Swindon Link freelance columnist Jessica Durston recently attended Forestry England's Forest Live concert at Westonbirt Arboretum (headlined by Paul Heaton and Billy Bragg), and has penned her thoughts down.
Billy Bragg
The beautiful, bright and hot sunshine, natural surroundings and sense of togetherness made this Forest Live Westonbirt gig feel like a microcosmic Woodstock, taking place within the far reaches of Gloucestershire.
Furthering the feeling of unity, for this particular tour date, the concert-goers were not segregated into sections. Stewards explained to the massing crowds that they were free to sit anywhere, and that there was to be no VIP area, on headliner Paul Heaton’s orders. This gave the concert a more connected feel, with people having all paid the same price-point, and all getting the chance to cluster wherever they desired to, at the foot of the stage.
Sticky anticipation in the warmth of the low setting Solstice sun started to build amongst the crowds gathering, as the time came for Billy Bragg to take to the stage. I too was eagerly awaiting a performance from the bard of Barking, having seen him in Reading a few years prior, and knowing the great standard of musicianship (and witty sense of humour) to expect from him.
Billy started his set off with his poetic 1984 track ‘St Swithin’s Day’ and started to cast his spell over everyone. He was joined by the very talented, multi-instrumentalist CJ Hillman who swapped back and forth between the pedal steel guitar, mandolin and electric guitar. It was great to see CJ on stage again this year, after seeing him back in October with blues legend Terry Reid.
On piano and providing alluring harmonies with Mr Bragg, was JJ Stoney. The pair were particularly magical together during the folky number, ‘Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key’ (with words provided by Woody Guthrie).
The 1991 hit ‘Sexuality’, was a firm favourite for the crowd to join in with, along with other classics like ‘She’s got a New Spell’ (1988), ‘Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards’ (1988) and ‘Levi Stubbs Tears’ (1986).
The socialist East London lyricist had all of us arboretum dwellers in the palm of his hand with his charismatic and engaging stage presence. In his trademark way, he used his platform to spread a message of love and support for the gay and trans community, and spoke eloquently from a heartfelt light-radicalist standpoint. He encouraged all of us, his ‘brothers and sisters’, to play devil’s advocate and think about what we can personally do to lift up and protect society’s more marginalised communities.
Following this rousing left-leaning discourse, Billy bowled straight into his 2021 song ‘I Will
Be Your Shield.’ He delivered this track in a meaningful way with powerful vocals - supported by JJ Stoney’s commanding keys - and you could really feel his intent behind the words.
Additionally, those behind the organisation of these Forest Live events are also doing their bit to make the gigs more inclusive and accessible, with the hiring of two wonderful ladies who were on-hand to sign the entire evening’s entertainment in BSL.
Billy Bragg’s set was a masterclass in how to deliver an easy, breezy, solid performance, with tact, talent, and a tasteful political edge. He walks the delicate tightrope between down-to-earth, bantering, Essex football fan, and articulate, thoughtful, outspoken, liberal. These two identities can sometimes repel rather than amalgamate, but not in Billy’s case.
But now let us move on to the artist topping the bill, Paul Heaton. The Merseyside icon was joined by special guest singer Rianne Downey. The pair joined forces on his most recent album ‘The Mighty Several’ (2024) and worked their way through a cavalcade of songs, spanning Heaton’s stints with both The Beautiful South and The Housemartins, and his own, newer, tracks.
He opened the set with ‘Old Red Eyes Is Back’, whipping the crowd up, accompanied by a thudding bassline from his brilliant band, as the song was building. He followed this up with his 2024 track ‘Quicksand’ - a punchy, ska/rag-time number, and set the tone for the rest of the evening…a Paul Heaton party special!
Rianne Downey’s sweet vocals complemented Paul’s and cut through the omnipresent bass and other madness that was taking place onstage during the set. Their collaborative album ‘The Mighty Several’ exhibits some tracks leaning more towards the americana/country genres and Rianne’s clothing choices nodded to this western American theme, with her above-the-knee prairie style dress and brown cowboy boots.
It was not only America that the concert-goers were transported to during Paul Heaton’s set however…it was Russia too! The band’s backdrop on the digital screen behind them felt akin to a world war political propaganda poster, with Heaton’s face and ‘WELCOME TO HEATONGRAD’ plastered across it. The band did include Heaton’s 2015 waltzing Slavic song also entitled ‘Heatongrad’, and it was a real raucous highlight, with Rianne, a perfect devushka, twirling in circles in her white dress. She stood out often with her blue spotlighting and her angelic vocals.
Furthermore, even though it appeared that Paul had some kind of cough or cold, his vocal performance also remained strong throughout his majoritively high-energy set. Through some of his numbers (including ‘I Drove Her Away With My Tears’) his voice swooped to impressive heights - akin to a 70s soul singer!
Paul’s cheeky chappie persona onstage is magnetic, and he wasn’t afraid to poke fun at the audience, his band, and himself. He entertained everyone at Westonbirt with his dance moves, which were clearly showcased as he had chosen to wear knee-length shorts and display a good portion of his legs!
When introducing his extensive band, he decided to go around the group one by one and state their name and the football team they support, encouraging the boos and cheers from his Forest Live audience.
Even the BSL interpreters didn’t escape Heaton’s good-natured joshing, with him remarking he ‘didn’t want to know what the ladies were signing’ when he sang his expletive-ridden track ‘Don’t Marry Her.’
On the subject of the band, I think it is worth mentioning they were like a well-oiled machine, working in perfect harmony and supporting one another like a colony of rock ‘n’ roll ants. As a team, everyone was integral in creating the carefully-crafted party atmosphere. This was particularly evident during their performance of the much-loved Housemartins hit ‘Happy Hour.’ The audience were only too happy themselves to oblige Paul’s request for simultaneous jumping and arm-waving in unison.
Although I’ve described the set as one big party, Heaton and Downey did slow things down at times with some softer tracks and some ballads to provide some light and shade…with specially-chosen, moody spotlighting. ‘A Little Time’ and ‘A Song For Whoever’ made the list. It was a dreamy feeling listening to Paul’s softer vocals on The Beautiful South’s ‘I’ll Sail This Ship Alone’ whilst behind the stage, the dark outline of a cluster of birds flying past stood out stark against the orange-blue dusk skyscape of the sunset.
To close this session of musical festivity, Paul and Rianne did a group of fan favourite classics including ‘Rotterdam’, ‘You Keep It All In’, and ‘Caravan of Love.’ Giant inflatable balloons were set loose into the crowd, getting batted about left, right and centre and everyone got lost in the jolly chaos of it all. If Heaton is not already on your list of must-see artists, on my authority, he should be.
The long and short of it is that with Forest Live, you know you’re going to have a great night of musical entertainment in stunning, green settings. Music, togetherness, and care for the environment are key, and everything you could ask for is right there. A number of different street food stands providing a variety of cuisine options, and a decent toilet block; right down to reusable wine and beer glasses and champagne flutes, that can be returned, washed and used for a future tour date.
If you’re a music lover, or a tree hugger, this is the concert series for you!
More information about Forest Live 2025 can be found at https://www.forestryengland.uk/music
Your Comments
Be the first to comment on this article
Login or Register to post a comment on this article