By the time Mr Tea and the Minions took to the stage, the crowd had grown to around 90 people. The band were already preparing well before coming on. One guitarist made me smile as he was even stretching, like you might before exercise. Meanwhile, the violinist kept carefully checking her instrument was in tune. It sounded fantastic once they started, so the preparation clearly paid off.
One of the guitarists also caught my eye, dressed in a way that reminded me of Ken from the Barbie movie – the kind of person who looked like he’d be great fun to be around.
What I particularly liked about this band was how everyone interacted with the audience. With most bands it’s only the singer who speaks or engages, but here everyone contributed, engaging the crowd throughout the whole set.
I have to confess I didn’t write much down about the individual songs – I was too busy dancing. The style felt a bit like ska, but with even more energy. My personal favourite performer was the violinist; she seemed genuinely happy to be there, full of confidence and clearly very talented.
My friend said he’d love to see these bands again in a marquee on a sunny day – we imagined the kind of setting where their sound would really come alive. If you get the chance, it’s well worth catching them at one of the many festivals across the South West.
A key takeaway from me was Ez Dickens. She is pure headline material and completely blew me away with her unique mix of sounds, enthusiasm, the way she connected with the audience, and that velvety smooth voice.
