orange Tree partners, had gone to some lengths to provide festival goers with style and comfort. In front of the OT Lounge stage there was deck chairs and bales of hay to sit on and a few umbrellas to shelter under during the occasional light showers. Nice touches!

I was impressed by the wide ranging offerings from the various stages. There was something for everyone at some time on one or other of the stages.

In fact, there were some periods of gloriously hot August sunshine.

Strawberry Fields 2011
Festival overview | Friday 26th August | Saturday 27th August | Sunday 28th August

Other pages you might like

The Strawberry Fields Festival web site.

Check out all Leicester/shire bands on our Leicester Bands listing