CarFest is a very family orientated festival of music and activities

Carfest North 2014

Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd August 2014
Oulton Park Race Circuit, Little Budworth, Cheshire, CW6 9BW, England MAP
£135 with camping, child £33 - SOLD OUT

Daily capacity: 5,000

CarFest is a festival run by BBC Radio Two Supremo Chris Evans, it's his little brainchild. The festival is a little life line to BBC Children in Need and makes a real difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in the UK.

The charity supports over 2,600 projects that are working with children who have physical, sensory or mental disabilities, behavioural or psychological disorders, who are living in poverty or situations of deprivation, or are suffering through illness, distress, abuse or neglect.

In 2013 CarFest raised a staggering £1.1 million for BBC Children in Need. This contribution came from purchasing tickets, (A minimum of 25% of the price of each ticket sold goes to BBC Children in Need), auctioning for cars, buying the T-shirt and handing over all of their loose change in bucket collections. Good job this year's Carfest South is sold out to help with trying to beat that target.

It's a family affair, not just music, but food and cars too, it's the type of family orientated festival that the kids, Granny, and Granddad can come to and enjoy as well.
The three day event was hoping to raise as much, if not, more money than last year, approximate figures quoted over the weekend were £1.5 million?!

Music acts for the weekend were quite diverse, ranging from Erasure who headlined on Friday evening, to Simple Minds on Saturday Evening and Jools Holland on Sunday.
One of the acts we were looking forward to seeing was Paloma Faith, but she pulled out due to unforeseen circumstances the week before the festival, and she was replaced with Hunter and The Bear.

The actual festival site is at Oulton Park raceway, I nearly died when I saw the map and how big the festival is, we could've done with 3 photographers and 3 reviewers to cover everything that has been packed in to this weekend??!! My feet were quaking already and I hadn't stepped foot on the site yet? First thing that springs to mind is my feet covered in blisters, do they do such a thing as luxury plasters? I'm still recovering from Wireless Festival, well my feet are!

After seeing the timetable of events my heart sank and my feet wanted to instantaneously detach themselves from my body and run a mile, or two. How many things can you do in one day at a festival? A lot of the events were family orientated in the Big Top, there were colouring sessions and a baby movement and music class, even shows throughout the day on the showground geared towards the kids: Monster Trucks, the Red Barrows, Knights of the Damned and Sharkey and George – Kids hour, there was even a books den with comic workshops and talks by authors, there's a playzone, again family orientated running yoga sessions, dance lessons and running circus workshops.

That's not all, there were various track sessions throughout both days and even an air display. All the music was the icing on the cake really. A lot of the music is middle of the road as the festival is very family orientated and you can see why really with everything that's going on. Think you need a week to visit everything and especially if you've got little ones tagging along.

Britain's best cakes vs pies, this is one of the events I wanted to see, and hopefully taste, I am salivating at the thought of tasting some of the delicious delights. I had heard Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry might be there. Unfortunately Mary couldn't make it but we did see the tanned Hollywood around the site, he even drove Chitty, Chitty Bang, Bang around the track and judged the Cakes vs Pies competition.

Saturday saw 6 acts grace the stage with so much variety, middle of the road to cater for all the families and in particular the Mums and Dads. One of the bands that seem to be doing a lot of festivals these days are Toploader, I actually saw them at the Jam House in Birmingham only a couple of weeks ago and they haven't lost any of their charisma and passion for the business, especially after seeing their set.

Jack Savoretti, Italian English solo acoustic singer, he began his career at 16 when he started playing guitar, saw him last year at Splendour Festival in Nottingham, classics from his albums Before the Storm, Between the Minds and Harder Than Easy amalgamated part of his set today, easy listening whilst chilling. It didn't help that the heavens opened during his set and we all got soaked through.

Thank god when Tom Odellcame on it had stopped raining! Tom Odell, he's a bit like Marmite you either love him or you hate him, I've seen him a couple of times previously, last time was at Boardmasters 2013, he had the audience in the palm of his hand and is actually amazing to photograph, although a tad static stuck behind the keys. He's come a long way since releasing his debut album ‘Long Way Down' and his highly acclaimed single ‘Another Love'. After winning the BRITs Critics Choice Award in Feb 2013 his career has made an upward spiral and he's reaching for the top.

Teenies favourite Scouting For Girls always a fan's favourite especially with their back catalogue, never disappoint! And today was no exception. Formed in 2005, this band have been around for what seems like forever. With three studio albums to their name and a greatest hits compilation which was released in 2013, which speaks volumes about their epic back catalogue. Always a crowd pleaser!!

Out of the line up today there are only two bands/artists I haven't seen and one of those is Seasick Steve, he has his own defined genre of music, providing an example of genuine musical craftsmanship, I know even KTTunstall talks about him with great passion. He’s just one man and his several guitars, what could he do today to woo the audience? An American Blues musician who plays his own personalised guitars, aged 73, he definitely is the oldest swinger in town, well today, in Oulton. Breaking through into the Music Biz courtesy of Jools Holland in 2006, after this his career exploded in the UK.

I think I have found a new guilty pleasure??!! Seasick Steve was absolutely stonking, just him his numerous hand made guitars and his very talented drummer. Dressed in his trademark dungarees and John Deer cap, I was totally immersed in his set, losing myself at some stages as I was getting carried away by the beats and how mesmersing he is. The total jewel in the crown for tonight’s acts. My favourite by far. And the audience thought so too as he was heckled for an encore, never heard of at a festival, but tonight it happened. It was unbelievable, I loved every minute of it.

Before the headliner tonight we were treated to an amazing fireworks extravaganza, it was immense and a brilliant way to lead in to Simple Minds.

I'd never actually seen the Scottish band live before, so it was a tonic. They have been around a long time, I can remember them being around in my teenage years and I'm no spring chicken, so that's a very long time. They formed in 1977, The Queens Silver Jubilee year, oh my gosh, how old are these guys??

With approx 17 albums to their name they have amassed an amazing back catalogue; in 2012 they announced a 30 date greatest hits tour and have recently released their latest studio album ‘Big Time', so they haven't sat back on their morals, its still full steam ahead for these old timers.

It was an hours set, but unfortunately Jim Kerr looks like he's had a bit to much plastic surgery, I was just transfixed on his face. The vocals seemed a bit muffled to me throughout, which was a shame because the music was amazing.

We toddled off to catch some of the set from the back of the audience, then discreetly walked to our car and traipsed through all the mud and rainwater, through the site, over the bridge and trekked miles to the car park, my god how much walking can you do in one day?

review by: Michelle and Trish Owen-Williams

photos by: Michelle Owen-Williams