Sunday

We awoke early, at some point it had rained as the car was no longer covered in dust. For the first time ever we were leaving a festival to go to a family commitment. You know you’re addicted to festivals once this happens I’m told. We drive north for hours into driving rain and drive back in similar conditions arriving back to discover the site hasn’t had a drop of the wet stuff! Lucky or what!

We missed Dubdadda and were hoping that Here And Now would be delayed, but this band are now running the risk of reversing their decades long reputation of not turning up and while counting down their set, second by second we arrive too late to hear their performance. We’re gutted for just as long as it takes for RDF/Military Surplus to start. Chris Bowsher hopes his son’s here to see him and plays all those tunes from yesteryear – Borderline Cases, Landing Party, Sorepoint For A Sickman (spine tingling, Chris’ vocals spot on) and Surplus People and Linda’s vocals bring it all flooding back. There’s more voice support from a long dreaded guy with a great voice who I’m guessing could be Steve Swann from Revolutionary Dub Warriors.

Their bass is no longer chest cavity shaking, but it’s great none the less. They get a huge response from the crowd and Flounder calls them out again for an encore, which is the song about the nearby Hungerford and the events which Chris witnessed there. None of the kids around me get it, but for those who saw Radical Dance Faction at The Fridge or Mega Dog or anywhere else they played it was amazing to hear them live once more.

Magic Skool Bus are playing the DD Stage and I can hear them from the bar, so I wander up to the virtually empty tent as the boys get their stuff together. I’d seen them before at Endorse It Indoors and not been all that impressed by their punk segments. This time it’s a different story, clearly playing on tour all over Europe with The Bloodhound Gang has tightened them up immensely. Their brand of brass-punk works a treat. The crowd rapidly fills and the old guys at the back are off the floor and dancing. It’s fast punk but the ska brass section take the edge off making it much more dancey. All the vocalists have improved particularly the lead guitarist.

They play nineteen tunes in their set – that’s not counting one twice where ladies man and part time mountain Jimmy plays a different song to the rest of the band! ‘Five Star Ska’ and ‘Faster Jimmy’ are obvious favourites and I leave during ‘License To Ill’ only to pass people running up the field to get into the tent to hear them. Grinning punk with horns or RATM meets The Specials, a band on the up and still not even a debut album. They say they hope to be back, I hope so too. They’ve been here all weekend and deserve to start with a bigger crowd.

Molara is still singing when I get back to the main stage. Her laid back dub reggae is lovely now I’ve loosened my leg muscles up at MSB. The band behind her consist in the main of the PowerSteppers who hope to also be back in 2007. Their heavy dub, exposes the need for a few more bass cones in the otherwise superb PA, which sends their beats to us perfectly. Actually all the sound, everywhere I went was top notch, a credit to the sound guys.

By now everything was going a little fuzzy at the edges and Friday seemed a week away, I was slowing down on the beers and easing into Sunday night, chatting with new folks, people who you got to recognise over the weekend, some to talk to, others to nod at. Then along came the mighty Senser and the evening went into overdrive. All the hits, all the tunes all the dub of the festie! Reformed just for EID and they rock a crowd full of dreads and men in dresses. Awesome!

Then, still flying from the cheap discounted merchandise and a few more drinks, plus suddenly chatting to loads of people, I was blown away. Mad Professor plus a few special guests tore the place apart! Plus some tasty backing dancers, lovely. With big dub beats, visuals on the screens and a bunch of smiling dancing folks and families around me, it was the best way to end a festival. Except of course we didn’t we wandered back to the tent put the kids to bed and stayed up for hot drinks and a chat, content that we’d been to one of the festivals of the summer. About five thousand or so people had been spoilt rotten and as we drove off site the next day, we knew we’d be back next year, see you there if you know what’s good for you!

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