The Willowman Festival near Thirsk, North Yorkshire is now in its 6^th year and is usually around the Summer Solstice Weekend, this year from the 18^th to the 21^st of June.

The festival is held in Local Authority sports and show field just off the A19 next to the village of Knayton and is well drained and as the festival uses the entire site the sports facilities are closed for the duration, so no tennis! But why would you want to partake of sport when the festival has many things to offer.

There are plenty of traders selling all sorts of goods from the usual clothing to unusual instruments including one stall with a couple of stylophones, and food vendors aplenty from noodles to pizza and even one selling fish finger butties, I kid you not, or should that be I cod you not!

As for the music, on Thursday evening for the benefit of those who arrived early a stunning DJ set where Andy Kershaw of radio and TV fame played almost 4 hours of Afro/Caribbean beats in the Willowmans Arms on the Willow Wobbly Stage, a large marque complete with its own real ale bar and beers.

Friday started with local duo Kev Charlton and French born Charlotte Yani, known as “The Frog on the Tyne” on the same stage while on the main stage other acts were preparing to play their sets, this included up and coming acts such as Hartlepool’s Shoot the Poet and local band Frankie and the Heartstrings to be rounded off in style by Echo and the Bunnymen and on the Willow Wobbly Stage again from Hartlepool The White Negroes celebrated being together for 25 years followed by Irish punk/rock style band Neck, who literally arrived just in time to play and were a great band to dance and jig along to.

On the Main Stage reggae band Talisman got the by now large crowd moving and then the evening finished with the aforementioned Echo and the Bunnymen and rather unusually part way through their set front man Ian McCulloch asked the crowd if they were enjoying themselves because he was and if they were sleeping in tents and were warm enough!

Saturday on the Main Stage started with the energetic Fire Lady Luck a band with melodic/heavy rock band with colossal riffs and epic vocal melodies, one of the best young bands I have seen in a while. Other highlights of the day were again Charlotte Yani on the Willow Wobbly Stage this time with a full band with later John Robb and his band Goldblade on the same stage with John covering almost every inch with both his feet and sweat.

Meanwhile back on the Main Stage, Mr Willowman himself, Steve Williams played a set of blues numbers followed by the madness that is Bessie and the Zinc Buckets with a mixture of just about everything thrown at the music, I mean entertaining a large crowd with the theme to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and a rockabilly version of Ace of Spades just about sums up their madness, and appeal.

They were followed by festival stalwarts Dreadzone who played a rousing set to the now larger crowd as the sun set behind them and then the headliners for that day were Peter Hook and the Light with an amazing set of New Order and Joy Division numbers finishing off with the anthemic “Love will Tear us Apart”.

Sunday at Willowman is usually a little more laid back starting on the Main stage Manchester based melodic five piece Lewie Bodies and then South Coast rock band Electric River who really played a great set of original songs, listening back stage I swear I could almost hear Bruce Springsteen’s voice on stage, and then things on here slowed down a little as The Alan Hull Songbook came on stage. Singer and guitarist Dave Hull-Denholm and bassist Ian Thompson from the band Lindisfarne played some of the greatly underrated and now sadly late Alan Hull’s songs.

The Main Stage concluded with Hazel O’Connor along with musicians Clare Hirst and Sarah Fisher regaling the crowed with her back catalogue, which included of course Will You, which brought tears to the eyes of some.

Notable acts meanwhile on the Willow Wobbly Stage were Big Red and the Grinners with a hillbilly/rockabilly slant to covers of well-known songs all written by Big Reds Grand pappy, if you believe that! Ferocious Dog from Nottingham ended the festival on this stage with their high energy Celtic punk which really brought the crowd to their feet which included several of them climbing onto each other in a pyramid shape with one chap stood on top waving what looked like some kind of lance! The festival certainly did end with a bang!

I could also wax lyrical about the goings on in T’Other Field, which included art workshops, an Acoustic tent, a comedy stage, games and activities for children (and adults) a large fire pit to sit by a while away the evenings which as built up to a bonfire to end the proceedings.

There’s always lots going on at Willowman and its certainly well worth the entrance fee, which includes camping on a well drained and organised field, eclectic music, good food choices (the fish finger butties were to die for) a beer tent with live music, a security who would go out of their way to help you rather than hinder and this year decent weather, all in Yorkshire

Next years Willowman is from June the 16^th to the 19^th and tickets are on sale now including early bird tickets from www.willowmanfestival.co.uk

If Ian McCulloch enjoyed it, then it can’t be bad!

Review, video and photos: Dave Hudspeth