Sunday Review

Sunday morning’s heat drives us out of the tent early, and once breakfasted, we’re outside the farmhouse awaiting the doors to open far too early. So off we go to sample the markets and of course spend money! We do however make a fantastic new find in recycled rubber tyre garden furniture and it keeps our daughter happy to let her buy a new outfit.

The real ale bar is sorely depleted and it’s clear there’s only a few hours left to sample the delights before it runs dry, but a pint goes down fantastically with Kasai Masai. Despite the duo playing to a relatively quiet courtyard on their first set, they have us all waving our hands in the air happily, and singing along to their uplifting songs. With more sun and much less wind it’s another spectacular festival day in the offing. Their later second set has a bigger audience but they are less are willing to join in with the fun and it’s a shame because the band clearly enjoy it more when the crowd does.

The second artist to play twice on the day’s line up is Stuart Ryan, who is most definitely a virtuoso guitarist and licks from all the greats merge with his own stylings on both acoustic and steel guitar. It’s fantastic music, which works well as background music to fervent festival conversations, or to close your eyes and really sink into. His second set is far more impressive with some great rock tunes flying from his guitar including a truly jaw dropping version of Nirvana’s Teen Spirit. He might not sing but he doesn’t need to, his guitar does all the talking. And during it all one of our party proposes marriage, congratulations to the happy couple.

Next up are Prego, who we’ve seen before and are festival favourites, they get feet tapping, and pockets of people dancing. With bagpipes, folk instruments galore, great songs and rootsy tunes. They are the first of four bands which provide a hugely enjoyable end to the festival. It’s so much easier on us to have bands playing through until the end on Sunday night as a bonus as it’s the bank holiday weekend. Now some of Prego look slightly familiar, could one of them be none other than one of the organiser’s of this fabulous weekend?

Caliko are as the programme says “gentle rock” but the four of them are also captivating with it and as the courtyard again starts to fill up with rapidity they warmly welcome those arriving for an evening session with some gentle folk songs and lead singer Jo Giles’s vocals has my vote for the nicest of the weekend. I hope to catch them again this summer.

422 are up next, and the young five piece keep up the tempo as the sun begins to set in the courtyard on the final evening. The real ale bar has long run dry and the main bar is now much busier. There are musicians and singers at tables dotted around the farmhouse, all singing their own favourite songs and there’s much joining in from around the tables and a great atmosphere is created.

Closing the courtyard’s events for another year is Shooglenifty, a new band to us and another masterful choice of headliner, we’re all up and dancing while those around the tables, tap their feet and enjoy a fine performance which I have to say is more fiddle driven than the intriguing label of ‘acid croft’ suggests. They play wonderful rootsy stuff and are definitely a hit headlining act, although I’m confused about both the sand eels and the puffins!

As they finish, many head off to sample the delights of DJ Dr Matt, but we head back to the barbecue and the tent, to sup a few tins and talk to friends old and new. Part of OTT’s charm is the campsite which is soundsystem free and only the occasional plane interrupts a relaxed last night, many of us are feeling the rosy glow of catching the sun, we’ve all had a fantastic time. As the sun dawns it starts to rain, so after breakfast sometime later, we strike camp and make for home. The rain is not hard enough to dampen spirits but merely symbolising the festival’s conclusion. Kind of perfect!

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