Wood 2014 is an enriching, enlightening escape

Wood 2014

Friday 16th to Sunday 18th May 2014
Braziers Park , Ipsden, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 6AN , England MAP
£75 for adults, juniors (13-17) £65, child 12 and under free

Braziers Park, a grade two listed gothic manor house in the midst of a rural Oxfordshire AONB, has a faded but still discernible message written on its side wall. 'Fairy tales are real', it says.It's a sentiment that surely resonates with many of the crowd at Wood 2014. Contained within a single field, and shielded from the muggle world by trees on all sides, there's enough good stuff on offer at Wood for everyone to weave their own unique story across the festival weekend.

There are many fairy tales, but the one that predominates at Wood is the story about wandering amongst the trees and having an encounter with the Little People. Kids go free here, and looking around the site, it is possible that there are more under fives than there are adults. Family tents dominate the campsite and there is a kids' tent with a full programme of events just for them. The world of Wood is a place where boundaries blur though, and you'll find the Little People everywhere, from the beer tent to the front of the Wood Stage. It's not an atmosphere of kids and grown ups, it's just human beings of different shapes, sizes and states of weathering,all intermingled, and each doing what inspires them.

Wood is a festival that prides itself on being environmentally friendly, and this philosophy is evident in every aspect of the event. Electricity comes from a large photovoltaic array beside the main stage, and a biodiesel generator behind the food tent. In addition, car parking charges vary according the number of occupants travelling. It is £15 for one person, dropping to £5 for three or more. At many festivals, situated in the middle of nowhere with no sustainable travel options, it would be tempting to dismiss this as a cynically green-washed method of extracting yet more money from the punters. But Wood is easy to get to by bus from Reading and is do-able from Oxford. From the size of the car park here, it seems that many have chosen this option. Plenty of people cycle here too. There's even a thoughtfully provided workshop for them, entitled 'Love Your Bike.'

The Wood stage is an impressively organic wooden creation; the only one I've ever seen with a Sedum roof. Because the electricity comes from the Sun, it's smaller in size than is typical, and amplification is more modest too. As a concert experience, it is more akin to the lounging in front of the bandstand at your local park than to bouncing up and down in your average festival mosh pit. All three days are sunny at Wood this year, so picnic blankets and deck chairs are abundant, but there's still plenty of room for kids to run around and adults to crash out.

It's not just the stage that's made of wood, however. Scattered around the periphery are the composing toilets. They are nothing short of palatial compared to the usual green plastic offerings typically found at music events. Festival goers are no strangers to the art of pooing into a hole, but at Wood it's a much more civilised experience. Maybe it's the fresh air, the sunshine, or perhaps it's the little voice from the toilet next door proudly exclaiming, 'I've done a pooh!'Whatever the reason, the whole sordid business is much more endurable than you might expect.

Luxurious though the toilets are, the 'This is Not What I'm Used To' prize must go to the showers. Upcycled, wood fired and a bit steampunk, they are monuments to sustainability in wood and copper. Each features a changing area that is larger than the average garden shed, and the act of showering takes place in the open air, the smell of the woodsmoke mingling with your shower steam. They are permanently manned by stewards who keep shovelling in the woodchips, so they are always hot and surprisingly, the queues aren't that long either.

Small though the main stage is, the organisers haven't skimped on the acts. Festival favourites Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou are taking a break from touring with Tori Amos to be here, and are well worth a watch. Belinda O'Hooley & Heidi Tidow, recent winners of the Guardian Best Folk Album award, showcase a sophisticated sweetness that is surely only rivalled by the fudge brownies from the food tent, whilst Luke Sital-Singh rounds off Friday night with a voice that's made for festival headlining. Jali Fily Cissokho is perfect for a sunny afternoon, receiving two encores for his Sunday concert, and Boat To Row who close the Tree Tent concert on Saturday, are perfect proof that good stuff will always drag them in. The venue is packed and they are the talk of DJ Badger's club night in the Kindling Tent later.

The small but perfectly formed main stage is an apt feature at Wood, and not just for environmental reasons. Perhaps reflecting a more general trend in the festival scene, the music is a vital aspect of the Wood effect, but it is not the entirety of it. Another prominent aspect of the festival is the 'Kindling Tent', which features a full programme of spoken word events. A highlight for many is Phill Ball's talk, 'Greenpeace Arctic 30 and Russian Jail', but as always, there's plenty more on offer; 'Revolutionary Patience', 'The Shamanic Matchbox' and 'Climate Psychology' being three particularly tantalising titles.

In addition, there are several workshop tents. They are all named after trees and the spirit of Wood is powerfully invoked in each of the activities on offer. I choose three that are straight off my bucket list: African drumming, sign language and best of all, knitting. Again, there's no shortage of choice. With a programme featuring sessions as diverse as hula hooping, knot tying, natural childbirth, indian head message, upcycling, the Chinese tea ceremony and solar power, careful planning of the festival day is a must. However, much of the programme is repeated throughout the weekend, so clashes of activity should be minimised.

There's a lot to like about Wood: a sun powered stage with a stonecropped roof; an enlightening spoken word programme; bucket list friendly workshops and organic festival food that's good for you in both a nutritional and a karmic sense. But the Wood effect is never more profoundly felt than when leaving the festival. It's a charged, refreshed, inspired sort of feeling; a world away from the typical, 'how am I going to shift this hangover by tomorrow' state of mind. Wandering through Wood is definitely to be recommended.

review by: James Creaser

photos by: Ian Wright