We caught up with ENGEL AND THE MOUNTAIN PEOPLE ahead of THE GREAT ESTATE FESTIVAL....
Ahead of the Great Estate Festival which takes place at Scorrier House in Cornwall over the Jubilee Bank Holiday Queen’s extra long Coronation thingy weekend, we chatted to a tremendous 4 piece band called ENGEL AND THE MOUNTAIN PEOPLE. We covered loads of topics including musical influences, gwetting washed away at a previous music festival, their forthcoming live album and their top tips for enjoying a music festival, for all of this and WAY more, read on…..
Please tell me about the band, who is in it and what you do....
The band is a 4 piece comprised of Luke Engel on lead vocals and guitar, Jess Illingworth on mandolin, acoustic and vocals, Matthew Gordon Price on drums and Olly Parker on Bass and backing vocals.
When did you start your musical journey?
The band as you see it today is actually relatively new, with Jess being the most recent addition to the Mountain People. We are extremely excited to show everyone what we have been working on behind the scenes!
You're based in Plymouth do you have to travel far in order to enjoy live music?
We've always enjoyed Plymouths music scene and there always seems to be a live event happening just around the corner when you stroll through town. Of course we all still travel around to different cities to see bands, that's part of the joy of live music, the excitement of exploring a new city and a new venue.
What style of music do you play?
Our songs hold their roots in folk, with flowing harmonies and poetic lyrics that paint pictures of changing times. We have a good mix of down beat, atmospheric songs and upbeat, bluesy tunes...hopefully a good variety to please a range of people!
Who would you say are the band's musical influences?
Nick Mulvey, Bears Den, Nick Drake & Mighty Oaks all play a part.
Do you know what day/time/stage you're playing at the Great Estate Festival?
We are playing on Sunday 19:30-20:30 on the Secret Gin Garden Stage
What can the audience expect from your live show?
A mixture of songs you can Jig to and ones you can sit back and enjoy a beautiful summers evenings to (maybe wishful thinking in regards to the weather...), gently reflecting on days gone by.
There seem to be more Cornish festivals popping up all over the county these days, what is it about them that keeps people coming back year after year?
We would say the weather but that will 100% jinx it. The locations for sure are a winner...who doesn't love a quick post festival trip to the beach.
Tell me a funny story about a festival/show that you've attended in the past....
At Salcombe Live Festival we ended up playing with all our equipment on stools due to a flash flood causing a river between our feet...more of a traumatic story rather than funny now we think about it!!
Please tell me about any new music that you have in the pipeline and when can we expect to hear it?
Our new song ‘Memories’ is currently out on all streaming platforms and we are currently in the process of finishing off a live in the studio album featuring a few new and old songs. We've also got some epic woodland music sessions coming out alongside the release of our live album (date TBC) so keep your eyes peeled on our socials for more information!
Lastly, tell me your top three festival survival tips?
No tips, go in blind...that's how the best stories are made!
We’d like to thank Luke for sparing the time to chat to us and we wish him and his Mountain People all the very best for their performance at The Great Estate Festival and for all future music endeavours. To keep up to date with their musical happenings, head to their socials below. Don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for more news on the release date for their live album, exciting times!
Socials