ISSUE #4

have to say, I’m a huge fan of the
Irotating main stage they have in
place here, it considerably speeds up
band changeovers which means more acts
can get on during the day and night.
There is also a 2nd stage and recently
added cabaret tent and if there’s
something on that you don’t want to see,
you can take a stroll around the many
stalls of clothes, craft & festival artefacts
that we all love to bring home and put in
the loft, or you can grab a bite to eat at
many of the ne selection of food vans
always keen to ll that gap.
I’m always really impressed with the
quality of acts here, for such a small
festival, and Saturdays music was yet
another fantastic mixed bag of local
emerging talent and established names
from across the UK.
A masterclass in performance from Two
faced Tom and the bootleg boys, Folk the
system, The Endings and Rusty Shackle,
all proving that quality can be found on
any stage at any time of the day,
The raucous punk-folk sound of festival
veterans Ferocious Dog followed another
of my stand out performances of the
weekend headling on the Saturday night
main stage. The Urban Voodoo Machine
were in great form and drew a large
crowd as the sun was setting.
t no means is this a short festival,
AAs mentioned before, you can go
the Monday before the weekend
and not get home till the Monday a week
later, so the need for careful pacing comes
into play, or if your like me, you can go
balls out for the duration, but don’t expect
to be home in time for songs of praise, as
it’s not going to happen,
Headlining the main stage were the
excellent Wayne Martin band and looking
every inch like the headline act too, it’s
not difcult to see why they would attract
attention, and to be fair to them, they did
sound great too. Wayne has been on the
Shropshire music scene for a number of
years now and for the past few has been
fronting one of the best blues bands in the
county and beyond, they were a totally
credible headliner and have been a very
good friend of the festival over the years.
Farmer Phil’s does always seem to be
over in a ash, and it’s so hard not to be
overcome by the relaxed atmosphere, so
you really do have to be careful not to
spend too much time on the campsite if
you want to get the best of the music.
All in all, it was a again a massive success
and next year see’s the big 20th
anniversary, which is testament to Farmer
Phil himself and all the wonderful staff
and volunteers who make this superb
event happen!!! Hats off to you all.
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