Antifolk Winter Festival - 12 Bar

12 Bar, Suzy Almond doing bluesy folksy music on her own with a big acoustic guitar in a drafty but crowded backroom that reminds me of some crumbling barn in Toledo.

At least 50% of the women here have the same hairstyle as an ex-girlfriend I had called Jax.



Its the Antifolk Winter Festival, dunno how this one sneaked under the anorak indiepop radar, but half the bands here are Indietracks favourites, and I've just had to text AJ Smith when I found out that The Television Personalities are headlining.

The band times are pinned to the wals all over the place. I've missed a day's worth of bands yesterday and one band today already.



Next on stage is Stuart James, so subtle the folk in the crowd hardly notice when he starts. What he's playing is awesome, just him and his guitar, but its almost spoken word, quickfire, mumbles, hardly pausing for breath, guitar hardly strummed.

I was listening to Nislopi the other night, this chap has the same accent. I think the subject matter is more Just Joansy, but more intense, dense, tightly packed. Maybe if The Streets weren't hip-hop.

He wears blue t-shit and brown jeans, that's what I wore last time I played a gig in London.













Other Photies
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The Lovely Eggs - Indietracks

I've never thought that reviews of festivals really do justice to the bands playing. Too many bands, too little space. I'll try.

I'm on a steam train, there's a band set up in the guard's wagon. A stripey topped duo, boy + girl. Even before she announced where they were from, the girl seemed familiar, blond hair, nervous smile, eyeliner and north of England accent, from Lancaster.

Fuzz guitar, an assortment of percussion and sometimes a recorder and bird noise thing. The girl does all the singing. Songs from life about hair, home towns, and falling asleep on trains, kind of sound like a minimised version of Angelica and The Loves.

Ooh, crikey, it is the girl from Angelica.

Photies
here
here