Whalebone Polly

(Acoustic Stage – Sunday)

After waking with only a few hours sleep following Blackbud's 2AM Late 'n' Live set, I trudged alone to the other side of the site to the Acoustic Stage, and collapsed appreciatively on the dry ground. I'd never heard 'Whalebone', as they were wrongly announced, and was seeing them on recommendation from a friend, who in turn did so on recommendation from cLuMsY.

What I was greeted with is the perfect way to start any Sunday, and certainly one of the performances of the festival. With only a short set, the trio of Whalebone Polly managed to captivate and delight a very receptive audience, whom were larger than 'Polly seemed to have anticipated.

The set had to be short, as the first act of the day usually is, but in that set they managed to show a fantastic body of songs, the definite highlight being the gloriously beautiful 'Boa'. Between songs the 3 girls exchanged playfully with the crowd, when guitars needed tuning, and instruments needed changing, but the banter was welcome and only added to the delight at their music.

All 3 are extremely accomplished playing what they play, guitar, banjo, fiddle, accordion, etc., and their voices complimented each other perfectly, though Rachel Dadd, who sings most of the lead vocals, possibly has one of the most beautiful voices for a long time, leanings to Joni Mitchell and Sandy Denny, as well as other folk legends, but also more contemporary artists such as Katie Melua.

Overall their performance was a shining example of how to open a beautiful Sunday morning, and would be welcomed any time again. A fantastic start to the day, as well as the perfect soundtrack to run to the Greenfields with.

review by: Daniel Lee

Latest Updates