Bearded Theory 10

10yrs of cultivating beards

With the weather reaching the high 20’s across the last bank holiday in May the festival got off to a flying start.

This year the organisers decided to extend the first day by opening the gates a couple of hours earlier than previous years. They also opted to open the main arena with bands playing from early afternoon. I found this very enjoyable and in effect made the weekend longer.

The small improvements such as making more space in the woodland, an additional ale bar and lots of other small things went down well.

As always the line up of bands and artists across the weekend was as varied and unique. With bands such as Madness, Sea Sick Steve, Skunk Anansie and Slaves as headliners it was clear the bearded staff had once again excelled themselves.

However it was not just the headliners to be enjoyed. With performances from Dreazone, Green Man Rising, Ferocious Dog and Back to the Planet there was something for everyone. Given the current political situation there were plenty of politically loaded performances with a lot of left thinking support.
A personal highlight was an undercover performance from the Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican, which rocked the Something Else Tea tent.

The tea tent as always provided lots of top quality open mic artists all through the weekend.

The kids village was a massive hit with parents and children alike. This is always a well thought out area with endless entertainment for all.

Bearded would not be Bearded without it’s Sunday fancy dress. Always a fun and creative occasion.

With it only being a week after the Manchester disasters there was undoubtedly going to be a higher security presence. This was done with typical Bearded skill and was a well balanced operation. The extra security were regularly seen and very friendly and approachable.

Once again the organisers provided an outstanding weekend of music, love and many sore heads. A truly fitting occasion to celebrate their 10th anniversary.

“Dickin’ about in a tanktop.” – An interview with Scott Doonican at Watchet Live Music Festival 2016.

So there I was, hanging about in the hospitality area at Watchet Live Music Festival when in walks this bloke with an incredibly vibrant tank top, a pint of what looked like cider and his long suff…

Source: “Dickin’ about in a tanktop.” – An interview with Scott Doonican at Watchet Live Music Festival 2016.

Ragged Bear – Folkin’ Awesome! — InField Music

Ragged Bear Festival, 11th-13th November 2016 Queens Hall, Nuneaton Winter. Cold and miserable with a distinct lack of field based musical shenanigans with hippies. Winter sees this particular hippy struggling to deal with this sad fact. So when I was approached by a bear of a man at The Bandstand at Beautiful Days, who handed […]

via Ragged Bear – Folkin’ Awesome! — InField Music

Looking back on 2016

2016 has been an eventful year to say the least. We have seen history being made politically home and aboard and we have seen some major personal hero’s pass away from the music and film industry.

For me the death of David Bowie and Prince hit the hardest. Although not family, people who inspire you from a young age will always come as a shock when no longer around.

But with the sadness of loss comes the legacy left behind. The vast body of work these people leave behind will be passed on to generations to come. Underlying alot of new music now can be found the influences of past musical artists. It’s something that’s always pleasing to see. Music is made to be shared after all!

This year was a year filled with person hero’s for myself. Not just the bands and artists I got to see and in some cases meet, but also the hero’s who make it possible, the organisers.

I often hear people complaining about the cost of ticket prices for festivals. Having seen from the inside this year I can assure everyone that these organisers running these grassroot festivals and gigs make little if any profit. What needs to be realised is the amount of time,money and self sacrifice that goes in to organising these events. They do all this whilst making sure the punters pay no more than needed. Next time we rock up to such amazing weekends, lets raise a glass to them.

Then we have the artists. I have had the pleasure of seeing many amazing performances this year. Some highlights for me were the Barsteward Sons of Val Doonicans at Watchet Music Festival. This was a performance I’ll remember for a long time.

Bearded Theory and Beautiful Days also offered some amazing performances and memories from artists such as the Levellers, Jack Savoreti, Terrorvision, Turin Brakes and many many more.

Above all I feel I need to give a mention to the Ragged Bear Festival. My partner and I had the the pleasure of meeting one of the main organisers ( Steve Bentley) a few weeks before the event. He was telling us how good the festival was lining up to be. He didn’t disappoint. So much hard work was put in and it paid off. The line up was impressive, with Amazing performances from leatherat, Funkie and the two tone baby ,Greenman rising, Laylines and Gaz Brookfield. In the grand scheme of things its a small operation, but one I’ll be sure never to miss.

The grassroots music scene is vital that we Jeep it alive. We all have a responsibility to support these artists. So I urge everyone to get out and support these guys. Even if it means popping out on a Friday to your local to see an unknown act. You’ll be surprised of the talent that’s out there!

So on reflection of 2016 it’s been a year filled with highs and lows. The highs far outweigh the lows. I have met many amazing people and made some life long friends. I have seen fantastic talent and forged memories that will last forever.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to 2016 and lets look forward to what’s sure to be a successful 2017!

Ragged Bear Festival 11th-13th November 2016

The next festival on the list this year was Ragged Bear Festival. This was held at Queens hall in Nuneaton. It was the first time it had been held and what a line up!.  I was honored to be there to see an amazing first effort from the organizers and will be sure to attend many more!

 

 

 

 

Watchet Festival 27th/28th August 2016

Its been a while since I posted. After an amazing bearded theory It was time for Beautiful Days Festival. It was, as always, a well run success. I was planning on taking photos at this one but come the weekendm due to tenting I decided against it.

So after Beautiful Days it was time to try Watchet Festival. This was the first time I had attended this one. What I found was a small but spectacular set up.

Full review by Hollie Latham can be found here:

http://getreadytorock.me.uk/blog/2016/09/gig-review-watchet-festival-27-28-august-2016/

Wednesday 1st June 2016

It’s my first day back to work today after attending Bearded Theory Festival. The festival is always among my favorite highlights of the year.

From the moment of arriving you feel like you have been transported to an alternative world. It’s a world were everyone gets along, a world where anything goes. With a line up diverse as you can imagine with bands from Turin brakes all the way to Stiff little fingers there is very little that’s not, if anything not catered for. It’s a weekend where everybody can shed their day to day skins and let their eccentric, passionate and colorful inner selves run wild without a care in the world.

Full review can be found here:

http://getreadytorock.me.uk/blog/2016/06/gig-review-bearded-theory-festival-catton-hall-derbyshire-26-29-may-2016/