While 2020 had seen the Vale Earth Fair reach a new height in a lot of ways, with a sell out on the day and one of the best atmospheres I remember experiencing at the festival, there’s no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic had made life hard work for the organisers.
Heading into the 2021 festival, the 45th, on Sunday 29th August there was a sense of challenging optimism as they were set to welcome the first couple of visiting bands back to their stage, along with a huge number of acts from Guernsey, and the festival had sold out early for the first time ever.
Warm Up Gig – Thomas De La Rue – 28/08/21
Before the main event though there was the traditional warm up show at the De La Rue on Saturday 28th August with three bands setting the tone for the weekend, and that tone was set high.
Hard rocking duo Sarnia started the night with a a big dose of fuzzy indie goodness inspired by the likes of Royal Blood but with their own feel.
Since I last saw them they really felt like they’d found their groove and created more noise than most three or four piece bands.
Covers of The Beatles’ Come Together and Foo Fighters’ All My Life were a couple of highlights taking well known songs in a new direction while they reached a spectacular crescendo and, while Kristian Queripel’s drumming was more than on point, it was Charlie Stevens who particularly impressed playing some really awkward stuff while delivering vocals too.
Mike Meinke has spent the last year or so establishing his new band but recent events have forced something of a line up change and this was my first chance to catch him and drummer Squirrel with Elliott Mariess on bass and Henry Fears on lead electric guitar.
For anyone familiar with the Guernsey music scene these names will be familiar from Brunt and Lord Vapour (both of which also feature Squirrel in drums) so there was a definite sense of expectation of what this might sound like.
After a couple of issues with the bass they got rolling and, for the most part, the new combination worked really well and saw Mike taking the hints of hard rock that had been present in his newer material to a new level but, for the most part, without losing the things that made them work before.
The new line up has meant some rearranging of some of the songs but all worked really well, particularly on a slower one mid set that took on an epic quality as ‘the Brunt brothers’ and Fears built it into a kind of jammed out rocker, and closer Ashram Traffic Jam almost sounded like a new song but was just as enjoyable as always, while recent single Secret Information was elevated to a whole new plane.
With all of this it was clear the band were having fun with Mike leading things but letting Henry have space to do what he wanted over the top on the now extended solos and this all transferred into the crowd too who were having a great time revelling in it all.
It had been sometime since I’d seen SkySkrapers so was very much looking forward to seeing them up close and personal here, but a somewhat protracted break while they set up did start to flatten the mood in the room.
Once they were set up though they wasted no time launching into their set full force and grabbed the crowd right away.
Their mixture of sounds is such that sometimes you want to dance, sometimes mosh and sometimes just marvel at the range of noises being made by Barney (drums) and Charlie (bass) which defies expectations of the two instruments, some of which seemed entirely inexplicable.
At points the band’s riffs got the audience singing along while they instigated they first mosh I’ve seen at the De La Rue in a good while.
An amazingly atmospheric closer led to a genuine encore that seemed to leave the audience satisfied but also ready for more as they open the main stage at the festival later today (as I write this)…
Click here to see more of my photos from the warm up gig…
Vale Earth Fair – Vale Castle – 29/08/21
Arriving at the Vale Castle as the gates opened for the 45th Vale Earth Fair there was a sense that, with 3000 people expected and the event an early sell out for the first time ever, things had taken on a slightly more professional feel but without losing the charm and vibe that the Earth Fair has always had.
After stopping off the newly dubbed NexT Up stage (forrmely the Viewalalu, Stage Against The Machine, Free Stage, etc) to see how things were going I headed into the castle where SkySkrapers were just starting their set.
Getting the day going on an energetic note the band continued where the left off the night before though the gradually growing audience here was, understandably, not in the dancing mood quite yet but they went down well none the less and their powerful drums and bass noise kick started the day in great fashion.
The NexT Up Stage got underway with something of a change to scheduled line up with ska band The Roughtones.
When I last saw them at the Rocquaine Regatta they were short a few members but were back to full strength here and at their best moments got a nice upbeat groove going that provided a nice warm up in the summer sun.
For the rest of the day I spent my time bouncing between stages so from here in on I’ll focus at one stage at a time rather than going back and forth and, as I’m already there (in a manner of thinking) I’ll continue with the NexT Up.
So-called ‘Bass Poet’ Tom Relf continued things with some atmospheric sound that, while they sounded great, were maybe a case of wrong place, wrong time in this setting as his sounds are certainly more to the dark than a blazing hot bank holiday weekend afternoon.
He was followed by Hollie Thorne (once again accompanied by John Sealey) who sounded mesmerising and created a sound I just wanted to wash over and envelop me but in this kind of festival setting didn’t for me but clearly did for others in the small but appreciative audience.
Russel And The French Boys upped the energy with some great pop and a performance than captured the crowd and won them many new fans with George Russel really showing off a fantastic stage presence while also making the brave choice of playing a Prince cover and, from what I can tell, nailing it!
While not as upbeat, Lula & Gene kept the good vibes going but I couldn’t help but think deserved a bigger audience for their bass and drums indie pop, highlighted again by their take on Pixies’ Gigantic (is it bad if I admit I prefer their take to the original) though their set was somewhat distracted from by a swarm of flying ants that chose that time to fill the area in front of the stage (as someone pointed out its a sign of quite how hot and sunny the weather was).
I’ll come back to the NexT Up stage later but it was at this point I headed down to the Magic Pyramid Stage, returning for a second year and curated by the team from Magic Moustache Records.
Earlier in the day I had caught a little of Grace & Elliott and Mike Meinke with his new band, both of whom sounded great, but it was Elliot Albert Orchard I made the point of heading down to see. With his full new band he took his songs, more often seen played as a low-key duo, and elevated both them and his performance to a whole new level.
With the full band backing Orchard had room to perform more and became a great frontman, while the addition of Ash Jarman (previously of The Recks) brought a whole new dimension to the sound, not just with his cornet but also on backing vocals.
They were followed by the days one band from Jersey, Dribbler, who had made it over on the boat barely an hour before they were due on stage.
Having been much hyped and following the release of a string of singles and EPs, all of which have been highlights of the past year or so in music from the islands, they didn’t disappoint live with a fuzzy noisy blast of raw indie punk that drew a crowd that grew and grew across their set as they made their claim of being one of the most exciting bands in the islands today.
Back to the main stage though and after SkySkrapers kicked things off Clameur De Haro were up with the previous duo’s drummer Barney sitting in at the last minute for usual percussionist, Shifty.
Possibly because of this they took a couple of songs to hit their stride but once they did they were their usual fun and energetic selves and went down well with the steadily growing, sedate but engaged audience with their song about Bean Jar being a particular highlight.
After storming the warm up gig the night before, Sarnia took to the main stage with their dedicated group of followers at the front.
While possibly a little looser than the previous evening the band’s fuzzy rock sounded huge here and while they might not have the presence on stage, as performers, to fill such a big space (though they gave it a good go) their music certainly did.
Bravely starting with their recently penned ode to voluntary celibacy, Knobriety, Ukuladeez set the tone for forty minutes or so or fun.
At full force, the six piece, complete with their trio of Ukuladee-boyz, were on their best form throughout and clearly having as much fun on stage as we were in the crowd.
Another newer number, Salerie (think The Zutons Valerie but more local) along with Jammy Hands and the song about Carparks provided the highlights as they reached such a peak they came back for a rare mid afternoon encore becoming one of my highlights of the day.
They were followed by Eloise Fabbri & The Big Bad Beauty Band who kept the energy growing with their jazzy indie fusion sounds.
On the big stage Fabbri’s presence and performance really came to the fore in spectacular fashion as, even largely stuck behind a keyboard, she owned the stage and was captivating.
Later in the set a rockier number saw her freed from the keys and able to interact with the band and audience even more as she showed with this set how her music can translate from smaller venues to a bigger stage.
Things took a left turn next as Mark Le Gallez’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Disaster took to the stage for their usual set of fun garage-y punk fun.
Constantly undercutting their own material with self deprecating comments they are a unique prospect but the strength of their songs shone through regardless, with a few standouts amongst the set.
Some guitar lead issues did slow things down towards to end but really this was a minor blip in another good set from the band and mention has to be made for Mark Le Gallez’s always understated attire (today a full leopard print ensemble, including furry bucket hat, under which was a shiny gold shirt revealed part way through).
I only had the chance to catch a small part of Yas’s set but with even more people than usual on stage, including saxophonist Colin Falla who is always a treat to hear, they ushered in the evening in fine style before one of the most anticipated events of the festival.
Over a decade ago The Bensons funky rock was one of the highlights of the island’s music scene but after the release of their album, Tardrobe Wardis, they all but disappeared.
Earlier this year though rumours began to circulate that the four members had been getting together again, and an appearance at the Vale Earth Fair quiz night doing an a capella intros round only fed those thoughts.
As a pair of ‘little green men’ (very suitable given the Earth Fair’s aliens and UFOs motif) came on stage to the musical message from Close Encounters Of The Third Kind they were soon followed by the band, to the strains of Will Smith’s Men In Black, in black suits and complete with various alien head masks.
So the fancy dress was back but was the music – as they launched into the set that was soon a big yes and it was as if they’d never been away.
Mixing old favourites (many of which I surprisingly could still remember the words for!) with a few new songs they transcended the initial nostalgic reaction to provide another highlight of the day as they owned the stage and crowd throughout and went down a storm – and I hope it’s not another decade til we see them again!
Heading into the evening it all becomes a bit of a blur between the Castle stage and NexT Up but I started back outside the walls with Lifejacket.
The first half of their set displayed a more considered feel but one that still found the energy that emotion that always drove them when needed.
Then they dropped a cover of Beastie Boys’ Sabotage that, despite the obvious concerns of front man Andy Sauvage, absolutely hit the spot and from there they were flying to the end of their set making another of the highlights of the day for me.
The first of two visiting acts on the Castle Stage was Ruts DC.
Having seen the old school reggae-punks at The Fermain Tavern a few years ago I admit I wasn’t that enthusiastic but, as they launched into their set as a classic punk three piece they certainly had more drive and energy than I recall.
With an energy that belied their age they had a good number in the crowd signing along and moving while the younger contingent seemed to be getting into it too and, while I didn’t see all of their set, what I did see reinforced the festival’s spirit and energy excellently.
I headed back outside to catch To The Woods and arrived just as launched into a visceral cover of IDLES’ Never Fight A Man With A Perm which was a delight to hear and, true to form, they didn’t let up the raging energy for the rest of the set which the big crowd was into throughout.
It may not have been their slickest performance with a few technical issues but the power and energy carried it and the crowd singing along to Taxi and Fire were truly special moments.
From there the intensity jumped up a notch or two as metallers Apothis roared onto the stage and got a full pit going from the off.
While they played Chaos earlier in the summer this was by far and away young band’s biggest show to date and down the front it was as energetic and powerful as you could want.
As I headed further back, to avoid the maelstrom of bodies in front of the stage, I have to admit the energy didn’t transmit to the back of the crowd but really this was a small niggle in this instance and a closing blast of an enraged take of Limp Bizkit’s Break Stuff (complete with backwards red baseball caps) continued to show this band are one to watch on the local music scene.
While that was going on, UK hip hop DJs The Nextmen were storming the Castle Stage and kept the energy built up earlier in the day going as the whole, packed, Vale Castle was bouncing and moving to bring the festival’s main stage to a close on a note that summed up the great energy of the day.
Prog-grunge-metallers WaterColour Matchbox closed the show on the NexT Up stage with a set that built as it went on, from their usual excellently delivered and precise stuff to something far more.
With huge sounds, backed up once again by great use of backing tracks to elevate it even further, they had people singing along and as the festival reached its curfew they left the audience calling for more.
While it may not have had quite the sense and spirit of the 2020 festival (which was particularly special for a few reasons) the 45th Vale Earth Fair was another highlight edition of the event once again showcasing the level of talent Guernsey has to offer while celebrating the gradual shift back to normality with great outings from a trio of visiting artists.
Click here to see more of my photos from the 2021 Vale Earth Fair…
Wind Down Night – Thomas De La Rue – 30/08/21
After Saturday night’s warm-up and then the 12 hours of music (and many days of work that went into it) on the Sunday the weekend wasn’t over for the Vale Earth Fair team as they staged their annual wind down show on the bank holiday Monday evening at the De La Rue.
First on stage was the Castle Stage compère the day before, Grant Sharkey.
Armed with a borrowed bass guitar in place of his usual up right instrument he combined a mix of songs and a good natured ranting style of comedy to great effect.
This was the first time I’ve seen Sharkey play in quite some time and, while the change of instrument and general atmosphere after multiple days of working at the castle meant things were a bit ramshackle in places, with the audience on side (with one exception) his performance was great fun in all the right ways and got the crowd energised nicely for what was to follow.
With the audience now on their feet and ready for something more Tantale took to the stage and delivered one of their most exhilarating sets in some time.
With a more straightforward and direct feel than sometimes they balanced their rock ‘n’ roll side with their more ambient and psychedelic side perfectly for this event and kept the crowd at the front throughout a selection of their best songs.
After being one of a few highlights the day before, Magic Moustache Records latest signings, Dribbler admitted they were far more comfortable inside in the dark than playing outdoors in the sun and proceeded to demonstrate that by tearing into a set of raw, fuzzy, grungy, raucous indie rock.
Frontman Boots has a powerful, if unconventional, stage presence playing his guitar as if it’s an extension of his own being (but not in the 80s ‘cock rock’ kind of way).
The band’s rhythm section meanwhile provided a constantly shifting and driving basis for that and all were exceptionally tight even in their most chaotic moments (of which their plenty) that inspired such in the crowd as a mosh pit once again got going.
Things looked to have been derailed as a pint of cider caused some problems with Boots’ pedal board but, after a bit of a break and some help from the guitar techs in attendance, things were back on and once again the band never looked back with noise, big grooves and a hint of surf carrying the set, through an encore, to the end to round off a weekend of exceptional live music on a cathartic and powerful high note, confirming Dribbler as a band of note and one to pay close attention to going forward (as if they weren’t already).
Click here to see more of my photos from the wind down show…
Tommy Girard 