The Faversham seemed an unlikely location for a festival, but turned out to accommodate the day’s proceedings very well. Live music, comedy and cupcakes made up Leeds Student Radio’s S.O.S. Festival.
I arrived just after 4.30pm and caught the last few songs of Arthur Rigby & The Baskervilles. They have a very Mumford & Sons vibe and also have the addition of a trombone, which makes the line up that little bit different.
Next up were Deco, Honey with catchy choruses and a cover of The White Stripes’ ‘Icky Thump’. It was an excellent cover, however the synth/keys could have been louder as they were slightly lost over the guitars and very quiet during their solo parts.
After Deco, Honey came Grant K. Fennell. I always admire people who can get up onstage and perform their own songs without the backing of a band. Personally, the thought terrifies me, but for Grant K. Fennell he looked like a natural and was completely at ease. He had a strong voice and sang songs with moving lyrics, that were accompanied by soft finger picking melodic lines. The only element I thought didn’t fit was his image. For some reason the voice that we heard didn’t seem to belong to the person it came out of. It also slightly felt like he was performing to himself, as there wasn’t much engagement with the audience. However, nonetheless a talented guy with some great music.
In between each band I managed to catch some of the comedy on The Laughter Lines Comedy Stage. The standard of the comedians was excellent, especially considering the majority of them were students. I mainly concentrated on the live music during the day, so have a read of Rosanna’s Diary for more coverage.
I got slightly carried away enjoying the comedy, but eventually managed to drag myself back to the main room to watch more of the bands. Danny & The Lost Souls were onstage by the time I got back to the music and I’m very glad I didn’t miss them. They are an excellent funk and soul band with a gorgeous jazzy feel to their music. Frontman Danny Toeman has an amazing voice and performs with such captivating enthusiasm, he was a pleasure to watch. He also reminds me slightly of Jack Black with his humour and energy whilst performing. I was glad that the room had gradually filled up by the end of their set as they deserved a big crowd. For me, they were one of the highlights of the night.
Following Danny & The Lost Souls were Backyards playing some fresh alternative indie rock with elements of electronic and folk. I caught them midway through their set as (again!) I had got distracted by the comedy tent. They played their new single ‘Goodheart’s Law’ and also songs from their EP ‘If You’re Scared’. ‘Goodheart’s Law’ is a lovely song with a rippling guitar line and violinist, Ben Styles, on vocals. Ben and guitarist Bryan Serwatka were forever switching instruments throughout the set, which rather than looking clumsy, gave diversity to the sound and performance. The only slight downfall was the stage seemed rather crowded, however this had no effect on their high quality music.
By this stage it was nearing 8pm, so I ran off to get some food and got back in time to see the end of Lilygreen & Maguire. They were a brilliant duo and looked like they were having loads of fun performing. Their final song was a medley of about five or six well known tracks sang over the same few chords. See Rosanna’s Diary for a more in depth review of their set.
Finally to round off the music acts was twenty-one year old singer-songwriter Cosmo Jarvis. He came across as a sweet and sincere guy, constantly saying sorry for things he didn’t really need to apologise for. He was even worried he’d run out of music, but needless to say, that wasn’t a problem. He opened with ‘Sure As Hell Not Jesus’, then followed with ‘Blame It On Me’. His songs are really refreshing on topics from girls to gay pirates to hard drives. At one point a guy jumped on stage and started playing the kazoo, very random but worked brilliantly! I really enjoyed ‘On A Train Downtown’, despite the false start and Cosmo telling us it should really be backed with an eight part harmony. I loved the rawness the song, (and for that matter the whole set!) just his beautiful voice accompanied by his acoustic guitar. Cosmo also brought along his ukulele and banjo; he finished his set with a song called ‘Lacy’ which is about a hard drive, not your average topic.
Cosmo Jarvis was an excellent way to conclude the festival; such a down to earth guy with songs everybody can relate to. S.O.S. Festival had been an extremely enjoyable day and I was slightly sad to see the bands come to an end. The amount of talent to grace the stage really was a real treat. LSR had done a wonderful job and I can’t wait for the next one!