Watchet Live is a lovely little festival

August Bank holiday brings an abundance of choice for the festival goer, there's the massive Reading and Leeds Festivals for the rock fans, there's Towersey for the folkies, Shambala for the dance fans, and then there's Watchet Live, bringing rock, pop, indie and acoustic music to the West Somerset coast.

After tiring of the bigger festivals, we have been visiting smaller events this year. Watchet Live was recommended by friends that have been attending for the past few years, and we were encouraged that it would be a good place to take our toddler, enjoy the Somerset hospitality and have a last shindig before the season comes to a close.



Watchet Live has been held at Parsonage Farm in Watchet for the past five years, having relocated from the quayside, where it all started as a free event back in 1997. The farm is easily accessible by car (half an hour from the M5 via Bridgewater or Taunton), bus, boat, or even by steam train! We arrived by car, and despite torrential rain, we were greeted by some of the cheeriest stewards we have come across at a festival. Parking, as per most festivals, is separated from camping, however the walk isn't very far at all, even fully loaded with tent and bags. Camping is located right next to the festival arena, and whilst camper vans are certainly catered for, the hillside location means they have to stay in a section of the car park, where there is precious flat space.

With the driving rain ensuring a complete soaking, we soon had our tent readied, and after a quick change of clothes, made our way to explore the site and find our friends. The site is tiny in comparison to most other festivals, so we didn't have to look too far. That said, the small size doesn't mean a small amount of entertainment, as we found 3 stages hosting music over the weekend. We settled for the evening in the 'Something Else Tea Tent', with its chairs, tables, sofas, and ample tea and cakes. Playing host to regular Open Mic sessions as well as programmed acts, the tent provided a respite from the traditional Friday evening of tribute acts on the main stage. Salty Biscuits gave us some acoustic rock and 'Spongebob Squarepants', Ben and Tanya played their fiddle, giving a rousing rendition of 'Sally Maclennane', and Gaz Brookfield entertained in a poetic style akin to Frank Turner.

Over at the main stage, Smile The Lily Allen Show seemed to be going down well with the gathered audience, but is not really our thing, so we check out the bar instead. £2.50 a pint! There are least 10 different draught ales, and a similar amount of ciders to choose from. The bar is run by the festival itself, and the money made goes into making the festival so affordable (approx £40 for a weekend ticket). We are asked not to take our own alcohol into the arena, but with the prices at the bar so cheap, we don't need much encouragement. We even found a 'happy hour' where a selected ale was only £1.50 a pint. And it was a nice beer!

The tea tent kept us entertained for most of the evening, so we missed main stage headliners U2UK, and their tribute to the Irish rockers. We heard snippets though, and they sounded pretty good, perhaps even better than the real thing...

After a windy night up on the hill, we awoke to clear(ish) skies, and took in the spectacular sea views over breakfast. There isn't much going on in the morning, so we headed off site to explore the town. The local grocery shops are only a few minutes walk from the festival, the local church had opened its tower to visitors, and the town museums and book shops seemed to be well attended. We were bound for the railway station though, and a short ride on a steam train took us to nearby Dunsten with its medieval streets and castle. A number of festival goers seemed to have the same idea as us, recognisable by their wristbands, their children also enjoying the train ride.

Getting back to the festival later is an uphill walk from the railway station, a little slower than coming down earlier, but we are pushed on with excitement to get back and see what is going on. With the sun shining for much of the afternoon, we're happy to see that the sloppy mud of the previous evening has pretty much dried out.

The festival attracts a mainly local audience, and doesn't seem to get going until the evenings. Stiff Kittens, with their driving rock music, hardly have much of an audience even though they're on at 6pm. It might be that the bar has captured most of the audience though, as it's only £1.50 a pint until 7pm.

Illness (or perhaps the unsettled weather?) keeps one of the evening acts away from the main stage, and so there's a quick shuffle and X Factor winner of 2007, Leon Jackson, takes a main stage slot. I must admit to having never heard of him before, but was pleasantly surprised and entertained by his guitar led soft rock/pop, and the female contingent of the audience seemed quite enamoured.

Ahead of the evening of festival favourites, we headed to the food area to get our fill. Whilst there was only a small selection of food outlets, there was something to suit most tastes. Classic burger and bacon baps, local pasties, proper coffees, and even a stall selling homemade meals such as chilli or cottage pie. Not only was the bar cheaply priced, but the food was much less than many other festies, with nearly everything costing less than a fiver.

Suitably fuelled for the evening, we headed to the main stage for Hobo Jones & The Junkyard Dogs, who put on a great show of skunk music ("skiffle-punk", they tell us) including all their usual favourites and even some of the usual jokes "we were going to play a Levellers song, but they never play any of ours"… The Hobos go down a storm with both old and newly made fans, and the Dogs hang around for a short while afterwards to chat and sell their badges before heading off into the night, leaving us to wait for the mighty Dreadzone.

The highlight of the weekend for many, MC Spee soon whips up the crowd into a frenzy of dancing feet, and the reggae tinged grooves get everyone smiling. The set is their greatest hits, and we love it even though we've seen them countless times before. It always astounds me how much energy they put into their shows - those in tiny venues, those on main stages of big festivals, and those on the top of a windy and damp hill. Speaking to people the next day, it seems that Dreadzone certainly left their mark on the Watchet crowd.

We were woken overnight by heavy rain, and the previously dried ground was a mud bath again by Sunday morning. The rain cleared up by the morning, but it was too late for the planned on-site church service, which had to be relocated to, of all places, the nearby church. Those wanting their Christian fix were not to be too disappointed though, as the Renewal Gospel Choir opened proceedings on the main stage. A strange site though, was the audience of cider swillers, intermingled with the faithful.

We explored the site more, taking in some of the stalls and kids entertainment. Painting pictures in one tent, drumming in another, and spending several hours in the children's tent playing with beads, reading stories and playing with toys. Elder children, and some adults, were getting faces and nails painted. Following the gospel choir, the affectionately named Camel Toe took the stage. With a name like that, we were not at all sure what to expect. It turned out to be blues classics and even a bizarre cover of Tom Petty's 'Freefallin''. Tainted Orange followed; a young indie band who played much of their own stuff, and also a really good version of Arctic Monkeys 'When The Sun Goes Down'.

We had been popping in and out of the Croissant Neuf tent all weekend. Fresh from their own festival, the big top played host to a number of acts over the weekend, but we were waiting for Sunday's family show. Intrigued, we had no idea what to expect, but we were in for a treat. Quite a crowd had arrived, and we giggled and laughed our way through a hilarious comedy juggling act. Outside, Endorse It In Dorset festival's main man Flounder was giving it all in his band Boot Hill All Stars, highly energetic ska punk hoedown music, going down a treat with the increasing crowd.

The crowd was not increasing without reason, for the legendary The Wurzels were to arrive soon. The crowd was at its largest of the weekend, and the cider drinking geriatrics belted out their crowd pleasing hits, audience lapping it up and singing along with every word.

Sadly, our weekend had come to an end though, with a 3 hour drive home ahead of us, we had to miss out on Dodgy who would be closing the festival later that evening.

Watchet Live is a lovely little festival. Yes, it is very small, and doesn't really get going until the evening, but this is made up for by great organisation, the warm welcome you receive on arrival and throughout, the clean and plentiful toilets, the cheap bar and food, the several stages to choose between, and a really short walk to the town, seafront and steam trains for the little (and not so little).

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