Rock Regeneration

May02

Teddy Rocks Festival 2025 – Day 1

on May 2nd, 2025 at 19:21

Charisworth Farm, Blandford Forum

One of the most popular festivals of the Summer season is Tom Newton’s Teddy Rocks Festival, a festival that started off in a local pub and has since grown twice into the grand size it is today. Since starting it in 2011 after losing his brother Ted to a rare bone cancer, Tom and his team have raised huge sums of money supporting a wide range of great causes supporting children with cancer. Tom explains “It’s amazing what we managed to achieve in just a few years, from raising £400 at a small gig to organising an awesome festival and raising over £250,000 so far… and it’s all thanks to our generous and loyal supporters. Thanks to them, we’ve made a huge difference to hundreds of children’s lives: because of their support, we’re able to keep fighting children’s cancer.”

Each year the festival changes and improves; despite challenges with the cost of headline bands, the festival has moved to primarily Tribute bands. These changes have clearly worked as this year for the first time it has completely sold out with no tickets available on the day. The festival has a variety of music stages including the Main Ted Newton Stage, Jan Boyd Stage, Vocalzone Tent, The Royal Ted Pub stage along with a new Secret Garden stage, Teddy Raves Dance bubble, VIP Stage and the ever popular Merry Woodland stage. It’s a proper family festival with plenty to do for all ages; stalls, fairground attractions and music to suit all.

The best thing about the festival is the people and the atmosphere, it is a truly social affair. The staff are just wonderful, they are like a family and most have been with the event since the beginning. When you arrive you are always greeted cheerily by the men on the gate, the car parking attendants are all so friendly/helpful, along with security and anyone else that you come in contact with. The Newton’s have created an extended family of hundreds, all who are willing to keep up the fight and deliver when they are requested to. The festival has quite rightly won several awards so is most certainly one of the best all round festivals out there.

The fun all starts with a fine bright Friday evening and on the Vocalzone stage kicking off the musical entertainment is Carley Varley and her band. Carley is a welcome benefit to any festival, she has an infectious stage presence that draws you in, along with some well created original songs. On the main stage DJ’s Sara Blow and Tor Da Force are warming up the crowds for the night ahead.

Carley Varley

DJ Sara Blow And Tor Da Force

South Coast band SOS (formerly Saints of Sin) are no strangers to this event and have pulled themselves quite a crowd, they bring the energy and a batch of new songs to keep the audience happy.

SOS 1

Over the other side of the arena one of Dorset’s best live Ska bands The Decatonics, along with The Downtown Collective’s Phoebe Newton are paying an emotional tribute to the Greyhound in Blandford – landlady Jan Boyd sadly passed away recently. Jan was instrumental in getting the festival off the ground and quite possibly without her there would be no Teddy Rocks Festival – the pub won’t be the same without her. Phoebe and the band belt out a fine version of Jackie Wilson’s “Higher & Higher” in her honour. Let face it, naming the stage after her was a given as this straight talker with a heart as big as Dorset will never be forgotten.

The Decatonics

A Rock festival with the legendary Peter Andre and Irish dance superstars B*witched, you just couldn’t imagine it? Yet here on a countryside farm in Blandford they are.

Peter Andre

For both acts the field in front of the main stage is rammed and all the Sisters, Aunties, Grannies, Mothers and a few Brothers are getting hot under the collar with some of Peter Andre’s moves.

Bewitched 1

While I’m personally excited to see B*Witched; yes a real guilty pleasure, the double denim Irish lasses have me under their spell and I even bought their album. I along with everyone else is singing along to “Rollercoaster”, “Blame it on the Weatherman” and of course “C’est La Vie”.

To be fair their voices and choregraphed dances are as good now as they were back in the late 1990’s. If that wasn’t enough they are followed by children’s TV personalities Dick & Dom who have escaped their bungalow for the evening to perform a DJ set and of course play a huge game of “Boogies”…….Come on, how loud can you shout boogies? Well the noise from the Teddy Rocks crowd could be heard from many miles away….they probably scared the life out of an elderly lady in Shaftesbury as she was having her Ovaltine before bed!

Dick And Dom 1–2

The Merry Woodland Stage hosted by the one and only, ever smiling Mischa Weston-Green is also playing host to some traditional Dorset festival acts for those not wanting a trip back to the 1990’s. Both Soulhole and Sixteen String Jack, two top local bands whip up a storm with great entertaining sets. Lady Winwoods Maggot got their raging horns out of retirement with Harry Bassett on Trumpet, George Stephen on Trombone & Amy Cullen on saxophone for the first time in six years. Also Lump and Solarbird bassist Nick Gowman joins the band for quite a unique show.

Sixteen String jack

The band fronted by Mark Baynes, also with Brothers Sid and Mike Sidey prove to be a great success and pull quite a crowd with a storming set. It includes some unique songs that the band have not played in a very long time and rumour has it they may have even had a rare rehearsal. Dance-floor classic “Glittering Prize” and the Country-infused “Sanctified” sound great to hear once again with the horns proving an excellent addition. So Friday night ends on a high with an eclectic selection of acts seen and of course well be back tomorrow for more!!