Fun Lovin' Criminals groove closes a sunny Chagstock

Sunshine means heat and an early rise, the water in the taps isn't recommended drinking according to the signs, but dehydration means there's little else until the bar opens. The programme suggest free water is available but we can't find any.

Today, as they were yesterday, Kids are well catered for with Science experiments, storytelling, workshops from sword and fairy wing making to music instrument playing hula hooping, and Olympic torch making plus water zorbing, swingboats, inflatable playground, wildlife hunting, donkeys and more.

The posh loos, or thrones in keeping with the theme are in good nick, and the campsite quiet enough not to disturb me, it's warm enough to consider for a while sitting in a hot tub but I didn't bring my togs.

For those wanting to get the blood pumping there's the 'Smash It Up' stall and for those wanting to work out the stresses of life the therapy area offers a choice of massages and more. We spend our time checking out the live in vehicle porn in the campervan fields.

At noon These Reigning Days open the main arena and 'Slip Down Dog' bring the deep South-West to the festival. Their ode to the farmer 'Plough On' is well received, as is their skankin' cover of 'Monkeyman'.

Cosmo Jarvis makes my day with a Grateful Dead cover 'Friend Of The Devil' before some racist oiks ruin it for me. That's the trouble with Devon, our locals are a bit dim. The gravel voiced singer delivers a great set of mainly new material, including 'Thinking Of the Wrong Things', 'Sunshine', and 'Look At the Sky' before the crowd pleasing 'Gay Pirates' seems the locals are homophobic too!

Recovering from what I've heard, and deciding not to over react, I go to cheer myself up with some classy guitar work and the local covers group The Freak Bruvvers and sing along to Clapton classics, and the old Jungle Book number 'I Wanna Be Like You-ooo-ooo'.

Mad Dog Mcrea get the main stage crowd leaping about with the similarly themed ' Bear Necessities' as well as their own sing along foot somping tunes 'Am I Drinkin Enough', 'Black Fly', and more.

Alt folk stars The Travelling Band deliver an accomplished, and well received set in the marquee, they play a song for every hundred miles they've come to play today, and wind up to a terrific final crescendo, there's a couple of new songs from the forthcoming album which sounds like it could be terrific.

I catch a glimpse of headliner Huey wandering through the crowds in a baseball cap before resident band New Crisis lead by festival organiser Si Ford deliver more crowd pleasing festival favourites in front of one of the most crazily dressed crowds you're likely to see on the moors ever. Locals Seth and Sean Lakeman and families are also in the audience, and it's good to see the musicians enjoying the festival.

Juan Zelada bring the funk and some soul groove. Nick, the saxophone player, broke his leg in the mud before the gig and is in hospital somehwere. It couldn't have been here the site is totally mud free.

Seth Lakeman is note perfect delivering a set which mixes old and new material, many tales of the moors in which the festival nestles. 'Hurlers' is his opener as the sun starts to colour the sky. The crowdd lap up 'Take No Prisoners', 'Lady Of The Sea', 'The Colliers' get them dancing, and 'Riflemen Of War' get them singing, and as the sun dips 'Setting Of The Sun' is perfect, whilst 'Race To Be king' fits the theme perfectly.

Alabama 3 are acoustic tonight, four bar stools sit on stage, and the band bring a Sunday service to the faithful. Rock Freebase plays his guitar, and Harpo Strangelove brings his harmonica, and it sounds amazing as Larry Love and the heavenly Aurora Dawn give us 'Woke Up This Morning' with some 'Scooby Snacks' thrown in, 'Folsom Prison Blues'("I shot a man in Chagstock, just to watch him die!) segueing into KRS 1's 'Sound of the Police' ("Whoop! Whoop"). Love's voice just gets better as he keeps hitting the Becks bottles the backline keep delivering to the stage.

Things go a little weird off stage during 'Woody Guthrie' when the well spoken people around me jab their Devon flags at the stage, boo, and stomp off, I'm amazed - I didn't realise the song lyrics would illicit such a response from a festival crowd. Then during 'Bamb A Lamb' some nearby lads start to be rude about Aurora, and I'm starting to wonder if this is the South West or the deep South, twice in a few hours in different places in the crowd with different people around me I've experienced racism, and it's a difficult thing to just shrug off!

That's the only thing that's a let down about this festival all weekend, some of the people who attend it. Yesterday the crowd wasn't very full of festival types, and today it's slightly better families are out in force, but so are the Tory faithful too. Small elements of the crowd are meat heads, and some preening peacocks but in the main they're all lovely, but it's the minority that have made a big impression on me. Up until this afternoon I've only noticed a few prats in the car park listening to thudding beats and being kept in check by a fed up by their baby sitting security.

Perhaps these locals feel threatened by the diverse age ranges, the families, kids, dreadlocked festival goers, and those from other ethnic backgrounds. Seems I'm not the only one to notice it, lead singer Larry Love cuttingly refers to Chagstock as what you get if you mix "Shagging and Chavs". The words are unfair but it clearly annoys both me, and Larry Love, I'm so embarrassed to be Devonish sometimes. It's not the festival organisers fault who buys their tickets though and no criticism can be levelled at the event but the people who decide to go. I don't know how you stop that element coming, they don't seem phased by other people's shock towards them.

Tonight's headliners, Fun Lovin' Criminals, hit the stage just as the light falls, the grinning charismatic Huey Morgan and co. set out their stall early with a crunching 'Smoke On The Water' riff and a blissed out set of crowd pleasers follows. It's an impressive performance I'm amazed they don't play more festivals. Some tunes are so twisted they're almost re-worked into something else, until the tune clicks and recognition realises where it's hiding in the groove. We get a big beat 'Korean Bodega' a well mashed 'Supermodels On My D' and of course the big guns 'Scooby Snacks' 'FLC', 'King Of New York' and 'Smoke 'em' and the curtain comes down on a terrific weekend. It's been a wonderfully set out event, and for the late night owls there's a disco somewhere apparently but I'm all boogied out.

Thanks to all those who made this such a well organised, clean and tidy family friendly event. I saw no trouble and had a wonderful time, one of the highlights of this year's festivals in a terrific location. There wasn't a duff act all weekend, there was an interesting acts including quite a few I'd not seen before (an achievement for a festival so small).

Security were very pleasant, and polite with bag searches, which happened each time you entered the arena, and the toilets were lovely. I was amazed the site was so clean, and delighted that such a small festival had such a choice of ales, and so much choice of things for kids to do.

Triple thumbs up for such a diverse event offering so much for the ticket price. Proof if needed that small festivals can offer quality and so much more than just some bands in a field if they put their mind to it.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Chagstock, go and add to the diversity of the audience, please. A more diverse audience would help build it's festival vibe.

Latest Updates