Scratchy Beard at Coventry Food Union Harvest Festival
Review
In my recent review of the Coventry Food Union "Song & Soil" event featuring Izzie Derry which they held at their Sherbourne Valley Allotments HQ, I looked ahead to their Harvest Festival event at Coventry Cathedral. I duly enjoyed this yesterday, especially, on the music side, Scratchy Beard (check out their track "The Best Things" on 'Hot Music Live Presents Volume Fourteen').
In the intervening fortnight, autumnal weather had kicked in so the planned & traditional venue of Coventry Cathedral ruins was a bit precarious but Coventry Food Union are as resilient & adaptable as nature and the switch into the new Cathedral appeared seamless to me.
Not only did we all stay dry & merchandise not fly about in the wind, but I suspect that the musical sound was better than we'd otherwise have had. In fact it was an ideal space & presented Mason Le Long who curated the sound probably with more opportunities than challenges.
The band seem very flexible if not fluid (the lineup was different to last time I caught them) and operating within the intriguing parameters of "Anglo-Celtic folk" and "Trans-European roots" (they honestly don't fit any music industry defined genre) gave plenty of scope for the sort of stylings we don't hear enough of from Parisian to klezmer with room for plenty of others including traditional gospel. Which was appropriate for a set played on the steps to the Chapel of Unity.
It won't be long until the next Coventry Food Union Crypt Session in the Wyley Chapel: look out for the ticket link on https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/events/whats-on as I'm advised that it will be live soon.
