Good Saturday at the Maverick at Easton Farm Park. Just the one day again (like last year), next time should really try all three days. A few quirks this time (the odd power problem early on had the knock-on effect of yours truly queuing 50 minutes for coffees, which is no fun, and quite a few of the ales were sold out by early evening.
Overall, still a very fine festival, although not sure the line-up was quite as strong as last year (personal preference I guess). Society’s set didn’t have the same impact as 2011, and the New Essex Bluegrass Band suffered from using the traditional “all players around the one mike” technique, which lost a lot of the nuance in both music and vocals. I think Bob Collum and band played a fine set, but I heard most of that from the coffee queue! But there were excellent sets from Ladies of the Canyon, who were a highlight, along with Police Dog Hogan, whose good time approach sometimes obscures its literate and well crafted songs ). The reformed Rockingbirds were just how I remember them when I bought their first album (if, like the rest of us, a little older). And Eve Selis and her band saw out the afternoon session on the outdoor stage with her usual impassioned and energetic performance.