forwards to 2006, forwards to... Rochdale?

Rochdale isn't the first name that would come to most people's minds as part of British festival history, but it has it's own pedigree.

Back in the days of “People’s Free Festivals” such as Windsor and Stonehenge, there was also Deeply Vale, set on the moors between Rochdale and Bury. Started in '76 – with just three hundred people – it grew to 20,000 in '78 and '79, before succumbing to the pressures of the law.

Deeply Vale in the 1970's

It played host to acts such as Steve Hillage and other stalwarts of the free festivals scene, as well as having early performances by Misty in Roots, The Fall and Durutti Column, plus OMD's Andy McCluskey in his previous band Pegasus, and 808 State's Graham Massey then of several bands including Danny and Dressmakers. Those attending included Doves' Jimi Goodwin (aged 8), The Mock Turtles drummer Steve Cowen (aged 14), and Observer Music Monthly deputy editor Luke Bainbridge (aged 4).

Times have moved on and the free festivals scene no longer exists in the same way, the few old events that do still exist having had to learn to work within the law. Despite their best intentions they've lost much of that alternative edge, while at the same time society has changed to accept some of those values into the mainstream.

Most festival attendees nowadays would be horrified by the few facilities laid on back then – along with increased legal regulation has come adequate toilets, proper health and safety, etc., all contributing to the success of modern festivals.

Glastonbury – once regarded as a place for smelly hippies – is now the hottest ticket of the year, while new festivals large and small have sprung up around the country to cater for the burgeoning interest. Many of these events focus purely on the music, offering nothing of the past apart from bands on stages and stalls selling festival fayre.

And so back to Deeply Vale. Twenty five years on, one of the original founders – Chris Hewitt – has plans for a revival in 2006, on the weekend that would normally have Glastonbury. The plan is to create a similarly diverse, alternative and family-centred event like Glastonbury, encompassing more than just bands on stages.

Aiming at selling 50,000 tickets (and hopefully growing beyond that in future years), the new Deeply Vale Festival wants to attract a diverse audience and give a platform to environmentally friendly technologies, complimentary and alternative medicine, and traditional craft displays, alongside music, fringe theatre, poetry, art and more. Emphasis is planned to be placed on local crafts and skills, to compliment a significant proportion of local bands and performers – creating a real event for the North West, inclusive of the ethnically diverse population of the area.

The new Deeply Vale has tentative support from Rochdale councillors, and is claiming to have support from major acts from the area, including Doves, Badly Drawn Boy, The Fall, Elbow, and OMD.

Deeply Vale is being planned for 22nd - 25th June 2006. We wish them every success, and hope their plans come to fruition.

To find out more about Deeply Vale's past and it's future see their website.

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