Have you ever found that when you go to a festival, the bands you were really psyched to see let you down a little bit, and the bands you had never heard of can electrify, entertain and amaze? At a recent festival I was looking forward to seeing headliners Fleet Foxes, Iron and Wine, and Explosions in the Sky. It would be unfair to suggest that any of them fell flat, but none compared to the amazing Bellowhead, who had previously somehow passed me by. Bellowhead are an 8-10 piece folk group, with outstandingly talented musicians - a trombonist, a trumpeter, a saxophonist who’s party trick was playing two saxophones at the same time, with more skill and aplomb that most people would ever manage playing one instrument. They also have a melodeon player - similar to an accordion but with different keys - and violinists, mandolin players, vocalists and I’m sure a few more besides. Not to mention the skill of all band members at percussion, and of course the lead singer, who had a Richard E Grant air about him. Fleet Foxes were fun, but they were a few leagues below Bellowhead in getting the crowd up and dancing. What we look for at a festival, or indeed any live gig, is real charisma on stage, and this doesn’t just mean talking between acts - nobody wants to hear about your various English teaching jobs if they don’t involve a witty anecdote of some sort. In fact you don’t even need to say that much - you just need to let the crowd know that you guys are having a great time on stage, and that is exactly where Bellowhead hit the nail, well, on the head.

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