A REVIEW OF DONCASTER'S LARGEST MUSICAL FESTIVAL, 'T-Fest' - 20/09/2016

THIS year, I attended Doncaster's largest music festival, Tickhill's very own 'T-Fest'.

The line up for this years festival was one which appealed to me very much, due directly to my taste in music. However, there was plenty of entertainment and other things going off around the two venues as well as some bands / artists who were of more of a pop kind of nature.

It was a great day out for all the family.

Although every band / artist I saw at T-Fest put on an excellent set, I had previously seen some of them beforehand (Jekyll, Bang Bang Romeo, Tom Rolley and Billy Bibby and the Wry Smiles). One band however I got to see for the first time (Paisley Sundae), both of which put on a great show and exceeded expectations I had about both due to what I had previously heard about them.



TOM ROLLEY - photo credit to the relevant individual, name could not be found.

TOM ROLLEY, one of the acts who I had previously seen at Blackfest VII who during his performance of Amy Winehouse's 'Valerie' blew me away and that is exactly what he did this time.

Stripped back, just him and a guitar he hit the stage playing songs like Stevie Wonder's 'Superstition' and again Amy Winehouse's 'Valerie' as well as a bit of Beyoncé 'Love On Top'. All songs which Tom knows will get people singing and dancing and appeal to many different people due to their difference in genre.

Showing pure natural talent this Dinnington based musician had all of the audience singing along at the Scarborough Arms as I'm sure he did later that day when he also played the mainstage.

Due to his set of 'feel-good' covers, I feel that Tom is an artist which you could never bore of seeing even if he played the same set everytime and that is down to his voice and his energy. He interacts very well with the crowd he is performing to and makes them know just how much he is loving performing to them without actually saying it.

Tom Rolley is definitely someone that no matter what genre of music you like, somewhere in his set there will be something you know and you will definitely find yourself singing along to him.

PAISLEY SUNDAE

PAISLEY SUNDAE, a band which describe their music as feel-good indie rock provide just that.

This Barnsley based four-piece consisting of though young, know exactly what makes a good catchy song and a good set.

Making use of all the stage, interacting with one another and the audience, they captured the attention of the audience for the whole 25 minutes of their set which is rather difficult to do, but these boys show promise in their performance.

I imagine, to be one of the first bands on when there is a day full of bands is rather difficult but these boys did so well and they had no nervous vibes about them. They looked calm and confident throughout.

At the end of their set, the guitarist of the band quickly grabbed his phone and asked everyone to put up their hands so he could take a picture. Near enough everyone in the photo did as he asked and turned round to be in it, this shows exactly how much attention everyone was giving to the boys.
 
Paisley Sundae are definitely a band I wish to see again, given the chance.

 

JEKYLL - photo credit to Nidge Luhg Sanders (Trust A Fox Photography)

JEKYLL, the loveliest bunch of boys I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, a band who I have now had the delight of seeing 3 times and each time they have shown me that they are a band I would like and since then have confirmed it for me.

Hailing from Blackpool, these boys bring melodic alternative rock with a classical aspect by way of lead singer Joel's voice.

Not all bands sound as good as they do on their tracks when they play live, this is not the case with Jekyll. They are consistently brilliant and it always looks so effortless but passion filled.

Right from the off, they took the stage as there own - not staying in one position for long this band launched themselves around, occasionally acquainting their bodies with the floor they made sure their energy was put to full use and they were enjoying every second.

If you have not yet seen Jekyll, you are missing out and should definitely go to see them very soon.


BANG BANG ROMEO - photo credit to the relevant individual, name could not be found.

BANG BANG ROMEO, without a doubt one of Doncaster's best bands.

Both times I have seen this band I thoroughly enjoyed myself throughout. They are one of the most powerful sounding bands I've ever seen.

This set for me was particularly special due to them playing their hometown and having an amazing response, the crowd loved it.

Not only are they immense as musicians, they work so well together. You can tell just from looking at the band perform that they have the natural chemistry that is needed when being in a band.

Their entire image just all works so well and fits in perfectly with the music they are producing.

Bands sometimes haven't covered all they made need to so they don't always reach their full potential, Bang Bang Romeo is not one of those bands and I recommend everyone who reads this sees them live at least once.

BILLY BIBBY AND THE WRY SMILES - photo credit to Chesterton Photography.

BILLY BIBBY AND THE WRY SMILES, though this band have not yet been together for a year you would think they have.

This is directly due to their live performances of which I have now seen two and how they come across to the audience during these.

When I watched this band for the first time I had waited for a long time and so I was very glad to be finally getting to do so and they exceeded what I thought they may be like. When I saw them for the second time at T-Fest I thought they were even better.

Their laid-back approach is definitely something that works very well for this four-piece, it definitely comes across to the audience and for me that's something that allows you to know more about the personalities of the members and can allow you to feel rather relaxed while watching them.

Alongside that, their feel-good catchy tracks got the audience dancing even if they had never seen the band before which not everyone who was there will have.

I feel like overall the line-up for this years T-Fest was amazing and all those involved in choosing the line-up should be very pleased with themselves!

Written by Sophie.