State Fayre 2026 – Sunday (see also Friday and Saturday)
Hylands Park, Chelmsford
28th June 2026
Laid back Sunday at State Fayre: A day for kicking back, soaking in sounds and atmosphere, and sitting in the sun. Friday and Saturday brought stunning main stage performances and stifling heat. Sunday brings balmy temperatures, a greater focus on country sounds and melody, and a more mellow feel.
McGrath‘s my first encounter today. As he admits himself, he’s quintessentially Irish; red of hair, pale of skin, and an unmistakable Brogue. He’s just a guy with an acoustic guitar but what a voice. Think Dermot Kennedy or Damien Rice, he’s certainly worth further investigation.
A short stroll to the Horizon stage crosses the Atlantic to a very different voice. Hannah Hill hails from New York (I think.) She’s a singer songwriter, but especially a singer. This isn’t folk or country, and it’s hard to label a genre. They’re just songs but her voice is something special; deep, powerful and soulful. I sense she could sing almost anything and make it her own.
The aroma around me says lunch. What’s more the Fume stage is demonstrating Sunday roast dinner so it’s rude not to try. Reluctantly walking away still needing more than I’ve sampled I encounter the Italians. There’s a marquee, trestle tables, with Italians baking cakes at one end and serving coffee at the other. Music can wait.
Satisfied, I’m drawn by the sounds of Metallica blaring from the Horizon stage. “Thought I’d wake you up,” smirks Nate Bergman as he wanders on stage. There’s a rawness here, the guy could have walked off a Sons Of Anarchy film set. He’s just a man with a guitar but there’s power, passion, and social awareness oozing through his voice and strings. Rock, blues, flecks of country all pour out. It’s the most compelling thirty minutes of music I’ll hear today.
Elles Bailey has always been a great live performer and today’s no different. Her recorded output’s sometimes a little over produced for my tastes but on stage she comes alive. Great voice, great stage presence and her sympathetic musicians deliver a seamless mix of rock, blues, soul and country.
Mae Estes follows. New to me, her bio says neotraditional country and it’s about right. The sound is pure country topped with a traditional voice but she’s blessed with a vibrancy and aura of genuine honesty that draws you in. It’s always refreshing when someone or something unknown and unexpected impresses, and this is one of those gigs.
Today’s main stage opener is Avery Anna and I suspect this cynical reviewer’s opinions are likely to upset a few fans here. With an impressive, versatile voice and a highly accomplished band there’s no doubting the talent on display. Her cover of Ozzy’s No More Tears really rocks, and she makes decent stabs at Cher and Taylor Swift among her self penned country-flavoured tracks. Don’t be surprised to find her playing arena sometime in the future. Unfortunately, for me it all seems a little too formulaic. There’s too strong a whiff of record company curation motivated by big bucks making the most of undoubted young talent.
All weekend I’ve been seeing Buffalo Traffic Jam T shirts. They’ve either got a brilliant marketing team or lots of fans. Judging by the huge crowd inside the Big Top it’s probably both. And the music: tub thumping, simplistic, singalong American folk. The crowd love them but they’re not for me.
I quickly evacuate and head to the main stage where KT Tunstall‘s bringing a much needed dose of energy and charisma. There’s always a spark to her performances, acoustic or with her band; a desire to interact and stimulate audiences. “Today you’re going to get a lot of guitar,” and so we do. Her sometimes acerbic Scottish wit’s intact too. As Black Horse and The Cherry Tree morphs into Seven Nation Army, and then into No Scotland No Party, she gets plenty of people onto their feet. I’m sure many will disagree but for me she delivers the most uplifting and enjoyable main stage performance of the day.
Dylan Gossett‘s been touted as some kind of country music messiah and he’s “very” country. His songs may be lyrically impressive but musically he could be any of 1,000 other American country acts. Similarly, his band’s playing may impress but charisma and stage presence aren’t on the menu. Needless to say, the crowd think differently and as afternoon turns to evening, there’s a growing mismatch between musical offerings, the crowd’s evident appreciation, and your reviewers increasingly divergent tastes.
Which brings me to Orville Peck: A man in a white rhinestone suite and black face mask who at times sounds like a 1970s cabaret Elvis. Apparently the mask’s a symbol of his individuality. Luckily I manage to escape to far more appealing idiosyncrasies. The Coral are on great form mixing psychedelia, ska, off kilter pop and much more beyond; all filtered through a wonky Wirral peninsula perspective. Simon Diamond and In The Morning prove predictable highlights and there’s a wonderful cover of The Doors’ People Are Strange that suits them perfectly.
Buoyed by positivity I’m back at the main stage for Counting Crows and I’m looking forward to this one. When I last saw them over a decade ago, they really impressed and today they’ve drawn the biggest crowd of the day. Unfortunately, I’m to be disappointed. Adam Duritz’s voice is still intact and the band are playing well. But . . . there are airings for classic tracks Mr Jones, Round Here, and others, each with vocal inflections and timings altered. There’s nothing wrong with updating your own material but these rearrangements seem to detract rather than improve. Yet again I find myself failing to enjoy today’s fare as much as those around me. Counting Crows actually play well, and they’re enthusiastically received, but for me they’ve lost the originality that made them special and we’re left with something akin to very competent cabaret rock.
It’s left to The Lumineers to close the weekend but noticeable that significant numbers drift away after Counting Crows. Our headliners are clearly accustomed to playing big venues and tonight we’ve got a runway and satellite stage together with some spectacular production. At their core though, they’re a folk/country/pop band with songs that audiences like to sing. They certainly get a good response but they’re playing to the converted, and to a crowd much smaller than the two previous night’s headliners.
In every respect the first State Fayre has been impressive. Friday and Saturday have seen capacity or near capacity crowds and great performances from high profile rock-centric acts. Sunday’s had a more mellow, laid back feel. Crowds have been smaller with more country focused tastes but the atmosphere’s been just as good. For a first edition organisation has been pretty much perfect and it’s been pleasing to see how much thought has been given to dressing and presentation across the site. The food offering has been superb, way superior to many festivals. Perhaps not surprisingly, I have heard a few complaints about lack of choice from some with vegetarian inclinations, but is is billed as a music and BBQ festival.
Considering its obvious success it comes as no surprise that dates have been announced for State Fayre’s 2027 edition with tickets already on sale.
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Words and photos by Trev Eales. More work by Trev on Louder Than War can be found at his author’sprofile. His photography portfolio ishere
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