riverwise

I spoke to him briefly tonight, and he confirmed they'd be there

annoyed to see I missed Heartworms on Thursday last year - really got into them in the last six months!

Not sure where any of the six names in biggest type will go, apart from Janes who will surely be on the Pallet. Think Orbital could pull off the main stage as well. Amyl, Future Islands, Dinosaur Jr and Sleaford Mods all feel like Meadow Stage headliners to me but I’ve just booked four headliners for three days there….chances some could be Pallet subs and there’s at least one more headliner tba?

Underworld just announced some April dates, would love to see them headline Press Club Say She She Bob Vylan again Culture Shock in Convoy Cabaret

super early birds achieved here! Going to be my twelfth Bearded (I think, the Covid years mess up my counting), and can't wait. Something to look forward to and keep the flame burning through the winter...

agree that it wasn't a vintage year for music (a good one for vibes though) Skindred were fantastic - saw them at Bearded as well, and this is the second festival running where they've been the best act by miles. Started dreading the worst when Brother Paul from the Waterboys did that horrendous keytar solo, but once they got him on a leash the rest of the set was really good. Suede were very good, and I enjoyed Justin & Dean a lot (but I was always going to). Suppose the big disappointment is that there was nobody new to me that I was blown away by - the closest would be Nogood Boyo, who were loads of fun.

I found these! At 11:30pm on Sunday night.

Lot of them about this year, eh?

pretty sure Bad Religion weren't ever booked, because they were at a festival in the States with Rancid and The Interrupters that same weekend. My heart sank when I saw the line up announcement for it last year, because all three of those bands would be terrific at BT

didn't Squeeze play a few years ago? Maybe 2016 or something like that?

would love to see one of Rancid, The Interrupters or Bad Religion high on the bill also Culture Shock in Convoy Cabaret please!

Bang on. I think pretty much every tweak they made worked out for the better. My regular crew and I had discussed beforehand that it might be our last Bearded if we didn't like the new direction, but no fear of that. My only small gripe would be....the toilets in the Woodlands! Obviously great to have them finally after years of moans about it, but when the wind was right, the smell did distract from the lovely woodland vibe...Don't know what the answer is, maybe use the same sawdust ones as the campsites? Lots of great music, off the top of my head loved RDF, OMGITC, Henge, The Men They Couldn't Hang (must have been dusty in that tent, swear something got in my eye during The Green Fields Of France....) and especially Skindred. We could definitely stand to have a bit more metal at Bearded, and these guys were fantastic. Only caught a bit of Primal Scream because I'll be seeing them at Beautiful Days, but nice to see that they seem to have made an effort this time round - the choir sounded great. Not paying £35 for a Screamadelica shirt though!

I do know what you mean. My first Bearded was 2010, and I've been to every one since. But I think this was a process that was already underway before the new owners. For me, the big shift was when Tornado Town was replaced by Maui Waui. Nothing against MW, but for all its pluses it doesn't have the grit that TT did. The main stage lineup has been shifting closer to the mainstream for quite a while now as well, and the crowd has changed a bit over the years. BUT Bearded still has Gails' tea tent and Convoy Cabaret, which really do feel like proper underground alternative spaces. I think while they're still there the original heart of Bearded is still going. Think this line up is stacked, especially compared to the disappointment of BDs this year, and I'm expecting to have a great weekend.

Solid but not super exciting imo. If it had been Flaming Lips or Orbital in place of Primal Scream I’d be a lot more excited. Agree that it feels a bit stale - when you’ve done BT and BD almost every year for the last decade it’s impossible to get excited about Ferocious Dog or Dreadzone! Fine bands, both of them, but I’ve seen them more times than I’ve seen my parents by now. anyone know anything about this Rock Orchestra thing in the tent? The description sounds dreadful but there must be something there if they’re a headliner…

Scalping are absolutely brilliant, made up that they're playing! Was hoping for Culture Shock in Convoy Cabaret, but RDF will do nicely as well.

The Hives have also headlined BDs, and they're the Sunday sub. Think the organisers were looking for someone they could put on as a headliner if either of the American acts had to pull out due to (gestures at entire state of the world)