You could easily be mistaken in thinking that Caught By The River Thames is yet another of those boutique type events. You know the kind, the ones that are full of city centric poseurs flashing their faux festival posturing all up in your face or yummy mummies driving you nuts with their infernal festival trollies carting lazy arsed kids around an immaculately groomed field. But in this instance you’d be wrong.
You could think of Caught By The River as more like an old school fete, but with really good music. The organisers don’t tart it up. They’ve no need to really, as Fulham Palace does a fine job of giving the whole affair a touch of stately prettiness. Rather than be a distraction to what we're all here for, the music, the site just sets it off rather nicely.
Caught By The River began life as a website dedicated to being an “online meeting place for pursuits of a distinctly non-digital variety: walking, fishing, looking, thinking. Birdsong and beer. Adventure and poetry.” The site has since spawned a record label, magazine, events and branched out into publishing.
In addition to setting the festival in rare and almost pastoral location by the River Thames the bods behind the festival managed to gather together a fine eclectic lineup to play their two day do, and these were five of the best.
BE play ONE
Considering the nature of the website this festival was born from, you couldn’t witness a more apt performance unfold on a sunny August afternoon. Recorded by Kev Bales and Tony Foster and featuring Deirdre Bencsik, vocalist Camille Buttress and the Icelandic string group Amiina, the piece is described as a symphony of dialogue between bees and mankind.
Be play the piece to a crowd stretched out on the grass in front of them, and it’s a gorgeous start to the weekend. It’s light and ambient nature occasionally unfolds into soaring stings, the cello being the standout, and that’s when the music soars. A hypnotic, unusual but ultimately lush festival experience.
Riley Walker
Riley Walker’s folk rock is equally finds a befitting home in this time and place. The sun bleached loose alt folk americana he has his band dispatch washes over you whilst surreptitiously taking its hold on your consciousness. All this in spite of Walker’s unlikely garb; baseball cap, tie dye t-shirt and ever-so-slightly too short cut off denims.
One of the highlights is a cut form his forthcoming record Golden Sings That Have Been Sung called the ‘Roundabout’. Walker introduces the song as “about people in the Mid West that are dummies.” It’s a beaut of a tune played out in a meandering, yet perfectly honed way. He signs off by telling the crowd, “Everybody hanging at the ice-cream line, you my homies. I will see you shortly.” And for all his goofing around what stands out is his carefully crafted songwriting.
Beth Orton
Although Sugaring Season only came out in 2012, it seems like an age since Beth Orton has been on the radar, and Kidsticks was a fine reminder of why we’re glad she’s back.
Her set takes largely from the excellent Kidsticks, and it’s great to hear these song played live. Particular highlight ares the rhythmically arresting ‘Snow’, and the resolutely sun kissed pop of ‘1973’. Orton does’t neglect favourites from her back catalogue and the set is peppered with the likes of ‘She Cries Your Name’ and ‘Central Reservation’, both played out with an understated, lush mastery.
Low
The sun is starting to set when headliners Low take the stage, and they offer a stark contrast to the bright proceedings. The black clad trio dive straight into their signature slowcore grooves that mesmerise with their down tempo majesty.
Married couple Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker’s harmonised vocals carry emotional weight by the bucket load particularly on ‘Plastic Cup’ and ‘What Part Of Me’ from 2015’s superb Ones and Sixes. The night is rounded off with a beautiful rendition of Al Green’s ‘Lets Stay Together’ followed by the heavy grind of ‘Landslide’. A weighty closer.
Super Furry Animals
The Welsh psychedelic rock stalwarts stand distinct from Low in almost every way, and the dissimilitude makes for a welcomely diverse programme from the festival. And the and don’t disappoint bringing a bonkers party vibe to their closing headline set on Sunday evening.
Unlike Low’s austere dress and staging, SFAs pull out all the stops with laser lights, jumpsuits and Gruff’s trademark Power Rangers helmet. They kick off with a jubilant ‘Slow Life’ that is anything but, and it marks the start of the most dancing seen over the weekend.
The band treat the crowd to all manner of hits from their back catalogue. The languid ‘Hello Sunshine’ offers a break from their trippier tracks, and ‘Hometown Unicorn’ is a proper singalong moment. The latest single ‘Boing Boing’ is a live gem - a great ball of ridiculous unadulterated fun.
Super Furry Animals were a perfect way to send the people on their way into the night, full of joy. And despite a constant stream of planes cruising over the site all weekend, you very much doubt anyone there felt sore about not being one of those heading to sunnier climbs; it was enough to be caught by the river, for this weekend at least.
