Summer Sundae 2003

In its third year Summer Sundae maintained its course and stated ambition to become an annual date on the UK festival calendar, by supplying appealing blends of good quality music in the informal and relaxed setting of the De Montfort Hall and grounds. This year there were extra stages that proved popular and the lawns of an adjacent college became a campsite for the weekend enabling people to travel from further afield.



An extra evening of entertainment was added with acts appearing on the Hall Stage Friday night - we arrived in time to see the last few minutes of Fingathings set and wished we'd arrived sooner - energetic work on the decks accompanied by some funky double bass playing was going down a storm with the small but enthusiastic audience.



Visiting the bar in search of refreshments we noticed the doors which led out out into the arena were open so we took a meander around the natural amphitheatre and bought something to eat from a food stall and just enjoyed being outside in the sultry evening air. It was tempting to stay outside for the rest of the evening but the first notes of what sounded like a real band hitting the stage called us back inside to investigate. We hadn't expected to see any bands on Friday thinking it was a "club" night but RSL with eleven members are most definitely a band and a highly enjoyable band at that. I was reminded a little of St Germaine as their instrumental multi-influenced and danceable tunes continued the party vibe that Fingathing had started.



Mr Scruff was the last act and, though he is a well known DJ now, it was the first time I'd seen him perform, as expected a bewildering variety of music was employed as he set about getting the sparsely populated hall dancing until the close at 1.30.

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