Tucked back in the Baltic Triangle of Liverpool was a little haven of underground talent, fake grass, masses of organic cuisine and of course beer. Summer Camp Festival, Liverpool, is in its pilot year but this did not prevent a well organised festival with a great bohemian atmosphere. The intimate, child friendly weekend was held in a unique warehouse location complete with smoke machines, street theatre and did I mention beer?

The two day event showcased over 30 music acts alongside plenty of family friendly activities such as  ‘lantern making,’ ‘head dress making,’ ‘song writing workshops’ and a ‘woodland disco’ (something I watched, enjoyed, but did not participate in – that would not have be fair on the folks of Liverpool, trust me).

Musicians flocked from around the globe to play the festival and the audience were treated to some amazing talent and eccentricity. The first band I managed to catch was the trio, We Are Evergreen, a Parisian band now based in the UK. The three fresh faced musicians are a multi harmony, indie, alternative folk, electro act that managed to test the sound engineer’s expertise with the vast amount of instruments that they incorporated into their set. Made up of Michael Liot (vocals, ukulele, guitar, charango, banjo and trumpet); Fabienne Debarre (vocals, synths, xylophone and harmonica) and William Serfass (vocals, percussion, rhythm loop, bass and electric guitar); they introduced themselves as ‘Liverpool Virgins’ but by the end of the show they were Liverpool Lovers, as the crowd were left in rapture, dancing and singing along to set. An audience favourite was the song ‘Baby Blue’ which is a primarily a pop song that is driven by xylophone and synth melodies, backed up by a steady rhythm from the ukulele and guitar. Overall the band were a little reserved in their performance (with the exception of Fabienne who was very animated whilst singing and tinkling the xylophone) but it was certainly a solid, crowd pleasing, set and despite the lyrics to ‘Baby Blue’ advising ‘nobody knows my name’ I think it is fair to state that is no longer the case. We Are Evergreen are certainly folks to call back.

Up next all the way from Tampa, Florida was the band Merchandise who treated us to a 40 minute set before they whisked themselves off to play the Reading festival. The owners of possibly the best hairstyles I have seen on a boy band in a long time, these lads intrigued me from the moment they walked on stage. Cool, calm and collected with a presence that was rather hypnotic. The US rock band is made up of Carson Cox (vocals); David Vassalotti (guitar) and Patrick Brady (bass).

Merchandise reminded me of one of the hip bands one would see playing at The Bronze on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (for those of us old enough to remember that show). Consequently throughout the their whole set I felt like a teenager again, even developing an unhealthy crush on Vassalotti, who has the best hair I have ever seen (a black, soft, small, afro) and he did not only play guitar but he caressed and danced with it throughout the whole set (well when not sitting on the floor)! The stand out song from this band was ‘anxiety’ which reminded me of a brooding Morrissey with a hint of Joy Division, which provides an excellent indication of what this band sound like.

As with We Are Evergreen, Merchandise were crowd pleasers who showed masses of potential for the future (and this statement is based on their music, not the author’s crush on Vassolotti).

Mid-evening I wandered over to a smoke filled stage to witness the amazing Martha Wainwright. Quirky, kooky, brilliant and genius are just some words that spring to mind when thinking of Martha. What a perfect booking choice.  She entered the stage with two acoustic guitars and an upbeat energy that transferred straight to the audience who appeared to hang on her every word.  It is really hard not to smile when she performs as she is so endearing, massively eccentric and fully connects with her songs. The irony with Martha is she performs sad songs in such an upbeat manner as if she is creating a musical oxymoron. Many of the songs performed were from her current (and third) album, ‘Come home to Momma,’ which tells of the heartache of losing her mother, divorce and love in general. Martha proclaimed to the audience that she likes to write songs about being unhappy in love, but ‘loves make up sex’ (so it’s all good) however the song ‘End of the World’ (which she performed with a wry smile) was a song she wrote on honeymoon!

Family certainly play a big part for this artist as she is the daughter of US folk icon Loudon Wainwright III and of the late, successful folk singer, Kate McGarridge and sister of New York based singer songwriter, Rufus Wainwright.  In a statement made to the audience she said, ‘Rufus and I are always trying to outdo each other.  He always wins but, oh well fuck it’ and this led to the final song she performed that evening that was written to rival some of her brother’s upbeat material.  Having a made the decision to write a catchy, happy song, she explained to the crowd how she went to see the movie ‘Melancholia’ and penned a ditty about the end of the world, called ‘Rock Star’. Unfortunately, the walking contradiction that is Martha Wainwright did not finish her set due to illness.  However the limited set the crowd did get to see was pure brilliance. Not only a talented singer, but one of the world’s finest female song writers. I walked away smiling after her set whilst wondering what I had just witnessed? A ‘gig’ or an ‘audience with’ and in all honestly I still do not know, but I know it made me happy and I can’t wait to see her again. 

Saturday headliners were, The Joy Formidable, an alternative rock band from Wales. Having spent some time with them on their tour bus a few hours prior to their show they brought their fun and energetic personalities onto the stage.  (The band all professes to be ‘mental’ and after seeing the set I am not one to argue). The band consists of Rhiannon "Ritzy" Bryan (lead vocals, guitar), Rhydian Dafydd (bass, backing vocals), and Matthew James Thomas (drums, percussion).

The feisty, pint sized singer proved a fantastic leading lady as she led her boys through a tight and well planned set. Packed with well executed vocal harmonies, heavy bass lines and a strong drum beat. The audience fed off the high energy and the cheers at the end of each number was testimony to a great gig.

The band opened up with the track ‘This Ladder is Ours,’ which starts with spooky synth sounds before bursting into a rock vibe that allowed Ritzy and co to jump and dance about the stage from the get go. Ritzy’s sweet, yet textured vocals complemented the excited mood and immediately the audience began dancing and jumping up and down in solidarity.

A significant highlight of their show for me had to be the ‘Maw Maw song’. Very reminiscent of Sabbath, crossed with The Pixies, the song certainly managed to keep us all alert.  For a three piece, Joy the Formidable are bloody loud, however this does not take away any admiration of ability as all three band members are musically gifted.  Rhydian is not only a strong and competent bass player, but throughout the set he showed off his guitar skills when the band slowed things down to perform ‘The Silent Treatment’, a beautiful song that really demonstrates the beautiful vocal range of Ritzy backed by a sweet arpeggios rhythm. 

Although, Ritzy is the focal point of the group, she is more than just a good singer, her guitar skills stand alone and she confidently dual roles as lead guitarist. She also has the ability to run in platform shoes and can come to an emergency stop literally one inch away from the end of the stage!   Matt also managed to drum with great speed and skills whilst maintaining a cheeky grin across his face for the whole set, that reminded me slightly of Russell Brand.

The show was concluded with a performance of ‘Whirring’ which allowed the show to come to a natural crescendo of wonderful noise. Throughout the set I wondered why the guitars were full of gaffer tape but after seeing Ritzy’s guitar flung into a stack of speakers by the end of this track, it all became clear. The Joy Formidable did indeed prove that good things do come in small packages.

Alas summercamp came to an end for me, as I was only available to attend for the one day. For a pilot festival the organisers should be walking with their head high.  Great family fun, great atmosphere, fantastic music and in case I did not mention it earlier – great beer.  Bring on next year.

 Article Emma Louise Taylor & Photographs by Garry Urwin