Field Music
On the joys of outdoor gigs
This weekend marks the biggest annual event in the Folkroom calendar: Home Farm Festival. I’ve been running a stage at the charity festival since 2013, and in that time, it has become my favourite weekend of the year.
While the rest of the festival is filled with familiar covers and local jam bands, the Folkroom tent is my chance to share the musicians I love with audiences they might otherwise not reach. It is a joy: just shy of 48 hours of community. I have seen songs played live for the first time, unexpected collaborations between friends who barely know one another, and, last year, I saw a stormtrooper take a break from her patrol with Darth Vader to engage in a little morris dancing.
There is another benefit to Home Farm that seems, perhaps, so obvious that I frequently don’t even mention it when pitching the festival to new acts: it is outside.
God knows exactly what it is that makes an outdoor gig so much fun, but I’ve long been enamoured by the opportunity to listen to music in the company of fresh air and a gentle breeze; to twist broken grass between my fingers as I lie on my back, the sun warm on my face, an unfamiliar song in my ears.
The Romantic in me might be tempted to suggest that folk music is meant to be heard in the fields - that it is the music of the working class, sung as they toiled to bring the crop in. So much of this genre concerns itself with the changing of the seasons, and it makes sense to immerse oneself in nature to best enjoy the songs. But this, of course, is bollocks. Folk ballads were just as readily shared in pubs, which are also often much better suited to live music, what with their functioning plumbing and, you know, ceilings. And how much does a modern festival site reflect the concept of nature anyway? Open bodies of water are cordoned off to avoid accidental drownings by young men wasted on Class A drugs and C-list ciders. You are more likely to find a bison burger than experience a chance encounter with a badger. Even the sunset is obscured by a long-drop toilet with a solid wall of stench around it. So what makes outdoor gigs so irresistible?
I think it is simply this: outdoor gigs place us in an environment incongruous to our normal listening habits. We are not locked in by the walls of our house, the low, dark ceiling of a venue, or the noise-cancelling security of our headphones. Instead, we experience live music in an unfamiliar setting, which, in turn, allows us to approach it from a different perspective. It’s the same reason I’ve always enjoyed hosting gigs in toy museums, or on boats. In many ways, it’s the reason that I listen to music in the first place: what if I could view the world just slightly differently? What then?
Anyway, on a completely unrelated note, I’m putting on two outdoor folk gigs this summer, and I’d like you to come. This is something of a new venture for Folkroom, but it’s very much an idea I’d like to explore more in the future - so if you’d like to see more small-ish outdoor gigs happening in Nottingham, please do buy tickets to one or both of the below, and show me that it’s worth the not inconsiderable faff involved in putting them on!
First up, on July 18th, Folkroom is teaming up with our pals Nest Collective to put on Rachel Sermanni at Stonebridge City Farm. This is a delight for so many reasons - first and foremost, Rachel is a truly wonderful singer-songwriter. Her music has an easy charm to it, and I honestly can’t think of many acts I’d rather listen to as the sun set and the light began to fade from the sky on a warm summer’s eve. Our dear friends Catmilk will be supporting, too, so you’re in good hands all evening.
I’m also excited to work with Stonebridge City Farm - a community farming project that does incredible things for so many underserved groups in Nottingham. The farm is a charity, and as you might expect, it isn’t cheap to run a farm at the best of times - let alone in the middle of a city. Bar sales on the night will support keeping the farm open, allowing many more people to enjoy its charms in the future. Tickets are available here.
And good news for our lingering followers from London and Brighton - Nest Collective are also hosting Rachel for gigs in both those cities. On Friday July 10th, they’ll be at Cody Dock in London; the next day, The Earthship on the edge of Brighton. Ceitidh Mac supports for both of these.
Then, on August 2nd, Folkroom will play host to the brilliant Fyfe Dangerfield, formerly of Guillemots. We’ll be teaming up with The Grove for this, hosting the gig in the heart of Sneinton Market, on the edge of Nottingham’s city centre.
Through the Windowpane, the debut album by Guillemots, was released 20 years ago this summer, and remains one of the most ambitious and more brilliantly realised records of the 21st century. Fyfe put out three more albums with the band, as well as a critically acclaimed solo album in 2010. That same year, his cover of Billy Joel’s ‘She’s Always a Woman’ broke through into the UK Top 10 singles chart off the back of its appearance in a John Lewis advert.
This gig is going to be gorgeous - Cam from The Grove always makes his gigs sound phenomenal, and we’ll have delicious food available from Forager’s Kitchen. There are two supports coming along for the ride too, who we’ll be announcing shortly. Early bird tickets are available for this gig right now for just £17 - but there’s only twenty of them, so snatch yours up while you can. After that, the second release tickets will set you back a still very reasonable £20.
Despite Folkroom’s forays outside this summer, most of our gigs are still indoors in traditional venues, I swear! Last month saw the announcement of five new Peggy’s Skylight gigs. There’ll be headline spots for Paul Mosley and Jack Harris, Muco, Lemoncello, Rachel Newton and Kirsty Merryn.
Just yesterday, we announced a new gig at The Grove for George Boomsma, a singer-songwriter whose music has a distinctly classic feel to it - catchy melodies, and a gorgeous velveteen voice.
On a Folkroom-adjacent note, I’ve also revived my distinctly-not-folk sister promoter, Crocodile Death Roll, to host pop heroes Big Fear for the Nottingham leg of their upcoming tour.
There’s plenty more to come, too - this time next month you’ll be hearing about a couple of very fun gigs. A two-word teaser for one: Robin Hood.
For now, please accept my sincere thanks for following Folkroom and supporting me as I put on bigger and more ambitious gigs than ever before. Please, for the love of god, continue to buy tickets to live music! Everything I’ve got on sale is below - treat yourself, or a loved one, or eight loved ones, and keep live music alive!
June 12th-14th - Home Farm Festival (Saturday and Weekender tickets sold out, Friday and Sunday day tickets still available) - TICKETS
June 14th - Steve Turner + Dan Chapman @ Peggy’s Skylight, Nottingham - TICKETS
July 18th - Rachel Sermanni + Catmilk @ Stonebridge City Farm, Nottingham - TICKETS
August 2nd - Fyfe Dangerfield + support @ Sneinton Market Avenues, Nottingham - TICKETS
August 9th - Paul Mosley & Jack Harris @ Peggy’s Skylight, Nottingham - TICKETS
September 13th - Muco + False Idah @ Peggy’s Skylight, Nottingham - TICKETS
September 26th - George Boomsma + Amy May Ellis @ The Grove, Nottingham - TICKETS
October 1st - Big Fear + support @ The Grove, Nottingham - TICKETS
October 11th - Lemoncello + Fionnuala Mary Bradbury @ Peggy’s Skylight, Nottingham - TICKETS
November 8th - Rachel Newton + Catch the Sparrow @ Peggy’s Skylight, Nottingham - TICKETS
December 13th - Kirsty Merryn + Chris Avery @ Peggy’s Skylight, Nottingham - TICKETS