Ragged Bear
Venue: Queen's Hall/TheCrewTown: Nuneaton
Date: 25th-26th October 2024
Website: https://www.raggedbear.com/
Every festival has a different feel to it and Ragged Bear has an atmosphere all of its own. Based indoors there are no stalls or workshops, and just one Morris side. It's a music festival in the real sense, attended by people who're there for the music and they listen to and appreciate the artists on stage. The artists pick up on that as well and several of them said they enjoy playing it for just that reason. Something else that marks out Ragged Bear, down to the skill of festival supremo Steve Bentley, is that there's a slight change in style from year to year that makes each different without being a radical shift that might put off the regulars. This year had a slightly less folky feel, with more bands and fewer solo and duo acts. From first to last it meant the music was hard to stay still to.
As usual there's a free entry warm up on the Friday night, very well attended to begin with as the Anti-Nowhere League were playing to a sell out crowd upstairs, and we had two local acts of some quality to get everyone in the mood. Dust and Debris gave us a really enjoyable set of country and bluegrass before indie folk-rockers The Outcast Band powered through a set of passion, drive and energy.
Saturday is intense with twelve hours of music upstairs in Queens Hall and downstairs in The Crew. The acts are synchronised so there's no need to miss anybody with regular traffic up and down the stairs. Greenman Rising opened the day, setting the tone that this was not going to be a laid back event. Playing folk music with a dance beat, driven by the bodhran and vocals of Steve Bentley they got everyone moving. There was a slight change to the line up this year due a couple of members having other engagements, but it didn't detract from the sound and a guest singer and whistle player, Anya Fay, gave variety to the vocals. They're a band I always enjoy seeing; they have that buzz that sets you up for the day.
Downstairs festival regular Brad Dear opened and what always stands out about his sets is the joy he has in playing. All credit to him for then MCing the stage for the rest of the day. I bet he slept well that night. I saw eighteen of the twenty acts on Saturday, so I won't just make a list of them all; that isn't what a festival is about. Every act was there on merit, which is the main thing, and there were some I'd seen before like The Laggan, Blackbeard's Tea Party, Three Daft Monkeys and Merry Hell who are guaranteed to give you a good time. Each is worth the ticket price on their own but put them on the same bill and it becomes special. Merry Hell deserve an extra mention for their new songs from an eagerly awaited album out early next year. It will make waves.
The two solo acts also left their mark. Jess Silk drew in a huge crowd downstairs with her folky punk that inevitably draws comparisons to Billy Bragg, and music still needs people who will come out with the challenging ideas and protest. Phil "Swill" Odgers, still producing great music after many years of playing packed out the main hall and was great to see.
When I say the hall was packed out it, it really was, and an absolute delight to see so many people in the audience. It wasn't quite a sell out crowd, but getting close, and says a lot about the festival's reputation when many so others are struggling.
Amongst the new acts The Kahunas impressed me. This west country duo gave a very good set of more urban folk based on their life on the road and have gone straight onto my list of people I want to see again. Final mention must to to Dog 'Ole, another Midlands outfit who have a full on set of music you can't put in a box and a cahon player who puts the cool into cool and wears sunglasses indoors better than anyone! It was a thumping set I really enjoyed.
Ragged Bear is a festival that deserves to do well, showcasing a great range of grassroots music. Set in a venue that works hard at keeping music alive, and reaping the rewards of doing so, it shows that hard work and a great team can buck trends. Tickets are already on sale for 2025 so I'd recommend you get in quick.
Tony Birch words & Pictures
There's a full festival gallery covering all of the acts that played, CHECK IT OUT
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