Reviews Of The Best Music Festivals UK
Womad serves up heady mix of war, wet and wonder
02 August 2023 Review by Neil del StrotherEvery year Womad reliably serves up an embarrassment of musical riches. There’s a seemingly inexhaustible list of extraordinary and – to me at least...
Triumph in the Heart of Downland
09 July 2023 Review by Neil del StrotherLet’s start off with the women. A healthy percentage of the acts over the Love Supreme weekend – including the excellent main stage headliners on the Saturday and Sunday nights
From Wealden Literary Festival with Love
29 June 2023 Review by Neil del StrotherClose your eyes for a moment and imagine Boomtown
Black Deer brings Mississippi Delta to rural Sussex
20 June 2023 Review by Neil del StrotherSeventy-one year old Chrissie Hynde was anticipating a younger audience. She told us this twice so she must have meant it.
How the Light Gets In Illuminates the Dark Recesses of My Brain
07 October 2022 Review by Neil del Strother www.neildelstrother.co.ukSometimes it’s easier to define something by what it is not: How The Light Gets In is not Boomtown. In fact it’s just about as diametrically opposite to Boomtown as it’s possible to be.
Feasty Fest 2022 Review
15 September 2022 Review by Ben RobinsonOur second year attending Feasty Fest with warm memories from the previous year we were hopeful that 2022 would live up to the previous.
Into The Wild 2022 - Patchouli Oil Running Around My Brain
06 September 2022 Review by Neil del StrotherInto the Wild is a warm-hearted festival of the old skool: no corporates, plenty of tie-dye and diaphanous robes on display, friendly security, more Indian knick-knacks on sale than you can shake a stick at, and no booze or drugs.
8 Things We Loved About Beat-Herder 2022
16 August 2022 Review by Duncan WhittakerBeat-Herder is a magical oasis of pleasure seeking mayhem, hedonistic self-gratification and electronic debauchery. Nestled away slap bang on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border...
Middle-Aged Womad Offers Embarrassment of Riches
16 August 2022 Review by Neil del StrotherWomad is the most magical of festivals. Forty years old, it still maintains an innocence, humility and sense of wonder that few, if any, other festivals can rival
Retro in the Park 2022
27 July 2022 Review by Duncan WhittakerOne of the biggest nights on the East Lancashire “getting on it big time” scene has to be Burnley’s Retro in the Park. Last year’s event was a monster of a success – Roger Sanchez
Love Supreme Serves a Lavish Helping of Relevance
08 July 2022 Review by Neil del StrotherWhoever booked Erykah Badu to headline at this year’s comeback Love Supreme deserves a biscuit, and a chocolate one at that. She was an inspired choice.
ACT OF GOD OBSCURES THE WHOLE OF THE MOON
23 June 2022 Review by Neil del StrotherIt seems that God is a purist when it comes to Americana
Bearded Theory 2022
20 June 2022 Review by Keith DennellyThis years Bearded Theory was promising to be a particularly sweet occasion following several postponed attempts and subsequent cancelled re-arrangements due to the pandemic....
Byline brings intelligence and insight to new urban location
09 May 2022 Review by Neil del StrotherThere’s something satisfyingly substantial about Byline. It’s an intelligent – intellectually stimulating – festival chock full of insight, interest and intrigue. Albeit the latter I’ve added just for the sake of alliteration.
Feasty Fest 2021
18 September 2021 Review by Ben RobinsonFeasty Fest is touted as a food and drink festival but we found it to be much more. Featsy Fest is a one-day event with a huge variety of food, drink and entertainment for all the family.
All Points East 2021
14 September 2021 Review by Emily BirdHaving only begun in 2018, All Points East is relatively new to the London Day Festival scene, but it has quickly risen to the top of the summer calendar for alternative live music in a smaller and more intimate setting than many of its competitors.
Watchet 2021
07 September 2021 Review by Keith DennellyHow do you put into words the excitement visible on every persons face that passed through the entrance to Watchet festival this year
Boardmasters 2021
21 August 2021 Review by Owen WilliamsBoardmasters returns! The UK’s biggest Surf, Skate and Music Festival returns after two years off. Of course, like for most festivals around the world 2020 was a write off and in 2019 Boardmasters
7 Things We Loved About Gateways Festival 2021
12 August 2021 Review by Duncan WhittakerYou’d happily wait two years for your team to win the Champions League. You’d happily wait two years to get your dream job. But waiting two years to go to a festival?
Chagstock 2021 Review
03 August 2021 Review by KeithThe quality of bands here never fails to amaze me, and I rarely ever leave this weekend behind without a favourite new, usually unsigned, band or two to follow up and look out for.