Myncen Farm, Blandford Forum
Day 3
Lets do this, final day and yet more fine weather, the rain has seemed to have passed and today’s parking space is the closest yet, happy days. With regards to Stag Gav, despite having a hangover top to most hangovers he was spotted drinking water around noon in the main arena in a fairly compos mentis state. Today we have news that Bournemouth band The Bomo Swing has sadly split and have had to pull out from the festival, this leaves the organisers with a bit of a dilemma. Kev’s plan for a three hour Skimmity Hitchers set was soon shut down and another idea was apparently coming together.
The first band of the stage seem strangely familiar bit different The Jolly Holly Bobs feature Harry Cotbeans and the two accordion Sues from The Jimmy Hillbillies. The Line up is bolstered with the amazing talent Mad Dog Wilson (Local legend Carl Wilson) on harmonica Billy on stand up double bass and the yodelling Crazy Angel Cowgirl on drums. The band gives Harry the opportunity to revisit his first love in music rockabilly. Tracks like “Free Rockin”, “Bossa Nova Baby” and newer number “Hope & Glory”. You can’t fault their enthusiasm and musicianship with a great start to the days entertainment.
The second act of the day is Brian Stone And The Masters Of None, these guys have quite a contingent of fans here with plenty of their T-shirts on display. I confess I’ve not heard or even seen him before but really want to see what all the fuss is about. The pirate attired Brian on his acoustic guitar is accompanied by Maty Tustian on a bodhrán(Irish Drum). The pair are gracious and humble and really appreciate the audience that are gathered in front of them. They are very interactive and get the crowd involved at every opportunity, the majority of the tunes have a nautical feel to them, “Where Has All The Rum Gone” sees the most well-behaved circle pit, which is hilarious. Their seafaring and folk tunes feature a great sense of fun and this is shown with a great version of “New York Girls” a tune made famous by the epic film “Gangs of New York” and of course “Bellowhead”. The fans have a sort of millipede dance that see them going under and over in a large train of people across length of the tent, even Brian joins in while still playing his guitar. What a fantastic set and one that I will remember for a long time to come.
Have you heard of Brake Line & The Cursed Festival All Stars, nope me either. Well they are a mix of people who turned up to enjoy the festival and got asked to play instead of the cancelled band The Bomo Swing. I’m sure a deal with done with some free cider; but Mexican Dave, Mark Clatters, Dan Dean, and all have had plenty already, this added to the fun though. They each took turns singing one of their own songs and even Gav took to stage to join in with some Sea Shanties. The best of all has to be cancer survivor Chris “Kipper” Roberts who climbed up on stage for the first time since his treatment and stunned the audience with an emotionally charged original that made most of us shed a tear, talking of festival moments, we have certainly been spoiled this weekend.
Next up we have Dorset Punks Sinful Maggie, with possibly the only Punk band on the South Coast to feature an accordion. Brothers Russ (Bass/Vocals) & Charlie (Guitar/Vocals), along with Briony (Accordion/Vocals) and drummer Si; the band whip up a storm with their Folk-infused Punk that injects some energy into this Sunday afternoon. With tunes like “Amityvillie”, “We Are Wolves”, and “Shitfaced”, (which is obviously dedicated to Gav) the band show their worth. Briony takes over vocals on “Pyscho” and does a great job, it would be good to see her sing on more tracks. Rapper Chiman 101 takes to the stage for the band’s final number and provides a unique collaboration that really works, perhaps this idea has some momentum for the future…
My much younger self would be totally surprised to see me in a field thoroughly enjoying a drum and bass band from Belgium. Gamma Rae are musical wizards and their delivery of live drum and bass is an experience worth seeing, feeling and hearing. With rib-crushing basslines, the biggest set of guitar effect pedals I have ever seen, electronic drums, synthesizer and a wind instrument called an Aerophone that makes an amazing melodic sound and really adds to onstage sounds. As well as their own complex creations, we get treated to a reworking of some Prodigy songs which sounded epic.
Today’s food of choice, as it is a Sunday is a roast; no I’ve not popped off site to the local pub?! One of the fine food stalls is doing a roast dinner, all encased within a large Yorkshire pudding with roast potatoes, vegetables, stuffing, gravy with a choice of chicken or squash. The food was pretty amazing and considering it came from a take-away van, the quality was amazing and people around me were all asking where I obtained it. After this as usual with a big meal at my age I felt like a afternoon knap…. Wait a minute, The Skimmity Hitchers are next up on the main stage and Kev will have my guts for garters if I miss them…
I suspect most of our readers have seen the Skimmity Hitchers before, they have become a West Country institution and their re-worked songs and live performances have become legendary within the Wessex area. This afternoon the tent is rammed and everyone seems to be up for a drop of Cranbourne Chase cider and a little boogie to their infectious instantly recognisable ditties. We are gifted with tracks including “Pint Of Cider”, “Bit of Personal” and Radiohead’s “Creep” that is hilariously changed to “Sheep”. Kev’s facial expressions and onstage banter are always entertaining. Kev invites the soon to be newly wed Gav up on stage to don the customary badger suit and during the song “Badger Man”, Gav is lifted high in the air by the audience and crowd surfs the length and breadth of the tent, while dressed in a stinky bovine tuberculosis covered badger pelt. The Skimmity’s as usual raise a smile and leave the audience wanting a wee…… I mean more!!
Right, two bands to go after a swift double expresso (that’s my drug of choice these days, along with multivitamins and cod liver oil tablets) it’s time for Carsick. These guys are a Punk band from Wiltshire who have been working hard over the last eighteen months or so. With gigs in mainland Europe and performances at a host of notable festivals, the band are certainly getting their name out there. The four loveable rogues get a warm welcome once again after introducing themselves here in 2023. They sing about what they know and the lyrics are a social analysis of where their lives lead them. “Pub Watch”, “Anaconda Frank” and the totally infectious sing-a-long “Put It Down”. Sweet blistering bass lines with punchy guitars, along with some creative drumming. Frontman Joe delivers some gritty vocals and orchestrates some quite intense mosh pits and the guitarist joins in while still playing his guitar. I love the sentiment behind the song “Gigtax” which details the struggles that most grassroots band suffer in this day and age. I’ve seen these guys about a half dozen times and each time they seem to get better and better and I’d love to see them step up to perform to some much larger festival audiences in the near future.
If you remember earlier on in Part 2’s article for this festival, I spoke to a stroke survivor; well this guy (I wish I could remember his name) was wearing a “Mad Apple Circus” t-shirt promoting this evening’s headliners and said that I should not miss them. He’d seen them a few times and thought they were amazing live, lets hope they live up to expectations. This Bristol band, it feels like giving them a dis-service calling them a band; as they are so much more than that are a four-piece brass, guitar, bass and drums quartet, along with two very different styled vocals. There music is infectious and their sound feels like you are on a sunshine holiday tuning through a radio looking for party tunes. The band mix Calypso vibes with ska, Reggae, Hip Hop, they all germinate a huge sense of fun that just radiates with each track. From “Winds of Change” hitting you like a Caribbean wave full on in the face, to the ska-infused, highly danceable “Partisans & Vandals” and the Havana-vibed “Hold On” with a seriously great vocal delivery. So I was not disappointed. “Mad Apple Circus” leave you breathless with a set feeling like you have seen 9 top class musicians, all pulling together with the same goal….just infectious and a perfect ending to what has been a weekend for of discovery, memories and new friendships.
Videos
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Links
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https://www.fuelledbycider.com/cursus
Article, Media and Pictures by David Chinery (Chinners)
