NORTHAMPTON HERALD & POST REVIEW - Northampton Music Festival

This year’s Northampton Music Festival took over the town centre yesterday showcasing a diverse range of local artists to hundreds of music lovers.

The free event took place on five stages within the town centre, with the main stage situated in the market square.

The layout could not have been any better, with it taking approximately five minutes to walk from one end of the festival to the other, a relief to those serious music lovers looking to cover all five stages throughout the day.

As with many of these local events, a large percentage of the acts were unknown to many however this wasn’t the case for The Jets.

These experienced Rockabilly’s were no stranger to large crowds and had clearly brought a following of their own to the festivals main stage as Northampton’s market square was transported back into the 1950s.

Onlookers were treated to a fast paced set from the three local brothers featuring a barbershop vocal harmony style, a cappella of ‘Please be my girlfriend’ and Rock ‘n’ Roll classics such as Eddie Cochran and Larry Williams’ ‘Slow Down’.

Other notable acts that graced the main stage included Jon Martins Italian Divorce with a display of piano led power-pop at its finest, finishing with a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘You Can Go Your Own Way’ and Northampton born Jay Brown fresh from this years Glastonbury playing a selection of her own tracks including ‘Keep Talking’ the title of her debut EP.

However one of the highlights of the entire festival were the Northampton Ginger Pig street band, a large collective made up from a range of ages. In between each set on the main stage a wave of impromptu trumpets, trombones, saxophone, banjo and drums could be heard all around the square creating a jovial and fun atmosphere, and helped to execute a seamless change over between acts.

Despite the recent stint of thunder and rain the weather held off throughout the day and helped to draw in the crowds at many of the stages including those smaller stages along Abington Street. These stages were ideal for local acoustic artists to perform turning the otherwise bustling street into a tranquil and intimate setting. One act that stood out were Velvet Engine, a two piece performing a collection of their own music including the tracks ‘Wishing It Away’ and ‘Going Home’.

Aside from the riff heavy rock and twang of acoustic guitars there lay an alternative option for festival goers elsewhere. The Northampton Rock Choir took to the All Saints church stage, all 100 of them, and started with their own version of the Bee Gees ‘How Deep Is Your Love’. The choir displayed three part harmonies in the form of a variety of rock classics, proving to be a very family friendly act as well as appealing to a range of age groups.

Overall the Northampton Music Festival succeeded in being a great day out for all. Now in its 7th year the festival turned the town centre into an Aladdin’s cave full of undiscovered musical talent, something the town should be proud of as Northampton’s music culture is evidently thriving.

To view the piece on the Northampton Herald & Post website click here.

Photos by Hannah English.