Seafoam Green had an early spot on the main Pendle Hippodrome stage, Colne, for the final day of the festival but set a high standard for the rest of the artists to follow.

A last-minute decision to begin their debut appearance at the Colne R&B Festival with an acoustic set paid off as David O’ Grady on acoustic guitar and Muireann McDermott Long on maracas and tambourine, warmed up the early afternoon audience.

Their wonderful harmonies and upbeat numbers generated soulful power creating the perfect prelude to being joined on stage by drums and bass with David immediately swapping to electric guitar. They had the audience fully converted to Seafoam Green by then and the set continued faultlessly with past favourites and fresh material from their much anticipated new release (release date to be confirmed).

Seafoam Green are clearly set for bigger things and higher places on festival bills. They may be focussed on the lower key festival scene at the moment but this tight unit are surely candidates for a bigger profile and venue. This belief is reciprocated by Dave who believes that having recorded Whiskey from the Martin’s Garden album (reviewed here) in the local environs, the nearby building will warrant a blue plaque commemorating the occasion!

As well as a whisky song we had a a wine song, Yesterday’s Wine, the catchy title track from their latest EP, which showed David’s guitar prowess and the close vocal relationship he has with Muireann’s natural harmonies. Martin’s Garden though, was once again the focus for the highlight of the set – Mine All Mine. The way Seafoam Green built up to a fantastic climax set the bar high for the rest of the day’s performers to reach. The duo ran off momentarily feigning the end of the show and returning for an encore perhaps, but the break was too short even for a brief opportunity for joke telling!!

Although currently branded as Americana/Country, their music has a British and particularly Mersey sound, with the ability to rock and soothe the audience too. Some of their material has a commercial quality as well which wouldn’t be lost on radio plays either within the country, folk or rock scene, such is the breadth of styles they can perform.

The electric flavour of their set clearly added some oomph with some splendid bass runs and determined percussion driving them along but a complete set with acoustic and electric mixed in, would work too. David endears himself with the audience too with a wry patter, but it is the music that really talks to the audience.

The early billing meant a set just short of an hour was all we were given but they could easily have held attention for much longer. We may have been as far from Texacarna as one could possibly get amidst the rolling moors, but Seafoam Green’s unique brand of uplifting and harmonic music set everyone up for the varying styles of blues the Colne R&B Festival always brings

Check out Mine All Mine from Martin’s Garden. Seafoam Green have also written in our Why I Love column, which you can read here.

Earlybird tickets for the 2024 Great British R & B Festival in Colne are available here.

Seafoam Green: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bandcamp

If you would like to keep up with At The Barrier, you can like us on Facebook here, follow us on Twitter here, and follow us on Instagram here. We really appreciate all your support.