Bear’s Den

Bear’s Den were a sensation! Such an outstanding performance with loving and singing along crowd! I think they got one of the best audiences on the day. The band was genuinely stunned by everyone’s reaction to their set and I believe they’re yet to be discovered by most of the people. So don’t waste more of your precious time and give them a chance!

London based alternative folk trio, formed in 2012, released the debut album Islands in October 2014. I’ve got it not long before the gig so I’m yet to get around every song but it is spectacular. It is so me! Melody wise it’s brilliant and lyrically so universal. I’m pretty sure there’s at least one song for every person on it. Oh and they’ve already gone on tour with Mumford & Sons in the U.S. Pretty cool, right? You can hear in their music how hard they worked on this record and how carefully they picked every word. The lead singer of Bear’s Den – Andrew Davie – said that his intention was to treat every track as a totally different and singular story what allows the listener to have their own individual relationship with the songs.

Above The Clouds Of Pompeii was one of the first songs I wrote where I never actually wrote it down. I wrote it in my head over the course of a month and I played it to Kev and Joey in the back of a van on our first tour and we’ve been playing it ever since.

If you don’t like this song then again, I just refuse to understand.

The band will play at The Roundhouse in London on 27th October so I’m really looking forward to it!

Dan Croll

Well, that was very interesting. I was introduced to Dan Croll for the very first time. I knew I’d heard the name somewhere before, a couple of songs rang a bell but everything was rather unclear. And he was actually really good considering the fact that was the first gig played entirely with his band within the last 8 months. I am definitely going to check his work! But since I don’t know much about Dan at the moment and I don’t want to do ‘copy and paste’ from other sources I’m just going to add one song I really enjoyed. I hope you will too!

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBWnTzEhpbc

Leon Bridges

Because there is no such thing as too much brass! Leon Bridges was definitely the best dressed man (with some great dancing moves!) at the entire festival. A little bit of vintage soul and gospel and we are back in the 60s! That was so different from what I’m used to.. I must admit that was rather enjoyable but I’ll have just a couple of songs of his and then I’m back to my comfy indie-rock zone.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgS_xob1x4A

His album Coming Home was released very recently on 23rd June 2015 so make sure to check it out if Leon Bridges is the right guy for you!

Nick Mulvey

There is really a lot of men with guitars in my life. So many that it frustrates me very often. Not that I complain. Oh no, god forbid, I am never going to complain about that. I just feel that I don’t fully spend the time on each and every one of them. And they deserve all the time and attention in the world!

I remember being very gutted after missing seeing Nick Mulvey on his previous UK tour last year. Because I remember very well the moment I heard his Fever To The Form for the very first time. Then I found out that, at the age of 19, he moved to Havana to study music and learn to play the guitar. Oh how was I intrigued!

After leaving his previous band Portico Quartet and moving away from expansive jazz he went solo. Mulvey said I got bored of tricksy music. I wanted to pull the listener in. I thought, ‘I want to warm the room.’

My aim as a songwriter is to tell the truth, to connect and communicate. I want to make exactly the kind of music that satisfies me, that’s uninterfered with by what it takes to sell it, but I also want to sell it. I want everything.

While finishing the cover of Bachelorette by Bjork he sang the first few lines of the lyrics one more time saying he wished he had written that song. Accompanied only by the violin he made it a pretty good musical experience.

His studio album First Mind, released in May 2014, received a Mercury Music Prize nomination. If you haven’t already, get it quickly!! It will make your life better!

Unfortunately, I left nearly to the end of his set because of this next one guy..

Ben Howard

Oh Ben, my sweet Ben. What can I say? You mend my soul.

It was so hard to watch his set in that big, drunk and couldn’t-care-less crowd though. Let me get it straight – because I spent the entire day by the Communion stage, Ben Howard was the only act I saw on the main stage. As you can imagine, I didn’t get the best spot.. Luckily, I’ve seen him performing earlier on his headlining tour (read).

I could be talking and talking and talking about how wonderful musician he is. But I figure you know it already. My aim was to focus more on the artists I saw live for the first time.  Either way, I need to finish with this beautiful piece of art. Of course, I do.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4yh2NZ0kJw

After seeing performances delivered by the two headliners I came to an accurate conclusion and comparison. It makes you wonder at the end of the day.. When you see how Ben Howard plays the guitar, but really see closely and feel what he feels at that particular moment in time and space, you’ll be able to notice how impatiently, yet so gentle he brushes the strings..like the world is ending in seconds and he still wants to save it. And you just wish you were that guitar of his. But when Nick Mulvey is playing the world might as well just ended. Or not. He does it so lightly you’re yet to discover what happens next. You are hypnotized. You just stare because the time has already stopped. You stop. Everyone stops. And share this gorgeous moment.

And the next day the time starts floating again.

Till next time Citadel! I had a blast!