UK Prog Rockers fail to satisfy.
Having not heard of Mostly Autumn before the festival I was not sure what to expect and although the high occurrence of fans wearing their t-shirts encouraged me, Mostly Autumn failed to live up to the promise that a band who are second on the bill should fulfil. This band who are described as the UK's answer to Pink Floyd (aren't Pink Floyd from the UK anyway?) fail to give a satisfactory reply in the live environment.
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The bands mix of 70's style prog rock with a curious folk-influenced flute section whilst sounding good on paper, and indeed on record, did not sound entirely convincing or of a high quality onstage. Whilst the band's songs were melodic, rhythmic and interesting enough to catch the audience's attention, there almost seemed something out of place about them in the line-up. In a list consisting mostly of European power metal bands Mostly Autumn stuck out like a sore thumb due to the different nature of their music. It was easy to gain the impression that they would fit in perfectly at a festival aimed entirely at Prog but here their music seemed out of place sandwiched in between Breed 77 and Sebastian Bach. Indeed the vocals of Heather Findlay whilst pleasant on the ear for the most part (barring the sound problems) almost seemed more suited to a country or folk outfit than Mostly Autumn's style of prog rock.
The band suffered from sound problems throughout their hour long set which was particularly noticeable in quite a painful form when the flute was deployed or when singer Heather Findlay hit the higher notes. These sound problems plagued the band throughout their set and added another reason why the set was found lacking.
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That is not to say there were no redeeming qualities in their set, they were there and they were clearly evident. Interesting guitar parts and solos provided by guitarist and vocalist Bryan Josh managed to alleviate boredom whilst the flute sections, although proving gimmicky later on, were at least an interesting curiosity for the first few songs played.
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Overall Mostly Autumn were not a highlight of the festival at all, which proves even more of a shame as a rightly placed prog rock or metal band would have provided an interesting contrast to the rest of the bill on offer at Bloodstock Open Air. Whilst Mostly Autumn may sound pleasant on record they were not what myself, and I suspect others, were looking for.
To view all photos taken during this set click here. There are 8 available.