Gloucester’s award-winning Barn on the Farm is over for yet another year, and what a weekend it was!
As the festival-goers abandoned Over Farm in their masses, we recapped on some of our Barn on the Farm 2015 best bits…
Apostle Thomas
They may be a relatively up and coming number, and maybe you’d never heard of them, but if you popped down to the first act of the New Stage this year, we’re pretty sure you were impressed. These guys know performance. Executing an array of upbeat tracks and keeping the crowd entertained with their presence, Apostle Thomas deserve a higher slot at the farm next year.
Hudson Taylor
Filling in for Ady Sulleide on the intimate Friday night, Irish duo Hudson Taylor took to the barn just before secret headliner Gabrielle Aplin to perform a set of their most hyped originals. Opening on ‘Weapons’ and giving way to tracks such as ‘Care’, ‘Chasing Rubies’ and ‘World Without You’, the highlight of the set was the ever growing ‘I Don’t Know Why’, for which Harry and Alfie kept with tradition by getting guests to participate in the performance. This round featured Gabrielle Aplin, Jack Morris, Hannah Grace and Amber Run’s Joe Keogh.
Gabrielle Aplin
On that note, Friday’s intimate headliner Gabrielle Aplin executed a performance no less than stunning. In the lead up to the release of her second album ‘Light Up The Dark’, her set consisted of some of the older, more familiar tracks as well as some fresh new material. Stand out tracks of the night included the mellow, acoustic driven tracks ‘Please Don’t Say You Love Me’ and the newer ‘Shallow Love’, as well as the more feisty, powerful ‘Light Up The Dark’.
Jack Garratt
One of the most anticipated acts of the weekend, Jack Garratt has had a phenomenal year so far, honing his craft in songwriting and building a serious live reputation. And what a place to show off that reputation than on the main stage at Barn on the Farm. To the packed out main arena on the Sunday night, a mere few hours before headliner James Bay, Garratt strutted his unique tone of Electronic/Indie across the farm, finishing on highlight ‘Worry‘.
Lauren Aquilina
Currently working on her debut album following a very successful trilogy of EPs, Lauren Aquilina’s newer, fresher sound is looking perfectly suited to the live stage. The growth in the UK singer/songwriter as a performer is phenomenal. From subtle, mellow folk-pop to sheer confident, powerful popstar, Aquilina’s stage presence was fiery, energetic and fun. Giving us teasers of the new material set to make an appearance on the album, it appears the record will mirror the years of experience in its build up, mirroring everything coming and going in the three EPs.
The Staves
Saturday’s headliner, who told us had just come all the way from Switzerland, were a tricky one to make out anticipation wise. We knew they weren’t set to be a major anthemic festival-esque headliner, but what they had they executed to perfection. Playing predominantly tracks from the new abum ‘If I Was’, their intricate folk radiated across the main stage. Wonderful stage presence and crowd interaction caused their set to flourish even more. Pitch perfect harmonies, charismatic stage presence, and damn good songs to back it up.
Jasper In The Company Of Others
Maybe up and coming. Maybe second stage. Quite possibly unexpected. But quite definitely one of the greatest live sets we have ever witnessed in many years of doing this thing that we do. Flawless. Regulars to Barn on the Farm, these guys have their niche, and they have their followers, and they know what they go out to do. Setting out on a set of originals, all knocked out with a live energy which screamed experience and passion, the band finished on a cover of Nizlopi’s ‘JCB Song’ as a tribute to the band who always turn up to the festival, but couldn’t make it this year. Answered by a crowd reaction in request of an encore, for an act quite early on in the day, this was a set to go down in the Barn on the Farm hall of fame.
James Bay
The most anticipated act of the entire weekend, James Bay was the final act to appear on the 2015 bill. Headlining the Sunday, the growth of Bay as an artist is incredible. And not just going from Barn on the Farm second stage to main stage in a year, but going from acoustically performed tracks to mindblowing full band numbers and an aura to wow any crowd. Following the release of his debut album ‘Chaos and the Calm’, the songster has rocketed to the top of the pile with single ‘Hold Back The River’, and his set incorporated the best of the best, from ‘Collide’ to ‘Hold Back The River, ‘Let It Go’ and ‘Best Fake Smile’, to an unbelievable cover of Alicia Key’s ‘If I Ain’t Got You’. A truly perfect finish to a spectacular weekend of music – up and coming, established and very soon to be established!