Dodgy welcome in festival season with rousing Summer anthem

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Wood 2009

Friday 15th to Sunday 17th May 2009
Braziers Park, Oxfordshire, OX10 6AN , England MAP
£55 - 3 nights camping and workshops included.

At just twelve years old, Theo Altieri, has within him the ability to embarrass the rest of the music industry with his astoundingly developed talent for songwriting and performing. Altieri, armed with only an acoustic guitar and a loop-pedal, treated the small crowd to a heartfelt set which shocked and thrilled at the same time. 'Never For Ever' is a surprisingly introspective examination of life, whilst 'The Thinker', although unpolished, showcases Altieri's wonderful ear for a hook and his frankly remarkable ability to full effect.

Clearly influenced by Bowie's early folk recordings, as well as a good splash of Damien Rice, Neil Halstead, has a sound seemingly custom built for festival sundown, and as 'Sometimes the Wheels' and 'Elevenses' were rolled out, and the sun dipped below the Brazier's Park treeline, few people regretted their decision to take a risk on the unknown Halstead.

As the current darling of the UK folk scene, Jim Moray's reputation preceded him tonight, with a large crowd awaiting his arrival on the Wood Stage. Moray?s treatments of traditional folk songs are mesmerising in places, but sadly for him, his set closer 'Two Sisters' had already received a definitive airing yesterday from Rachael Dadd.

One thing that you can be sure of with Dodgy, is a good show, and tonight they didn't even wait for their set to begin before kicking off the entertainment. During the soundcheck they indulged calls for an impromptu singalong which delighted the steadily building crowd.

The band's involvement with homelessness charity Crisis spawned the only new material of tonight's hour long set, an uncharacteristically delicate number called 'Find A Place Where I Can Stop'. The rest of the set was a familiar affair, with 'In A Room', 'If You're Thinking Of Me' and 'Good Enough' ensuring singalongs aplenty. The biggest cheer of the night, however, was reserved for 'Staying Out For The Summer', fittingly dedicated to the start of the festival season.

As the families headed to bed, Co-Pilgrim, were just striking up in the Tree Tent, and their ominous lullabies drew in the late night stragglers. On an almost pitch black stage the music took on a life of it's own, somehow managing to keep the cold at bay whilst examining the very darkest parts of a musician's heart. Co-Pilgrim were probably not the best act to follow the jaunty pop of Dodgy, but an enthralling one nonetheless, and a wonderful way to close day two.