Heilbut fails to live up to expectations at Blueshore’s most loved festival

Music Review: Blueshore Folk Festival

★★☆☆☆

Last Saturday, the Blueshore Folk Festival made a spectacular comeback. After being cancelled last year due to a dead whale washed ashore, the festival promised to return ‘livelier than ever’ this year. The event opened with a spectacular range of local artists and a hunger for more. Unfortunately, the main dish, served by award-winning accordionist Kalmar Heilbut, left us with a bad taste in our mouths.

The coast of Blueshore was on fire Saturday night, or so it seemed. Thousands of people screamed for their lives. Not because of a fear of the fire, but because they knew that at some point, the Blueshore Folk Festival would have to end. After being cancelled last year due to a whale washed ashore, the festival management spared no expense to make this year’s edition twice as memorable. Food stands serving calamari, multitasking street artists, fireworks in the shape of salmons, … It was impossible to leave this event without a smile on your face.

As for the music, there was plenty. The festival featured two separate small stages for local beginning artists, who brought music ranging from classical fiddle tunes to experimental metal drum performances. Though these stages attracted quite some attention, the biggest crowd was to be found at the main stage, where three different bands gave their best during the day. The event was kicked off with some sweet tunes brought by Blueshore’s own folk band Tune a’ Treble. Playing at the festival for the fifth time already, the band didn’t disappoint and even brought some of their old classics back. Following this more traditional folk performance was the new up-and-coming band called Heidi and the Fat Bass’. With their loud beats and memorable lyrics, Heidi was clearly introduced to the festival to attract a younger audience. Luckily, also plenty of older folk fans seemed to appreciate her unique take on the genre.

Recent studies on how fish experience emotions have already been set in motion, and we are looking forward to new, exciting results in the coming months and years. Surely, this newfound knowledge will change the way we see and treat aquatic life forms in the future.

"it looks like the Calamari need some more practice at the local fair before hitting the big stage again."

The supposed ‘highlight of the evening’, however, was the debut entry of the folk rock band Kalmar’s Calamari, led by award-winning accordionist Kalmar Heilbut. Because of his previous success as a solo performer, Heilbut managed to get his band on the mainstage of Blueshore’s biggest festival for their debut performance. Sadly, it looks like the Calamari need some more practice at the local fair before hitting the big stage again. The band started out with a new repertoire, written especially for the occasion, but the first false note of the evening was heard when the Calamari’s drummer dropped his drum stick on accident during the first song. The drum stick was swung in the audience, nearly avoiding a fan’s eye.

During their next song, the hurdy gurdy of lead hurdy gurdyist Michael Salmmann seemed to be slightly out of tune, leaving the audience guessing if this was intentional or just an amateurish mistake.

After these little hiccups, the band failed to get the audience going and gave a lukewarm performance. Even a great accordion solo in the song A Fisherman’s Heart is at Sea couldn’t save Heilbut from facing disappointed fans, who shouted to get Heidi and the Fat Bass’ back on the stage and were so kind to provide Heilbut with some rotten tomatoes.

Hopefully Kalmar’s Calamari come better prepared next year, if they were to be invited again.