The British Country Music Festival returned to Blackpool for third year
- by Andrew Braithwaite
- in Latest
Last weekend saw the return of The British Country Music Festival at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. According to reports, guest attendance figures doubled in 2021, and this year marked its third anniversary since it launched in 2019. TBCMF is described as supporting contemporary, country-leaning songwriters from the UK and Ireland.
The three day event provides a platform for homegrown, grassroots artists to play alongside more established singer-songwriters of country music, Americana, folk, roots, and all the various sub genres. The venue features four stages including the iconic Empress Ballroom, which sets a great atmosphere in a candlelit environment.
With a high talent threshold spread across the whole event, you would be hard pressed to find anyone below par. Unfortunately, it was impossible to watch everybody; however, I did notice some outstanding acts.
This year featured a couple of surprise headliners thrown into the mix - Tom Odell and Lucy Spraggan. It seems TBCMF felt both artists share some similar traits to country and Americana singer-songwriters.
Tom Odell put on a solid performance, only to be expected by a multi-platinum selling artist. The Brit & Ivor Novello Award winner went on to perform some of his well-known songs including ‘Another Love’, which has just amassed one billion streams on Spotify. A pedal steel player accompanied him occasionally, which I thought was a nice touch for the theme of the festival.
Lucy Spraggan went down well, gaining plenty of crowd participation. She’s recently drawn influences from folk-rock and Americana country scenes while on tour in the states, and this is reflected on her latest album. An obvious talent, she performed her popular songs including ‘Last Night’ and ‘Tea & Toast’.
Laura Evans picked the tempo back up on Saturday night with a stunning blues infused performance. Boasting great vocals, one could easily mistake her as an international act that’s straight out of Nashville.
Poppy Fardell sounded great. Playing to a full room she held the audience in her pocket with impressive live vocals. Her story-telling prowess could be felt throughout the set. She’s definitely one to watch, and it’s no wonder she’s gaining more traction as an artist.
Robert J Hunter was an impressive act performing on Sunday. Belting out some blues and rock numbers, driven by his impressive gruff vocals - it’s no wonder he’s catching the attention of some major names in the industry.
Sunbirds brought to the stage a great sound of traditional American roots music. Featuring a violinist, the band went on to perform an Americana influenced set while still exploring English related topics. Anyone familiar might have noticed the band is fronted by Dave Hemingway, better known for being the vocalist of The Beautiful South and The Housemartins.
Canadian star Jess Moskaluke headlined the festival on Sunday afternoon and she didn’t disappoint. Taking this year's international headliner slot, Jess brought a high energy performance to the stage, with lots of surprises along the way. Mixing country, pop, and a little rock, she had something for just about everybody. Jess treated the audience to her popular songs including ‘Country Girls’, ‘Cheap Wine & Cigarettes’, ‘Mapdot’, and ‘Kiss Me Quiet’. Mid-set she showcased a number of acoustic covers including Shania Twain’s ‘You’re Still the One’, and even TLC’s classic ‘No Scrubs’. Other covers with the band included Taylor Swift’s ‘Style’ and ‘Since U Been Gone’ by Kelly Clarkson.
With such a versatile vocal ability, range and power, it’s no wonder she’s the first Canadian female country artist since Shania Twain to achieve CRIA Platinum single status. For me, she put on the best performance of the weekend, and who knows where we might see her next.
