Super-friendly event Grillstock came to the serene Bristol harbour side and gave a good time to a sold-out 5,000 strong crowd hungry for meat and also music.
There were two well-curated stages featuring music that got the crowd on their feet and fitted a sunny weekend perfectly. The line up was diverse and ranged from Sicknote Steve’s rousing Doghouse Blues to rap, Acoustic Punk, Hip-hop and Jazz.
The more intimate Brooklyn Bar really helped bring the festival vibes with a massive variety of acts and beer on offer. Bristol’s very own Mr Woodnote’s went down well with the Brooklyn Bar crowd. He started off with the groove and slickness of his sax riffs being played over the beats he’d built up on his loop station while MC Lil Rhys rapped and the whole sound was being complemented by Eva Lazarus’s vocals. By the end of the gig Comedy-rapper Simon Panrucker had even jumped up for some freestyle that ended up in the whole tent, including me, dancing and singing along.
Back on the main stage Dirty Gentlemen brought their own sound of foot-stomping Swamp Gospel Blues. The crowd grew through the Gents’ tight live show until the arena was full and dancing.
Ironically I couldn’t tell you anything about the food, as despite being at a meat event I’m a veggie! Although all the Grillstockers I spoke to loved it, one even said their burger was ‘worth every penny.’ And from looking round the stalls myself, there were lots of different food, and not a sub-standard burger van in sight! Free samples, cooking demos and all led up to the main event: the King of the Grills cooking competition judged by top foodies. If you could stomach it, there were eating competitions too! 16 hot dog eat-off anyone?
The only thing I can say is that the queues were longer and slower than average festival queues, for things like toilets, food, and drink and it would of made the event more comfortable for everyone if there had been more space to sit down. Also considering a kids area for 2015 might just be the icing on a brilliant festival-themed cake, or more fittingly burger!
The sun was setting on a beautiful day when Saturday night headliners the Fun Lovin’ Criminals took to the main stage. I managed to catch up with a very relaxed Huey Morgan backstage. He was happy to be in Bristol and even offered me some of Grillstock’s very own Brisket sandwiches. He told me that when they “started caring about the songs we were writing and the stories we were telling, and I started digging deep into myself and what I’d been through, that’s when it really started getting real for me and the band”.
The Criminals’ set was the highlight of my weekend. The all-singing, all-bouncing crowd had found its way onto every possible vantage point, from lampposts to storage containers, around the packed out site. They finished the set with the ‘Fun Lovin Criminal’ but came back for an encore playing their version of ‘We Have All the Time in the World’ showing a more delicate side to Huey’s vocals, and ending the night on just the right note. Addressing a crowd cheering for more, Huey said, ‘sometimes things seem out of reach, and then on nights like this it suddenly all makes sense’. I couldn’t agree more.
Over-all Grillstock Bristol was a great event and I’m really looking forward to Grillstock Manchester. You can still get tickets too – if you’re quick!
Published on 16 June 2014 by Ned Mansfield
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