We join Georgie for a well-deserved box around the ears, followed by a new education in that most misjudged of genres, folk.
With the festival season fast upon us, I’m sure I’m not the only one waiting with bated breath to hear the line-ups for which I’ve paid out my hard earned cash. Fortunately, 2000 Trees, a tiny eco-friendly festival held for the past six years just outside Cheltenham, has put me and my fellow punters out of our misery earlier than most.
I’ve since been scouring the lists, religiously plugging any artists I’ve yet to hear into Spotify in the hope of adding some exciting new folk gems to my collection.
One such artist I’ve discovered as a result is the delightful Urusen. The brain child of cousins Peter Beatty and Ben Please, Urusen was originally formed in Somerset, before making the move to London and acquiring three further members. Still relatively unknown, Urusen have been fighting their way up through the UK indie-folk scene since 2008, touring with the likes of The Travelling Band and Stornoway. Guitars, drums and bass as expected, Urusen also make use of a wider collection of more unusual instruments, including the cello, marimba and charango (I had to look that last one up on Wikipedia – it’s a small South American stringed instrument of the lute family, in case you’re interested) and with them create a varied mix of folk ditties which are both gentle and rousing in equal measure. They look set to make their break in the coming year with the release of new material – one to keep an eye on, perhaps.
Another 2000 Trees line-up discovery and gradually working their way up my most played artists are bluesy folk-rockers Kill It Kid. The five-piece formed under unusual circumstances, born as a result of an experimental tutorial at Bath Spa University, in which the tutor invited producer John Parish to exhibit his skills by taking a select group into a studio and letting all the other students observe. What emerged was a fully-fledged musical outfit, armed with an EP and ready to take the critics by storm. The brash guitars and fiddle-heavy melodies form a fitting backdrop to the spectacular vocal contrast between raspy guitarist Chris Turpin and the soft yet powerful tones of pianist Stephanie Ward; a unique and beautiful sound, and one which has earned them some much deserved acclaim.
Neither of these bands will be headlining the main stage at Leeds or Reading any time soon, but it just goes to show the level of talent that can be found further down the billing. So, if you are hitting a festival this summer (and as you’re reading a music blog, I’m guessing you probably are), maybe have gander around the smaller tents and see what you can find. You may just discover you new favourite band.
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