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Northern Kin x Canary Records

At the end of April, Canary Records teamed up with Northern Kin and took over the VIP tent at the festival, showcasing some of the incredible acoustic talent across the North-East. Across the 3 days, a selection of the best student musicians and local artists all took to the stage at Ushaw to create an amazing testament to both the quality of the performers in this part of the country, as well as the work of Canary Records so far.

There’s nothing quite like a muddy English festival. Arriving in the field after strolling past queues of traffic stretching back further than the eye can see and instantly realising your Air Force 1s were not the correct choice of footwear for the situation, as you squelch your way through 2 foot-deep car tracks, past abandoned Nissan Micras and towards the safe haven of music and beer beyond. Once you’re inside, the complete absence of any safe patch of grass doesn’t matter anymore, all you can hear is the sounds of people laughing and drinking, trying to ignore the looming threat of torrential downpour. The relief of making it in was marked at Northern Kin as the first people through the gates instantly charged through the mud towards the nearest bar.

While sounds of bands reverberated around the stages and filled the venue, the Canary Records VIP tent was a space for acoustic music. With 15 acts across the 3 days, the festival-goers hiding from the elements, and taking a break from the main stages, were not deprived of music as Canary had rounded up the best that the North-East can offer in terms of singer-songwriters. The beauty of the stage was in the DIY nature of it. There was no fancy mixing desk with all its buttons that surely no-one truly understands; there was no extravagantly planned light show or huge speaker-system; instead, a very small mixer sat on the floor behind the stage, connected to 2 speakers with a mic standing in the middle and a guitar cable trailing on the floor.

For many of the performers, this was their first experience of playing at a festival. This was the case for Grace Harvey, a 2nd year singer-songwriter well established in the Durham scene, whose eclectic blend of folk and indie influences drew people in from outside the tent despite the improved weather on Saturday afternoon.

Newcastle-based band Kites condensed their sound down to its raw acoustic form for their set on Friday night, as the sun set they serenaded the crowd with a set consisting of stripped back versions of originals as well as a couple of covers, including a captivating arrangement of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘All Along the Watchtower’. The mixture of local and student artists on show proved the quality of the work that Canary are doing in improving the visibility of independent artists in the North East, as well as giving them opportunities, and the excitement of many of the artists at playing at their first festivals showed that they are achieving this aim.

Canary Records’ maiden voyage into the festival scene was an overwhelming success; it was an indication of what is to come for the label as they approach their first birthday, while also serving as validation of their commitment to independent artists in the Northeast. They’ve already announced their involvement with the festival again next year, and there’s loads more to come: they’re just getting started. The Canary’s taking flight, and we’re happy to be along for the ride.

By James Woodward

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