Reviews
Event: Cambridge Rock Festival
Venue: Haggis Farm, Polo Club
Town: Cambridge
Date: 6th to 9th August 2009
Website: http://www.cambridgerockfestival.co.uk
Once again this was a four day event of which we only attended part of one day, so we are unable to give a full account of the entire festival. Would have loved to have stayed at least one more day to see Uriah Heep, particularly if they had performed an acoustic set, but was really pleased to attend on the Friday, as two of our favorite bands were on the bill. Had planned to go to the Shrewsbury "Memories of Woodstock" festival that same weekend, (sadly pulled at the last moment), otherwise we might have spent more time at Cambridge.
Knowing that the evening was scheduled to finish at around midnight, which would have meant that we wouldn't have got home till around two o'clock in the morning, we decided to book a dog-friendly room in a nearby hotel. As it turned out, this was just as well: the half past one finish would have meant we would have been travelling until breakfast, and believe me, I'm way past the age where turning left at the first star and travelling straight on till morning plays havoc with ones crow's feet.
Trouble was, this meant that we had our dog in tow, and as he doesn't like crowds, but suffers from isolation anxiety we couldn't get away with bringing him in to the festival, nor with leaving him on his own for too long. It was therefore necessary to leave after Dead Like Harry, walk the dog, feed the dog and otherwise entertain the dog, then go back in time for Barclay James Harvest. This did mean that we missed out on some of the acts, but as we were only there for DLH and BJH, this was not a serious problem. The festival organisers marked everyone with coloured arm-bands, so coming and going was not a problem.
It had poured with rain the previous night, so the site (particularly the car-park) was a bit of a quagmire. Was rather glad that we hadn't opted to stay in a tent.
There were three music stages on the site, all under seperate marquees. It is probably churlish of me to complain, but the site wasn't really large enough to support three stages. It might actually have been better to have only had two. There wasn't quite enough distance between the stages for the sound not to bleed slightly into the adjacent marquee, and when walking round the site looking at the stalls, you could always hear at least two bands playing at once. It did mean that there was plenty to listen to, though, and if there was one band you didn't like, you could always go and listen to something else.
Have followed DLH for a few years now (first saw them them supporting the Strawbs), but I don't think I've ever seen them play so well. They seemed to love playing to a festival crowd, and the sound quality and balance was absolutely perfect. They mainly played tracks from their new, as yet unreleased album, including one song I hadn't heard them play before.
Set list was:
Sarah
Couldn't Love You Anymore
1000 Miles
Road Trip
a new song I hadn't heard before
You're Not Alone
Across The Water
Watching Your Eyes
Never Say Goodbye
What a Bloody Shame
When We Were Seventeen
Streets
Cherry Street
Satellite
Mostly Autumn were about to play when we arrived back from canine care duties. They had a very large fan-base on site, and were very well received by the audience, but for some reason that I can't quite put my finger on, their music doesn't quite click with me. I must admit, they do make a beautiful sound, and they are all very talented, so I'm not sure why I don't get them.
We did take the opportunity to wander over to the Blues stage to hear a band called Storm Warning. They were really rather good, but sadly, most of the rest of the festival-goers were listening to Mostly Autumn, so missed them.
Schedules at these sort of events have a habit of over-running, and Mostly Autumn kept playing till gone the time that BJH were scheduled to start. As someone who was impatient to hear BJH, this didn't endear me anymore to Mostly Autumn.
Think that the stage crew then tried to rush the changeover, forgetting the old adage - more haste less speed. They did a sterling job, removing and replacing cables, monitors, amplifiers, and more importantly, instruments. It gave an opportunity for the audience to meet and chat to each other. We met a nice bunch of interesting people in various levels of sobriety.
Pandora, from Radio Caroline, arrived to introduce BJH who came on to whoops and cheers of appreciation from the crowd. It was all worth it, the squelchy field, the wait and the crowds.
We managed to get front row places, just to the left of Woolly & his Magic Keyboards (sounds like a children's programme!). From the first note of For No One, they were mesmerising. During the first few numbers there was a little feedback, and the band started with the monitors not working properly. That wasn't their only problem, either: on the Alternative stage there was a band called Voodoo Johnson playing, and BJH could hear the rumble of their more penetrating bass notes. BJH, though, were true professionals with just the odd wince at the feedback. All problems were soon sorted, and we were treated to a brilliant show.
I wish I could wax lyrical on the technicality and intricate differences between the versions of the songs they played during the Festival and past live performances or studio versions, but I don't have the musical knowledge, all I can say is it was magical. The only way it could have got nearer to perfect romance for me, was if the whole thing had been done under the stars on a dry field.
For those of you that heard the Radio Caroline Broadcast, a base drum was mentioned by Craig (Bass Guitarist & a jolly good one at that). He brought this instrument onto the stage, mentioning he had won it in a Lucky Dip Bag. The technical problems that we now realise were happening behind the scenes prevented it from being used - but it was a funny prop which added to Woolly & Craig's banter, (e.g. Woolly having problems with his keyboard and Craig switching it on for him!)
After their concert at the Lowry earlier this year, Pete described John's voice as Cadburys - he is right, you can't just have one piece, you have to have the whole bar!
Really looking forward to the bits of the tour we are going to get to, and happy to throw caution to the wind and indulge in more BJH Calories.
Set list was:
Valhalla (played as they arrived on stage)
For No One
The Great 1974 Mining Disaster
Poor Wages
Iron Maiden
Child of the Univers
Loving Is Easy
Poor Man's Moody Blues
Galadriel
Summer Soldier (not played live since 1974!)
Harbour
Suicide
Medicine Man
In Search of England
Mockingbird
The Poet/ After The Day
She Said (first encore)
Hymn (second encore)
Pete and Calli Bradley