‘I’ve seen Kings of Leon 13 times so far,’ said the woman in front of me. ‘State Fayre will be my 14th!’. I gasped at her, realising I may be out of my depth.
We started a conversation after she asked me if the two water bottles on the floor were mine (they were — it was 37 degrees).
‘I don’t want to knock them over!’.
This was a foreign level of courtesy to me. My festival experience extends only as far as Reading Festival after my A Levels and Love Saves The Day, a drum and bass event in Bristol. Let’s just say neither were particularly dignified.
But State Fayre, a brand new rock, country, folk and ‘Americana-inspired’ festival in Chelmsford, Essex, challenged everything I thought I knew about big music weekends.
A huge line up
Kings of Leon were headlining on Friday night and Alanis Morissette on Saturday, with appearances from Black Crows, Skunk Anansie, Razorlight and new country star Stephen Wilson Jr.
Sunday saw The Lumineers headlining, with performances from KT Tunstall, Counting Crows and Dylan Gossett.
Buckets full of nostalgia
Now — let’s be honest, this line up doesn’t exactly scream Gen Z.
However, I’m 22, so while Use Somebody and Sex On Fire may not take me back to days in the club, both give me serious childhood nostalgia.
I also grew up on the legacy of Alanis — in fact, I still play my mum’s Jagged Little Pill CD in my Fiat 500.
Even though You Oughta Know was released in 1995 (nine years before I was born), those lyrics can’t be confined to a single decade.
So, it’s safe to say, despite being the youngest person there, I was certainly one of the most excited.
Day 1
Walking onto the same fields that V Festival by Virgin Media used to be hosted on, the vibe couldn’t be more different to my past experiences. Cowboy hats galore, the scent of BBQ and a giant ferris wheel all create a relaxed and authentic country vibe.
Even though the line up is undeniably millennial, plenty of up-and-coming stars were given their chance to shine.
Brenn!, who has amassed 427k TikTok followers and released viral tunes such as 4runner, sang with his signature gravelly tone.
Next up was Kingfishr, who reached Instagram fame with songs The Sun Will Never Settle and Killeagh. Watching these new artists perform was pure joy.
Stephen Wilson Jr. who recently performed at CMA Fest in Nashville, took the crowd by storm — even walking through the masses as he played and sung his newest hit Gary.
Then it was time for the main event.
Opening with Find Me, and following with all their old classics such as The Bucket, my dad said the start of Kings of Leon’s set was ‘like putting on an old, comfy jumper’ (I hope he doesn’t put me out of a job).
Waste a Moment and Wait For Me were songs I hadn’t listened to in years, but they took me right back to mornings with the radio blaring and relaxed drives home from school.
The atmosphere was unmatched, and though everyone was dancing (often with people they hadn’t arrived with), it wasn’t the usual collision of bodies the late evening at live music is known for.
Whether it was the respectful nature of the older clientele, or the sticky heat, there was plenty of space to dance, jump and scream.
Sex On Fire exceeded my expectations. Caleb Followill’s vocals were even better than the studio recording, and the energy of the crowd made me wonder why the song often ends nights out rather than starts them.
Day 2
I didn’t quite make the 8:00 vinyasa yoga, or even the 9:00 run club, but the first act I caught left me just as relaxed as either would have.
The Big Top was overtaken by Razorlight – seeing America live was a bucket list experience.
One of the only main artists on the lineup I’d never listened to was Skunk Anansie (sorry to any fans).
However, as soon as the band’s frontwoman Skin said ‘it’s not about right and left, it’s about right and wrong’, I was hooked. While I can’t claim to know what 90s punk felt like at the time, I think I got a taste of it through All I Want.
Then, it was time for Alanis.
The set was kicked off with a montage of her best bits through the years, from her seven Grammy award wins to her iconic interview quote: ‘My sense is, if we’re going to air on the side of matriarchy or patriarchy, air on the side of matriarchy.’
In another montage moment, the voiceover says ‘This is a female artist that transcended gender in a way where dudes could be like “I feel the same way”’.
The sentiment doesn’t only apply to gender: this is a 90s artist who transcends time, where young people now can say ‘I feel the same way’, too.
Opening the set with One Hand In My Pocket, with a backdrop of her quote ‘wholeness over wellness’ set the empowered tone of the show ahead.
Hands Clean, accompanied with a gem-embezzled guitar, allowed the set to take a more emotional turn. I felt spiritually related to the girl who was crying and the camera zoomed into for Head Over Feet – hearing Morisette play the harmonica live hit me straight in the chest.
The full power of her voice was captured in You Learn, and belting ‘you live, you lean, you love, you learn, you cry you learn’ with an audience of fans felt close to a religious experience.
Of course, close to the end of the night, You Oughta Know brought the energy (and rage) right back up.
While probably too mainstream for a super fan, Ironic has been my favourite since playing my 2000s Pop Queens disk in my pink CD player (embezzled not too dissimilarly to Morisette’s guitar). The grit of her voice stood out from Brittney and Madonna.
Though Ironic didn’t close the night, hearing it live felt like a full-circle moment.
Alanis may have altered the lyrics from ‘and meeting his beautiful wife’ to ‘his beautiful husband’ – but aside from this, everything has stayed the same.
The power of her performance and the relatability of her music remain unchanged.