Hamswell Festival August 15, 2008

As sure as summer follows spring, the annual artistic extravaganza that is Hamswell Festival, once more rolls into town (well rural Bath anyway!). Building on the success of the last two years, this summer of love looks to be the most exciting yet. A fresh array of talented musicians, poets, DJs and wandering minstrels are preparing to perform, complementing the solid core of established live acts and previous festival favourites.

Hamswell’s obvious attraction is the music. It offers a platform for undiscovered or emerging musicians and djs, with bags of talent and heaps of enthusiasm, to play in front of a receptive and rewarding crowd. In return the crowd get to see in one place, a high standard of fresh performances from right across the musical spectrum. Some of the bands you will see here have been gigging hard for a few years already, some are signed to record labels and others will be taking their first intrepid steps from the comfort of the studio into a live atmosphere, we believe all of them have something interesting to offer.

The spirit of Hamswell is however, much more than a good soundtrack. The festival is set on a glorious little, valley near Bath. It is this stretch of South Gloucestershire farmland that inspired Richard Tugwell and Tom Ireson to take their lifelong ambitions and turn them into a tangible reality. The landscape is an artistic echo of the concept. Its lush welcoming hills, hanging protectively over the valley seem to symbolise the organic and familiar feel with which they had both imagined their event.

The festival has a habit of capturing the collective creative imaginations of a troop of pleasure-seeking individuals, unfazed by the threat of hard work, or of the dreaded British rain clouds. Rather than rely on corporate sponsorship, the organisers perennially have to beg, borrow and steal favours from all that can be persuaded to chip in. This fosters a real community atmosphere, with many people that make up the audience actually contributing in some way to the running of the event: whether this is setting up the stage, door security, publicity, transport, or perhaps baking some delicious homemade treats for the party hardened revellers.

From the moment Johnny asked his Dad if he could have a festival on the farm, the Hamswell vibe has been about involving an expanding network of friends, all with a shared love for live music, dance and creativity. The music can be experimental, is often cutting edge, and pools an eclectic range of performers - from acoustic soloists and poetic MCs, through to samba bands, folk balladeers, funk infused techno and beats more depraved than a hazy night in the cow fields.

The first year, saw oddball-masked genius Flange Magnus pitting his barely accessible electronica next to the densely layered melodies of songwriters such as Iain Horrocks. The schedule was full of such fearless juxtaposition of artists, pitting a diverse assortment of acts adjacent to one another. It created a vibrancy and impulsiveness, an energy.

With increased involvement from some of the first year’s helpers, the chaos gave way in the second year to a more focused and identifiable formula. The previous experience had clearly aided the organisers, who now numbered four: Rich, Tom, Jonny and Pete. Between them they put together a more lucid and tighter event spread over three days. It also saw the introduction of a dedicated compere to help with the flow of things on stage, the effervescent MC Mole excelled in his role.

If the first year was the birth of the soul of the festival, the second year was it discovering its identity. The third year is set to take the evolution further and to push the boundaries a little more, it will still retain its distinctive homespun charm; it'll just be a little grander!

When asked to surmise why Hamswell is unique, Jonny quite simply states ‘its in my back garden!’ A fair comment, if you happen to be the farmer’s son. But it does perfectly sum up the Hamswell experience. It’s a three-day party, on a farm, in the sunshine!

Bands this year include:

Andrew Howell
Beatnik Frequency
The Common Moral Cause
DJ ANTE vs. Smiffy
Eat More Cake
Ecotone
Global Village Trucking Company
Iain Horrocks
Jonny Falls Over
Plundercats
Toxic Funk Berry
Riddler
Frodo Freud
The Fleas
The New Kings Of Bang
Tallulah Rendall
Seagull Strange
Magnum Quilter
Off The Radar
Sophie Henderson
Tankus The Henge
Thoughtless Jolly
White Sunday
Mr. White
Phlegm Fatales
The Disco King
Sweet Felicity Arkwright
Jung Sun
Pauline Taylor
Steve Mahoney
OBIAT
Six Nation State

Official Website: http://www.hamswellfestival.com