Music Festivals

Anyone else into the festival thing?

Been to a few...

Some of them =

Some of them =







Used to go Maker a fair bit...that was a bit . Been a couple in Oz, they're alright.

Nothing wrong with a bit of Mock, they are the best ones!

I went to Rewind last year and I'm going again this year, tis bleddy awesome and Lightening Seeds are there this year so there's no escaping football!

Who said us wrinklies can't party!

Nope. Don't do unwashed, sleeping in a sweaty tent and drinking warm beer.

I go to Le Mans every year though. That started out as fill the boot of the Cerb with a sleeping bag and an Argos tent. We have now refined this somewhat, where we now take a twin axle caravan, three fridges and Sky TV. We have a full fry up each morning and a Sunday roast after the race finishes on Sunday afternoon, usually while watching the Canadian GP. All in the middle of a French field!

Bloody snob!

It's not a bit like that and although it is tenting it I take an 8 sleeper for the two of us, shower, toilet and *luxury* airbed with *quilt*! It's not always like they show on the telly, well not always!

Aye, been to a fair few in my time. Reading about 18 years ago - saw the Sisters Of Mercy there and they were BRILL. Glasto a fair few times. The old Phoenix festival was good. More locally, the Ashton Court music fest in Brizzle was good fun. One year they had The Herbaliser followed by James Brown headlining. Encroyable!

I'm sure there have been others I've attended too

Been wanting to go to Green Man but dates/situations haven't fallen kindly for the last couple of years.

Saw The Specials at the Pavillions in October last year.

Couldn't believe how many people were my age!

Nick wrote:

Aye, been to a fair few in my time. Reading about 18 years ago - saw the Sisters Of Mercy there and they were BRILL. Glasto a fair few times. The old Phoenix festival was good. More locally, the Ashton Court music fest in Brizzle was good fun. One year they had The Herbaliser followed by James Brown headlining. Encroyable!

I'm sure there have been others I've attended too

Been wanting to go to Green Man but dates/situations haven't fallen kindly for the last couple of years.

We're thinking of going to Ashton Court this year as well, you recommend it then Nick, what's it like for us oldies?

Cerbera wrote:

Saw The Specials at the Pavillions in October last year.

Couldn't believe how many people were my age!

From my experience I would say that most festival goers are between the ages of 30-60 but then, we tend to pick the more wrinklier attractions! kids just don't know how to enjoy themselves these days!

I've not been for a few years to be honest, GOB. We'd always get the train and then it was a massive trek up to where it's head. (One year me and my mates didn't make it past the handful of pubs you pass on the way!) I think it's changed a bit since then, and is defo more expensive, but always enjoyed it in the past. Nice setting, pretty chilled and a good mix of local bands and more known ones. Seemed pretty kid-friendly too back then, if that's a concern.

My ideal festival includes a clean toilet, a comfortable bed and decent food. I call it home ...

Also, I mostly avoid going to see the bands of my youth (the Specials, Magazine, the Damned and all the rest): it's bad enough being this age without seeing your musical heroes all grey and a bit wrinkly

We have a jazz festival in our village in November. Trad Jazz in the club; Jelly jazz in the village hall (dunno what that is); blues in the pub; "modern" jazz in the Arts Centre. We've even got the church in on the act with a gospel choir. All within 5 minutes stroll of the comfort of my home.

Organised by Old Chapel Arts

knecht wrote:

We have a jazz festival in our village in November. Trad Jazz in the club; Jelly jazz in the village hall (dunno what that is); blues in the pub; "modern" jazz in the Arts Centre. We've even got the church in on the act with a gospel choir. All within 5 minutes stroll of the comfort of my home.

Organised by Old Chapel Arts

Think you'll find it's a fairly large building with usually a large hall and one or more small ante rooms for community use.

Happy to help.

Peggy wrote:

My ideal festival includes a clean toilet, a comfortable bed and decent food. I call it home ...

Also, I mostly avoid going to see the bands of my youth (the Specials, Magazine, the Damned and all the rest): it's bad enough being this age without seeing your musical heroes all grey and a bit wrinkly

I saw the Damned twice in their heyday,at the Rainbow in London and the 400 club in Torquay.There was an interesting support act at Torquay,a gentleman who called himself "Auntie Pus" and who i think had only one song,called "Halfway to Venezuela".The most interesting part of his set was when he pulled his willie out and offered the audience "two quid to anyone with a smaller one than that"!

He kept his two quid.

Cerbera wrote:

knecht wrote:

We have a jazz festival in our village in November. Trad Jazz in the club; Jelly jazz in the village hall (dunno what that is); blues in the pub; "modern" jazz in the Arts Centre. We've even got the church in on the act with a gospel choir. All within 5 minutes stroll of the comfort of my home.

Organised by Old Chapel Arts

Think you'll find it's a fairly large building with usually a large hall and one or more small ante rooms for community use.

Happy to help.

Thank you.

My brothers and I were big on the festival thing for many years. We would spend the whole Summer working at them in the 70s and 80s... what a way to spend your time.
From the old Polgooth fayres in Cornwall, Festival of Fools, Hood, Glastonbury, Elephant, Nebworth etc . Avoided the more total music things of Leeds and Reading. Some of the smaller events were heavenly. Over regulation is a concern these days as everything gets more and more corporate.
The Glast welfare tent used to be full of bad trips, now it's people freaking out because their mobile won't work prperly, or their lilo has split.
@Knecht ..... Have always enjoyed the Calstock Whitsun music festival ... great fun ... it's always been a good venue for local music, even before the 'new' village hall. The old wooden one used to rock.
And as for the Old Chapel, I've still got a lovely Unicorn print from the artists that used to inhabit that place.

So who went to the Breakwater pub on a Sunday then?

Greenskin wrote:

I saw the Damned twice in their heyday,at the Rainbow in London and the 400 club in Torquay.There was an interesting support act at Torquay,a gentleman who called himself "Auntie Pus" and who i think had only one song,called "Halfway to Venezuela".The most interesting part of his set was when he pulled his willie out and offered the audience "two quid to anyone with a smaller one than that"!

He kept his two quid.

How weird is this? I saw the Damned in Exeter (was that club called Routes?) and Dave Vanian flopped his out for a little breath of air.

penzancepirate wrote:

......
@Knecht ..... Have always enjoyed the Calstock Whitsun music festival ... great fun ... it's always been a good venue for local music, even before the 'new' village hall. The old wooden one used to rock.
And as for the Old Chapel, I've still got a lovely Unicorn print from the artists that used to inhabit that place.

There is so much still going on in Calstock - ranging from great local bands & community stuff to performers of national or even international standard. The Festival is still going - don't know about "going strong" though! The Bikers' Festival is the biggest event.

Artists in the Old Chapel? Obviously before my time. I only know about the last incarnation as a poetry publishing house and the presentArts Centre.

Cerbera wrote:

Nope. Don't do unwashed, sleeping in a sweaty tent and drinking warm beer.

I go to Le Mans every year though. That started out as fill the boot of the Cerb with a sleeping bag and an Argos tent. We have now refined this somewhat, where we now take a twin axle caravan, three fridges and Sky TV. We have a full fry up each morning and a Sunday roast after the race finishes on Sunday afternoon, usually while watching the Canadian GP. All in the middle of a French field!

Please tell me you don't hitch the tin tent to the Cerbera.

That would just be wrong.

Cerbera wrote:

Nope. Don't do unwashed, sleeping in a sweaty tent and drinking warm beer.

I go to Le Mans every year though. That started out as fill the boot of the Cerb with a sleeping bag and an Argos tent. We have now refined this somewhat, where we now take a twin axle caravan, three fridges and Sky TV. We have a full fry up each morning and a Sunday roast after the race finishes on Sunday afternoon, usually while watching the Canadian GP. All in the middle of a French field!

wimp!!

always go to Shrewsbury Festival, a fabulously organised festival, 4 days in Salop over the Aug bank holiday, fine music, from all around the world and a mighty fine hic beer tent too. A festival where the artists mingle with the crowd before & after their gigs, instead of being flown in & right back out again!! Had many a good session in the beer tent, with some very famous artists over the years. Looking forward to this years event, as it's a first time in seeing Richard Thompson (solo) live... Rock On

do as many as i can each year. the other half does kids stuff at festis so its all for free. got me truck to sleep in so no cold nights, hot mornings and cooked breakie each day, ive got a couple of yurts to hire out this year, glamping time!

we try not to do the festivals that arent really festivals, ie reading leeds chelmsford etc and boringly etc, and the mother of all of them glasto, you need a remortgage to go and the artists flounce as often as our erstwhile president

try off the tracks, shambala (THE best festival about), beat herder, theres more too many to list - see festival eye

Sandford_Grecian wrote:

......
always go to Shrewsbury Festival, a fabulously organised festival, 4 days in Salop over the Aug bank holiday, fine music, from all around the world and a mighty fine hic beer tent too. A festival where the artists mingle with the crowd before & after their gigs, instead of being flown in & right back out again!! Had many a good session in the beer tent, with some very famous artists over the years. Looking forward to this years event, as it's a first time in seeing Richard Thompson (solo) live... Rock On

Is that the Shrewsbury Folk Festival in a different guise? I went there about 30 years ago. If I remember rightly, it was held in a school campus or similar building. I can recall very little about it except it was the usual fun, friendly week-end.

PS I've just done some research and it was probably the Bridgnorth Festival I am remembering. That's since moved to Shrewsbury, I think.

knecht wrote:

Sandford_Grecian wrote:

......
always go to Shrewsbury Festival, a fabulously organised festival, 4 days in Salop over the Aug bank holiday, fine music, from all around the world and a mighty fine hic beer tent too. A festival where the artists mingle with the crowd before & after their gigs, instead of being flown in & right back out again!! Had many a good session in the beer tent, with some very famous artists over the years. Looking forward to this years event, as it's a first time in seeing Richard Thompson (solo) live... Rock On

Is that the Shrewsbury Folk Festival in a different guise? I went there about 30 years ago. If I remember rightly, it was held in a school campus or similar building. I can recall very little about it except it was the usual fun, friendly week-end.

PS I've just done some research and it was probably the Bridgnorth Festival I am remembering. That's since moved to Shrewsbury, I think.

It is indeed the former Bridgnorth festival, had to move as it got far too big for the school grounds, it's now held at the Shropshire show ground, well recommended, need to book early though, as soon sells out!!

Peggy wrote:

My ideal festival includes a clean toilet, a comfortable bed and decent food. I call it home ...

Also, I mostly avoid going to see the bands of my youth (the Specials, Magazine, the Damned and all the rest): it's bad enough being this age without seeing your musical heroes all grey and a bit wrinkly

I saw The Damned a couple of years ago at The Pavilions, supporting Motorhead. They've still got it. In fact I'd say that Dave Vanian's voice is as good as it's ever been, Captain Sensible is still as *cough* eccentric as he ever was, and I didn't see a grey hair between them (I guess Just For Men is as good as the ads claim). They put in a terrific set, although it was lost on a large section of the audience who were younger than Captain Sensible's beret. Those of us of a certain age thoroughly enjoyed their set.