Old pubs of Hackney, cold February night and a lot of good music – that is basically what the Americana Fest and Awards were about last week. The Americana Music Association brought to London 20 different bands from the UK, US but also Canada. With the bands performing across four different stages in Hackney, it was impossible to see everybody, even though, if you attended, I hope you did not miss somebody like Danny & the Champions of the World who played with Henry Senior Jr. Don’t worry, if you weren’t in the crowd, below are the three bands you definitely should check out after their last week’s performance!
JESS MORGAN
The soulful voice from Norwich. Jess Morgan is a wonderful storyteller who has been on the country folk scene for years since releasing her first album in 2010. She’s tours regularly in the UK and Europe and it is definitely not a surprise why. Her style of writing is straightforward and emotional, and it feels like it is as simple as telling a children’s story. Not only that, Jess is an artist far beyond music, as she proves to be a quite handy away from the guitar too – one of her current projects was to make a homemade Vinyl of her latest music! At the Americana Fest, Jess performed a 30-minute long acoustic set, something that incredibly compliments her soft voice and makes it very addictive. Go Jess!
Favourite song: In Brooklyn
HOPE IN HIGH WATER
The duo from Milton Keynes were first introduced to the Americana music in 2014, and have been making a name for themselves ever since. With Josh’s very unlikely punk background, his raspy vocals compliment well Carly’s soft voice. Much like Jess Morgan, Hope In High Water’s preference is to perform acoustically because of the intimacy of their songs. Definitely worth seeing them live.
Favourite song: When Sorrow Calls
THE GRANDE
This band released their debut album in 2011 and it is hard to believe they are from Liverpool when their music, a mixture of Americana, blues and country, sounds like they come straight from Texas. The Grande performs performs in full band and their sometimes old school country songs definitely showcase a range of instruments, therefore there should be something interesting about them for everybody.
Favourite song: Hide My Love