A heatwave can do strange things to a festival. It can wilt the unprepared, drain the energy from a field and turn the search for shade into the discovery of a new band. At Devauden Festival, though, the sunshine seemed to bring out the best in everyone.
A three-day event held over the late May bank holiday weekend, its home is now at Humble By Nature, Kate Humble’s farm near Penallt, Monmouthshire. There was the sense of a grassroots event growing confidently without losing sight of what made people love it in the first place – a family-friendly, community-rooted festival with a big heart.
Debuting in 2010, Devauden has moved far beyond its village-hall beginnings, but it has not been swallowed by scale. Buzz’s own festival guide notes its growth from a small village gathering into a grassroots family-friendly fixture. That felt about right: big enough to wander between stages and keep finding something new, but still compact enough to bump into the same faces, lose children safely to bubbles and craft stalls, attend a workshop or try some holistic therapy, all while feeling part of a weekend rather than trapped in an expensive commercial site.
Folk and roots remain at Devauden’s core, but this was not a narrow definition of either. Around the music were morris dancers, late-night revelry and the easy rhythm of adults catching up with old friends while children got their first taste of live music. The site had room to breathe, which mattered in the heat: no desperate crush, just a wide Monmouthshire sky and enough space for the festival’s spirit to do its work.
Saturday’s main-stage honours went to Rusty Shackle, who understood exactly what the occasion needed. Preaching to the converted on home territory, their folk-rock anthems and big choruses inevitably went down well in the Big Top, and they had the drive to keep tired legs moving after a long day in the sun.
‘The Shackle’ gave Saturday the rousing send-off it needed, but the day’s pleasures were spread widely. Nick Parker And The False Alarms were a highlight, Parker’s storytelling carrying the kind of lyrical sharpness that rewards close listening. The Rogues brought indie energy, while Crossroads offered another strand of the weekend’s folk-rooted identity: young players with tradition and arrangement grounded in the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
There was also heat of a different sort from Dirty Cash, whose Bristol ska proved fireproof, even if the singer admitted regretting her choice of outfit in the searing temperature. Red Hot Riot, late substitutes who crossed the border from the Forest Of Dean, pushed things into psychobilly territory, plugging new album Devil’s Curse and tearing through a superb version of Tainted Love.
One of the weekend’s most promising discoveries was Heather Dolly Jones. From Pontypridd, with a band formed at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, she delivered a polished, assured set that suggested bigger stages are a matter of when rather than if. Heartbreak City, playing their debut gig, were another surprise: slick 80s synth-pop with a modern sheen, taking a leaf out of Chromeo’s book. For a first outing, they already looked impressively formed.
Sunday belonged to Tankus. Part cabaret, part rock’n’roll circus, they gave the closing night a sense of theatre as well as release, with more than a few sunburnt dancers determined to squeeze the last drops from the weekend.
Earlier on Sunday, Mwsog were one of the standout acts. A Welsh-language collective whose sound has been described as psychedelic and rooted in contemporary folk, they hit the ground running. At times, they felt like a prog-folk cousin to Gwenno: quirky, mysterious and authentic. Their set was engaging not because of novelty, but because they put everything into it.
Away from the Big Top, the Tangerine Trees stage – curated by Newport label Dirty Carrot – offered a strong snapshot of emerging talent and unashamedly promoted the Monmouthshire scene. The John McConnachie Band played with passion, while Birdcage summoned a grungy, My Bloody Valentine/Dinosaur Jr haze in their first gig in eight years.
A poignant moment came at the start of Airflo’s set, when they paid tribute to their guitarist James Wilson, who sadly passed away last year. They did his memory proud. AMDL’s harmonies were lovely, especially covering Pete Seeger’s The Bells Of Rhymney – given the rare gift of correct Welsh pronunciation, which as the band pointed out is not always guaranteed in American versions. Prestatyn power trio Bau Cat closed that stage in fine style, while Cardiff-based Aisha Kigs brought an r’n’b/Afropop flavour to Saturday afternoon.
The dance tent remained busy enough to prove Devauden is not content to be a sit-down-and-stroke-your-beard affair. Last up on the Roots Stage, Afro Welsh Connection gave the festivities a joyous send-off, ending in a communal singalong that warmed the heart.
What Devauden does best is variety without losing identity. It can hold folk, ska, psychobilly, Welsh-language psych, indie, synth-pop, dance music and family entertainment without feeling like it has been assembled by an algorithm. Proudly not-for-profit and well organised, it still carries the warmth of the village festival it once was.
Over one very hot weekend, Devauden showed that growth need not mean losing your soul. Sometimes it just means making a bigger field feel like home.
Devauden Festival, Humble By Nature, nr Penallt, Fri 22-Sun 24 May
words and photos KARL ELLIS
