Our annual music review of the GREENBELT festival held at Cheltenham Racecourse.

ELLIE WILLIAMS - Performance Café - 3:15pm
Female singer/songwriters line the pathways of the music scene like lamp-posts line roads; you never walk too far before you find one. So when you come across one who shines brighter than most, it's time to stand in her light and bask. That's what I did when Ellie Williams played solo with her piano. I pooh-poohed the compère when he reported that Ellie has been described as "Kate Bush meets Coldplay". I similarly took little notice when he said that she didn't "so much tug at your heartstrings as reach inside and shake them loose". 20 minutes later, however, I was wiping my moist eyes. She had hit my soft spot all too easily and she DOES have the phrasing of Kate Bush's gentler moments, as she proved when her account of "A Woman's Work" stood up proudly to Bush's own version. Ellie's set began with "Unseen", the title track to her current fan-funded album, and another strong composition, "Firefly". After a few heart-rending songs she lightened the mood with the grounded "You & Me". The set hit its peak with a superb tribute to her baby nephew, "Finn's Song". The chorus is inspiring on its own: "Laugh with all your lungs until it hurts some/Stand with all your strength, though it might take some/Believe in all your dreams and you might make some/Love with all your heart and it may break some." Her vocals LIVED the song. As a guitarist might press a pedal to let the fuzz or reverb kick in, she pressed a mental button and her oh-so-expressive voice could either click straight into soaring mode or soothe right down. It was a real disappointment that I had to leave two songs from the end, but not before deciding that her CD was an essential for the checking out list.
Derek Walker

STEREO INFLUENCE - Underground - 4:15pm
The Greenbelt programme described this young Cheltenham-based three-piece as "rough and ready garage rock" but, as I discovered, a more accurate description would be "indie by numbers". The catchy "Where Is Love" featured a strong guitar riff but more effort in the arrangement and lyrics is required and "What She Said" was too close to the sound of the Arctic Monkeys for comfort. A major flaw was that the band delivered their songs with virtually no personality and when they did make contact with the audience one wished they hadn't bothered, eg "We couldn't think of a name for this song so we called it 'Fast One'." What imagination! And despite a punchy drum shuffle, it wasn't actually very fast. After 20 minutes word came from stage side that time was up and the band shrugged their shoulders and slouched off.
Peter Timmis

ARUN GHOSH - Big Top - 4:30pm
Greenbelt is always a festival to try and be inclusive of different cultures of art and here was a great example of their mindset. Why else would Arun Ghosh, an Indo jazz musician who incorporates the rhythms and scales from India, with inspiration from Bengali folk music, be at a predominately Christian festival? Now based in London, although originally from Manchester, Arun himself professes that at age 13 his dad wouldn't let him come to Greenbelt, so some 20 years later he was really happy to be performing at the festival! And it showed. This was a truly inspirational performance with Arun and his clarinet. The pieces (all written by Arun and his band) were the perfect combination of traditional, modern and a hint of fusion jazz interlaced with Bengali rhythms which were expertly played with the assistance of Liran Donin on double bass, Kishen Khan on keys, Pat Illingworth on drums and Nilesh Gulhane on tabla. The whole band had a great full sound and the often syncopated rhythms were truly infectious. The assembled throng lapped it up and Arun and the band quite rightly received a standing ovation at the end of the gig. Here's hoping that Greenbelt invite him back and put him up on Mainstage as he would certainly deliver.
Simon Akehurst

The Violet Burning (Greenbelt '10, pic by Peter Timmis)

THE VIOLET BURNING - Mainstage - 5:25pm
"We're The Violet Burning and we're from somewhere over the sea," announced Michael J Pritzl, frontman of the pioneering alt rockers from California. "It's good to be here, it's been a few years." Considering that Cross Rhythms first enthused about this extraordinary ensemble after Greenbelt 1992 and after all these years Pritzl, with younger musos in tow, is still flying The Violet Burning flag one might have expected a rather subdued set. Instead the growing crowd enjoying the glorious bank holiday sunshine were treated to a spectacular, roaring wall of sound that no doubt reached all corners of the Cheltenham site. Michael conveys passion like few other singers and with the veteran writhing on the floor with his guitar howling like a banshee during a jaw-dropping rendition of 1996's "Low" it's clear that the frontman still understands the power of rock 'n' roll theatrics. "I love the Bible. It's full of stories about people like you and me and God wants to step into your story," he told the throng before the band performed a blistering version of "Underwater" which grew majestically with incredibly powerful drumming from Lenny Beh. The interplay between the guitars of Pritzl and Chris Buelow was a sonic delight with plenty of "how are they making that sound?" moments. As the band closed with "Gorgeous" one fan enthused that The Violet Burning were the "band of the weekend". He could well be right.
Peter Timmis

Foy Vance (Greenbelt '10, pic by Peter Timmis)

FOY VANCE - Mainstage - 6:30pm
I was surprised, and delighted, when Foy made an unbilled Mainstage appearance thanks to the non-arrival of "Gil Scott Lost" (Foy's twice-repeated quip). Foy had, apparently, had trouble with his loop machine during his Centaur gig so this time it was the loops that dominated his set. And certainly, Foy's ability to quickly construct lolloping, funky grooves of guitar, rhythm and several vocal parts was a wonder to behold while his vocals, a gutsy rasp of pent up passion, would put most blue-eyed soul men to shame. What was lacking in his set were one or two of his brilliant ballad compositions (I'm sure his classic "Gabriel & The Vagabond" would have gripped the audience if he'd cared to sing it). But it was looped grooves that dominated and they were never less than impressive even when he admitted after one song to singing a part out-of-tune. The real surprise was the closer when he took the old Michael Jackson warhorse "Billie Jean", slowed it down and demonstrated what a great song it is at any tempo. Overall, a clever performance from the Celtic soul man though I probably wasn't alone in wishing there'd been a bit less technology and a bit more man-and-guitar in Foy's set.
Tony Cummings

Jars Of Clay (Greenbelt '10, pic by Drew Mclellan)

JARS OF CLAY - Mainstage - 7:50pm
The first time I saw Jars Of Clay was in a small club shortly before 'Jars Of Clay' was released. They had some great songs ("Flood", "Liquid", "Like A Child") but little or no stage presence. The second time I saw the band was in 2008 when they topped the bill at Stoke-on-Trent's Adoration Fest and the transformation was truly remarkable. With a literally dazzling lightshow, remarkable technique which fused harmonies, memorable keyboard lines and intricate guitar interplay plus in Dan Haseltine a frontman you couldn't take your eyes off, they were unquestionably world class. At GB '10, having been bumped up the Mainstage bill thanks to Gil Scott Heron's no-show, I can report that, if anything, Jars Of Clay were even better than their Stoke appearance. Those rock purists who had mistakenly written off the Jars as a band lacking true rock'n'roll bite must have been astonished by the sheer energising dynamics of their go-for-the-jugular guitar sound while the inventiveness of their light show brought visual vibrancy to gems old - "Flood", given a completely invigorating arrangement, and "Love Song For A Saviour" - and new - "Work" and "Dead Man (Carry Me)". It is of course the songwriting craft and sheer memorability of the Jars' best material which makes them stand out from the crowd and long before their final crescendo the large Greenbelt throng were baying their appreciation. All in all, a triumphant return to Greenbelt for the CCM hitmakers.
Tony Cummings

The King Blues (Greenbelt '10, pic by Stefan Metzler)

THE KING BLUES - Mainstage - 9:30pm
Upon hearing that Gil Scott-Heron had pulled out of his headlining slot I was excited to hear that The King Blues were taking his place. Having just appeared on the Mainstage at Leeds/Reading Festival it was going to be interesting to see how they went down with the Greenbelt crowd. The band were greeted with rapturous applause and wasted no time getting the party going with their mix of reggae, folk, ska and punk. They played a good range of material from both studio albums alongside newer material and from where I was standing I couldn't see a person left standing still. From the fists in the air chanting anthem "My Boulder" to the gritty love song "Underneath The Lamppost Light" everyone was enraptured by the band's sterling performance. The new songs from their forthcoming album "Holiday" and "Headbutt" look set to being firm live favourites, with the band getting the crowd to join in on the choruses. Between a number of their songs the band paused to voice their concerns of fascism within Britain but also adding that "there are more of us than them" and that "the streets are ours". The band, known for their strong political statements, also praised Greenbelt for its support of social justice campaigns and pursuit of equality. A few solo songs from Johnny 'Itch' Fox and his ukulele added an intimacy that proved that The King Blues are able to captivate an audience even without a full band. That certainly goes someway to proving just why Kerrang awarded them Best Live Band this year. A small acoustic drive went down a treat with "I Got Love" and set closer "Save The World, Get The Girl". The panic on the security staff's faces was all too apparent when the band urged as many "people on shoulders" as possible; many were thwarted in their attempts but plenty others managed. It may have gone against health and safety but it was a great sight to bring a great festival to an end.
Gavin Owen