NOW in its third year, 2011’s Northern Roots Festival took place at one of Inverness’s most unique live spaces, The Barn at Bogbain Farm.

After a relatively quiet but thoroughly entertaining afternoon of comedy songs, Mainline North opened Saturday night’s programme at blistering pace and pretty much remained there. The young trio delivered a deeply encouraging performance which sparkled with an inventive vigour and boasted some outstanding technique, with guitarist Alasdair Taylor proving a particularly driving presence throughout.

East Yorkshire’s Edwina Hayes is perhaps best known for her version of Randy Newman’s Feels Like Home being used in Hollywood smash, My Sister’s Keeper, but impressive synch deals aside, if anything, her performance illustrated the strength of her original compositions.

Edwina Hayes

Hayes’s material moves with a familiarity and remains firmly formulaic in both structure and theme, but there is an engaging conviction in her delivery and a real sense of vulnerability and intimacy which rendered her performance enormously captivating in places.

Having dropped her debut on a major in 2005 to a decidedly tepid response, Hayes’s subsequent two self-releases have proved somewhat more fruitful, with country superstar Nanci Griffith even covering the title track from 2008’s Pour Me A Drink. Hayes’s success highlights the manner in which a number of artists have managed to forge a career and generate revenue and exposure in the current climate; but at the bottom line, she is an assured, classy performer, acutely aware of her strengths and capable of simple, genuinely touching artistic statements.

Closing Saturday evenings schedule were The New Rope String Band with their highly individualistic blend of comedy, cabaret and accomplished musicianship. The trio really connected with those gathered and proved a thoroughly entertaining end to an excellent night.

Following a relaxed afternoon tribute to Bob Dylan, Mainline North returned to open Sunday Night’s programme with a more serene set, illustrating they are as equally accomplished with contemplative, tender musical offerings as they are with barnstorming sets of reels and jigs.

Veteran performer Archie Fisher unquestionably provided the standout performance of this year’s festival, delivering a master class in live performance.  Fisher’s set proved a grand sweep across a career now in its fifth decade as he offered a beautifully delivered demonstration of effortless technical competency, impeccable maturity of craft, and a depth of theme which was graceful, sophisticated, affecting, comical and utterly wonderful at times.

Archie Fisher (Image D Johnston)

Northern Irish singer-songwriter Kieran Goss delivered the penultimate performance of the evening, which, personal taste aside, proved a real triumph. Undeniably a successful artists and accomplished performer, for me, Goss’s material lacked any explicit identity, imaginative flair or convincing emotional weight. His attempt at wistful observations lacked any real substance or emotional penetration and his prosaic musical accompaniments unfortunately failed to breathe life into the material.

Paul McKenna Band (photo Heidi Kuisma)

Closing Northern Roots 2011, the Paul McKenna Band proved a promising prospect, delivering a wide-ranging, spirited and highly creative performance boasting some excellent musicianship all round. The young five-piece’s latest release Stem The Tide received a strong response and tonight’s performance went some way to justifying the current buzz.

Above the general calibre of the programme and the considerate pricing structure, the immediate live spaces and the wider surroundings deliver a unique, relaxed, genuinely family-friendly experience close enough to the city centre to remain accessible. Furthermore, the friendly, inclusive atmosphere generated by the owners and their continual commitment to offering a high quality live programme, makes Bogbain Farm a great environment for live music.

© Alexander Smith, 2011

Links

• Bogbain Farm
• Edwina Hayes
• The New Rope String Band
• Archie Fisher
• Kieran Goss

The Groanbox Boys

NORTHERN ROOTS is a welcome addition to the Highland festival scene, family-friendly, with a distinctive flavour all of its own. It was well into the Crosseyed Gals’ set before I realised the interesting pattern of fairy lights behind the makeshift stage in the Bogbain Adventure and Heritage Farm steading was in fact random knotholes in the large wooden double doors which, until recently, was only ever opened to allow tractor parking.

The steading is certainly full of heritage, and it was a bit of an adventure, too. It’s a very basic venue which feels a bit like an old church, with its long narrow nave and high, vaulted roof. And also its lack of heating; we had been warned, though, as the website had advised wrapping up warmly, and many a car rug was pressed into service before the day was over. But Northern Roots is a music festival, and the music was worth the occasional shiver.

The Crosseyed Gals, a Swedish/Scottish band playing rootsy alt-country Americana opened proceedings on Saturday afternoon, with pure breathy vocals from Sofie Jonsson, which at times reminded me of a feminised Nick Drake, and some lovely instrumental and vocal accompaniments from Liza Mulholland and John Mitchell, abetted towards the end of the set by Mary Anne Frew for a very jolly rendition of their eponymous Skip Gordon ditty.

On an extended mission to find something warm to a) drink and b) wear, I missed most of Ranald Smith & Iain MacGillivray’s set, but managed to hear enough to appreciate their mellow, beautifully matched guitarwork and passionately felt lyrics. The afternoon’s concert finished with the ethereally beautiful songs of Fiona Mackenzie, mostly from her solo album Elevate, one of the great and enduring audio delights of 2008.

Also known as Fiona ‘Gress’ to distinguish her from the swarm of singers with the same name, she has been described as Kate Bush meets Bjork on the Isle of Lewis – but that’s only the half of it. As she started to sing, the audience suddenly hushed in concentration, stunned by the quality. Accompanied by Brian O hEadhra on guitar and Rick Taylor on keyboards, augmented by Liza Mulholland on accordion for ‘Maria’, her set was a musical treat of the highest order.

The evening concert began with a workmanlike set from Andy Gunn and his Band, which dipped into blues and country before settling into a comfortable rock groove. The Sheila Henderson Band were next up with some polished, tight but enviably loose folk/country. The diminutive Ms Henderson has a stunningly beautiful voice which punches well above its weight, and her musicians, who look like a motley crew, are equally gifted. Her lead guitarist Brian Nicholson looks like a cross between Bill Bailey and the Hairy Bikers, but plays like the longlost love child of BB King.

Bruce MacGregor has been waxing lyrical about the Groanbox Boys for the past year. I was expecting well-played bluegrass, maybe a bit hokey, but definitely authentic and well-played. I was thus completely unprepared for the reality, which is almost impossible to describe. The set swooped and soared from Nick Cave to Dr John the Night Tripper via Paul Simon’s Graceland, veering occasionally into Trent Reznor territory and suddenly heading back to Maryland as though butter wouldn’t melt in its mouth. File under E for Extraordinarily Excellent.

© Jennie Macfie, 2009

Links

• Northern Roots Festival