Review by Chris Roberts/WiderViewPR.co.uk

THE third Blues at Broomhill Festival took place on Saturday August 22 in a field in South Warwickshire, managed by the Jervis family.

This year’s event, run jointly by Tim Porter and Oliver Carpenter, had a theme of Downhome Americana and Roots.

The line-up was headlined by The Zen Hussies and included The New Essex Bluegrass Band, Jamie Williams and the Roots Collective, Nuala Honan and Kit Hawes, Mumbo-Jumbo and The Peas.

The festival included burgers and hot food from Paddock Farm, teas and Cakes from The Gate Inn Brailes, pottery from Penny Varley Ceramics, a beer tent run by Chris and his team, a blacksmith and children’s entertainment and face painting.

The special festival beers on offer included Broomduster (aka Hook Norton LION) and Bluesbuster from Cats Brewery Co, Shenington. Also on offer was the award winning Cotswolds Dry Gin from the Cotswold Distillery.

First on stage were the local intrepid Warwickshire duo of The Peas, featuring Kelvin Leitch on guitar and vocals and Kelly Rashleigh on double bass and vocals. They played a range of 80s and 90s songs, but played in their own unique style.

The songs included “Just can’t get Enough” with added Kazoo, The Erasure song “With a Little Respect”, a Spice Girls number “Spice up your Life”, a rap song “Pump it Up” before finishing with a classic blues number from Muddy Waters “Got My Mojo Working”

After a short changeover we moved over on stage to Mumbo-Jumbo with event organiser Oliver Carpenter in the line-up.

They played a selection of songs in their own rootsy/bluesy style including “Rejoice”, Graveyard Shift”, “Sail that Ship” (which was shortlisted for a Blues award), a 1930s New Orleans song “Man Smart, Women Smarter”, “Black Rose” and finished with “Whoa Mary Don’t you Weep”.

They were followed by Bristol-based Nuala Honan and she was joined on stage by Kit Hawes. The duo both played acoustic guitars and sang a range of classic traditional blues numbers including “Bear with Me”, “The Way it Goes”, “Lay me Down” and “Lonesome Blues”.

Next we had the first of two Essex based groups Jamie Williams and the Roots Collective, who are a six-piece group who don’t fit into a musical box. They have taken songs from Blues, Folk, Country and Bluegrass and given it their own Roots Collective sound and energetic stage presence. Their songs included “Voodoo Man”, several of their own songs and finished with the classic “Jonny B Goode”

A change and style of music then came as The New Essex Bluegrass band performed around one central microphone -1940s/1950s-style.

Their songs included “Till the Day I die”, “Just Wondering Why”, “Ashes of Love”, “Who will Sing for Me” and “Old Train”.

Then after the crowd moved under the large Marquee to shelter from the light rain we had the Headline act The New Zen Hussies from Bristol.

They gave us a great sound with guitars, mixing with a horn section and great singing from lead singer Jonah Flatfoot. They gave the dancing crowd a selection from their recent Albums “Breadline”, Troubled Feet” and “Continental Adaptor”.

After their set had finished Barney Porter and Mark Jervis and others had a singalong around the camp fire in the woods next door to finish off a great day.