‘this fucking keyboards not working again!’
and so rang out the words loud and clear over the sodden masses from the mad professor keyboard player for the current incarnation of the pantomime punk pop band, the damned, thus proving that for all the planning in the world, some days just aren’t meant to be.
and yet everything started out so well.
having negotiated the hidden depths of the oxfordshire road system, and the minimal signposting, the ireallylovemusic clan had set up camp in the basking sunlight, and july temperatures, we hit the beautifully idyllic arena at exactly the same time as the boy least likely to hit the stage.
surely a good start to anyones festival experience ?
pete and jof of the band looked relaxed and happy (they had even practiced the day before the festival thereby proving their commitment to the cause), as they showcased a crowd friendly selection of happy-sad indie pop cherry picked from their two albums for the laid back masses.
the mood was up, the soundtrack perfect, we were on course for a wonderful day.
then slowly the day unravelled due to a combination of a malfunctioning dietary system, hungry youngsters, unplanned hour long round trips to the tent, and that destroyer of all things english and summer, mother nature herself.
once the boy least likely to had impressed and finished off with the their hit from multiple advertising campaigns, the crowds filled out awaiting the onset of radio 2 friendly indie pop and harmonies in the shape of brit-pop deniers dodgy and the magic numbers.
despite the fact i have never succumbed to the charms of either band, i can’t deny that the love that flowed in a bidirectional manner was a heartwarming surprise. yes, in 2009, guitar based indie bands are not the focus record labels, but there is clearly still a demand for festival friendly sunshine guitar pop. both bands went down an absolute storm, and many many people were grinning from ear to ear.
job done as far as i could see.
then during the break before sharleen spiteri came on, the rain started.
within a few minutes it became clear this was not a passing shower but was going set in for the long haul, the ireallylovemusic clan headed for the beer tent (one of the few places in which you could take shelter, as all the stages were outdoor, as opposed to the standard circus tent type of set ups that many festivals use for non-main stages).
an hour later, sharleen came on stage to the site of a very wet crowd, who had replaced all their picnic chairs with golfing umbrellas. as expected, her set consisted of a lot of texas tracks, a few cliche heavy cover versions (these boots are made for walking !? puuur-lease), and a demand from the girl for more love from the crowd.
question : "is that the best you can do for me ? "
response : "yes"
luckily, along with the boy least likely to, the other draw for yours truly on the saturday lineup was the damned. 8:30 pm and full tummies later dave vanian, captain sensible (and yes he still wears the beret) and various others, hit the second stage, and let loose their pogo-tastic classics.
sounding tight, looking great, the band are a well honed punk pop touring machine, and know how to deliver their goods in fine form.
well, that is until the aforementioned techno woes step in and wipe out their carefully chosen set.
‘that means we can play happy talk‘ says the good captain.
ha ha ha.
it was during the damned set that me and mine had to have "the chat" of the weekend.
the weather meant that our offspring were wet through, and it became clear that we were destined to have an uncomfortable night in the tent and so had to discuss the options.
in solo mode, i survived glastonbury 2005 and so have figured out the best way to deal with such instances of mother nature, is to just hit the beer tent with everything you can. however, when you are responsible for the well being of smaller people, such options are not really suitable.
so, with a heavy heart the ireallylovemusic clan called it quits.
to the strains of smash it up (in all its crowd teasing parts), we headed back to the tent, packed up in the pouring rain, and headed home where dry beds and comfort awaited.
of course, on sunday as the sun shone, and we were packing up various necessities for elder offspring to wear and lose on his jaunt to mainland europe, we kept checking the schedule and letting out long sighs of regret knowing that imelda may was probably rocking the crowds with her soulful rockabilly while we were sorting out socks-n-grundies, leading to the decision that when the time comes to partake in the the full festival experience (ie. take friday and monday off work, leave the grown up kids at home, and just kick back the whole time), the cornbury festival is definitely on the list.
the relaxed easy going atmosphere of the festival regulars (many a conversation revealed that this is a festival that people return to on a regular basis) the easy lay out, the festival facilities (toilets were perfectly acceptable), the wide range of speciality food stalls that refused to rip off the customers, the sheer beauty of the location and setting, all meant that this is one small but beautifully formed festival that is rather special.
more detail : here