Hamswell Festival

Hamswell Festival 2009!

Hamswell Festival is the UK's Freshest Event for Original Live Music and Progressive Arts

H A M S W E L L   F E S T I V A L   2 0 0 6   R E V I E W

THOSE OF YOU UNLUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE SEEN HAMSWELL FESTIVAL 2006... HERE'S WHAT YOU MISSED!

Hamswell Festival 2006 was a storming success! Blessed with hot sunny weather, people from far and wide pitched their tents in the beautiful green valley, and enjoyed 3 days of original music from some of the most gifted bands, artists & DJs in the UK.

The Pink Crowbar Resteraunt at Hamswell Festival
The Pink Crowbar

However... for the organisers the festival, things began on a stormy Monday morning. Several attempts were made to erect the bar and other constructions, one of which resulted in the entire marquee taking off and landing about 200 metres down the valley - a somewhat disheartening start to proceedings. Soaked to the skin but still undaunted by the task ahead, the organisers ploughed on, and by the end of the week spirits had lifted - as had the appalling weather.

VJ Kutas plays Hamswell Festival
VJ Kutas Providing Visuals

After a brief visit from ITV West on Friday morning (a slightly cringe-worthy experience), the bands and punters started to arrive. T-Magic got straight on the decks where he was a fixture for most of the weekend, and, despite having his own head in the clouds, he kept everyone else's feet on the ground. After introducing the event the decks were open for anyone to play, with the likes of Joey B pulling out some of his best DnB. However, it was, without a doubt, Mr Frisk who stole the show, playing his debut gig at Hamswell. We also saw the stunning visuals of Simulatra providing the backdrop to the entire event.

Ian Horrocks
The Spell-binding... Ian Horrocks

Debauchery continued throughout the night, leaving many a little hazy on Saturday morning as Mole began his marathon hosting stint by introducing the Little Things. This band were perfect for beginning the Saturday schedule, with their folktastic flower-powered performance. Later in the bill we saw the likes of Iain Horrocks giving a truly spell-binding 45 minutes that captivated so many. As the afternoon unfolded, we saw a one off performance from the Dot Matrix: a project specifically set up by one of the organisers to perform at Hamswell. By dusk Mole, Iris and Witch Doctor were proving they can talk the talk with a thoroughly engaging performance.

The Common Moral Cause
The Common Moral Cause

The final live act for the evening was no less than The Common Moral Cause. Despite having a depleted brass section, this did not affect the quality of their set and rumour has it that it was one of the tightest they have played. The night brought with it a change of pace and Kardiak Beats kept all our hearts racing along with Cheeks and Sparks bringing us the freshest sound in breakbeat. The music ploughed on throughout the night into a glorious Sunday morning.

Fiona Bevan
Flawless... Fiona Bevan

T-Magic crawled onto the decks and joined everyone for a day of sunshine and recovery. Lack of sleep and one too many nitrous balloons had taken their toll on us all. However, Fiona Bevan instantly proved the perfect hangover cure. She had a flawless vocal style, that only seemed to complement her guitar playing. Following the departure of most of the remaining punters/munters, we saw a spontaneous and unscheduled live set from Dr Filter, accompanied by visuals from the Simulatra Team. For those of you lucky enough to have been there, this was a truly unique and uplifting performance. The festival finally drew to a close under the gaze of the stars and by the warmth of a fire on Sunday evening as the remaining few watched films on the big screen until the early hours.

Make sure you're there again this year!

HAMSWELL FESTIVAL ROCKETH