It was all very well organised, but relaxed. I managed to get to the site fairly easy and parked up in a huge field dedicated to the purpose. Walking in, I noticed that Crabbies were a major sponsor and had brought their own bus:
I had one of their alcoholic ginger beers later on and it went down very well. It's the ideal festival drink!
I got myself a drink of lemonade flavoured with mint:
I think it was meant to be strained, but the mint tasted OK.
Benjamin Francis Leftwich
I missed the first act, but the second was a singer/songwriter who wasn't bad.
He sights his influences as being Bob Dylan and Eliot Smith, but he's not derivative of either. He's a good musician and the songs were engaging, plus he's a good singer.
Dry The River
I confess, I didn't have much time for this band.
Maybe it was the sound system, but they jarred on me. They got the crowd going, though.
Billy Bragg
I saw him walking around the field earlier, looking for a bite to eat, so a man of the people.
This year is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Woody Guthrie, so Billy is touring with a set of his songs. He was as good as ever, bantering with the audience. Small gigs like this are his meat and drink.
Overall, I really enjoyed the festival. It still has a local and folky feel to it which make it relaxed, with just a little commercialisation (inevitable in order to pay for the acts) but not too much to spoil it. Whether I could have enjoyed it for a full weekend, I don't know, but I'd certainly recommend it for the day.
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