A friend of mine was asking about what made Bearded Theory different to any other festival and, initially, it was a difficult question to answer. The best way I could put it was that Bearded Theory, more than any other festival, encourages a sense of peace and spontaneous companionship that is unique. This is best seen in the Woodland area. There’s no reason for the festival organisers to have spent the time they have decorating it, and yet there it is, glimmering in the evening air, with lights in the trees and a sense of space that manages to defy the senses even when it’s full to bursting during a popular band’s set. It is one of the few places on earth where you can sit, wedged between people, with loud music blasting from the stage, and feel completely at peace. That is the effect of Bearded Theory and, as inadequate as this description is, it will have to suffice because I can put it no other way.
That sense of space, peace and friendship extends to the other stages. The Pallet stage is frequently packed, but never crowded; the Maui Waui stage is a haven of light and laughter and only the Magical Sounds tent falls victim to the festival trap of overcrowding, perhaps because of the quite exceptional line up that the organisers have put on, not quite expecting the remarkable response it could garner. It also extends to the campsites and communal areas, which throng with people without ever feeling over-crowded or uncomfortable. It is a pleasure to walk around the site and see festivalgoers greeting one another in a manner that cannot fail to make you feel at home.
Arriving on Thursday night, the first thing to note is that the Bearded Theory site has had an organisational overhaul. Although 2018 was, in many ways, a great year for Bearded Theory; no one could deny the issues that beset the festival on the Thursday night (not all of Bearded Theory’s making, it should be noted) but all that is in the past. We sail into the site at around 7pm and, from what we can gather, most other people had the same experience. Clearly lessons were learned, because the camping, security and administration is well-organised and friendly throughout.
The site itself has also had some changes with the Maui Waui, Magical Sounds and One Big Showcase stages all moved around, not to mention an exciting multi-tiered bar having sprung up in the heart of the arena. It works brilliantly and there’s a wonderful sense of space as you move around the site, exploring the various bars, stalls and stages. There are a number of festivals who could note well the exceptional organisation of Bearded Therory, because there’s no question that the cafes and bars, off-kilter decorations and unique stalls all add to the atmosphere of a festival which exists far away from the over-corporatisation found elsewhere. The Thursday night is a great opportunity to acclimatise to the new site and to explore all the non-musical delights, and we spend a fantastic evening checking out the bars and ad-hoc entertainment without any sense of pressure. It is the perfect introduction to a busy weekend.
Friday
Waking up to blazing sunshine, after a decent breakfast at the excellent Hurly Burly Café (great for home made cakes and meals – plus seriously friendly) we head to the Pallet stage to find Tewksbury-based Ska Punkers [Spunge] starting the day ff with a bang. With the sun warming the field nicely, the band sounds great and they have the perfect vibe for people settling in for a three day stint. Songs about threesomes, baiting the recently-resigned Theresa May and tracks like the skanking song, get the early audience dancing and, with just enough of an edge to give the songs bite as well as bounce, [spunge] are effortlessly entertaining. Let’s face it, who could possibly refuse a request to jump on demand? Certainly the sizable crowd does not, and [Spunge] come off as an early highlight with their effervescent performance.
Always a highlight on the live circuit, whether it’s at a festival or headlining his own shows, Mad dog Mcrea, also on the Pallet Stage, gets a raucous reception and immediately sends thing up several notches with opening track Am I drinking enough? – a sure-fire festival classic if ever there was one. Tackling blues, folk, bluegrass and anything else that comes to mind, Mad Dog Mcrea is on unstoppable form and the band fire through tracks like the vibrant raggle taggle gypsy with magnificent abandon. It is odd (as Mad Dog himself notes) to see the band in the daylight but, with the crowd very much on board, it’s a hugely entertaining set.
Over at the Maui Waui stage, we find a wild blend of acoustic folk punk delivered by a band with many vocalists. A cursory glance at the handy guide reveals it to be blackthorn and, for a band without electric guitars, they rock! Top hats and attitude -they are a band to watch in the future, although the tent is so heaving with bodies it’s hard to get near for photographs. Still, it’s time for a wander and so, off to the delightful Woodland stage, where the Newcranes deliver crackling folk punk in the vein of the levellers. Heavy in places, bouncy and fun in others (not to mention occasional forays into straight up acoustic folk, the Newcranes clearly have a fair few fans in attendance (and make many more) with the highlight of their set being the creeping baseline of turpentine.
When it comes to live shows, festivals… pretty much anywhere they put their feet really… The Wildhearts have the most amazing ability to unite a crowd into one giant, jumping entity. With Ginger looking fit and healthy, the whole band trading grins as the tear out a mix of the old and new and (YES!!!!!!) Danny back behind the bass, The WIldhearts are an absolute highlight of the festival. Better still, far from simply trading on old glories, the band are back with one of their best albums (not to mention their first in a decade) in Renaissance men and, when they kick off with that album’s opening track, dislocated, the intervening years drop away like they’d never happened. The set is masterful, with the only slight disappointment being the entirely expected absence of anything from the wildly unappreciated Endless Nameless. Nonetheless, the band bring together a potent blend of old and new, with Let ‘em go sounding particularly ferocious in the mid-day sun. It’s riff after riff after mother***ing riff, and it’s never less than glorious. It’s too short a set and, having dispensed a blistering diagnosis, the Wildhearts are gone in a haze of feedback, leaving behind them an exhausted, yet elated crowd.
Surprisingly heavy on stage, oh sees are much anticipated and deal in a potent strain of LA psyche. Why anyone would want to watch a pink Floyd tribute when you have a band dealing in the logical expansion of the Syd Barret era live and, in the flesh (sorry!), is beyond me. Mellow vocals, a hyperactive guitarist and some blistering riffs, all powered by two drummers, it’s multidimensional stuff that seems to give the entire field a contact high. Tracks like plastic plant and night expo are entirely absorbing and there’s no question that the band are on spectacular form as they send the entire audience to the stars and beyond. The perfect act to take the stage as the sun slowly sinks below the horizon, Thee Oh Sees are majestic indeed.
Following on from the sublime Oh Sees is no easy feat, but Editors pull it off thanks, in no small part, to the Gahan-esque antics of singer Tom Smith. Offering up a well-paced set, Editors draw the eager crowd in, even choosing to climax their set with a brand new song. It’s heady, bouncy stuff – similar to Depeche Mode but with its own thing going on, and the band provide a substantial adrenaline boost as the sun slowly sinks below the horizon.
Last year, British rock stalwarts Suede brought their astonishing comeback trilogy to an end with The Blue Hour a concept record that stands as their most mature and impressive work to date. An awesome record, the blue hour earned the band numerous plaudits and was included on our own 2018 best of list. It does, however, place the band in something of a quandary when playing a festival. On the one hand, Suede is a creative entity, still seeking out new horizons and with a powerful new album to promote. On the other, the average festival audience (far less partisan than those at a headline gig) wants a ‘hits’ show and it’s clear there are many in the crowd who would happily listen to the band play material solely from before 1997. Happily, Suede have never been a band to kow tow to the demands of fashion, and their epic set draws from across the spectrum, featuring a healthy dose of new material along with a decent selection of classics. Perhaps it was not what the audience wanted but it is certainly what the audience needed and it confirms the notion that the post-reformation Suede are not only as good as the youthful suede of memory, but arguably better.
Opening with as one is inspired. As smoke billows, the astringent riff rings out and suddenly, in the midst of it all, Brett Anderson stands, loose-hipped and vital, delivering one of the most remarkable vocals of his career. It’s a stunning invocation, and it has the crowd holding its collective breath (even those unfamiliar with the new record). I cannot imagine a more powerful start to a set, and it has the goose bumps raised on the arms long before the band pile into snowblind. That’s not to say that Suede don’t deliver the goods when it comes to hits. Any sit list that includes she, metal Mickey, Filmstar, trash and animal nitrate is guaranteed to energise the most recalcitrant of audiences… but the real highlights include a mesmerising flytipping, not to mention a solo, acoustic performance of the wild ones.
An encore of the beautiful ones sends the crowd home happy but, as much as I loved… loved the hits; the new material has so much force and power, that it stuck much more in my head. As one, in particular, is a masterpiece and the way that the band weave material from the blue hour into the set is nothing short of mesmerising.
Saturday
Kicking off Saturday’s entertainment (at least for us), Rev hammer takes to the delightful Woodland stage and, well, he’s a bit off-key actually. After a somewhat inauspicious, rambling start which involves a mixture of chatter and tuning, we get to Rev’s Levellers-esque folk, before more rambling introduces punch drunk, which is spoilt by the guitar once again bouncing out of tune. For sure, Rev has a ramshackle charm and the music, when it appears, is good, but it’s a frustrating show with very little flow so we head off to the Pallet Stage….
There we find Heavy Lungs, the hotly-tipped youngsters who have taken a page out of the book of Idles for their performance. Unfortunately, whilst the music is a powerful mix of Sleaford-Mods-meets-Idles, the lyrics lack the vitality of either. Nonetheless, with tracks like Jealous sonically referencing Killing Joke and an extended jam, which throbs in the afternoon heat, bringing the band’s set to a close, it’s an impressive showing and a sign that Heavy Lung are ones to watch in the future.
Also on the pallet stage are Reef. Now looking rather like the hobos who used to ride the railroad in 1950s America, the band seem to have morphed into a bluesy take on Oasis (especially on opening track stone for your love) although, when they cheerfully air tracks like naked and the annoyingly ubiquitous place your hands, there’s no question as to the power thy still have over a massed audience. Gary’s voice certainly sounds better with the grit of age and it is arguable that Reef sound at their best when dealing out tough, mid-paced stoner-blues, but there’s plenty of fondness for the hits in the audience and the band deliver a crowd-pleasing set.
Next up, we get the Easy All Stars who, with their dub takes on well-worn classics, lull the audience into a warm, mid-afternoon daze. Delivering interesting takes on classics such as the Beatles’ Rita and a selection of Pink Floyd classics (from their Dub Side of the Moon), Easy All Stars are incredibly entertaining and leave the audience very floating on a sea of their own imagination.
Over at the Woodland stage, meanwhile, Seth Lakeman delivers a fascinating set, his band sporting a double bass on stage and sounding all the better for it. Folky, but with a trippy, somnolent edge, Seth provides a perfect, late-afternoon treat. Tracks like Fitzsimmons’ fight combine the melodicism of Levellers with the darker edge of the Bad Seeds, whilst, at other points, the band recall the Oysterband via the Doors. It’s a hypnotic and frequently excellent show, perfectly set against the backdrop of the Woodland stage.
Closing the mainstage, classic rock stalwarts The Cult suffer a slight misstep on sun king as levels waver but, by the time they head in to New York City the power has kicked in and the band deliver an energetic set to an enthusiastic crowd. Tracks like automatic blues and sweet soul sister are delivered with panache, but there’s more contemporary fare to be found over at the Woodland stage and, whilst the Cult clearly meet with the crowd’s approval, we head off to Idlewild.
Set in the idyllic Woodland area, Idlewild seem perfectly matched to their surroundings. Age has filed away the rough edges of the band, with Roddy Woomble clad in a suit and looking more aloof than I remember from sets gone by. Opening with you held the world in your arms, the Beatles-esque harmonies are more to the fore than ever, whilst love steals us from loneliness and same things twice keep the pace taut and the crowd hooked. With guitars fizzing and burning, Idlewild still maintain their punky edge and, by the time we get to el capitan, the Woodland stage is hooked on a set that seems to thrive upon the unexpected. Even the fireworks that cap off The Cult’s set can’t thrown the band from their stride, with the audience torn between the overhead display and the sonic fireworks on stage.
Sunday
Opening the Woodland stage on a day that promises, but thankfully never delivers, rain, Edinburgh band Indigo Velvet bring light touch indie with elements of Snow Patrol and Kings of Leon evident in the mix. Upbeat and energetic, they unleash occasional flurries of guitar, much to the delight of the expanding crowd, and they provide an impressive start to the day.
Over on the mainstage, however, Bilk are not good. Shorn of all social commentary, the band manage to paint a caricature of punk that falls into all the pitfalls its detractors claim of it. Songs about getting hammered are rendered all the more tedious by the band’s insistence on having an on-stage photographer standing almost directly in front of them (hilariously recalling The Mighty Boosh’s journey to the centre of the punk) for most of the set.
Far better (and far more amusing) are The Lancashire Hotpots, a comedy-folk troupe whose discography is suspiciously huge and predominantly replete with songs about the joys of beer. Donning an Ikea hat for don’t fear Ikea, tackling the thorny subject of dinner with Chippy Tea and massacring Hey Jude, all via snatches of reggae and disco , the Lancashire Hotpots are gloriously absurd and the crowd seem to have a fantastic time of it. The sun even comes out to see what all the laughter is about and the band provide a good preamble to the now-legendary fancy dress competition which sees robots, the entire Scooby Doo crew and the Village People brought to the stage for a face-off.
Delivering folk punk with attitude, The Mahones have almost thirty years and thirteen albums behind them, the most recent being 2018’s well-received Love, death and redemption. Frontman Finny McConnell is an unstoppable force, throwing shapes to the crowd and delivering the lyrics with a well-worn sneer, even as Katie “Kaboom” McConnell adds accordion to the mix. It’s a briiliantly executed and energetic set that gets the crowd jumping as one
One of the biggest surprises of the festival is The Blinders. Coming across as a mix between Killing Joke, Nick Cave and Cooper Temple Clause, their articulate, politically-infused set is fantastic form start to finish. Airing material from impressive album Columbia, which is based loosely around 1984 with elements of Huxley thrown in for good measure, The Blinders deliver a remarkable set that captures and holds the attention. It’s telling that I had to seek out their album immediately after at the merch strand, and they proved to be one of the stand-out acts of the festival.
One of the most effusive live acts on the planet, the mighty Dreadzone are always a delight and today, as they encourage the sun to finally shrug off the embrace of the clouds, they are positively transcendental. Whilst following the Blinders might intimidate some, for Dreadzone it’s all in a day’s work and the audience is clearly with them all the way. Songs such as life, love and unity and little Britain are so much a part of the fabric of the festival experience that there’s actually a tangible sense of loss when Dreadzone aren’t playing. With MC Spee spinning in his chair and Greg Dread unable to stop himself from leaping out from behind the kit, the band deliver a peerless set that unites the crowd as they sing along.
It is some years since The Doves first made their mark with the exquisitely crafted prog-pop of the cedar room and it’s good to see that that classic remains in the reformed band’s set today. It’s their first festival for ten years but, although the band reference it, that’s as far as the cracks show, and they deliver a magical set that has a good deal of the audience singing along, clearly emotional at the band’s return. The Doves’ soothing, melodic music makes for a perfect soundtrack for the setting sun and paves the way perfectly for the headline act.
Meanwhile, over in the Woodland, Imperial Leisure draw together ska, punk, hip hop and more to deliver the ultimate festival party set that culminates in a riotous cover of jump around, which sounds like House of Pain played by a mariachi band. Before that, they have the whole crowd chanting “the roof, the roof, the roof is on fire…” (oh come on, you know the rest!) and it’s clear that they have a shit load of energy which they dutifully transmit to the audience. Following directly on (a challenge) are The Dreadnoughts (“we’ve just changed our name to cider situation!”) who deal in pirate-folk and sing songs largely praising the virtues of a certain fermented apple drink. Not necessarily the sort of music you’d ever listen to in the confines of your own home, on the woodland stage, and surrounded by a large number of fans imbibing said drink, the Dreadnoughts come into their own.
It’s back to the main stage for the final act of the weekend (at least for us, there’s plenty going on in the arena for the next few hours), and it’s an explosive finale. The fact that Little Steven and the disciples of soul are filming a live DVD only adds fuel to the band’s on-stage fire and the set is a riot of colourful costumes, bright lights and exquisite playing. It caps the weekend off nicely, audience and band alike feeding off the positive energy of the festival to deliver a fantastic finale.
As with pretty much any festival, we missed almost as many bands as we wished to see. Stiff Little Fingers, The Orb and Banco De Gaia were all but impossible to get to, with one-in-one-out policies enforced on the various stages on which they played. It is unfortunate, but not entirely surprising and all that can be said is that the festival security (who are fantastic across the weekend) handles each individual situation intelligently, calmly and firmly. Whilst it might be disappointing to miss a given act, there’s so, so much more going on around the site that we’re never left with nothing to do, and it’s remarkable how late into the night a number of things run.
Without a doubt, Bearded Theory is one of my favourite festivals. The eclectic line up caters to just about everything from dub and ska, via blues and jazz, through to indie, punk, rock and even occasional bursts of heavy metal. Whilst not every act will be to everyone’s tastes very few bands are objectively bad, and part of the pleasure of the festival is to meander around the site, dropping in on bands and catching a few tracks before moving on in search of the next amusement. With a perfect, family friendly atmosphere; gorgeous decoration (from a group of seemingly tireless volunteers and organisers); professional-yet-friendly security and predominantly great sound, Bearded Theory continues to go from strength to strength and, in many ways, 2019 proves to be the best Bearded Theory yet.
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