Truck Festival is a one of our firm favourites on the festival calander and this years did not disappoint at all. Located on Hill Farm in Oxfordshire the festival offered a huge line up with some of the hottest bands around. Headlining the weekend was The Wombats, Two Door Cinema Club, Alt-J and Royal Blood. Every band who performed put on a cracking performance and put all their energy into their sets. The festival had plenty to offer including food and drink stalls, kids activities, gameshows, yoga, karaoke and more. Unfortunately the weather was a typical British type for a festival. Saturday was a downpour which made the site into a slippery mud bath but that did not dampen any ones spirits.
Our photographer Kane Howie was at the festival to document the weekend. You can see a selection of his images below.
2024 tickets are on sale now and are selling fast! We will definitely be returning for next year!
The picturesque grounds of Hatfield Park welcomed home one of it’s best events of the calendar year. A festival known as ‘Folk By The Oak’. It which showcases some of the best of of the Folk music genre.
The all day Sunday event was packed full of amazing activities for all the family to enjoy.
The Willow Foundation had a stall selling preloved clothes and items which you could grab a bargain from. In one area of the park it featured a large children’s activity space with a climbing wall, story telling, games and even a stall about looking after bees, what a great idea to teach little ones about looking after all inhabitants of our world, no matter what their size.
There were tents filled with handmade crafts with demonstrations in how to make certain things like pot painting, leather work etc. Ideal for anyone who loves a hobby in crafting.
The scents of the huge array of food & beverage vendors filled the air which aromas to suit everyone’s tastebuds.
The site itself had two stages, the Main stage and the Acorn stage showcasing the very best in music.
The first act I was able to see was The Wilderness Yet who performed music full of well written lyrics and showed a very keen interest on wildlife. The band had mentioned they had also worked with a charity to help save the bees who are a vital part of the environment.
On the mainstage were The Longest John’s who sang a lot of folk and sea shanties. They were also very humorous which earned a lot of laughter from audiences.
Back to the Acorn stage which featured Nick Hart, an  award-winning singer and multi-instrumentalist. He is becoming one of the most acclaimed performers of his generation with his music. On stage was the man himself and a guitar. He really knew how to captivate the audience with his songs.
One of the best acts of the day was This Is The Kit. They had performed twice in the day once of the main stage where they had technical difficulties with some of the instruments but carried on through which was entertaining to watch. They then stepped in to headline the Acorn stage with a different set of songs. It was such a delight to witness both of their sets.
Sona Jobarteh graced us with her set bringing her cultural Gambian sounds. She played the Kora which is a 21 stringed instrument that combines the harp and the lute sound. This was definitely fascinating to watch and the audience participated with the language in the songs and danced along.
Unfortunately the artist most well known for his hit “Cucurucu”, Nick Mulvey had to cancel his set on the main stage due to illness (get well soon Nick!), so the Acorn Stage headliners Cut Capers moved onto the mainstage and put on one hell of a show! The band were displayed so much energy on stage and with a big selection of different instruments. The crowd loved to party to them! They are now a new favourite of mine.
Headlining the night was Folk rock band The Waterboys who put on a great performance which ended with a glittering firework display.
This year’s Folk By The Oak festival was a lot of fun, but yet just so mellow. Perfect for a Sunday out!I very much look forward to attending Folk By The Oak in 2024!
In just a few weeks time the mighty Truck Festival returns with a cracking lineup! Headlining the weekend is The Wombats, Two Door Cinema Club, Alt-J and Royal Blood. Other bands performing the weekend are Mae Muller, The Vaccines, Self Esteem, DMA’s, The Lathums and 100s more!!
Here at Summer Festival Guide we like to tell you some of the hottest bands that we think you should check out over the weekend which you can see below.
Low Island-Friday-V&V
Opus Kink-Friday-The Nest
Crystal Tides-Friday-The Market Stage
Gaffa Tape Sandy -Friday-The Nest
BILK-Saturday-The Nest
Courting-Saturday-The Market Stage
The Last Dinner Party-Sunday-The Market Stage
Chappaqua Wrestling-Sunday-Main Stage
There is still time to grab the last remaining tickets and all other information on the Truck Festival website https://truckfestival.com/
After three years the amazing Truck Festival came back too Hill Farm in Steventon, Oxfordshire. The past 3 years had been affected by COVID which meant the event could not take place. This year also celebrated its 25th Anniversary so the organisers had to make sure it was the best!! The three and a half day event had a huge lineup with Blossoms headlining the Thursday night. Bombay Bicycle Club on Friday, Sam Fender and The Kooks co-headlining on the Saturday and the weekend ended with Kasabian and a firework display on the Sunday night. Bands, Artists, Comedians etc all performed on several stages across the site. There was the Main Stage, Market Stage hosted by So Young Magazine, Thie Feeling, The Nest, Virgins and Veterans, The Rockin Chair and The Tap Room.
Across the site had a wide variety of all cuisines for everyone. The local community also have a big food tent with their homecooked food which they have served there for several years and all profits got to charity.
There was plenty for everyone to do. Familys with young children could go to the childrens area which had activities and shows on for them all to enjoy. There were stalls with makeup, clothes, accessories and more for everyone to dress up in their proper festival gear.
Our photographer Kane Howie was at the festival to document the weekend. You can check out his photos below.
Tickets for next years event are available at https://truckfestival.com/ the festival will take place at the same location on July 21st-23rd.
With the past few years being affected by covid its great to know that in just a few weeks time Truck Festival is going to be back again for the weekend with a huge lineup for its 25th anniversary!
This year’s lineup is being headlined by Bombay Bicycle Club, The Kooks, Sam Fender and Kasabian. Over the weekend there are a huge amount of great acts performing aswell on various stages.
Summer Festival Guide have been covering the festival for many years and are always on the lookout for the best acts to check out. Below is a few of the acts that we think you should try and see.
Also if you download the official Truck Festival App you can get more information and stage times for the whole weekend. We hope you have a great weekend and will see you there!
Below is some photos from previous years by Kane Howie Photography
Monday evenings are usually fairly quiet but not for Cambridge. Bowling For Soups Jaret and Rob are at the Junction for a seated sing-a-long show with support acts Lacey and Tom Felicetti of Don’t Panic.
Walking into J1 was very different for the show as its the first time I had been in there for a seated event. There was something nice about it though so you could relax with your favourite drink and enjoy the music. On stage there were banners with edited family photos with Jaret and Robs faces on and a table and chairs.
First up are Josh, Dave and Graz from the UK Alt-rock band Lacey. The trio played a stripped back acoustic set and also mentioned its a sing-a-long show so played some well known clips from songs such as Im Not okay, Sugar Were Going Down, The Middle, Teenage Dirtbag and more. The band closed their set of their set with a song that the audience could sing to aswell The lyrics were ‘We’re still young just older now’.
The second support act is Tom Feliicetti from Don’t Panic who was joined by members of Lacey to back him. He is also the brother of Bowling For Soups bassist Rob Felicetti. This was Toms second ever time playing a show in the UK and he said he found it weird playing acoustically. Tom made the audience really laugh as he was learning things about the UK. He asked everyone what ‘Dogging’ means and mentioned if it was fun and if anyone wanted to take him. It would be great to see him play with his whole band someday.
After a short interval the two members of Bowling For Soup entered the stage and sat on their chairs with drinks on the table. Later on we found out that Jaret was drinking loads of vodka but not Russian as they Rush it which was one of his many jokes of the night. The first song was Trucker Hat which was taken well by the audience. During the evening there were facts about the band and jokes as well. Jaret mentioned that ‘The Bitch Song’ was written about an ex and that it saved the bands career. ‘Stacey’s Mum’ which was originally sung by Fountains Of Wayne also made them a lot of money as they covered it and everyone thought they were the original band to release the song.
Throughout the night one of the crew members named Daniel kept bringing out drinks for Jaret and Rob and got the hugest applause. The duo played many songs including the big hits. It was overall a great evening of live music from three fantastic acts and I would recommend seeing them all if you get a chance.
Bowling For Soup are due to {Jaret told us] play the UK again later this year on their next tour!!
With the global pandemic bringing the music scene to a hault, this had prevented music venues from opening throughout the majority of 2020 and some of 2021. It made a huge impact on keeping the music scene alive for a lot of places. The National Lottery decided to bring out ‘Revive Live’, a boost for the entertainment industry to bring big bands and artists to play at smaller, grassroot venues in which all have started out at to become who they are today. Venues across the country have seen the likes of Sir Tom Jones, Rag n Bone Man, Twin Atlantic and many more.
For Cambridge Junction they have had a few of the artists playing there but Wednesday 29th September saw The Vaccines performing at the venue in J1. This show is a very intimate one as the band have just announced they are doing a tour next April which sees them playing places like Wembley Arena which is a lot bigger capacity.
Supporting The Vaccines were two piece Icelandic band called BSI. On drums and vocals is Silla Thorarensen and bass guitar and toe-synths is Julius Pollux Rothlaender. The duo play anti fascist punk music. What stood out for me with them was Silla’s microphone being an old telephone adapted into a microphone and Julius using his toes to play synth and on the neck of his bass was written ‘No Borders’.
Behind the band was a guitar case with BSI painted on it and then a little sign saying refugees welcome. The crowd seemed to enjoy the duo. They wrote their EP during the height of the pandemic and released it back in May. The tour was the first time they had played in the UK. It will be good to see the duo back in the UK again soon.
With a short interval the crowd are eager to see The Vaccines to perform. Around the stage is tall light sabre like lights scattered around the area. When the lights dim on comes the famous Pulp Fiction intro music by Dick Dale. First song to be performed is ‘Wanderlust’ which off their latest album ‘Back In Love City’. Frontman Justin is rocking the whole stage with his glaring eyes into the crowd and reaching out with his hands.
During the night there is new and old music including ‘Post Break Up Sex’, ‘Headphones Baby’ and ‘If You Wanna’. Justin mentioned that the band have not played the Junction since 2011 and the area had changed since then. Also he thanked BSI for supporting them on their tour.
Just before the encore the band perform ‘XCT’ which is apparently their favourite song to perform live in which I found out on a recent Instagram question time.
After the encore drummer Yoann Intonti comes on drumming the beat whilst the rest of the band set up and hit straight into Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra). To finish the night was the performance of ‘All In White’. This will be a night that everyone will remember.
From Thursday 9th September 2021, Bedford town welcomed back event goers to it’s well known Bedford Park Concerts! As we are all very much aware the last year or so has been somewhat of a struggle to everyone, both personally and professionally. And of course, we all know why. During these trying times, many industries have been hit pretty hard, especially the entertainment industry. Sadly due to national restrictions in 2020 the main Bedford Park Concert event was unfortunately cancelled. However, after a lot of hard work and the easing of government restrictions it meant that this year’s event was able to take place as planned.
Unfortunately, this year I was only able to attend on the Friday night of this four day event. But, I will do a mini breakdown of the event’s full line up and entertainment.
So Bedford Park Concerts (put on by LPH Concerts and Events), kicked off it’s 2021 by providing everyone with a sense of nostalgia with a trip back to the 90s with performances by bands Dodgy and Ocean Colour Scene. Dodgy performed familiar tracks including the very catchy “Good Enough”. Ocean Colour Scene also gave everyone the 90s feels with songs including “Riverboat Song” and probably one of their most memorable hits “Day We Caught The Train”. There were also sets from Marquis Drive (a seven piece indie group from Staffordshire) and local lads, The Wholls. The Wholls have played at this event before and were very well recieved so it was nice to see them make a return, especially as they have not played a live gig since 2018.
Friday night attracted a very different crowd. The evening’s kicked off with support act Katie Kittermaster. A singer songwriter that already has a huge following with her music already, particulalrly on the well known social media platform TikTok where she has over 1.5 million followers and with her videos and gas gained over 500,000 likes on her uploads! Some of her most popular hits include “The Problem” and “Lukewarm Lover”. People seemed to really love her! After her set, she walked around the park greeting fans who were eager to take selfies with her and asking for autographs.
Of course in between sets music would play into the park to keep everyone entetained and feeling great! At one point I’m sure that my 6 year old son and I were singing along to Kool & The Gang hit “Celebration”, which in all honesty yes was super cheesy, but very much needed after everyone being stuck at home for months and not being able to go to events such as this one. So it really was something to celebrate. There was also a diverse range of stalls for food and beverages from pimms, to vegan cusine to bags of sweets!
Friday night’s special guests were pop band Scouting For Girls. When the band originally formed and started to release music, I had instantly become a fan of their catchy sounds. Bringing something a little different to the sterotypical pop scene at the time their music gave this band the chance to become a fast growing success! This earned them number one singles, a triple platiunum debut album, and even brit award norminations. Band members Roy Stride, Greg Churchouse and Peter Ellard showed that they still know how to put on an excellent show. They performed songs including “Elvis Isn’t Dead”, the brilliant ballad “This Ain’t A Love Song”, “James Bond”, the very popular track “Heartbeat” and their most well known single “She’s So Lovely”, the final song of their energetic set that had everyone singing and dancing along with excitement.
Friday night’s main act was the fantastic Olly Murs! Olly shot to fame after appearing on The X Factor back in 2009. And in my opinion is one of the best contstants the show has ever seen. The singer songwriter is currently on a busy UK tour and kindly stopped by the town of Bedford for this event. I have actually seen Olly perform previously at The O2, so I can confidently say he is just one of those performers that really does give everything he has to offer into his shows. The singer has recently undergone surgery on his knee after causing an injury to himself while performing in a previous live performance and is still experiencing a lot of physical pain post surgery. Because of this, while standing in the audience of people waiting for him to take to the stage, I had heard people expressing concerns for the star’s physical well being while performing live that evening. But honestly, he still put on one amazing show! When I say amazing, I mean it really wasn’t obvious that he was performing with an injury (until he mentioned it himself on stage). Olly explained to his audience that he was in a huge amount of pain, but there was no way he was going to let it get the better of him and encouraged everyone to just keep smiling. His set was still full energy, charisma and cheeky antics.
Murs, who stood out in a bright blue tailored suit, performed many of his huge hits including “Wrapped Up”, “My Heart Skips A Beat”, “You Don’t Know Love” and “Trouble Maker”. However the singer had a few extra tricks up those blue sleeves. We we lucky enough to be treated to an absolute classic Earth Wind & Fire Medley featuring the songs “September”, “Let’s Groove” and “Boogie Wonderland”. Oh the cheesy, funky musical goodness in all it’s glory! Later in the evening Olly took the tempo down for a break to rest his poor injured knee. He sat down at the front of the stage to perform one of his biggest hits, the heartfelt “Dear Darlin”. Speaking of heartfelt, probably most poignant part of his show was something that really tugged on the heartstrings of many many people. Olly has decided that during this tour he wanted to dedicate a section of his shows to the late Caroline Flack. It is no secret that Olly and Caroline had an amazing relationship and were extremely close. So of course when the news broke of the television presenter’s sudden and tragic passing last year in February 2020, it was only natural for Olly to feel heartbroken, as many of us also were. He made the most beautiful speeches and spoke of their times together and explained that despite what the media’s harsh portrayal of her, Caroline was a very sweet person indeed. This gave Olly the perfect song choice to perform and dedicate to her. Of course this trIbute song was none other than his version of the Neil Diamond classic “Sweet Caroline”. The song alone gives out fun and bubbly vibes as people of all generations know it’s catchy lyrics. Olly was able to perform this amazing song with the true fun we know it to have, but also such emotion too as he sang to the sky. Simple, but absolutely beautiful.
The show then picked up it’s pace once more, we also got to see him perform a duet of his single “Up” which was originally recorded and released with singer Demi Lovato. Olly brought to the stage one of his backing performers to sing Demi’s sections of the track. This singer (Kirsten, I believe her name is), has only just begun to tour with Olly and his band with only one show previous to this one at Bedford Park and oh my goodness did she have such a beautiful voice and one that harmonised with and complimented Olly’s perfectly.
Having Olly Murs perform at Bedford Park Concerts really was one of the best decisions that the teams behind the event has ever made! It was such an amazing and fun night for myself, my son and my partner. We loved every moment and every act.
Let’s talk about what else Bedford Park Concerts had to offer for the rest of it’s 2021 shows! Saturday night gave the town of Bedford Cafe Mambo Ibiza! The evening was jam packed with fire dancers, laser light shows and DJ sets to give everyone the ultimate Ibiza music scene experience right on our doorstep! DJ sets saw live performances from Faithless, most well known for their hits “Insomnia”, “We Come 1” and “God Is A DJ”. Also Danny Howard who has been identified as ‘the tastemaker of his generation’ and a product for the UK dance scene, a DJ known for hosting his popular radio shows The Friday Night Show and Dance Anthems on BBC Radio 1. Danny also heads his own record label. There were also performances from Hannah Wants and Bedford’s own Mark Russel. The night’s headline act was none other than legendary DJ icon Pete Tong! A name that is known all over the world in the dance music industry. He has gained recognition as the ambassador of dance music with a hugely successful career that has spanned over two decades! This really was a night to remember.
Sunday saw the final day of performances at Bedford Park for 2021. The last day of this epic four day event is always reserved for The Bedford Park Proms. The perfect occasion for all of the family to enjoy together. I love the Proms! It’s a day of classical and operatic performances by both singers and instrumentalists while we as the audience gaze in wonder while sitting on blankets eating delectable finger foods (I’m not kidding I’ve seen ticket holders preparing and enjoing lobster here before) and relaxing by a candelabra while sparkling bubbles flow nicely.
Acts during the day of the proms included Forever Tenors, a new classical pop duo who describe themselves as “full of class, elegance and vocal perfection”. Also local singer-songwriter, Joe Bygraves who made a return to the proms. He is definitely an act to keep an eye out for, I saw him perform at the proms a couple of years ago and loved his performance! The 2021 proms also got to see the return of the well loved Bedford Rock Choir. I also can’t forget to mention a performance from the talented Soprano, Victoria Joyce.
The headline act for The Bedford Park Proms was Welsh Opera singer Wynne Evans. Do you recognise that name? Wynn has had over 25 years experience as a trained Opera singer and has featured in musicals including Andrew LLoyd Webber’s The Phantom Of The Opera. Although most know him as the infamous spoof character The Go Compare Man. Yes this is the singer that kept those catchy operatic tones in our minds as we browsed the internet for car insurance. And in true traditional patriotic fashion, the proms closed with an amazing laser display and a firework spectacular. I absolutely love the Bedford Park event each year, it’s always one that I look forward to no matter who is performing. The atmosphere is both relaxed and energetic at the same time. And it really is so nice to be able to see people getting back to some sort or normality after a challenging 18 months or so. Seeing so many smiling faces is something that we have all needed to see. LPH Concerts and Events have made that happen with this fantastic weekend of joy and entertainment.
You can book your tickets for next years dates via the Bedford Park Concerts website, to get yours just head over to www.bedfordparkconcerts.co.uk
If you like gigs like this then the LPH Concerts and Events team are also putting on an amazing halloween event “Halloween Town Festival” which is said to the biggest halloween show in the UK. This event will be taking place at The Great Meadow in Bedford. Acts will include Craig David presents TS5 on the 29th October, Andy C on Saturday the 30th and lastly to close the halloween shows on Sunday 31st there will be performances from The Levellers plus special guests. There are still some tickets available for this awesome halloween weekend, you can purchase yours from https://halloweentownfestival.com/
After having to be rescheduled because of covid , the sold out Blossoms show at Cambridge Junction finally happened. The band were supported by Fever and The Lathums. Our photographer Kane Howie was there to document the event. You can see his photos below and also see more photography by him at https://www.instagram.com/kanehowiephotography/
After a long year away from live music it was great to be back at a firm favourite venue of mine, the one and only Cambridge Junction. Performing on Monday 23rd August was 22 year old London Indie singer/songwriter Declan Mckenna. Mckenna was also joined by his support act, Isle Of Wight duo ‘Wet Leg‘. The Cambridge show is the first of the current tour for Declan.
Upon arrival at the venue, the entry queue was literally winding all the way around to the back of the building and as far as the nearby multi storey car park. Ticketholders appeared to be mostly that of a younger generation than myself, in which it made me feel a bit vintage lets say, even though I’ve not hit 30 yet!
Once inside, it was clear to see that the room was filling up fairly quickly. There was plenty of chatting and drinking within the crowd of eagerly awaiting fans as they waited for the first act of the night, which was as mentioned previously, Wet Leg. This duo from the Isle of Wight which includes band members Rhian Teaslade and Hester Chambers. They play in a genre which is known as ‘post punk’ music with guitar riffs and some catchy lyrics. The band recently signed to the record company Domino and released their debut single ‘Chaise Longue’. When on stage, the duo were accompanied with three other members all postioned horizontally at the front of the stage. Their set included several songs such as ‘Wet Dream’,’ Your Mum’, and ‘Chaise Longue’. The audience seemed to really enjoy the music. I can see Wet Leg having a huge following this year.
Once the evening’s support band had finished their set, music then started playing over the speakers the most memorable of which was ‘American Boy’ by Estelle in which everyone automatically started singing out loudly. By 9pm everyone was geared up ready for Declan to come on stage. At the back was a giant backdrop with a black and white chequered optical illusion style circle. Three sparkling disco balls and a platform with keyboards and drums at the top, also a set of steps to get to them.
When waiting in the photo pit, there were young fans with their phones open on camera apps waiting to get a glimpse of Declan coming onto the stage. The first song performed was ‘Beautiful Faces’ which ended with confetti canons into the crowd. Who doesn’t love a confetti cannon? Declan donned a white polo neck shirt and a black sequin suit, with matching glitter facepaint. Giving us all Elton John style fashion vibes.
During the night he Declan performed an array of his music which included the songs ‘My House’, ‘The Key To Life On Earth’ and ‘Be An Astronaut’. After that there was an encore which then went onto another FIVE songs. The room was lit up with lights glistening and arms waving around. It was great to see fans enjoying music again at a live event venue! If you get the chance to see Declan Mckenna perform live, then honestly don’t waste that chance as he does not dissapoint.
