Having spent most of Friday morning stuck in traffic on route to the festival we were starving by the time we arrived on site. Thankfully every type of food we could have hoped for was on offer from Thai, Punjabi, Jamaican and South Indian cuisine to stone baked pizzas, freshly brewed coffees and treats like homemade ice creams, or brownies for dessert, we were spoilt for choice. After deciding on a delicious halloumi, squash and avocado burger from the Breakfast Club we were ready to explore the site.

Walking past the miniature golf course and hot tubs in the fields of bliss spa you reach a new addition the larch stage – a giant double tepee dedicated to acoustic music throughout the day. Just beyond the Larch are the Angel Gardens an area jam packed with little people having fun - juggling, spray painting, and playing giant kerplunk.

Area 51 just inside the Hidden Hedge was significantly less child friendly, with jarred insects, skulls and gas masks a plenty. We only made it into the area 51 stage for one performance over the weekend for a heavy drum and bass dance rave. While not our cup of tea the audience seemed to be having a great time! Back outside in the Hidden Hedge the giant fire pit was getting started for the night, surrounded by giant obscure installations including animal skulls, traffic lights, peculiar creatures, and more!

One of my favourite areas to walk past over the course of the weekend was ‘Back of the Bus’ – no matter what the time of day, there always seemed to be a crowd of people dancing away to cheesy tunes and club classics.

When walking through the craft area we managed to catch the end of a performance where an owl had been carved, with a chainsaw, out of a tree trunk. Unbelievable! The area was full of activities for families to take part in including pottery, willow weaving, tie dying, and copper works.

Finally heading back past the main stage you reach the blisscotheque – a giant party bus, the hustle den, and the animal antics sports area – where grown-ups could be found throughout the day taking part in sports day style challenges including sack races, water balloons, egg races and more!

Time for some music! As the weather wasn’t quite the wall to wall sunshine that we had hoped over the weekend we ended up spending most of our time in the acoustic tent - the Larch – and in that time discovered some really great new music.

The first amazing discovery of the weekend was Ward Thomas a country duo accompanied by guitar and cahon. The twin sisters were able to flow seamlessly between singing, story-telling and playing – both hugely talented musicians. The set was full of energetic playing and beautiful harmonies with each song painting a picture for the audience. It sounds like you could be hearing their music on Radio 2 in the not so distant future so we recommend you look them up. Their album “From Where We Stand” comes out on the 21^st July.

We were spoilt for choice by the Larch tent on Friday afternoon as Ward Thomas were followed seamlessly by Bruno Major. An exceptional guitarist, singer and pianist, Bruno Major wore his heart on his sleeve throughout his performance. His voice has extreme flexibility with a huge range and depth of tone which his music showcases beautifully. I will be back to see Bruno at both Somersault and Wilderness later this summer.

Having spent a few hours chilling in the acoustic tent we realised that it was now Friday night and time to start partying. After stopping off at the Blisscoteque for a cheeky cocktail and a quick wiggle we head to the main stage for Spector. Having previously seen Spector we were once again blown away by their performance. Spector did not disappoint, getting the crowd going with all teenager members of the crowd singing along at the top of their voices.

We ended the night on a slightly more bizarre note – the Gypsy Disco. We’re not too sure we can describe them so maybe just look them up here! 

Saturday afternoon was based almost entirely in the Larch with so much incredible new music. Our highlights were Matt Perriment (who has now dedicated songs to his friend’s), Gaz Brookfield, Little Rob and the Mob and KSH and the Going Goods.

Gaz Brookfield is an extremely engaging, entertaining and passionate player. His lyrics are extremely honest telling tales of highs and lows, usually with a humorous spin - not many people could get a crowd laughing about a recent diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Gaz finished the set with ‘Be the Bigger Man’ an honest tale of bullying, told with a huge amount of emotion.

Little Rob and the Mob were third act during ‘Beans on Toast Present's' the niece of Beans himself followed closely by acoustic hip hop group KSH and the Going Goods. We were so sad to hear only the last few songs of their set, not least because they were the first act to have the tent on their feet dancing along. The five piece group (2 vocalist’s, beat box, guitar and bass) ended the set with ‘Happiness’ and the sentiment that ‘the only person that can make you happy is yourself’ – my kind of people.

The final highlight of the weekend has to be grabbing a Bliss Ale from the beer festival and heading to the main stage for Hercules & Love Affair. This outrageous dance act got the crowd going like no other – urging the crowd to head to the stage for a dance, everyone followed their lead and partied for the full hour with back to back hits broken only by a short audience led rendition of happy birthday for the vocalist. The wildly high vocalists, incredible showmanship, and dance beats set the crowd up for the night.

Blissfields festival was an amazing weekend of discovery – a brilliant small festival with great new music. 

A limited number of tickets for 2015 are already on sale here.

Review: Claire Game