Cursus Festival
Mycem Farm, Blandford Forum, Dorset
After a busy Friday, half term is finally here and the road to Myncen Farm near Blandford Forum feels like a reward in itself. Nestled among the rolling Dorset countryside and home to Cranborne Chase Cider, the site of Cursus Festival immediately radiates the warmth, character and authenticity of the home of proper music lovers. Even early in the evening, there’s a lively buzz across the arena – the kind of atmosphere many larger festivals spend years trying and failing to manufacture.
What makes Cursus particularly impressive is its scale. With a capacity capped at just 500 people, this should, in theory, feel intimate to the point of restraint. Instead, it feels enormous in spirit. There’s a genuine sense of occasion pulsing through the site, and that speaks volumes about the years of hard work put in by Kev and the team behind Fuelled By Cider. In the current climate, selling out weekend tickets in advance is no small achievement, but one glance around the site makes it obvious why people keep coming back.
The festival itself is brilliantly curated. Independent food traders line the cosy arena with quality local offerings, merchandise is available, and the bar is stacked with locally produced cider — some of it pressed mere metres from where punters are dancing the night away. Most importantly of all, the weather turns up in spectacular fashion. Golden sunshine beats down across Dorset’s roots-music faithful; it genuinely feels like summer has finally arrived.
I manage to make it into the tent just in time to catch the closing moments of Typical Girls, a young, lively four-piece punk outfit from Bournemouth. Unfortunately, it’s only a fleeting glimpse, but even thirty seconds is enough to leave an impression. Their sound is gloriously ragged – all snarling attitude, raw punk energy and controlled chaos. It’s messy, loud and brilliantly unapologetic, the kind of performance that reminds you punk isn’t dead. Judging by the crowd response, they undoubtedly picked up a few new admirers, and I immediately regret not catching their full set. Fortunately, they’re performing at Rustic Stomp in July, so I’ll have another chance to take in the full experience of one of their live shows.
The Sneak Eazies
Next up are The Sneak Eazies, an eight-piece ska outfit from Bristol who inject the evening with a huge burst of energy through their razor-sharp rhythm and a formidable brass and woodwind section. From the moment they begin, the crowd is skanking shoulder-to-shoulder, grinning from ear to ear as the band lock into an impressively tight groove. The brass arrangements soar magnificently throughout the tent, delivering that timeless ska sound with confidence and flair. It’s hard not to be seduced by the addictive sax melody in recent single ‘Turbo Island’ from their brilliant EP ‘We’ll Take It From Here’. Like any seasoned ska outfit, they pepper the set with the occasional familiar melodies, keeping the audience firmly engaged. There are moments where the reggae influences hint at even greater depth, and perhaps a little more of that would have elevated things further, but there’s no denying the impact they had on the room. Professional without ever feeling clinical, they perform with the loose joy of musicians genuinely loving every second onstage.
Penultimate honours fall to The Skimmity Hitchers, featuring festival organiser Kev himself, and this is where the evening transforms fully into a West Country celebration. Known for their hilarious parodies, the opening blast of “A Lovely Pint of Cider” (to the tune of Cash’s “Ring of Fire”) to pints of cider hoisted skyward and kazoos blaring triumphantly through the tent, the atmosphere feels less like a concert and more like a family gathering that’s got wildly out of hand in the best possible way.
The Skimmity Hitchers
It’s immediately obvious why they’ve shared stages so frequently with The Wurzels. Their entire set thrives on humour, community spirit and wonderfully chaotic energy. Their piss taking parodies take aim at mainstream cider companies, alongside odes to sheep, and enough cider-soaked silliness to keep the entire tent bouncing. Somewhere between their tributes to The Prodigy and Green Day, and man in a badger costume hurtling through the crowd with a conga line in tow, Skimmity Hitchers deliver precisely the sort of glorious absurdity a festival like this deserves. By the time they close with “Viva Lyme Regis”, the tent has descended into full-blown West Country hysteria.
Closing the night are Dorset favourites, Black Water County, who are greeted by a rapturous reception as a packed tent surges forward in anticipation. It’s touching to see that their recently departed bandmate, Gav Coles, has returned to the fold for the evening. The reason? Download Festival is on the horizon! After the wonderfully talented Arron Heap (formerly a member of Mick O’Toole) stepped in to replace him, it clearly made sense to invite their former bandmate alongside them with a show of such magnitude in the pipeline.
As you can imagine from these guys, singalongs with Tim and Shan erupt instantly, bodies collide in the pit, and the entire set becomes a reminder of just how far the band have evolved over the years. Once rooted firmly in folk-punk chaos, Black Water County now operate with a broader pop punk/punk rock sound threaded through their founding folk influences, giving their music far greater emotional weight without sacrificing any of the energy that built their reputation.
Black Water County
“Rise and Fall” lands exactly as expected – its hearty chorus married perfectly with roaring crowd vocals and relentless momentum – while the band’s trademark banjo and tin whistle melodies cut through the tent with infectious energy. Their newer material may trade some of the tongue-in-cheek festival-party charm for something more mature and reflective, but it’s a progression that gives the band real depth and longevity.
Closing with “Under Skies of Black and Blue”, the atmosphere tips into well-controlled mayhem before a thoroughly deserved double encore sends the crowd home into the early hours exhausted and euphoric. As they leave the stage to deafening applause, it’s impossible not to recognise Black Water County as one of the true success stories of the Dorset music scene – a band whose rise has been earned through years of relentless touring, evolution and connection with their audience.
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the other days of Cursus, but I have no doubt that it would have been a spectacular continuation of the opening day’s events. Having spoken to Kev on the radio recently about the enormity of booking Peat & Diesel as the Saturday night headliner, I have no doubt that this is the beginning of an incredible period of time for Fuelled By Cider. Cursus is clearly the Tardis of UK festivals; it appears small at first glance, but holds a world of wonder within.
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/cursusfestival
https://www.fuelledbycider.com
Words and photography by George Fullerton
