Lunar is an absolutely excellent little festie. Indeed, as relatively seasoned reviewers, we would rate Lunar as one of the most imaginative and creative events for its size that we've ever had the pleasure to attend.

There simply was nothing to fault; the site looked magnificent, the music policy was wonderfully eclectic with some bold, and successful, artist programming, the non-musical entertainment was simply excellent, the organisation first class, the facilities were way above typical festival standard, the site was spotless, the staff friendly, and the crowd… well, what an excellent bunch of fellow travellers to share a wonderful weekend with.

For the price and the standard, the organisers and volunteers behind Lunar can be rightly proud of the complete package of splendid offerings they put together to create such Good Times. They made a lot of people very happy. The only reservation would be that the organisers may have overstretched themselves financially in simply cramming so much into one fabulous event… it was that good. One day Lunar Festival will be massive – if not in size then surely in reputation. This reviewer, and the couple of thousand other lucky punters who attended in 2015, will look back with some pride that they were fortunate enough to attend this festival in its early years.

There were some minor niggles; it’s a temporary town in a field - there always are: filling the car park from the bottom of the field let to a bit of a trek for early arrivals, food outlets were a little thin on the ground late evening, and the main stage sound was somewhat iffy at times, but nothing detracts. With the effort these guys put into staging the event you just know they will hone the experience to be even better next year.

Lunar is fairly small, but my oh my, did they cram in the experiences! The site was like a Tardis with multiple discrete zones to lounge about, catch the bands, engage with the myriad of workshops and sessions, with absolutely loads of activities for families, or simply crowd-watch a very chilled audience revel in the experience and (sometimes) sunshine.

An example at the beginning to give just a flavour of what Lunar is all about – On arrival a fiver buys a comprehensive 66 page glossy programme – but it also comes complete with a complimentary CD. Bargain! You camp next to an on-site kid’s farm zoo … we were watching Alpacas cruise about from the tent all weekend for goodness sake. Wonderful stuff! Then it just got even better and better.

There is a separate field where the kids can run wild and play organised sports, with a great healing area and the most numerous and diverse range of workshops and sessions this reviewer has experienced at an event this size. The main arena is bedecked with some great site art and washed with imaginative laser light after dark. Away from the main stage there are other zones such as The Bimble Inn hosting virtually a festival within a festival, the stomping Arabian dance tent, and the little wooden town centred around the Crow Bar which featured its own dance area with some of the best AV experiences we've witnessed for many a year.

At the centre of the arena was the bonfire, featuring some neat lasers. Rather like the kitchen at parties, this is where most of the interesting characters could be found... and interesting characters there were! Maybe the eclectic line-up attracted an eclectic crowd but it was impossible to type-cast the Lunar audience. There were all sorts, all ethnicities, and all ages – but tellingly – no idiots. It all melded together and created a splendid collective vibe.

Special mention to The Commentators who provided, well, a running commentary on festival proceedings throughout the weekend. Their John Motsonesque clichéd observations were a highlight. Very funny.

As for the music – this was an excellently diverse mixed bag with some rather bold programming which largely worked a treat. There was everything from Prog, techno-pop, and Psy-Rock, to Jazz and a copy band on the main stage. The side stages had some great singer-songwriters, brilliant blues, and stonking Psy-Trance, Rock, and Techno until at least 3am.

With a line-up featuring the likes of Tinariwen, Wilko Johnson, Public Service Broadcasting, The Bootleg Beatles, The Fall, Sun Ra Arkestra, Radiophonic Workshop, Mark Radcliffe Galleon Blast, Julian Cope, Sylvan Esso, Goblin, and the Pretty Things here’s just a small selection of what rocked FFA’s boat over the weekend…

Friday witnessed The Fall regale the main stage with Mark E. Smith in fine laconic form. The bands leering hypnotic cascades of sound had the crowd rocking. Smith’s inaudible and largely incomprehensible vocals are all part of the show of course, and he and the band got a great response.

In a programming masterpiece, Lunar scheduled the sub-Saharan sounds of Tinariwen as Friday headliner. This reviewer had earlier doubts about the crowd reaction – but they went down an absolute storm! The band were excellent, trawling their comprehensive back catalogue to produce a stunning set – and the audience simply loved it. Malian music rocking The Midlands! This was a crowd leaving any musical prejudices firmly at the door and groove to something a little different. True world music enjoyed by all – as it should be.

Over at a packed Bimble, Bart & Baker provided an almost vaudeville soundscape into the night. A great atmosphere driven by an imaginative playlist. Top marks.

Saturday contemporary Prog rockers Syd Arthur delivered a first class set of accomplished thoughtful rock. Moody, mellow, and melodic, the band bring Prog, with all its varying forms and offshoots, confidently into the 21^st century. A great set. So much so that the band were even name checked later by the Pretty Things whose own set was absolutely awesome. These guys were at the forefront of British R&B fuelled rock for decades and they have not lost anything through the years. Some of Dick Taylor’s blues guitar breaks and slide guitar spots made the spine tingle. Highlights in a magical set were the psychedelic whimsy of 'Deflecting Grey' and, in a nod to their early Stones links, a stomping blues mishmash featuring 'Little Red Rooster'. Wilko Johnson simply provided the R&B icing on the cake. Great to see the man back doing what he does best.

Earlier we’d tried to force our way into an absolutely packed Bimble for the ever popular Mark Radcliffe’s swashbuckling merriment that is Galleon Blast. Like many we listened outside whilst chilling in the glorious sunshine. Public Service Broadcasting headlined with an Audio-Visual treat. Expanded to a four piece with their full portfolio of visuals making full use of the main stages LED screen backdrop, the band’s electronica and stage presence is fuller and richer than previously witnessed – throw in a brass section for good measure and this was wonderful set for the Saturday night crowd - with 'Spitfire' once again doing it for this reviewer.

Sunday was a great day absolutely overflowing with cool experiences. Programming curveball of the entire weekend had to be the scheduling of a Psy-Rock outfit early Sunday afternoon on the main stage. Inspired. They drafted in the absolutely brilliant Chilean outfit Föllakzoid as a very late replacement act and what an unknown treat lay ahead. The band were wonderful and, in a spot in the schedule normally reserved for some light family centric stuff, they had the field absolutely kicking to some pulsating beat driven Psy / Cosmic malarkey. Absolutely splendid. Indeed, it’s all opinion, but from this reviewers personal perspective, Föllakzoid would have been more suited to the Sunday headline slot in a straight swap for a tribute band whose stage time scheduling somehow missed the pulse of the festival.

Julian Cope was hugely entertaining. In the mould of Ray Davies / Rick Wakeman / Billy Bragg et al, a Cope performance is as much about the banter as the music. The crowd were entertained to a no holds barred open door on Cope’s career and chemical indulgences plus a smattering of music! A great hour well spent.

More multi-genre variety followed with a superb set of polished jazz from Sun Ra Arkestra. The stage show was terrific. The band then led the Procession where the whole festival unites in one collective moment to parade through the arena for the ritual burning of the massive Crow Man figure which had dominated the centre of the arena. This was not only a great spectacle but actually quite moving in confirming the unity and comradery of the whole weekend. A lovely moment.

An example at the end to give just a flavour of what Lunar is all about – When most festivals give up the ghost on just about everything late Sunday night, we watched a maintenance team tweaking the laser show alignment around the bonfire Sunday midnight – just to ensure everything remained just so for the audience. Even later we witnessed a great set from local favourites Rhino and the Ranters in the Bimble. It was their second set of the day and they looked as knackered and frazzled as the punters – but both band and audience pulled together to produce one last great vibe and the place absolutely rocked into Monday morning. That’s what Lunar is all about.

So there you go; no time to mention the splendid Andy Weatherall, or Benjamin Folke Thomas, or the Kawa Circus, or … you get the picture.

Small and perfectly formed – Lunar Festival is wonderful.

Article by Barrie Dimond