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It is the end of October and time for Kent’s International Arts Festival to take to the stage for their 40th Anniversary. The Canterbury Festival is back again for another year and last Friday the celebrations began with an exciting opening party. I won’t be covering the festival as extensively as last year, but I have a couple of events planned for 2024, starting with ‘Open Water’ at the Westgate Hall on Monday night. They are a South East-based acoustic group made up of vocalist Joanne Doolan and string musicians Jeff Alexander and Richard Rozze. They were joined for the performance by Steve Bridgland on bass, and collectively the quartet provided a wonderful evening of original music and insights into their creative process.
Initial thoughts
The group performed for just shy of 2 hours and the show was made up of two separate acoustic sets which are led by Joanne and Richard alternately. The music is largely from their first and second albums, covering themes of fantasy, family life and seeing the world from a different perspective. In their music they take the folk genre and blend it with jazz, bluegrass and celtic elements, allowing audiences to see how deeply rooted this genre is in regions around the world, such as Ireland and the Appalachian Mountains. The quality of the music is exquisite, specifically Joanne’s enchanting vocals and the amplification of the open string sections.
A really personal and intimate gig
One thing I have always admired about folk music is the amount of storytelling within the lyrics. Joanne, Richard and Jeff provide wonderful introductions to each track, sharing the inspiration for the melodies, spoken word and consequently making the gig feel incredibly personal. They take the audience on a journey through their music, allowing spectators to immerse themselves in the writing and creativity. From ‘Helena’s Lament’ (inspired by Shakespeare’s heroine) to a piece about Joanne’s homeland of Wales, I found some of the material to be quite ethereal and almost mythical, resulting in an atmospheric overall experience. Additionally, Jeff’s commentary about the art of guitar playing is an endearing touch, educating audiences on the complexity of string music.
Watching Open Water perform in Kent
Most Canterbury Festival performances are only on for one night, so unfortunately you cannot watch Open Water again as part of the 2024 festival, but they have a couple of seasonal gigs coming up in Kent which you can find out more about via their socials and website. Head to the Canterbury Festival’s website for last minute tickets to any of the other music performances within the programme. Westgate Hall is such a gorgeous venue for intimate concerts with its twinkling lights.
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
*My ticket for Open Water was gifted in exchange for a review.
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