Off The Tracks Summer Festival ticks all the boxes for an amazing festival

This is a fantastic family friendly festival based in the heart of England. This was their 22nd anniversary and the folk who organize and run the festival really have got it sorted.

Situated in the green and pleasant land of the Derbyshire/Leicestershire border close to the race circuit (you can't hear any motor-sport inside the venue!) at Castle Donnington. Ordinarily a camping and caravan site, the facilities are great; proper loos, showers. There are hook up points for caravans and mobile homes. Rated as a top 'small is beautiful' festival by The Times, this event really does tick most of the boxes that need ticking for an amazing festival.

45 real ales, ciders and perrys.......................tick
Acoustic sessions.....................................tick
30+ artists over 3 days...............................tick
Arts, crafts, activities and entertainment for kids...tick
Circus workshops......................................tick
Various food outlets..................................tick
Healing field.........................................tick
Late night sound system with lots of bass.............tick
Funky lightshows......................................tick
Prayer flags..........................................tick
Good weather..........................................tick
Fancy dress night.....................................tick
Brilliant, friendly festival goers....................tick
No steep hills........................................tick
Stalls selling nice stuff.............................tick

There's a lovely informal atmosphere here with many folk returning year on year, whilst the great line-ups ensure that plenty of people are drawn here from far and wide for the first time. The ales and such are all reasonably priced, the only small criticism being the ales quickly sell out (they lasted till Sat afternoon). The Energy Orchard off to one side is the peaceful setting for the healing area which offers all manner of goodness. There's yoga, Tai Chi, meditation, healing and laughing workshops, guest therapists and shiatsu massage all available on a not for profit basis. It's a lovely area and is definitely worth visiting.

There are 3 stages; the main, the 2nd and the barn, with a performance area near the ale bar with impromptu sessions in the farmhouse bar or in the courtyard.

The main stage highlights on Friday evening included Chris Corney who opened the festival with their lively tunes. Chris has also been or is soon to be guesting with The Quireboys who followed Chris’ set with an acoustic set for us. Delightfully informal and laid back the boys sounded on form. Headliners were the wonderful Kissmet who performed brilliantly to a packed house.

Kissmet's fusion of eastern and western music works exceptionally well; they really are a joy to behold. This reviewer thought that they were splendid. Also enjoyed on this night was New Groove Formation, an energetic band playing ska and reggae grooves who only stopped playing because of the long drive home later that night! The Sequoia Sound System played till the wee small hours on the 2nd stage. An interesting mix of sounds battled out between them on the mixing desk from dub to drum and bass to trance to whatever could be wrestled from the kit. Some questionable mixing though... we all, including the Sequoia guys, had a good laugh nonetheless.
A lovely little session at the real ale bar drew quite a crowd; Paul Evans playing a delightful selection of songs on his blues/slide guitar, Jane had the voice (and what a voice!), with a drummer and a tambourine player too, enchanting. After dancing until 3 a.m. and a cup of tea and a chat it was off to sleep for me and plenty others also... Shock! Horror! The main bar closed shortly after 2 o'clock! No late, late sessions tonight then....

Saturday dawns late but I caught a little Spanish guitar brilliance from El Patio Primo on the main-stage in the afternoon and mighty fine they sounded too. Fabulous, flashy fingers indeed. Traditional flamenco played by a foursome based in Bristol. Next up for me was a drumming session with the Inta Africa drum troop. Masses of djembes, other African drums and tambourines and such combined to make a quite awesome noise. Folk of all ages and abilities alike had a try and there was even some dancing too.

I must one of the few people left in the country who had not seen Adrian Edmondson and The Bad Shepherds yet, hard working band that they are, and I was pleasantly surprised. Some songs worked brilliantly, with clever arrangements and instrumentation, (I loved the Northumbrian pipes!) and were quite innovative. Others though, well, sounded like what you’d expect it would sound like. Ace of Spades played (very well, I might add) with a couple of mandolins a double bass and a fiddle, sounds just like Ace of Spades played in a folksy way, whereas The Model sounded ethereal and magical and not similar to the original.

This is possibly the only festival in the world to schedule a beer break in the programme. They're a thoughtful, kindly bunch here you know. So, I duly obliged and headed back to the tent for a cup of tea or two and forty winks. Fat chance. Had a party with a neighbour and a couple of new arrivals. My neighbour, it turned out, was the lass who fell off some steps on Friday night and had been carted off to hospital. Well I'm happy to report that she's fine, a little bruised and sore but otherwise in good spirits...

Made it back to the Main-stage in time to catch No Right Turn. Well, what can I say about this lot? Screens either side of the stage..very hi-tech… I was probably one of the last to know that No Right Turn are the heart and soul of O.T.T. – the 2 main organizers - Andy Cooper, playing bass and Andy 'Boz' Borys on drums. Jayne Cooper, who sings with such grace and passion, is behind the Energy Orchard healing area. These were joined by Mick Doyle who played mandolin, (sat down with his ankle in a cast- and sweating) and Adrian Dent on guitar.

Well, this was truly one of the highlights of this year. What a pleasant surprise and they really were brilliant. You're welcome back! Misty in Roots headlined the sold out festival tonight. Impassioned, impressive, impossibly infectious and incredible. Conscious lyrics combined with seasoned musicians made for a marvellous, magnificent set. Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. The silent disco proved to be a great, happy dance-a-thon. This reviewer reckons that Dr Matt playing classics had the edge over the throbbing beats of Stevie W*, judging by the amount of folk singing along!

A nice, laid back folkie feeling to Sunday. I missed the 1st band Mishaped Pearls, but did hear their album in the car on the way home… very atmospheric and dreamy… lovely. Next on were Tyde, finalists in the BBC radio 2 young folk awards, a trio playing accordion, fiddle and guitar. Great to see new and up and coming musicians, they were a joy to listen to, each given the chance to shine. Strangeworld were next with some sublime compositions and standards. Kris Drever and Eamonn Coyne rounded off this year’s main-stage with a divine set delivered with humour and warmth. The Sequoia crew had charge of the 2nd stage all afternoon and played a selection of cool, laid back toons to ease our aching feet. Very nice indeed. A big thank you must go out to all the folk who work so hard to make this magnificent festival happen, and who clear up after we've all gone home. Thank you.

A sad note to end on. Al, who was missed at the spring festival, (he bought the first ticket to the first Off The Tracks Festival and attended every year without fail...) is understood to have passed on. He will be missed. R.I.P. Al.

Well that's all folks... you can join the mailing list for off the tracks at www.offthetracks.co.uk.

Spring festival is on the May bank holiday- May 27-28-29 2011 & summer festival on Sept 2-3-4 2011.

See you in the spring!



Dr. Al Holding.

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