MORE PHOTOS ADDED:Solfest music festival rocks West Cumbria
Last updated at 15:53, Thursday, 02 September 2010
It's almost the end of festival season in West Cumbria and Solfest is always a cracking finale.
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Solfest highlights
We've been here, at Tarns, near Aspatria, since yesterday and already, it feels like home.
Lots of familiar faces that we've seen throughout the summer, especially bands either playing or letting their hair down for the last time, as it is the last major festival in West Cumbria til next year!
As usual, we'll be bringing you news from the fest as it happens and lots of photos. No video til Monday, however, as we're stuck in a two man tent with no electric!
We've seen the Alabama 3, Ecocene, Kontiki Suite and Kitchie Wud so far; there's a difference of opinion about Alabama 3, we thought they were great but some of our friends said they just didn't do it for them as a headline act.
Ecocene are fronted by an old schoolmate of mine, Leon Fussell, they and Kontiki Suite were in the bar stage, which I felt didn't do them justice, really, with the sound.
I've seen both recently at other festivals, see Kontiki Suite in action here , and they sounded tighter. Still, they went down well with the crowd.
Kitchie Wud opened the main stage this morning. An acoustic three piece, it was glorious sitting in the sunshine listening to them.
Never heard them before, but would go and see them again, despite guitarist Ash wearing a Scooby Doo suit.
However, when they stopped playing, the rain started and is now pelting it down. . . . well, it wouldn't be Solfest otherwise, would it? Photos soon. . . .
Saturday 12.18pm
The weather is getting serious now. It was forecast light showers and it most certainly isn't light or indeed a shower. Grrrrr. . .
Had a quick word with the main stage manager Gerard Irving. He says everything is running smoothly.
Saturday 12.23pm
Air ambulance was here this morning, apparently a baby was scalded with boiling water on one of the campsites.
Saturday 12.37pm
Forgot to mention Russkaya last night on the main stage. Interesting Russian sound and we enjoyed the, would have enjoyed them more if they'd got going faster. . . .
The Lovely Eggs are on now, but we think they sound like a Ting Tings tribute act. . . . .
Saturday 12.43pm
Just been told, there are Sunday tickets available for £35, with camping on Sunday night.
Saturday 4.57pm
It's been a busy old five hours. . . .The Tastebuds on the main stage, who rocked, Astrid Williamson, who almost brought a tear to main stage manager Gerard Irving, cos she was the first act he ever booked, The Righteous Bees, who are apparently from all over Cumbria, on the Drystone stage, who were great. . .. the list goes on.
Spoke to committee member Simon Kay, who is stepping down this year, and he said it was the best festival yet.
The weather perked up, briefly, but it's gone cloudy again and the wind is picking up.
Saturday is fancy dress day at Solfest and people have gone all out to dress to impress. There's Smurfs, dwarfs, a kid dressed as an iPod, pirates, superheroes and an awful lot of brides in white, including some men.
We're looking forward to James tonight and The Wailers but I have to say I'm most looking forward to the Solfest ceilidh and Will Taylor and the dish of cheese, both on the drystone tomorrow. Cheesy, certainly, but both are Solfest traditions now.
Saturday 5.12pm
There's a brilliant sounding ska type band playing, we have no idea who they are, as we're sitting in the campsite doing this, but they're great. Answers on a postcard please.......
Sunday 10.12am
We're sitting in the sunshine, listening to an impromptu acoustic set in the campsite by one of our neighbours. It's really good, all original stuff. Mind you, waiting for our mate Ben to join in, he loves a good sing.
Last night was a classic Solfest evening. Torn between the PIkey Beatz on the drystone and the Wailers on the main, we ended up running between the two. I was surprised by the Wailers, as I s'pose I was expecting a Bob Marley tribute act. . . . but they managed to inject some freshness into the music. apparently, the band loved the festival too.
loved the Peatbog Faeries, and James frontman had the main stage audience in the palm of his hand. Wearing a spangly gold jacket, he worked the stage, and the band played old favourites like Sit Down and Laid to new tracks off their new album.
If you think James were a one trick pony, please think again and give em a listen, they're well worth it Ace end to Saturday.
Sunday beckons, with lots more good weather and fingers crossed, good weather!
Sunday 1.22pm
Great start to Sunday, saw Becca and the Broken BIscuits open the main stage. They were delighted, as it was the biggest stage they've played and although they were cold, they put on a good show.
The bar stage was opened by Maddie, on her accordian and a range of funny songs, some probably not suitable for that time of day, but she managed to bleep them out in a brilliant fashion!
Must say a huge thanks to Deborah and John, of La Creperie, who are letting us use their gazebo behind their food van, cos it's got electric and seats! A lovely couple from Maryport and as essential at a festival as, er, Pecker Woods.
A bloke collared me before, John Errington MBE, of Sheffield, who only found out about Solfest last weekend. He reckons the Solfest spirit is the same spirit that won us two world wars.
He said he met a head steward who was really efficient and knew her onions when it came to what she was doing. Turns out, she was a checkout cashier at Tesco and he said the supermarket firm didn't know the asset they had in her, but she shown what she could do here, like the war, when ordinary people were flung into extraordinary situations.
Just a warning for future updates.. . .. we've started on the cider! Also, we're having trouble with the photos, but we'll battle on!
Sunday 6.12pm
It's been a while I know. . . . but we've been busy. Seen most of the CockRock committee here, plus various other people we haven't seen for ages.
the sunshine has been glorious, and it feels much more chilled out today. We think everyone is recovering from the night before! There's been some class acts on, including Gus MacGregor, Jiezuberband, which if you missed here are at Valentine Rock in Workington onm September 25, Thea Gilmore and the Solfest ceilidh, which is always a pleasure. . .
People are just chilling on blankets, listening to tunes or just talking. There's a great, family atmosphere here, and I don't think I can do it justice in describing it.
Friend from Nottingham is up with us and she's been to loads of fests across the country and even she says, she's never felt an atmosphere like it!
Monday 3.34pm
Well, it's all over. Just got home after an amazing three days away. Apologies for the lack of updates last night, our internet decided to stop playing.
From the Jam were amazing, I wasn't too keen on the Magic Numbers as a follow up, but my mates beg to differ, I thought they lacked that thing headliners should have, although musically I could appreciate their style, but my friends branded them marvellous. So we agreed to difer.
Unfortunately, we missed Papcastle's Sid Wright on the drystone yesterday, due to computer issues, but father of the drystayn, Alan Whittaker, told us he was one to watch and he was one of the most impressive young acts on the stage over the weekend.
Special mention must go to Will Taylor and the Dish of Cheese. Deservedly on at 1.15am, purely because they are so unashamedly, delightedly filthy and so would be soooooo unsuitable for the mass audience, they were a pleasure to watch and great to giggle along to.
Apparently, the Utah Saints were brill and this morning we were saying what a fantastic range of acts the organisers managed to put on, and the breadth of talent was great.
Probably the best Solfest we've been to, and here's to 2011!
First published at 12:19, Saturday, 28 August 2010
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk
Solfest 2010
How we won the warHaving been a parent these last 22 years, tucking in each of the four children at various times, and cuddling up with stories of Peter Pan, Thomas the Tank Engine, Peepo, and Paddington Bear, Iâve occasionally considered the equivalent of my own childhood. A generation ago, it was definitely not the daddyâs job to put the kids to bed, but on the rare occasions it did happen, I got tales from the war. The old man was a village grocer, volunteering in 1939, landing on the beach at D-day, fighting his way to Berlin, and returning in 1945 to resume his civilian occupation. During this time, he rose through the ranks from Private to Lieutenant. As a commissioned officer, he had access to the officerâs mess, rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty in a way that was never afforded when he got back to the village â it was clearly evident from his stories that the war for him was âthe worst of times and the best of timesâ.Lest We ForgetMy comrade Dick and I are seasoned campaigners. We are old enough to have seen Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Freddy Mercury, and all those other casualties, at festivals throughout the late 60s and early 70s. Latterly, as we have become so old, we have taken to volunteering rather than paying. The pension doesnât go very far these days.Your Festival needs YouWe were only made aware of the Solfest campaign, a week before, but having so much experience and wherewithal, we could not turn down the offer to be stewards, and help the (war) effort. On arrival, we volunteered to do the first night shift. Our commanding officer, Ashley (who later became known as âMontyâ) has also had an illustrious past, including 30 years in the police force, a later career as a university lecturer, and more recently several TV appearances as âlocal expertâ as spookily West Cumbria has featured in the national media so often. Everyone knows him â clearly a local hero.Our AlliesWe set off, that first night, checking wristbands â looking for intruders â securing the perimeter. Some of the soldiers have an array of different bands (or medals as we call them), representing several different campaigns that they have been involved with throughout the summer. We watched the White Rastafarians (or âcrustiesâ as they are affectionately known) construct the very complicated and extremely expensive apparatus required for the dance tent. These guys know what they are doing. They work around the clock, literally running from task to task, like a well-oiled machine. Back in the old mans days, I suppose they would have been called the Royal Engineers. We then patrolled the camp site. Lots of disparate units were represented, all clearly visible by their regimental flags. The Yorkshireâs and Lancashireâs were there, the Confederate Army as always, the Scottish and Welsh, the Bob Marley brigade, the Pirates (never mess with them) and the Rednecks. The Rednecks fly the St Georgeâs Cross, but across the middle is clearly spelt out the word âEnglandâ. This presumably is so we donât confuse them with the Macedonians or any of those other eastern Europeans who also claim St George as theirs.Hold until relievedAs that first night wore on, the fires died down, the combatants preparing themselves for the battle ahead, it got cold and lonely. We stayed at our post. We came across other lonely wandering souls â the medics; the litter-picking crew, outstanding and easily recognisable by their array of piercings and tattoos; the welfaries, offering hot cups of tea and comfort; and the fire brigade â all there making sure that nothing awful could possibly happen.As dawn broke over West Cumbria, at last, our relief arrived. A young lass, kitted up with tabard, torch and radio. We shook hands, but she immediately began to interrogate us about why we were not displaying our security badges. âFrom now onâ, she declared, âMake sure you have your wristband and your badges clearly visible! Otherwise, Iâll not let you pass!â We later found out that in civilian life she works on the checkout at Tesco. In that role, sheâll politely ask whether you have a Clubcard, and whether you need help with your packing. And this is how we won the war. We took people like the Tesco girl, or the old man, or Dick and I, placed these very ordinary people in extraordinary situations, and they rose to the challenge and delivered.As I drifted off to sleep later that first morning, while thousands of punters were arriving, bars and shops were opening, the dance tent was firing up, and the battle was commencing, I had a smile on my face knowing that I had done my bit for my comrades, that the weekend ahead was going to afford us some amazing and unforgettable experiences (which it indeed did), and that our small sacrifice, along with that of the hundreds of others who helped to make it happen, was not in vain.View all 4 comments on this article
Have your say
The best festival that I have ever been to, everything was great. The first time that Solfest has lived up to its name too. Roll on 2011.
Posted by Festival Fan on 2 September 2010 at 11:11