HEINEKEN BIG TOP FESTIVAL NOTTINGHAM, 25 MAY

Heineken have been sponsoring a series of four-day, free entry festivals up and down England and Wales. I was fortunate enough to attend the first two days of the Nottingham-based festival at Wollaton Park.
 
The opening night featured Squeeze headlining, with 9 Below Zero in support, doing a tribute to the late Steve Marriott, who was supposed to have appeared but recently died in a fire at his home. Indie Rock 'N' Rollers The Bobby Charltons also played. I was even more fortunate to witness the following day, featuring The Buttermountain Boys, The Levellers and Martin Stephenson And The Daintees as the headliners.
 
The opening band (The Buttermountain Boys) are specialists in Cajun music, for the uninitiated a sort of up-tempo hybrid of Blues and Rock from New Orleans with French influences. This particular band's style bordered on sameness and seemed rather emotionally flat. They attempted to be good-time entertainers but only succeeded for myself at least, in creating an atmosphere of boredom.
 
Second on the bill were The Levellers, an up-and-coming Dexy's Midnight Runners style group of ragamuffin folkies, complete with acoustic instruments and Roulandesque arrangements. The spirit of Celtic soul seemed alive and well in the heart of this outfit who were warmly received by an audience who were convinced they had seen the best band of the evening - until the headliners that is.
 
Opening with "Slaughterman" (nothing to do with animals, incidentally - Ed.) the one thing a diehard fan immediately noticed was the absence of backing / co-lead singer Andrea Mackie. Their set had been altered considerably with so many previous shows having been arranged to feature the almighty vocals of the lady in question. So tonight was a chance to hear material not often performed, such as "I Pray" from their second LP, mingling with new material.
 
So what we were treated to was a band more guitar / blues oriented with less sophisticated jazz influences. Still, the evening was a testament to the Daintees' versatility and showed to no small extent the brilliant musicianship of lead guitarist Gary Dunn.
 
The few newer songs played that evening seem to lean towards the more spiritual elements of the last LP, "Salutation Road". No doubt that this is one recording artist with more depth than most of his contemporaries.
 
RONA TOPAZ