The Great Western smashed it once again this year, not even the rain could put a dampener on the day. An incredible line-up and a brilliant variety of venues placed across the length of the Great Western. The walking distance between the venues never exceeded around six minutes so it wasn’t an issue.
Webster’s Theatre was a really interesting venue, as it is a renovated church it has really high ceilings that make it perfect for live music as the sound resonates. One issue with this venue is that it is up two flights of stairs and there is no lift which is not ideal for disabled people or wheelchair users. In the hall there also wasn’t any seats at all so everyone had to stand which made a slightly awkward atmosphere when you first entered as no one was really sure of where to stand. There was also one older woman with a walking stick and she had nowhere to sit down.
However, there was a bar in the corner of the room that saved the audience from having to go up and down stairs for drinks, and, when Caitlin Buchanan started to perform the lack of seating gave everyone the opportunity to dance along when they maybe wouldn’t have had there been seating.
Caitlin’s music was like a sad lullaby, soothing, soft, as though it came from another decade and it told a story that felt really melancholy. Her gentle strumming of the guitar paired perfectly with her sultry, emotional singing.
She chatted to the audience which gave a personal touch and there was no raised stage it was just Caitlin standing in front of us with a mic and a guitar which was really intimate. Because she was so close you could really see the story from her music playing out in front of your eyes and it was truly beautiful.
The next venue we visited was the Hug & Pint which was entirely different to Webster’s Theatre. A small cosy and really busy pub there wasn’t much room to move around the bar and not many seats so you would have to show up quick and early if you wanted to grab a table.
The actual venue was downstairs but the pub was well signposted pointing the crowd in the right direction. The room was extremely small and everyone was packed in, there was again nowhere to sit down but this was definitely because of the lack of space. If you suffer from claustrophobia this would definitely not be an ideal venue, however I personally found it made the gig that much more intimate and personal because you are so close to the band.
There was no bar in this room so you would have to go back upstairs if you wanted a drink however, as said previously there wasn’t even room for seating areas. Again, there was also no access for anyone disabled at this venue.
The one major grumble about this venue was that the band who were on after whoever was on stage were having to carry all of their equipment through the crowd and place it at the side of the stage. But, because it was so busy, they were really struggling to fight through the crowd, and, it made it difficult to really concentrate and enjoy the music because you were constantly having to move out of the way for the band playing next to get through.
We saw two bands in this venue the first was Rory James. They’re music is something entirely new, it’s really catchy and everyone danced along to at least one song. Rory has a really smooth voice and it blended perfectly with the hard bass and the synthetic techno melodies. Some songs almost had a tropical vibe to them it was truly a spectacular performance and I definitely recommend grabbing tickets to one of their shows, you will not be disappointed.
The second band was Cousin Kula, they had brilliant audience interaction from the minute they stepped onstage firing questions at the audience and getting them involved in the show.
They had a really inclusive variety of music and made full use of all six members of the band and their strengths. They kept the audience as part of the performance the entire way by sharing personal anecdotes about certain songs, for example one song called Stacked was written about the main singer’s mum. The band danced along with the audience and just appeared generally super welcoming and friendly. The use of the saxophone fit in so well with their overall funky vibe and everyone in the audience loved it.
Only negative from the Cousin Kula set was that the venue was definitely too small for such a popular band and the six members were really cramped onstage even though they made it work. I think a lot more people would have come along to watch had there been room.
Even though this was the penultimate night of their tour across the UK, they didn’t appear drained or tired in the slightest. They didn’t let the energy drop for one second and their enthusiasm for the music was entirely contagious.
The Great Western is a brilliant idea and with so many different bands and musicians performing there is definitely something for everything. I do feel it could be much better advertised, when I was walking through the West End from one venue to another, I had to use maps on my phone as there wasn’t a single sign post or poster for the event. I feel that much larger, more in your face signs, could be placed outside the venues that are part of the event to help people find their way. Maybe this would also bring people in from the street who are just walking by and more tickets could be sold.
It was a refreshing experience and an added bonus of getting to see what our local city has to offer on the music scene. Definitely recommend attending if you get the opportunity.
