Fusion festival in Stourport is always a much coveted long weekend event revered by all who attend. Myself and fellow Prog head Johnny Blakey look forwards to such road trips. Hoasted my Steve and Lou Gould, Fusion is now well established as the go to event supporting such much loved yet niche musical forms. As we drew nearer to Welshes caravan park where our home would be for the three of the four days we elected to attend Fusion 6 we met with with colleagues from Progzilla Radio and fellow attendee’s from the the very special community who make the annual pilgrimage. We were briefed on the previous evenings performances which we had missed. Amplifier had certainly left their mark with one colleague commenting that “they were one of the best bands he’d seen in a long time. As we made our way to the civic centre in Stourport the atmosphere and spirit of the day became more palpable. As I collected my wrist band from Lou Gould and met up with Dear friend and organiser Steve I selected my perch for the weekend, sat down with a beer and watched the opening act for the day fellow presenter Buzz Elliott. With his use of loops and such gadgetry he treated all to a variety of musical styles though his take on Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells went down well. Ellesmere too were an absolute joy to watch. John Wilkinson’s voice was on top form giving out that Phil Collins feel to some finely crafted songs as did The Mighty Bard. The evening was brought to a close by Lazuli who rather took me by surprise with a crop of really interesting compositions and style. I was intrigued by Claud Leonetti who played and instrument he designes and built himself called a leode. As the masses files out more than content, the more hardy Progsters travelled to The Swan Prog Pubarama for a little spiritual indulgence which didn’t end until approximately 3:15am.
Saturday started off in a most convivial with the first of The Progmeister’s highlight bands, Splink. So many of the Prog elements that I enjoy are included in their music. The first of the bands that brought about the Canterbury sound, although I do have to admit that a little more vibrancy was on offer here. This band had me glued to my seat with Vikki Ings violin inducing a pep to the overall sound whilst Matt James guitar and vocalising in a Richard Sinclair scat kind of way brought a smile to my face. Adding colour, joy and a touch of folk to the proceedings where wonderful Haze. With their many hats, masks and even a fish tale the family McMahon set about to please and please they did. Flautist Catrin Ashton wandered the stage as the grim reaper at one point and not for the fist time of the weekend brought a little theatrics to the music in classic Prog tradition. Changing styles for a little more of a traditional rock feel Grace And Fire took to the stage. Front man Andŕe Saint filled the stage with energy and not for the first time a welcome youthfulness. Whilst the rest of the band helped take care of the fire part of the music, it was helped along by keyboard player who Joshua Gidney in the grace department, laying down some sweet piano motifs and subtle soloing. Hard on the heels of this power house were Italian band Karmamoi. A sea change from the previous band Karmamoi battled with technical problems due to having only twenty minutes to prepare. However, once singer/keyboard player Valerio Sgargi got underway all went well. His style was certainly channelling Neal Morse and his home town Milan was well represented by his elegant fashion sense. He was without doubt the best dressed man in Stourport throughout the whole of the weekend.
Injecting humour and levity to the proceedings, Peter Jones and his band Tigermoth Tales positioned himself behind his keyboard and lateralised guitar for a somewhat tear jerking at times performance of his first album Cocoon. With his jovial persona and shear stage presence Peter managed to get some audience participation going. Despite that, the more beautiful elements of the songs did tug at the heartstrings to those of a certain age and I noticed a few folks including myself wiping their eyes. Yet another highlight for me which lead me straight into the bar to by a copy of Cocoon on vinyl. After a longer break and a chance to get a second wind the crowd took their seats to greet Kyros. Headed up by the whirlwind who is Shelby Logan Warne, an exponent of the keytar, Kyros represented the pop side of the Prog genre methinks, though Shelby’s solid keyboards and stage antics did take them away from the mainstream. Charlie Cawood’s rock steady bass was also notable throughout the band’s performance. At this point I detected an emergence of individuals in the crowd with more hair and tattoo’s than previous. Could this be the Prog metal contingent coming forth to support the evening’s headliners Van Hertzen Brothers? These guys were taking no prisoners setting out their stall from the outset. They were very loud, upbeat and filled every corner of the room with both sound and personality. The band brought a great end to a great day. Throughout the whole of the weekend there was something for everyone which in this day and age is a tonic.
The church of Prog is a very broad one and Sunday started as it should, in the church of Prog. Even more aptly with The Book Of Revelations. With only three fifths of the band on stage during their set due to illness keyboards and drums were provided via a laptop in the wings. Professionals to the end the band pressed on with their set and finished quite admirably. Staying with the notion of Prog being a broad church next band up Shaven Primates took the concept to the wire incorporating a theatrical approach as well a grunge/punk take on their story telling. It certainly had some of the audience sitting up in their seats and shedding the remains of their hangovers. The band were underpinned by a lean Rickenbacker bass and searing guitar sound and definitely cleansed the pallet for a band that has been on my radar for a while, Hipokamp Projekt. To say this band blew me away is an understatement. With their almost jazz fusion take on a more bleak and sparse sound they filled the room with all of the sounds I enjoy the most. The tenor sax melding beautifully with violin, acoustic guitar and piano. The sensual swaying of violin player made her a lot of friends and as I battled to buy a cd from them afterwards I was thwarted by the bands lack of a card machine. By the time I had obtained cash they were all gone. Damn! Bandcamp here I come.
Yet another highlight for me was Dominic Sanderson. With a hard act to follow Dominic took it all in his stride playing three of the songs from his new album Blazing Revelations. Many of the Peter Hammill/Van Der Graaf Generator and canterbury scene fans would have seen this set as a fix. I personally found it a breath of fresh air to witness such a youthful band playing such complex music with such verve and enthusiasm. A tight rhythm section with bass player Tristan Apperley and drummer Jacob Hackett nailed it and Andy Frizell’s Sax and flute lending a King Crimson vibe. I managed to catch up withDominic and keyboard player Embiye Adali after their set for a quick chat during which he informed me that album three is on the way. As the crowd dispersed for an extended break the stage was stripped and made ready for the final push towards the finale with one band to go before the headline act. As Spriggan Mist prepared for their energetic presentation bassist Baz Cilia’s ongoing tongue in cheek conflict with Ghost Of The Machine singer Charlie Bramald was turning into a campaign. Dancing is killing Prog espouses Charlie berating the Spriggen Mist team and their folk-like aspirations and dance moves. The band complete with a new drummer for the evening Ali Soueidan played an absolute blinder. With their colourful attire and singer Fay Brotherhood’s floral head dress many of the ladies were compelled to fly in the face of Charlie Bramald’s plea and dance.
And finally, every good things come to an end. It had been announced earlier in the day that Solstice lead singer Jess Holland won’t be able to join the band on stage due to being confined to her bed suffering with a nasty virus. This clearly had a deep resounding effect on Solstice leader Andy Glass as he had to use some spiritual chanting during his preparation for his performance to get him through it and actually phoned Jess Holland so the crowd could all wish her well. After a lengthy setting up period troupe Solstice took to the stage and blew everyone’s mind. All fears were dispelled as singers Ebony Buckle and Dyane Crutchner stepped up and did a fine job of filling the hole left by Jess. For such a large band it is plain to see that they are so well rehearsed they are when you hear how tight the overall sound is. Astounding performance from an equally astounding band. Chatting to Andy Glass prior to his performance, it struck me that given the choice he is the person I would most want to be like. What a way to end such a magical musical weekend than with a truly magical band.
What a weekend! Great venue, staff, crew and of course hosts. All bases covered, even a talk about prostate cancer by a survivor, an auction of which my colleague Mike Whitfield won and then donated the spoils to me. In addition a prize raffle for which I forgot to check my tickets. Difficult to come down from such a powerful event. So, off to The Swan with some of the best folks in the Prog community. We even formed a Yes a’capella group our own Swan chorus you might say? As we packed up and made ready for home there was time to reflect on the weekend and having seen the line up for 2026 make plans for Fusion 7. So, the caravan is booked and waiting for the tickets going on sale. Music without boundaries on so many levels. Thanks Steve and Lou. A fantastic job very well done.
