How was SSW '11 for you ...

[saintupnorth]

In the absence for Andy Black or Kaybee I'll kick off the post festival feedback:-

Favourite Act:

Biggest let down:

Best find (band wise):

Best moment of SS'11:

and the big question will SSW survive to 2012 and if do will there need to be any changes:

Favourite Act - having started with a watch list of about a dozen, I'd say Shonen Knife, for sheer entertainment The Cuban Brothers stole the weekend ... riotous

Biggest let down - a few "must sees" failed to improve on one great single (Warpaint, Yaaks) but perhaps that was my fault for not listening to the albums. My let down were Showaddywaddy, the voice just wasn't up to it

Best find - Pete & the Pirates, good songs and front man with that little bit extra

Best moment - probably The Cuban Brothers encore ... if just for the look of disbelief on some peoples faces.

and on 2012, I've got to say that I fear for SSW. Numbers were down and for me the line-up lacked a couple of killer bookings. I hope Rob can keep shuffling the deck and getting the festival on but with the Olympics clashing with next years event that might be the straw ...

Over to you ...

[little car]

Favourite Act: Shonen Knife and John Cooper Clarke. Honourable mentions to Toots & the Maytals, Warpaint, the Phantom Band

Biggest let down: The overall lineup - I didn't go on Saturday, and while I'd normally aim to see about 10 bands in a day, I wasn't fussed about more than a handful on either day that I went.

Best find (band wise): Factory Floor

Best moment of SS'11: Shonen Knife doing Blitzkrieg Bop

Will it survive to 2012? Lets hope so. Given the great job DiS do every year of putting together a lineup for a day, maybe give them the main stage next year. And Toots should really have been on the main stage. The best of the (once again, oddly laid out) comedy tent was great - maybe some of those acts would have been better on bigger stages. Perhaps the quality was spread too thinly this year - maybe drop a stage next year and make the tickets a bit cheaper. If it clashes with the olympics a big screen should sort that out.

[SonyaR]

Favourite Acts- Givers, Toots and the Maytals, Bellowhead and Warpaint.

Biggest Let Down- Showaddywaddy, probably just me but found the singer irritating.

Best Find- Mama Rosin.

Best Moment- argh, can't think of one but thoroughly enjoyed it again.

However, were the sets shorter and the gaps between bands longer this year? I didn't have to rush from stage to stage at all this time. Hope SS continues but agree that it needs a couple of bigger names and a stronger line up. I hope to be back next year.

[SweepingTheNation]

Favourite Acts: Warpaint, Bellowhead, I Am Kloot, Givers, Wilko Johnson

Biggest let down: Chapel Club, also King Creosote & Jon Hopkins for the amount of chatter that virtually drowned them out if you weren't right near the front

Best find: Other Lives

Best moment: not sure there was an outstanding moment as such rather than outstanding sets, but the end of I Am Kloot felt uncommonly (for them) joyous.

2012: Well, I hope so. Thing is, when we talk about the Olympics clash it's not just people watching it, there's the unlikelihood of overseas bands coming over with increased travel costs and the likely lack of a London gig to offset the festival stay, security, stallholders... from what I've read it seems all that is as concerning to western European festivals as it is just to something of SSW size in Britain. I think in bill terms there needs to be some refinement to work out what SSW is, the headliner gambit worked up to a point in day ticket terms (though I don't think the field was full even at least when McFly started) but not for weekend sales, and consequently I know quite a few regulars who stayed away this year. I'd rather the vast majority of the bill than the likes of Wychwood or Cornbury which are in the same direct bracket of weekend ticket cost, but by the same token better to be Lounge On The Farm/Standon Calling then Guilfest.

[ceph]

Favourite act - Cuban brothers and dizraeli and the small gods. Worthy mentions kitty daisy and Lewis and Pete and pirates

Letdown- the maccabees took a very bold move playing a set that was based so much on an album that no one had heard. Bit of a missed opportunity I feel. Worthy mention was also factory floor for me.

Biggest surprise - showadwaddy I personally thought they had the crowd in there hands. He maybe a prick but at

least they seemed to be having fun. Worthy mention Newton faulkner

Future; hopefully in some shape or form. I really enjoyed it again this year and everyone I met pretty much said the same. Got a feeling it maybe a two dayer next year

[up-or-down]

Favourite act - Toots and the Maytals, Jim Jones revue and Shonen knife.

Letdown - The best ever fesival noodle stand being replaced by a crap overpriced one.

Best new find - warpaint and other lives

Hope summer sundae is back next year I loved it, have been coming to summer sundae since 2008, before we left I thought this would be the worst one as there was no big must see headline act for me (well except Toots!). Turns out it was probably the best I've been to, discovered loads of new bands. I do feel if I had not been to summer sundae before the lineup would not have convinced me to buy a ticket. I really hope it is back next year.

[Wack]

Favourite Act: Oddly enough I thought Showaddywaddy were so bad they were brilliant, Example had the crowd rocking, and didn’t take himself seriously, I really enjoyed Benjamin Francis Leftwich and Bellowhead also

Biggest let down: The sound production of The Little Comets, I love this group but you could hardly hear Robert Coles.

Best find (band wise): CW Stoneking, The Leisure Society & Elliot Morris

Best moment of SS'11: Great choice of real ales, and excellent food stalls, hardly any rain, no idiots at all !! oh and fantastic music. This is just a fantastic festival, although I guarantee the drinks policy will change next year. I think unlimited drinks in the camp field with NO alcohol in the festival site, even if this means increasing the camp cost as a “tax”. I cant see how it could be policed with a 12 can limit in these areas.

[Unihammer]

I should say first, I didn't go Saturday. Nothing at all took my fancy. So for Friday and Sunday

Favourite Act: The Phantom Band (by a country mile), The Antlers, Shonen Knife

Biggest let down: No cinema tent. Dry the river were a tad disappointing.

Best find (band wise): Delta Maid, The Whybirds and Other lives, although their set did seem to lose focus after the equipment problem

Best moment of SS'11: Got to agree with a previous poster, Shonen Knife doing Blitzkrieg Bop, great fun. I got home that night and turned the TV on, and there were The Ramones doing Blitzkrieg Bop

and the big question will SSW survive to 2012 and if do will there need to be any changes: I've only missed 2 festivals but TBH not bothered, I may come again if the line up warrants it, but I won't lose any sleep if it folds. Sorry.

[butchwade]

This Summer Sundae I was mostly enjoying:

Shonen Knife

Showaddywaddy (apart from the vocals!)

Bellowhead

Kissmet

John Cooper Clarke

Jon Richardson

Maniere Des Bohemiens

The Cuban Brothers

The Leisure Society

The Wagamama Lounge

Edited August 16, 2011 by butchwade

[David Wilson Clarke]

Favourite Act: Warpaint

Biggest let down: Saturday. Just kept going to see the wrong bands

Best find (band wise): King Creosote & Jon Hopkins

Best moment of SS'11: Warpaint

Glad to see the Orange Tree back, but I found the music from The Wagamama Lounge interfered with the little music thing that The Orange Tree were putting on.

Also missed the film tent. Went hunting for it Sat night, couldn't find it, so Rob Challis had to put up with a drunken conversation with me, instead.

[LeeRaynor]

For me, highlights were King Creosote & John Hopkins, Leisure Society & I am Kloot (Who I knew i'd enjoy) and Shonen Knife, Cuban Brothers, Kitty Daisy & Lewis & Jim Jones Revue (Who were all unexpected finds for me).

Generally though, the line-up wasn't to the usual standard in my opinion. This was my 10th SSW and I hope my 11th will see a return to form! To me there appeared to be a big hole in the audience demographic, between the ages of 20 & 35 - was this due to the line-up?

[kerplunk]

Many favourites - The Bees, Toots, Ben Howard, Warpaint (so much better than the week before at the Big Chill) Kitty Daisy & Lewis, Wilco & Watts, By the Rivers, Lysergic suite, Wilco & Watts, Pete and the Pirates, Portico Quartet...

Best discovery - Skinny Lister (just cos they're locals)

Overall, once I'd recovered from fringe thursday (around Toots time), I had a blast all weekend and very much hope we get to do it all again next year

[JKFB]

Favourite Act:

Disraeli and the small gods:

absolutely brilliant, such a talented band.

The Dead Victorians:

Perfect Sunday afternoon entertainment!

Blood Red Shoes

The Antlers

Graham Coxon

Toots and the Maytals

Showaddywaddy (I wanted to see them in 1975 but mum said I was too young - good to see them, but felt for Dave Bartram - he seemed to be really straining himself)

Alex from Midnight Wire on the Oxjam stage

Beth Jeans Houghton

Pete and the Pirates

The Young Knives

Biggest let down:

LCD screen on my camera giving up the ghost - I blame Showaddywaddy's suits

Showaddywaddy not being introduced by Jimmy Saville or Hugh Dennis

Best find (band wise):

Disraeli and the small gods

The Antlers

Best moment of SS'11:

I've never seen so many people eager to hand over their tenner for a CD of the band as when Disraeli and the small gods finished their set.

and the big question will SSW survive to 2012 and if do will there need to be any changes:

As I said on another thread, for me it was perfect, but if it's not breaking even and arts budgets are hard to come by then I feel it needs to play to it's strengths and promote itself accordingly - i.e. Great Real Ale tent so promote via Camra, Promote the fact that decent budget hotels are in walking distance for those who would like to attend festivals but camping puts them off, there are the olympics to compete with next year, but on the other hand there is no Glastonbury and whilst Summer Sundae might not appeal to those that go to Glasto because they saw Dizzee Rascal on the BBC coverage, there's a sizable minority (probably more than Summer Sundae's capacity) who never set foot on the main stages who could well be persuaded to come to a festival with a Glasto-like vibe on a smaller scale.

Edited August 18, 2011 by JKFB

[DungenessB]

Favourite Act:Blood Red Shoes

Biggest let down: I was a bit underwhelmed with Warpaint, seen them before and felt the same then. They were OK but not as spectacular as everyone seems to make out.

Best find (band wise):

Dry The River and Other Lives new to me and I thought they were great. Born Ruffians and 2:54 were decent as well.

Best moment of SS'11:

Seeing two of my favourite local bands, We Three and the Death Rattle and Silent Devices, on bigger stages and playing to decent sized crowds and thriving on it. Also discovering the Sailor Jerry cocktail bar on the final night, gave me the lift to get me through to the end.

and the big question will SSW survive to 2012 and if do will there need to be any changes:

I really hope so. I really didnt fancy the lineup in advance, but as with last year went away having found 4 or 5 bands who I would pay to see again. I had a really brilliant weekend and can't thank everyone involved enough.

[stingo2001]

Favourite Act: Pete and The Pirates, The Dutch Uncles and Everything Everything

Biggest let down: Warpaint - is it just me or are they massively overrated and drone-y?; the Wagamama DJs and the music that they constantly played; no paella stall (again).

Best find (band wise): Dizraeli and the Small Gods (only heard 3 songs before having to catch something else but appetite whetted)

Best moment of SSW 2011: Dionne Broomfield's backing dancers (jazz hands!) and The Dutch Uncles' lead singer's jerky moves.

SSW 2012: although I'd bought my early bird ticket back in January, I was one of the nay-sayers in the weeks leading up to SSW 2011 due to the line-up and the alcohol limits fiasco. It turned out to be one of the best SSWs I have attended and rekindled my enthusiasm for the festival. I will be back in 2012.