Charisworth Farm, Blandford Forum
Day Two…
A good night’s sleep on Chinners sofa is followed by a dog walk and a big breakfast before the short trip back to the festival site. A slightly late arrival means we only catch three songs by openers Slowave. Their Alt/Rock isn’t to my taste so it’s over to the Big Top for Slackrr and some “Nu Skool Punk Rawk”. They bring youthful energy to the festival’s early doors which puts us in a good frame of mind for the rest of the day.
Our first venture into the Woodland sees us witness Revell Wins, a Post/HCX duo who (to my ears) are crying out for a vocal. It’s all a tad samey so we take the short walk to the smaller stage where Ethereal And The Celestials are entertaining with a cross-genre set. Next up on the larger Woodland Stage are Dead Lettuce. These guys are no strangers to us having established themselves well into the local scene for years. Their power takes it up tenfold as they deliver a set of Bluesy, Stoner/Rock. Another band with a seemingly short supply of vocals, they rectify this on third song “Skateboard”, which has more than a whiff of (once) Rock Gods Bush; notably in the vocal.
Over on the Ted Stage, The Bottom Line is entertaining a sizeable crowd with their familiar Pop/Punk leanings. For those not in the know our very own Teddy family member, chief organiser/promoter/project manager and all-round good guy (Tom Newton) is that guitarist out front who looks strangely familiar. Stepping away from organisational duties he is clearly happy and at home up on the main stage. The band are well known in their own right and seem to be hitting the mark as the main players in this genre today. Although the songs are unfamiliar to my ears, they do seem to have this crowd eating out of the palms of their hands. Despite the fact that they’ve had virtually no sleep all weekend due to their festival duties, they somehow muster the energy to put on an energetic show for the crowd.
A short walk to the Vocalzone Stage means I catch another new artist to me in the shape of Bronnie. The drums are huge, the guitars efficient and the vocals decent. A Katy Perry cover seems a little obvious, but this girl is confident as she covers every inch of the stage.
With my fix of Pop/Punk on the wane I head over to the Big Top for some 2Tone/Ska. Once again The Decatonics are no strangers to the locality and seemingly the only band of the genre this weekend. They have only a 30-minute set so aim to fill every minute with no breaks for crowd/band chat. They debut a new cover to my ears, Martha and the Muffins ‘Echo Beach’, which is rather wonderful. Although their output is largely covered they don’t disappoint this crowd with some obvious pleasers which has this tent skanking. The Zombie/War mash-up is a real highlight and gets the punters involved. Sadly it seems 30 minutes isn’t enough as they reluctantly leave the stage to great applause.
Back to the Vocalzone we go for Seething Akira who bludgeon the senses with a ferocious onslaught, no quarters taken here – these guys ROCK with a capital R! They describe themselves as Electronic Nu-Core which is a new one on me but hey ho, they certainly know how to entertain this mid-afternoon crowd. Back over in the Big Top the inspiringly monikered Speedway Snails hit us with some recognisable covers, the Pop/Punk ones are familiar but that’s about as good as they get for me. A short sustenance break is taken at the excellent Toasted Sandwich stall whose name I don’t recall, but I am more than energised now with cheese, tomato and pesto!!! It’s back to the Vocalzone and a familiar face fronting They Fell From The Sky. Colin (Hundred Reasons) side project I’m afraid just doesn’t excite me, two songs aided by Colin’s hollering is enough to send me to another stage. Chinners though loved what they had to offer and stayed for the whole set and tired himself out moshing…….
Back in the Big Top its tribute time once more – this time in the shape of Rage Against the Machine. Know Your Enemy hit the spot perfectly as the sun is heading down and the temperature dropping. These guys have huge energy, use the stage well and get this crowd moving from the get-go. Band/crowd interaction is healthily encouraged and while I don’t recognise anything Post/1st LP, it’s the bangers most are here for. Again a 30/40 minute set doesn’t seem long enough as this crowd are baying for more, yet most leave this tent happy as do I.
The long trek back to the Ted Stage is broken up with a coffee break. The Amazons are 2nd headline and despite having a pre-fest listen last week I am no more taken to them now. Their Indie/Rock output has pulled a notably large crowd and they seem to have them onside, but for me, they’re just not doing it. Maybe I need to see them in a smaller, indoor venue?
More caffeine is taken on board before our headliners Feeder take to the stage. No strangers to Teddy having headlined a few years back, they march onstage and deliver a set culled from their entire back catalogue. Newer material from the most recent two albums makes up most of the first half of their set. Grant (Nicholas) asks for an “old skool moshpit” for “Seven Days In The Sun” and a few oblige. Unfortunately, this song (IMO) seems to really test his vocal. “Buck Rogers” is the eternal crowd pleaser and doesn’t disappoint with huge drums, while “High” is a triumphant singalong. They stick with the bangers right through to the end, finishing with “Just A Day” with an extended finish complete with jams and drum fills that seem to be never-ending. It’s a great end to the day and the band take their bows while acknowledging the great work of the festival and all involved. We retreat knowing we’ll be back again tomorrow for the final day.
On heading back to the car we stumble across the multi-talented Kez Irving in the acoustic tent, offering a mixed set of covers and originals; she is clearly enchanting all with her performance. It’s a good chance to rest our weary legs and just chill while taking it all in. The beauty of Teddy Rocks is that despite being a ‘small’ Festival, there is enough going on all day to satisfy all tastes. I will admit though that the seating was most welcome!
Kez Irving
Videos
More Videos from the weekend can be found on our YouTube Channel here.
Links
https://teddyrocks.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/TeddyRocksFestival
Words & Media by David Chinery (Chinners)
Words & Media by Ross A Ferrone
Photography by Lynn Burt
Photographs & Video Content by Becky Crothall-Brown
