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Tom Davenport – Marquee Stage (reviewed by Katherine Dunn-Mines)
Tom Davenport’s music students began the day in the Marquee tent, with some superb work being showcased.
Each one should be very proud of their achievements to date and ability to entertain a Sunday morning festival crowd, but special mention must be made of the finale piece involving a number of younger students, a brilliant rendition of AC/DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’.
Barcode Zebra – Marquee Stage (reviewed by Katherine Dunn-Mines)
Barcode Zebra have a modest, charmingly unpretentious demeanour on stage, building a good rapport with their audience.
Incorporating acoustic guitar, bass, drums and keyboards, their set ranges from hauntingly melodic to fun and funky, with simply stunning vocals. ‘Knowledge’ in particular made an impression on me.
Currently touring, they are due to visit the coast again in September at Woodend, Scarborough – well worth putting in your diary now.
North of the Wall – Marquee Stage (reviewed by Katherine Dunn-Mines)
North of the Wall were one of the highlights of the weekend for me.
Their incredibly tight, funk-infused original rock was a very pleasant surprise to round off the Sunday, and much better than a cup of coffee for shaking off the cobwebs.
Introducing a couple of covers with a fresh reinterpretation too, they powered through their set effortlessly and with no nonsense.
Strangers in Paradise – Main Stage (reviewed by Tessa Hughes)
Coming all the way from Harrogate, Strangers in Paradise wasted no time in showing Sunday at Staxtonbury exactly what they had to offer.
The standard line up consisted of guitar, bass, drums and vocals although the members of the band have the ability to switch on some instruments.
Accompanying the band were guest rappers Tre and Soul Deep, who really brought together the band’s sound. Plugged on their website as being Harrogate’s answer to the Mars Volta, the addition of Tre and Soul Deep gives the band an overall sound more akin to that of Faith No More or Skindred.
Within their layers of smooth summery tunes rooted by heavy catchy basslines, the band dealt out a fantastic medley including elements ranging from Ozzy Osborne to The Sugar Hill Gang, which went down very well.
The set also featured a jam that included free styling, and a small mixed-in excerpt of a Craig David song, which was very entertaining. Strangers in Paradise manage to maintain a slightly heavy but somehow mellow sound that personally I would love to kick back with on a summer’s day.
They were definitely the freshest thing I’ve ever seen at Staxtonbury, and I hope they return. 10/10.
Rockin Hill Billy Blues Band – Photos by Kadium Photography
Steff Little- Photos by Lee Jones / Radiomoths
Steff Little – Photos by Lee Jones / Radiomoths
Unit 8 – Photos by Lee Jones / Radiomoths
