It is easy – and exciting – to get lost in the wilderness. When you arrive at Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire excited to experience Wilderness Festival, once you have sorted out your themed costumes and prepared your glowing headdresses, allow me to shine a beacon of a guiding light to one of its many venues: The Barn.
Initially started as a Folk Barn, the venue has broadened its music horizons to welcome indie, jazz, blues, world music and many more. Each day at The Barn is curated by a different partner. If you arrive on Thursday, Front Room Songs will ease you into the weekend of high jinx and shenanigans with their trademark intimate setting featuring up and coming talent. Liv Sommer will invite you into her world of indie folk, queer soundscapes. Angry and vengeful, modern and feminine, she chronicles her strained friendships and romances and the journey towards healing.
- Liv Sommer will perform at The Barn on Thursday 1st August, 17:30 – 18:00
- Follow Liv Sommer on Instagram / YouTube / Soundcloud
Hosted by Cut A Shine – a troupe of traditional musicians and ceilidh dancers – Friday at The Barn will turn into a hoedown they are so well known for. It will provide a fitting setting for Amelia Coburn, a BBC Folk Awards finalist who populates her world with characters plucked from the dark shadows of literature, film noir and travel. Expect wild, theatrical interpretations of Jacques Brel.
- Amelia Coburn will perform at The Barn on Friday the 2nd August, 16:00 – 17:00
- Follow Amelia Coburn on Instagram / YouTube / bandcamp / her website
Saturday at The Barn is courtesy of Woodburner, an agency that started out as a secret East London night and evolved into a permanent fixture, delivering the best live events with a focus on singer/songwriter, world music and indie / electro. If you’re up early, swing by The Barn to catch Loie (pronounced Low-ee), a BRIT school graduate known for her captivating vocal improvisations and soulful sound rich in samples of nature and everyday life. If you love Nina Simone and Jill Scott, Loie will be your cup of tea.
- Loie will perform at The Barn on Saturday 3rd August, 15:30 – 16:30
- Follow Loie on Instagram / YouTube / her website
Return to The Barn later in the evening to catch Ellie Harris, another BRIT graduate and a talented singer/songwriter who blends jazz, soul, folk and blues with a hint of pop. If you love Erykah Badu, Minnie Ripperton and Moonchild, be sure not to miss her.
- Ellie Harris will perform at The Barn on Saturday 3rd August, 19:30 – 20:30
- Follow Ellie on Instagram / YouTube / her website
Return to The Barn on Sunday afternoon and soak up the voice of Nell Mescal. The Irish singer/songwriter is proud of her Phoebe Bridgers, Bon Iver and Taylor Swift influences and her songwriting tackles universal human emotions (homesickness, relationship breakdown) with sincere vocal delivery.
- Nell Mescal will perform at The Barn on Sunday 4th August, 16:45 – 17:45
- Follow Nell Mescal on Instagram / YouTube / find her debut EP Can I miss it for a minute on bandcamp
Hang around after Nell for Tara Lily, the first British signing to Motown Records. Rich in Bengali heritage, her music is a blend of alternative R&B, jazz, Indian classical and electronica.
- Tara Lily will perform at The Barn on Sunday 4th August, 17:45 – 18:45
- Follow Tara Lily on Instagram / bandcamp / YouTube
“We’re not broken women, we’re just fascinated by the viscerality of emotion” is how Dolores Forever introduce themselves. Hannah and Julia, a British / Danish duo, are known for infectious alt-pop. Their bio reads “Fleetwood Mac without the husbands” and you can also hear hints of MUNA and Maggie Rogers in their songs. Expect anthems for others who, like them, like to feel intense feelings.
- Dolores Forever are performing at The Barn on Sunday 4th August, 19:45 – 20:45
- Follow Dolores Forever on Instagram / YouTube / pre-order their debut album It’s Nothing here
Wilderness Festival takes place in Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire 1st-4th August. You can grab your tickets here.