Over the past nine years, Bushstock has brought a host of new and emerging artists to venues throughout Shepherd’s Bush for what has nearly always been a near-flawless day of discovery for music fans.
Alas, this year was to prove a little less serene, with a technical issue just before 6:00pm on The Courtyard at K West – the event’s only outside venue – shutting the stage down for the day with four acts left to play. Previous years of flawless delivery must leave Bushstock with a little credit in the bank, and they relocated Mosa Wild and IDER to other venues with commendable speed, but there’s always going to be a black mark when Gang Of Youths, one of the three headliners, are left with no place to play.
There were a couple of other problems, with The Courtyard already running behind and Rosie Lowe forced to play half a set at Bush Hall again due to timing. The positive angle is that with 41 acts playing over six venues – plus two scheduled secret sets at Albertine Wine Bar – there was always somewhere else to turn.
First up was a trip to the intimate Bush Hall Dining Rooms for 21-year-old California native Madison Cunningham. Replacing Bush Hall Library for this year’s festival, it’s an encouraging start.
There’s often a trade-off at Bushstock, whether to stick rigidly to a list of acts you want to see, or flit around and visit each stage to fully appreciate the sheer variety of genres, styles and set-ups on offer. The serenity of St Stephen’s Church is an absolute treasure trove of hidden gems, with Freya Ridings – who played a set there in 2018 – back among the crowd this time for Eloise.
Secret sets are a pretty common gimmick at festivals, but they did the trick at Bushstock with a huge queue waiting outside Albertine Wine Bar for Brighton songstress Maisie Peters. She mixes poignant lyrics with Love Island fangirling – they featured a song of hers on a recent episode – but the highlight of the day comes when she unplugs her guitar and performs a song she promises after “will never be heard again” which is mad considering how brilliant it was. She’s made her name with a succession of electro pop bangers but, in a room with 50 people, a guitar and Tina Hizon on keys, this was on another level completely. That Apre, homeless after The Courtyard was abandoned, did the other secret set is small consolation for the few able to see it.
In true Bushstock style, it’s the eclectic mix of genres that makes it what it is, and next up were the slightly more rambunctious MarthaGunn on the ill-fated Courtyard stage. In hindsight, considering they effectively became the headliner, they put in a decent effort worthy of the slot. Frontwoman Abi Woodman showed shades of Florence Welch over whirling guitars and synth, hammering through new and old songs – ‘Saint Cecilia’ in particular lifting the sizeable courtyard crowd.
Discontent was inevitable after the festival was shorn of a stage but the rest of the venues marched on, with Winnie Rader’s spine-tingling closing set at Bush Hall and Tom Rosenthal at St Stephen’s Church the big highlights as the evening set in.
The effort to slot in the missing acts from The Courtyard was admirable but did result in a little bit of chaos, as I turned up to Defector’s Weld at 11pm not entirely sure who I would see on stage. It was the hastily rearranged IDER and to be fair they were class, the late race across Shepherd’s Bush Green causing them less problems than it did me.
The organisers will also be happy that the remaining headliners put on a decent show, in particular Matt Corby at Bush Hall – with a couple apparently getting engaged midway through the set. That, at least, will provide some fonder memories.
