Beautful Days opens with a warm night of entertainment

There was the constant threat of dark clouds close by us as we enjoyed the Levellers' 8th Beautiful Days, offering occasional light drizzle on Friday and Saturday, but compared to previous festivals and in fact others being held this same weekend we got off lightly.

Okay, so once the heavens did crack, intermittently on Sunday and breaking Dreadzone's ability to bring out the sunshine, the rain poured down getting progressively heavier during our host's closing set. This leaves a lasting final memory of fireworks in the rain, and a damp night for those camping over night, but the commercial free weekend offered so much more sparkle than the rain.

The audience persisted to dance on that final day, perhaps we were all mad, but we stuck it out as the rain started a colourful crowd bedecked in stripes, this year's Sunday dressing up theme. As the rains got heavier it was time to cover the colour in plastic macs, and with the rain turning to rivulets this reviewer fearing another mudfest decided to call it a day, and watched the fireworks before heading for home, but the real tale of the festival isn't about the final night of drenching rain.

The crowds, who had slightly increased in capacity this year, arrived eagerly on Friday morning, and set about making camp for the weekend. There were a few hours to enjoy our new locale and then head into the arena to assemble around the Big Top and the Fiddler's Arms to greet our hosts Levellers in their acoustic guise. I spend a while being baffled by whether Babyoke (karaoke for toddlers) is a good idea or some form of pre-talking torture. Not long after we are in front of the main stage to celebrate with Hobo Jones & The Junkyard Dogs their achievement of having now played every stage of the festival as they open the Main Stage. The band have a big following at the festival and an impressive crowd greets them and gets fuller with each song. There's even some new songs to sing, and a guest appearance by Doozer, who draws a loud cheer from the crowd with the line, "We're on tour with the Levellers!"

Wino Tyrone's guitar arrived by courier encased in a homemade Easy Star All Stars box, and clearly the reggae band liked the box keeping it on stage in front of the drum riser as they delivered a sing along set of classic Pink Floyd, Beatles and Radiohead numbers infused with smokin ' dub reggae beats. It ws a fantastic feel good show. Up next Newton Faulkner who brings big screen action to the mai stage for the first time, and the front rows are packed with screaming girls all delighted with every word he delivers. His screen projection fails mid-set, and the solo conclusion of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is a gret crowd pleaser.

Over at the Big Top those within the belly of the humid tent have been enjoying performances from Nick Harper, Thomas White, and Duke Special, but it's the arrival of Ned's Atomic Dustbin that this reviewer has been most looking forward to and the exuberance of the five orignal members on stage might have diminished over the years, but their sound is still grebo personified 20 plus years after they first created that vibrant wall of sound. The highlight is a groovie yowl along 'Kill Your Television' and we leave sweaty and grinning.

Fairport Convention are closing the stage tonight, and pick up additional audience members exiting a flat set on the main stage from The Wailers on the new small stage beside the bigger main stage is Dirty Davey's Bandstand where British Sea Power deliver a rollickin' soundtrack to the film 'Men Of Arran' which is projected beside the stage. It's loud and rousing and eventually punctuated by The Wailers finally deciding to play a few of the hits everyone has come to see as their finale.

Up above the arena on the hill there's the Little Big Top with a lusty big bangers Stereo MC's (DJ Set), and Krafty Kuts delivering big beats, and a bar with a kickin' soundsystem, a pinball and table football themed dance tent, and the big beats of the Leviticus collective to entertain the late night dancers, as well as the Bimble Inn and a projected light show for us all to enjoy in the warm night air. Eventually some of us crawl to bed, others have discovered that someone seems to have found a large wad of acid tabs from the 60s to create a more interesting psychedelic mashed up weekend without sleep. Makes a change from the usual kids on ketamine, the illuminated trees dotted over the park's grounds make for a trippy backdrop, and the main stage looks magical with its sides flanked by large colourful inflatable stars. Tents are open, folks sitting out with big smiles, inviting, in the warm night air and the early hours pass getting to know our neighbours.

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