Prince is heading to Kent!

If Bobbysix.com were to compere its dream festival, then there is absolutely no doubt that genius sex midget, Prince, would be one of the headliners.

So, imagine our excitement when we discovered that the diminutive one would be headlining the final night of the Hop Farm Festival in Kent in the South of England this July. To be honest, the words "Prince" and "Kent" feel kinda incongruous, but, actually, his inclusion shouldn't really be a surprise, as the festival has impressive pulling power when it comes to attracting amazing acts. This year also sees Morrissey, Eagles, Brian Ferry, Iggy & The Stooges and Lou Reed joining Bobbysix favourites Kitty Daisy & Lewis, Cloud Control and Erland & The Carnival on a jam-packed bill.

If this isn't enough to make you want to head to the festival, it also boasts no sponsorship and no branding. This is very much a festival in the real sense of the word - not just a bunch of bands in a field with stages dwarfed by adverts for Virgin (or whatever). The atmosphere promises to be something special.

So, if you want to spend a wonderful weekend in the Kent sunshine (July 1-3) with some legendary acts and some like-minded music lovers (and why wouldn't you?), then visit the Festival's Official Website for ticket details and more information about line-up and transport etc.

Incidentally, if you are going, then you should totally dress up as your favourite era of Prince on the Sunday night. How much fun would that be? Let me guess, you're going for the frilly-shirted Purple Rain era, right? Oh predictable you. Us? We're opting for the high-waisted pants, heeled shoes and shirtless, oiled torso look. Sexy.

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Kitty, Daisy & Lewis to play FREE Sydney Festival show!

 

The Sydney Festival is amazing, bringing together some of the finest and most diverse music, theatre and art for three weeks in the Australian summer. In addition to this, the first night is a completely FREE extravaganza across a number of locations in the heart of the CBD. You can't ask for better value than that. The exciting news is that it's this Saturday.

Because it is 1. Free and 2. Amazing, The Sydney Festival First Night can be something of a shit fight, as the whole city seems to turn out for it. Still, if you're prepared to battle your way through the crowds, then there is some excellent entertainment awaiting you. None more so than the unbelievably brilliant Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, who will have Hyde Park a-rockin' and a-rollin' at 5.40pm. We are huge fans of the London-based siblings. Their performance at Manning Bar was not only our favourite gig of 2009, but one of our favourite gigs of all time. It turns out that they rather like BobbySix.com too (check out the testimonials further down the page). So our simple advice to you is, DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW.

Here is a short clip we filmed of that awesome gig at Manning Bar:

Once you've danced your legs off to these guys, there is loads of other stuff to see and do, most notably Arrested Development at Martin Place. Have fun!

Words by Rob Townsend

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis at Manning Bar, Sydney

KITTY, DAISY & LEWIS
DAN KELLY
Manning Bar
10/12/09

Melbourne singer/songwriter Dan Kelly was his usual affable self as he served up some oldies and some newies. Even though his performance felt a little pedestrian, his often fantastical storytelling was, as always, appealing enough.

Kitty Daisy & Lewis - a brother and two sisters from London aged between 16 and 21 - have been pretty much universally lauded since they released their eponymous debut album over a year ago, so their first ever visit to Sydney was as welcome as it was overdue. Dressed straight out of the fifties and - cute alert - backed by their parents on guitar and double bass, the trio ventured on a joyous romp through rock ‘n’ roll, hillbilly swing, country and blues. Old classics like Johnny Horton’s Mean Son of a Gun and original compositions such as Buggin’ Blues were delivered with oodles of charm and an infectious joie-de-vivre that had the audience singing, dancing, clapping and, most importantly, smiling throughout.

It soon became abundantly clear why Kitty, Daisy & Lewis have turned so many heads. It’s not because of their age or the intriguingly incongruous anachronism of their music, but simply because they are absolutely fantastic at what they do. These guys can play, and not just one instrument either; they spent the entire gig switching duties. Take Kitty for example. As well as frequently performing lead vocals, she played guitar, harmonica, drums, ukelele and trombone. Not bad for a sixteen-year-old. Ice-cool Lewis sang, played guitar, drums, lapsteel, banjo and keys, while Daisy - a little fireball of energy - was on drums, xylophone, accordion, keys and vocals, most notably on the brilliant I Got My Mojo Working.

Their mastery of so many instruments was breathtaking and their hour-long set (which included a cameo from legendary Jamaican trumpeter, Eddie ‘Tan Tan’ Thornton) was mesmerising - almost too much to take in at times. It’s not an exaggeration to say it was one of the most amazing gigs this reviewer has ever seen and to attempt to sum it up with mere words seems strangely futile. Superlatives have yet to be invented for how great this was, but the guy in front of me said it succinctly enough in a text message that he sent mid-gig. It simply read: “This is the coolest thing I have ever seen.”

Here is a short clip of the awesomeness: