Early afternoon on the Saturday and so the music began with Poeticat on the Liberty Stage run by the wonderful Kozmik Ken, Poeticat were a very chilled out start to the days entertainment with the beautiful harmonizing between Catherine and Ziggi and Blake's guitar playing along with sprinklings of glitter and jelly beans for the assembled audience. Moomin song and its assault on David Cameron and Jelly Belly were particular highpoints of the set. Poeticat were followed by the very different punk of Skiprat augmented on this occasion by Puffin fom the Kaplick stage. They have a fine Summery punk sound which builds to a crescendo as their set develops.
Next up on the main stage, known as the Philosophers Stone stage were Tha London Undarground with their Electro Swing sound getting people dancing and bouncing and the dancing continued for New Groove Formation who were up next, despite the change in personnel with Jacko taking over as rapper their joyful dancy ska never fails to move the crowd which grows as people hear the sound, set highlight was System Set Up closing the show with a tune about free parties and those who run them which fits perfectly with the Alchemy ethic.
I managed from here to dash towards the Bicycle Powered Stage to see the end of Deferred Sucess's set as a full band and to enjoy the atmosphere that the stage in the woods created, a top quality addition to the festival as a whole and one which seemed popular with many I spoke to.
Having made a Balloon Bassoon at the Buzzy Beats tent, an instrument made using a cardboard tube, coffee cups and a balloon, darkness fell over the site and it was time for the fire show. I had certainly been looking forward to this as I felt it was something missing from this festival last year and it didn't disappoint, the 2 fire towers flanking the blazing phoenix as fire poi and blazing hoops swirled and fire breathers forced jets of flame int o the air all around. Having sat round the fire pit for a while it was time to find fitting music to end the day.
Back To The Planet played a solid set appealing to the grass roots festival goers who this festival is aimed at and does a very good job of attracting, and drew what seemed to be the biggest crowd of the weekend then I sought late night entertainment.
After hours this festival comes into its own with the Undertone Tent for Drum n Bass, Silent disco in the Psychedelic Breakfast Tent and for more of a relaxed atmosphere the acoustic jam at the Kaplick stage which went on the through the night with beatboxers from the Cirque du Manc and various guitarists and drummers. As an additional offering this year, in the middle of the site was the Nomadic Cinema Tent showing a variety of protest films and the like in a very chilled atmosphere.
review by Darren Luckhurst photos by Gary Stafford
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