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He arrived on stage dressed like a gangsta rapper, yet roots legend Toots Hibbert exuded an endearing, attitude-free warmth throughout this joyous two-hour set. From the infectious riffs of ‘Funky Kingston’ to the sublime harmonies of ‘Louie Louie’, he and the Maytals proved that, fifty years after their inception, they’ve still got it going on. Despite some glitches with the sound, and the Dome feeling somewhat too pristine a setting for a ska gig – though some youngsters surreptitiously puffing on their “magic cigarettes” put a smile on everyone’s faces – the crowd was ecstatic, bouncing along to old classic ’54-46′, and delighted when Hibbert declared, “You’re all my friends”. The 65-year-old soulster may be a reggae icon, but we’re all welcome in his gang.

Concert Hall, Brighton Dome, 8 September
Rating:
Colette Bernhardt

This is a fantastic show, chronicling Mark Thomas’ attempt to walk the entire length of the wall erected through the Palestinian/Israeli partition and West Bank, in theory to stop suicide bombers travelling freely into Israel. The complexity of the issues are far more than simply territory, and mixing anecdotes with history, all delivered with the style of a village elder around a camp fire, it’s little wonder this has become the first comedy show to be up for an Amnesty award. Backed with a massive map of the area, it would have been helpful if this was used more in the first half, and if we could have seen some photos and had a little more volume in the second half, this would have been perfect.

Theatre Royal Brighton, 11 September
Rating:
Victoria Nangle

Woodpecker Wooliams began her set in the ornate Pelham Room with a beautiful baroque song of domestic abuse. Her darkly compelling, theatrical set contained water pistols, mock rage and much stage make up which showed how much she has grown as an artist. She set the bar high for the following acts. The Memory Band offered a more traditional selection including several songs born in Sussex. Laish’s combination of harmonies, strings and woodwind typified the ‘Wilkommen sound’, especially on ‘Petty Ruiner’ which provided the perfect soundtrack for this beautiful setting. Dancehalls retained the tweeness from their previous incarnation, while Alessi’s Ark played a bashful, willowy set to an appreciative cross-legged crowd.

Peggy Sue followed, with a string section in tow, and the main stage became instantly filled. Previewing songs from new album ‘Acrobats’, their sound has matured and become more percussive with ‘Song And Dance’ standing out. This Is The Kit’s spectral sea songs returned us to the world of folk before Hannah Peel played to a packed and roasting room. The simplicity of her music box added to the beauty of her performance and supported by Laura Groves, on guitar and vocals, she sounded angelic on new song ‘Regret’.

With the marquee rammed for Herman Dune, performers and punters created an impromptu pole-less May dance on the lawn.

The short sets kept things moving and fresh at this most boutique of festivals; organised by true music lovers and attended by the most respectful and receptive audience an artist could wish for.

Stanmer House, 11 September
Rating:
Steve Clements

With his roots in English folk music and its corresponding scene, Digance is unequivocally and unashamedly English. His lyrics and poetry are often labelled as nostalgic but they strike a chord with a lot of people, hence his continued popularity. He had his gripes and moans like all of us do, the current financial climate, getting old, England’s football failures to name but a few. But it didn’t come across as grumpy, just charmingly down-beat. I was extremely impressed with his guitar virtuosity; he has a wonderfully dexterous finger picking style. Small audience but it didn’t hamper the enjoyment. A greatly over-looked pleasure.

Worthing Pavilion, 10 September
Rating:
Lee Stevens