Looe Music Festival 2015
September 18-20
Review: Clare Robinson
Pictures: Elina Kansikas & Amy Sampson
A combination of glorious Indian summer sunshine and a great line-up of artists contributed to making Looe Music Festival 2015 an absolute belter this year, attracting record crowds.
Headlining the beach stage on Saturday night, Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra proved to be the ultimate crossover party band and around 6,000 people aged from eight to eighty-eight boogied on the beach as Jools and co pulled out all the stops for a delightfully diverse set.
There was perfect pop in the form of Squeeze classics from special guest Chris Difford, brilliantly boosted by the big band, while Ruby Turner gave a jaw-dropping performance as the absolute queen of gospel and Able Mable Ray's blues pipes blew everyone away.
Jools was on sparkling form 'doing battle with the piano', a brand new instrument, apparently. He concluded by playing signature tune, 'Enjoy yourself, It's later than you think' – dedicated in poignant tribute to the late, great trumpet player Rico Rodriguez – with the entire crowd on backing vocals.
Certainly it was difficult not to 'enjoy yourself' at Looe this year, there was just so much great music on offer you were spoilt for choice.
The main stage hosted plenty of stand-out sets. Ahead of Jools, Looe favourites Tankus the Henge captivated the huge crowd with their entertaining, eccentric vaudeville, while earlier in the day local horn-fuelled funk/rap eight-piece Antimatador absolutely nailed it – as their last of twelve festivals shows this summer – in surely their most compelling and defining performance to date.
On Friday Andy Quick plus Flying Orchestra won a host of new fans for his melodic string project and those of us of a certain age wallowed in nostalgia as the Buzzcocks took us back to punk's heyday, followed by a sublime set from the masters of folk pop, the Proclaimers, generating some of loudest communal singing of the weekend.
On Sunday Johnny Marr thrilled legions of loyal fans with not only solo stuff but a bunch of Smiths classics, in which most followers were word perfect, while back by popular demand, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers attracted the biggest crowd of the night for their own brand of bagpipe rock – Queen and Status Quo never sounded quite like this before!
As well as the main stage, the BBC introducing stage, Harbour Marquee and the rest, offered a plethora of treats. Wille and the Bandits, Mad Dog Mcrea, Back Beat Sound System and Three Daft Monkeys put in exceptionally fine, well-supported, party sets and I also enjoyed Martha Tilson's pure and passionate heart-on-sleeve performance, The Changing Room's lush, mellow folk instrumentation (with a little help from Oompah Brass), Sound of the Sirens' close harmony Americana and Gaz Brookfield's clever self-penned songs on life 'n' stuff.
The picturesque streets of Looe featured a load more music meyhem both out in the open – the goth/morris Cat's Eye crew were especially good fun – and in intimate settings, whether you had an official ticket or not.
Crowds spilled into the streets from the tiny Zute Bar, for The Normals, Suzie Mac and a Tankus after-show special and it was great to catch the third of Seth's dad Geoff Lakeman's four performances on Sunday – he also played spoons onstage later with Mad Dog – a hugely entertaining set of his own pertinent protest songs and folky favourites.
Superb sound across the main stages contributed to the enjoyment of this well organised festival that just seems to improve and grow each year.
Congratulations to Tanya Brittain, Alex Thomas and the team for pulling off another excellent event, which is now an eagerly anticipated, firm fixture in the festival calendar.