Despite a less than impressive turnout, Burntwood Wakes has shown what great talent the area can attract. The three nights of the Wakes saw an unsigned acts night on Friday, a Proms night on Saturday and a 60s festival on Sunday. A family fun day was also on during Saturday afternoon.
Friday – Unsigned
Friday’s Unsigned Acts night ended up being a slightly flat affair with only a small crowd, mostly consisting of teenagers. The atmosphere never really took off which was a shame because there were some good acts on. Metal band, Karsis did attempt to gee up the crowd but it looked like it was a lost cause. To their credit, Karsis still put up a good performance and their energy was certainly deserving of a warmer reception.
Disappointly, the mostly very young crowd seemed disinterested in the actual acts playing and more excited by the DJ. The DJ played classics such as The Music Man and Cotton Eye Joe to get the crowd going. Despite being old classics, thoroughly enjoyed by some, the tunes simply didn’t fit in alongside the live music and put a bit of a dampener on proceedings for those who were interested in the live music. A better crowd may have produced a better atmosphere.
We were treated to some good music though. The Deadlights were very well received and with a sound that you could compare with the likes of Kings of Leon and Bloc Party I can see why. Rumour has it they may appear at Lichfield’s George IV soon too so look out for that!
Usual local favourite Chinared were unfortunately lacking something this time around due to playing without lead singer Sam. The backing singers they brought on at Fuse stepped in but without a clear lead the crowd was left waiting for the performance to kick up a notch, which it invariably didn’t. As one spectator commented, “Chinared were like Christmas without the presents.” Rumour again has it that they’ll be performing at George IV soon, hopefully with a full lineup.
Other bands included The Reason who although show they have talent, didn’t get a great reception. They have a sound you might like if U2 or Stereophonics is your kind of thing, but on stage they almost seemed to be trying too hard. The Lean Yellows finished things off with some great catchy riffs – definitely a band to watch out for!
Saturday – Family Fun Day and Proms in the Park
Having been unable to make the Family Fun Day I can’t do a full review but I was told by one person who attended that they were disappointed to see everything being packed up come 3pm despite the event billed to go on till 5pm.
Saturday night was a much better evening and saw a bit of Pomp and Circumstance fill the air. Arriving late, I walked in to see a field full of Union Jack flags waving in unison. The turnout was okay but it could have been much better. I found out later that this was the Proms that was previously held at Shugborough Hall and it seems some of the previous attendees weren’t aware it had moved, which may explain why.
Adrian Jackson did a fantastic job conducting the City Concert Orchestra who were accompanied at times by performances by the Midland Symphony Choir and soloist Elizabeth MacDonald. The whole night was well received with the crowd really getting into the spirit of things around their self-made picnic pitches.
Sunday – 60s Night
The final evening saw some of the biggest names from the 60s grace the stage with songs from nearly half a century ago that are still thoroughly enjoyed today. Every single act that played was given a great reception by the very buoyant crowd and these ‘old dogs’ showed just how talented they are. Being backstage with them was treat and I admired the calm that each of the acts exuded even moments before going on stage.
By the end of the night the majority of the crowd were on their feet dancing and singing along creating a wonderful atmosphere and making for a great end to the weekend.
Overall
Much praise has to be bestowed upon the organisers, Brian Yeates Associates along with Mike and Kate from Neon Studies for putting on such a professional display. There could have been more going on in the field and I get the impression that there wasn’t much in the way of marketing either. I know for certain that there was no marketing budget for Friday night which is a real shame because it meant that a lot of local talent went largely unnoticed instead of being shown off.
I’m definitely looking forward to see what next year brings and I’ve already promised my old dear a ticket to the 60s night so there’s no way I’m going to miss out on another great night like that. All in all a few flaws but a fundamentally good festival that needs a bigger voice.
