Staying on site, I noticed that the campervan pitch I had been allocated was right next to Cheltenham Racecourse station on The Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway, it was running a steam service so I wandered over to watch one of the trains come into the station, change ends and make its way towards Broadway. How many music festivals have added attractions right on their doorstep? Mr Motivator had the crowd set up for the day, and from what I heard, plenty were in the arena to take advantage and after a full-on day yesterday, I should have participated!
Callum Beattie @ Wychwood Festival
I came across the field a little later as Dolly Mavies were playing her own brand of of folk/indie rock, some would say were inspired by seventies style music that I found enchanting. The fact that she had been described as a blend of Stevie Nicks and Florence And The Machine enticed me and I wasn’t disappointed. She is certainly one on my radar for future gigs out there.
The Zangwills followed, a band from the Cheshire I gather. Mark Ratcliffe is a big fan of theirs, their blend of indie rock, taking influences from many artists in the genre especially The Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes. They opened with recently released single Walking On A Wire, a song about confusing emotions experienced. I loved their set, these are another band to look out for, stand out songs from the set was Never Look Back that caught me, that pulsating beat and with the jangly guitars worked, it worked exceptionally well.
Scottish singer-songwriter Callum Beattie became somewhat of an internet sensation a few years back a song he posted about the previous election went viral overnight. The 34-year-old introduced his band and from the off he was impressive, leaping around the stage. His performance was high energy all the way, with lots of interaction with the band while also incredibly engaging with his audience. The stand out song for me was Dead Man Walking, but you should never discount clear fan favourite 25 Seconds.
Hotly anticipated Clapham-hailing hip hop and electronic dance group Stereo MC’s were drawing a large crowd long before the speakers exploded into action. They played a short set that the crowd enjoyed immensely, after the song Use It, vocalist Rob Birch asked the assembled festival goers “are you ready to dance, we play music to dance to” as they launched straight into Everything. Much of their set was from their hit 1992 LP Connected released, with the next song aired it’s title track, the seminal 1992 single released as a single at the time, reaching number 18 in the charts. They really were a great addition to the bill, and went some distance to create a party vibe, not that it was needed in a festival setting.
London-hailing experimental rock three-piece Mary In The Junk Yard were an interesting act to catch, playing the Garden Stage. Their music has been described as chaotic rock, and yeah I can see that! I love the fact they don’t take themselves too seriously and, at a previous gig, dressed as farmyard animals renaming the band: “Mary In The Farm”. Saya Barbaglia swaps her bass with guitarist & vocalist Clari Freeman Taylor, to effortlessly take on violin duties, adding extra depth to the trio’s sound, rounded out by drummer David Addison.
Tribute acts might be two-a-penny, but The Bootleg Beatles set the gold standard. Their set was received enthusiastically and include many of the original group’s biggest hits, opening with I Saw Her Standing There quickly followed by She Loves You. I must admit, I did find it a little ironic when they sang Here Comes The Sun given it was rather overcast weather-wise to say the least! Their performance was highly charged and lots of singing along with the crowd could be heard, even by those not in the arena. I overhead one festival goer singing along as he cooked his food!
Over the years Merseyside has been home to many great bands, and The Coral are no exception. The band, from Hoylake, may have been formed back in the late 90s they are still regulars on the festival circuit. Bill Mc Cai from their 2003 album Magic and Medicine, a song that’s always been a live favourite, opened their set. Theirs was a varied set that included In The Morning, that for me sums up their style of music completely, but what did surprise was a cover they threw into the mix by way of The Doors’ 1967 classic People Are Strange which, considering their sound, made for an interesting rendition!
Scottish rockers Texas took to the stage to headline Saturday, there were chants of Sharleen, Sharleen, whether they enticed her out or not, I don’t know. Having not seen them before, I didn’t know what to expect and was hugely impressed. Opening with debut 1989 single I Don’t Want A Lover, they rattled through a fantastic set that was received enthusiastically by the Cheltenham, crowd. I loved frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri’s interaction with the crowd, telling them of her opinion on Facebook, why her daughter doesn’t swear (apparently!), and about the bottle of moonshine she bought that morning. Many of their hits over the years were in the set including 1997 hit singles Say What You Want, Black Eyed Boy and Halo. Interestingly enough, Sharleen had commented about the weather and how cold it was before giving us a weather forecast for better weather. I overheard so many comments from festival-goers following their set about how Texas had been the highlight of the Festival for them so far and I really couldn’t argue, they were a fantastic addition to the bill and they a great act to end what had been a fantastic day of music.
Live review and photography of Wychwood Festival 2024 @ Cheltenham Racecourse by Sam Holt on 1st June 2024
Wychwood Festival 2024 – The Music Festival That Offers So Much More – Day 1
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