Headstock run for festival people, very much by festival people

Newstead and Annesley Country Park near Nottingham played host to the inaugural Headstock music festival this weekend. With five main areas and acts such as Ash on the bill, it was an ambitious and exciting undertaking for a festival in it's first year.

The festival was set up after the village had run a successful community festival known as Treefest over the past couple of years.

The festival is accessible by rail and road and is a short ten minute walk from Newstead Station. A stroll up the road led us to the first set of stewards tasked with directing festival attendees' to the site. We were directed up a slightly muddy path flanked by the woodlands of the country park. The walk to the main site was mainly uphill but there were plenty of distractions, in the form of the lakes, trees and wildlife to carry the mind from the climb.

After cresting the hill the festival comes into view. Set in a natural valley, the setting looks ideal in both aesthetics and the practicality of the valley containing any sound bleed to the local village.

First impressions for a festival with 5 areas was that the site was a bit on the small side. A small fence surrounded the allocated area to control entry. To the left was another fenced off area that was set aside for camping. At £5 per night it is a tempting prospect even at a one day festival, as public transport would be difficult and expensive to come by in the early hours.

Upon entry there are two enclosed tent stages, the Musika stage to the left and the House Music Marquee to the right. The Musika stage played host to International and more cultural music. A lively set by Gypsy Fire set the mood for this lively and diverse stage. The dance tent was playing a selection of deep house presented by DIY and Smokescreen. A set by Rob and Frandanski got people up and dancing amongst the colourful decorations.

Venturing past these tents led to the bars on the right hand side. A great selection of real ales, traditional ciders, lagers and soft drinks were on offer as well as an excellent cocktail bar for the more adventurous. The bars were provided by the Orange Tree which is a local bar in Nottingham City Centre.

The other side of the bar was the Orange Tree Lounge which was where the BBC put on their familiar BBC Introducing set up, showcasing local bands.

Just past here was the main stage which had a good sound set up and was flanked by decorative banners displaying the festival logo. 25 Past The Skank played a great energetic set crossing genres ska, drum n bass and dub. A good crowd gathered to see the sun come out and were energised by the lively performance.

Up the hill to the left of the main stage was another indoor area called Area 23. This had a number of Drum n Bass, Dubstep and Jungle performers on the bill. Outside of the tent were a number of large sculptures and a graffiti wall with artists demonstrating their talent.

The other main area of the festival was the kids area. This area was well equipped to keep the kids entertained with activities such as diablo and circus skills, kite making, face painting, jewellery crafts, wood sculptures and story telling.

One of the best performances on the main stage came from The Beat. A lively and energetic set seemed to get everyone in the party mood and drew in a good crowd. The mood was further lifted by the beautiful sunshine which had defied the weather forecast and shown up on cue.

Frightened Rabbit played the sunset slot on the main stage with a great set that pulled in a large crowd. Headliners Ash got the crowd going as the site went dark, unsurprisingly attracting the largest crowd.

Local band The Swiines headlined the Orange Tree Lounge/BBC Introducing stage drawing a large crowd after the main stage had closed. Playing some tracks well known to the locals as well as some excellent sounding new material. They were confident on stage and very much seem to be a band on the rise. I would expect to see them at a few more festivals next year.

In conclusion, Headstock Festival was an excellent day out that seemed to have the feel of a festival of a much larger size. Plans to expand into a three day event next year seem to have very strong foundations and I for see this festival becoming an important event on the local Nottinghamshire calendar.

The festival catered for all tastes and is definitely one that you could take the family to. It seems like the area was crying out for something on this scale and Headstock duly delivered. Speaking to the organisers towards the end of the event, they were very happy with how the festival had gone and the sort of people that it attracted. It was nice to see that it was a festival run for festival people, very much by festival people. Everyone seemed to be on a similar wavelength and have similar ideas about how to progress. It will be very interesting to see how the expansion plans develop over the coming year. Headstock Festival was covered by the BBC for it's Village SOS programme which will be broadcast in the near future.

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