The popular Riverside Festival reaches that landmark age of 18 this summer and boy has it grown!
From early days as a jazz picnic for friends the Festival now attracts thousands to its idyllic riverside setting on Charlbury’s Mill Field and yet, astonishingly, it is still completely free to enter.
Last year was a story of triumph over adversity for Riverside. After torrential rain forced a last minute postponement, the rescheduled festival attracted record crowds. Inevitably a few acts could not make the alternative dates, so festival director Andy Pickard is particularly pleased that the dB Band, formed by Micky Quinn from Supergrass, and The Byronics, who perform a powerful cocktail of punk, ska and Euro-rock, are playing this year after having to pull out due to other commitments in 2012.
Other bookings for the main stage include The Brickwork Lizards, whose unique Turkabilly/hip hop mash up style went down a treat at the recent Cornbury Music Festival, the curiously named seven-piece jazz combo The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band; along with bluesy country rockers Swindlestock, teen indie band The Kites and Death of HiFi, described as the best ever hip hop band to come out of Oxford.
…and gets engaged
Riverside is famed for showcasing Oxfordshire’s music talent and this year has invited the thriving independent record stores Rapture (in Witney) and Truck (in Oxford) to run the second stage. Both stores are magnets for local musicians, offering them a place to meet and perform. According to Truck Store’s Carl Smithson, the independent chain (which now also has a store in Evesham) has wanted to have a greater involvement in local music festivals for some time: ‘Riverside is the perfect fit and gives us the opportunity to bring some of our favourite acts from the diverse vibrant Oxford music scene to a festival that we all love.’
MAIN STAGE LINE UP
Saturday 27 July
db Band
The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band
Death of HiFi
The Brickwork Lizards
The Epstein
Fucktional Society
The Byronics
The Kites
Sunday 28 July
Million Faces
Swindlestock
Tamara & the Martyrs
The Dirty Royals
The Mighty Redox
Samuel Zasada
Ioneye
Flotsam Jets
SECOND STAGE LINE UP
Saturday 27 July
Empty White Circles
Flights of Helios
Band of Hope
Bethany Weimers
Sweet William
Huck
Jess Hall
Welcome to Peepworld
The August List
Sunday 28 July
We Aeronauts
Dreaming Spires
Deer Chicago
Dallas Don't
Nairobi
Jordon O’Shea
Grudle Bay
Ags Connolly
Published on 15 July 2013 by Ben Robinson
