Far away in the depths of the Lancashire hills stands Ribble Valley, and there was a collection of music lovers enjoyed the eclectic mix of sounds, Friday to Sunday, July 5th to 7th, at Beat Herder 2013. It was a great change from the muddy fields last year (QRO recap). Everyone soaked up the sun’s heat and the acts’ sounds.
FRIDAY
Main Stage Bands
A few new venue additions around the Beat Herder site this year. There was a fortress, a brand new construction to host a plethora of DJs. Also new was the Maison d‘Etre, a venue resembling a small inner city club with a quirky edge.
Early on the day many festivalgoers sat chilling on the campsite, while others filled the fortress and listen to the tunes of Breaksjunky and Stu Miller.
Main Stage
Sound Assembly, 6pm
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Sound Assembly was a fusion of electronic beats/lounge brass stab samples and female vocals. Hyperactive swing samples dropped in and out of the mix.
A strong dominant female vocalist took control of the stage, wearing a black costume decorated with feathers. The bands influences included Nick Cave, Bernard Herrmann, Adam & The Ants, and Goldfrapp.
Clean Bandit, 7pm
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Strings mixed with synthetic textures, blips deep bass for an intoxicating blend of diverse elements, ranging from classical to techno.
Highlight of the day on the main stage was Clean Bandit.
Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, 8pm
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It took a while for things to get going after technical problems. Nile Rodgers mimed a yawn and the crowd laughed.
Once the sound technicians got everything sorted, it took no time at all for the audience to unite to the liquid guitar rhythms emanating from Rodgers’ Fender Deville amp. The groove was undeniable and the crowd danced to the unique chic sound.
New York’s Nile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist. He is the lead guitarist and founding member of the band Chic, which has been active since all the way back in 1976.
Madison D’Etre
The new venue Madison D’Etre (meaning ‘The House of Existence’) was an interesting room covered in washing lines with white cotton laundry, the stage filled with fake geese and leaves.
[note: unfortunately your correspondent couldn’t be at the Saturday of Beat-Herder, as he had to attend a wedding]
SUNDAY
Main Stage
Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate, 4pm
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Sekou Kouyate has been dubbed the ‘Jimmy Hendrix of the kora’, a 21-string bridge harp used extensively though out West Africa. Soulful vocals and astonishing virtuosity on the instrument backed by drums and bass.
Joe Driscoll provided conventional vocals mixed with rap/reggae rhythms and afrobeat style guitar hooks.
Dizraeli & The Small Gods, 6pm
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Dizraeli & The Small Gods had amusing quick, witty lyrics with elements of reggae, turntable scatting and melodica.
They got the crowd dancing and kept the audience engaged. They also briefly updated the audience that Britain’s own Andy Murray had won Wimbledon, much to the crowd’s delight.
Monster Ceildh Band, 7pm
Ceildh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves Gaelic folk music and dancing. Based in Newcastle, U.K., this band was a favourite amongst festivalgoers. It took no time at all to get the crowd stomping their feet, as the band fused folk elements with drum and bass.
Prince Fatty, 8pm
Prince Fatty provided the audience with a canon of vintage spring reverbs tape echoes and all those sci-fi sounds you may have heard on ‘70s King Tubes classic records.
Featuring MC Horseman onstage, they performed a version of the Wu Tang classic, “Shimmy Shimmy Ya Ya”. The sound was very impressive and the bass glorious.
Jimmy Cliff, 9pm
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On the main Beat Herder stage, the crowds gathered together quickly, drawing in people from all areas of the festival. The anticipation grew to see a living legend Jimmy Cliff perform to a buzzing audience. It was quite a build up and just as the tension started to become unbearable, Cliff launched himself on stage with tremendous energy.
He began with “You Can Get It If You Really Want”. From the first note of vocals the crowd were spellbound, singing, dancing and grinning uncontrollably. If there is such a thing as ‘star quality’, Jimmy Cliff oozed it from every pore.
The songs kept coming with great intensity, and it was astonishing how many great songs Cliff has been part of. He also did a rendition of a Cat Stevens’ classic “Wild World”. Jimmy Cliff Sang with true conviction. Over all a very emotional and dynamic performance from the man. A very special and intimate experience.
-words: Matthew Littlehood
-photos: Michelle Heighway & Matthew Littlehood