So was the live music any cop? Gav Duffy reports
The music stage – in effect, Ed Berman’s Fun Art Bus – was a visual treat in itself, and a nice reference to the charitable entrepreneur’s long history with Talacre. But what of the bands themselves?
First up, a character who regularly plays at the Old Eagle, Whiskey Mick. A tough-looking dandy (if that’s possible), he’s really a north London Seasick Steve, one of those wonderful guys you come across every now and then who can play any instrument – mandolin, tenor banjo, guitar, low whistle, bodhran. He might well have been up all night knocking back Four Roses but was nonetheless on form vocally too, flagged by talented supporting musicians. Together the collective battered out a blend of bluegrass, folk and, yes, traditional drinking songs. Well what else would you expect?
Another musician who caught my ear was Erik Rutterford, a solo man-with-guitar act, always a bit daunting; but his voice cut through the family-heavy crowd and found its audience, with its notes of roots, rock and folk, an obvious love of early Bowie. Unlike his performance, Rutterford’s recordings (which I later listened to) include some sparse backup from other musicians, which perhaps he should incorporate into his stage-act. One to watch.
As the day progressed, it was a free-for-all and no one genre held the floor. Losh & Jibba Jabba were an acoustic reggae hip hop ensemble whose bouncy summerbreeze rhythms were laced with decent lyrics – though they lost some street cred when kids started dancing onstage with them.
And we were treated to a five-piece guitar band in uniform tie-dye t-shirts, rainbow guitar straps and unnervingly high shorts. Any good? I don’t know: I was just wondering, “what gives?”
The Kentish Town Carnival wasn’t really aimed to be a platform for tomorrow’s stars, but it definitely offered up a platter of interesting folk, both onstage and off. I happily took in the many sights while laying in the late afternoon sun with Mama’s jerk chicken.
3 thoughts on “Wednesday Picture: Carnival on the former wastelands of Talacre”
any pics of that great band that opened up the carnival? `Hannibal `rex?
Yes, I think I took pictures of nearly all the bands in action on the Fun Bus stage. I will be passing photos to Sara Newman, main organiser of the carnival if you require a copy.
The ” the posh apartments now known as The Gates” are recent. Until they sold it in the 1990s and moved to Royal College Street it was Saint Richard of Chichester RC Secondary School.