Cantley Park Berkshire
Monday, 26th August 2024
It was a privilege to be asked by the organisers to review the final day of this family friendly festival situated in Cantley Park Berkshire. As well as established acts, the festival champions new music by unsigned artists or by those you just normally don’t get to see.
The main site is festooned with various styles of camping chairs brought by the punters and has a chilled laid-back atmosphere, being attended by music lovers, some with their families where the children can run about and dance or take part in activities organised by the circus tent. A far cry from the nearby Reading Festival with its mud (maybe not this year! Ed) and frenetic hordes, but equally entertaining, and a more relaxed alternative vibe altogether.
Today is focused on Prog and Psychedelic Rock, and performers that are actually hard to categorise, and is headlined by seasoned professionals Ozric Tentacles.
As well as the Main Stage there was a smaller marquee (WMC Stage) so that attendees could enjoy a seamless and constant supply of music. The compere today was Darren Redick from Planet Rock, and the afternoon kicked off in fine form with the warm acoustic tones of solo artist Amanda Lehmann.
With a musical career spanning over three decades (and known latterly for her musical involvement with Steve Hackett), the singer/songwriter/guitarist charmed the audience with opening number Tinkerbell and demonstrated how contact with real people over the years permeates and influences her songwriting with songs such as One Last Spin and Memory Lane.
Such was the seamless stream of bands that we were constantly hot footing it to the Marquee tent and were delighted to catch Storm Deva combining rock, classical, folk and world influences to produce a set of unique songs, with lyrics rich in natural imagery. The band’s core, and here as a duo today, is singer, composer and pianist Carollyn Eden and writer, composer and musician Stuart Clark. Carollyn has composed the original score for the BBC Radio 3 Essay Series “Music of the Spheres” as well as BBC World Service documentary Space 1977. Stuart’s original influences were from classic rock such Purple and Maiden, but he studied jazz guitar improvisation for several years.
This combination produces a very big sound and though I thoroughly enjoyed the performance I cannot wait to see them on a big stage setting. At times Stuart’s guitar picking technique reminded me very much of Ritchie Blackmore and I hope he forgives me for that comparison. Though all the songs are of high quality the ones to check out are Carpe Diem, Alchemy and The Journey.
One of the most delightful surprises on the main stage was the set delivered by unsigned sextet Hoopy Frood, which I believe to be a reference from Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy. The music is mesmerising with haunting and ethereal vocals from Michelle Higgins within the guitar soundscapes of Chris Read. I found this band impossible to catagorise!
Fun blues rock from two well-seasoned geezers in colourful shirts, one with a Strat, the other playing harmonica, both sharing vocal duties. John Lee Hooker in Berkshire! Just what you need for the festival vibe early in the day.
One of my favourite bands on the festival circuit are Spriggan Mist, and these seasoned entertainers are future headliners at any Prog Rock Festival with their stunning brand of pagan folk-rock. Witches, dragons, and folklore feature in their songs but you can dance to it, accompanied by the band’s mascot Sebastian the Spriggan. The definition of “Spriggan”? A well hard Faerie. 🙂
Four of the band’s five members are songwriters and it shows in the well-crafted songs they perform. A lot of today’s material is taken from their album Isambard The Mechanical Dragon, and yes, I had to buy the CD after their performance. However, the Spriggans are definitely a live band!
Fronted by singer/songwriter and dancer Fay Brotherhood with her “Green Man” head dresses, she shares the limelight with husband and wife team Baz Cilia and Maxine Cilia. Baz thumps away at the bass guitar punctuated by leg kicks that could only be delivered by kick boxing instructor he is! Maxine is a multi-instrumentalist as well as a vocalist and songwriter and switches from guitar to saxophone with extreme ease. To stage left counterbalancing these antics is the extremely talented Neil Wighton rocking out on guitar. You need to see this band.
A young band, San Demas supply punchy melodic indie-metal with an ear for a good tune, fronted by a female singer with just the right amount of power in her voice to keep up with the rifftastic music coming from her three male colleagues.
Up next were The Paradox Twin, who gave us a set of slightly psych-tinged prog in the manner of a heavier Pink Floyd. The band have a changed line up from the last time I saw them, and they are fronted by Sarah Bayley, whose vocals emit an assured confidence.
Chloe Mogg is a long-established and stylistically varied solo act. For this gig she’s backed by a band, and while very much in the rock vein, they lean towards a more funky pop-rock sound. Their set even included a Portishead cover. Chloe has a great voice too, which helps!
Before the Ozrics took to the main stage the afternoon was turned on its head by the confounding, entertaining and pure showbiz appearance of That Joe Payne. Progressive-music vocalist Joe Payne is recognised for his involvement with a variety of projects, from solo releases to collaborations with artists The Enid, John Holden, Zio and recently with keyboard wiz Jordan Rudess.
Joe is famed for his five-octave range and flamboyant showmanship. He soon has the audience whooping and clapping along, and was the joined on stage by Sarah Bayley from The Paradox Twin for a rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody that would have made Freddie Mercury proud.
The headliners on the WMC Stage came over from The Netherlands for this gig, and they gave us a slick, professional show, showcasing their bang up to date brand of metal-tinged rock. They looked like they were having a blast, too!
The last time I saw the Ozrics was at a Glastonbury in the early 90’s. Today it’s almost a family affair with Ozric Tentacles still being led by original member Ed Wynne on guitar and keyboards, joined by his son Silas on keyboards with Silas’ partner Saskia Maxwell on vocals and flute.
A campfire at the Stonehenge free festival in 1983 witnessed the birth of Ozric Tentacles. It was there that composer and band leader Ed Wynne, and brother Roly Wynne (bass guitar) staged their first live performance. Not much has changed in all that time as today the music is a signature blend of hippy aesthetics and raver electronics with spiralling guitars, textured waves of keyboards, midi samplers, and super-groovy bass and drum rhythms. As twilight gave way to the encroaching darkness of evening, the light show added to the trippy ambience, and I was immediately transported back to Glastonbury all those years ago.
A long day with the journey from Newcastle and back but the dedication and professionalism that goes into this Festival made it all worthwhile. If you live in the neighbourhood and love live music, there really is no excuse not to attend and I look forward to next year’s event.
[Photos by Chris Simmons and Rosamund Tomlins]
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