Hamswell Festival 2009!
Hamswell Festival is the UK's Freshest Event for Original Live Music and Progressive Arts
A B O U T U S
HAMSWELL FESTIVAL IS A PARTY IN A FIELD
Set in a secluded valley in the West Country, Hamswell Festival offers a refreshing alternative to the huge corporate festivals that now dominate the summer. For a few hundred people partying hard for three days in August, this is one of the most intimate and friendly atmospheres around. Featuring a diverse range of music and arts and providing locally produced food, ales and ciders, we aim to support emerging talent from the local area and across the country. This year will see the festival building on its previous years whilst retaining the charm that has made it unique. The famous Wharton BBQ will be back serving you fine lamb based delicacies direct from Hamswell Farm itself. Then there’s the Bath Organic Farms stall; more local produce of a superior quality. Plus a host of other carefully selected stalls to keep you going over the weekend.
Hamswell’s obvious attraction is the music. It offers a platform for undiscovered or emerging musicians and djs, with bags of talent and heaps of enthusiasm, to play in front of a receptive and rewarding crowd. In return the crowd get to see in one place, a high standard of fresh performances from right across the musical spectrum. Some of the bands you will see here have been gigging hard for a few years already, some are signed to record labels and others will be taking their first intrepid steps from the comfort of the studio into a live atmosphere, we believe all of them have something interesting to offer.
The spirit of Hamswell is however, much more than a good soundtrack. The festival is set on a glorious little, valley near Bath. It is this stretch of South Gloucestershire farmland that inspired Richard Tugwell and Tom Ireson to take their lifelong ambitions and turn them into a tangible reality. The landscape is an artistic echo of the concept. Its lush welcoming hills, hanging protectively over the valley seem to symbolise the organic and familiar feel with which they had both imagined their event.
The festival has a habit of capturing the collective creative imaginations of a troop of pleasure-seeking individuals, unfazed by the threat of hard work, or of the dreaded British rain clouds. Rather than rely on corporate sponsorship, the organisers perennially have to beg, borrow and steal favours from all that can be persuaded to chip in. This fosters a real community atmosphere, with many people that make up the audience actually contributing in some way to the running of the event: whether this is setting up the stage, door security, publicity, transport, or perhaps baking some delicious homemade treats for the party hardened revellers.
From the moment Johnny asked his Dad if he could have a festival on the farm, the Hamswell vibe has been about involving an expanding network of friends, all with a shared love for live music, dance and creativity. The music can be experimental, is often cutting edge, and pools an eclectic range of performers - from acoustic soloists and poetic MCs, through to samba bands, folk balladeers, funk infused techno and beats more depraved than a hazy night in the sheep fields.
When asked to surmise why Hamswell is unique, Jonny quite simply states ‘its in my back garden!’ A fair comment, if you happen to be the farmer’s son. But it does perfectly sum up the Hamswell experience. It’s a three-day party, on a farm, in the sunshine!