Lounge on the Farm is an intimate festival, no more than 6,000 people, the type which tends to stay just below the radar of popular consciousness. I expected relaxed ambiences, plenty of crowd interaction and people revelling without all the social restrictions of normal society. I would not be disappointed. As I stretched, I let the drudgery and stress of a busy working week wash away and I felt untouchable, if only for this one long, hot weekend.
The Wet Concrete Theatre Company were pitched next to us, there to enjoy the festival and perform a message. Their play “Death of a Unicorn” explores the suppression of imagination and individuality within society. They practised on the grass by our tents, moving silently with only noise for effect, no dialogue needed. I watched the tangle of limbs as they grew into children, seeing them playing, creating games from their imagination with little need of props; a parallel to all our childhoods. A message to say stop, think and remember.
Farm Folk gave stage to local, smaller bands. We lounged on the ground as Nat Jenkins made his entrance, a singer-songwriter with strong vocals and varied tempo. He was hampered with technical difficulties that cut his sound but these unforeseen occurrences merely served to show the strength and depth of his ability. As the sound cut, he strolled to the centre of the crowd with his acoustic guitar, and without skipping a beat, he sang resiliently on and we delighted in his sound.
The setting for the big crowd puller, the incredible Beardyman, was a large marquee. It was baking hot, a trip outside to refresh the feeling, then back into the steaming, expectant atmosphere. Beardyman is an exceptional man, more talent than you expect to be karmically possible. He broke the atmosphere, ripped it up and turned it into a heaving, bouncing ball of energy. The master
of beatboxing and live looping technology; he was on fire. The crowd going nuts, jumping and dancing feverishly. He turned us into a crazy, roaring mass - feral.
Locals, Electric River, hail from Ashford, Kent and performed on the main stage, literally, the Cowshed. Neil and I had run into them whilst roaming the festival earlier. We waited, at the front of the stage, as the Cowshed filled with a young crowd; groupies and teenie-boppers. Looking at the stage, with its promise of grinding sounds - the guitars and instruments looking like they would be more at home at Download - I tried to reconcile it with the crowd. However, their energy tore across us all like the raging tide of a nuclear explosion. This band preaches with their music; tight and polished. Crowd went nuts. They’re on a level well above what they realise. If the cows had still been resident then they would have produced creamy, chocolate Frijj.
Why should you go to Lounge on the Farm? When Electric River finished and the crowd were baying for more – the organisers chucked their schedule and the encore happened. Early bird tickets are already available 2011’s Lounge on the Farm.
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