
Blog: Archives: 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 About/Contact	King of Hi-Vis Ronnie Parry at the Beat Herder Festival in The Ribble Valley 1st, 2nd and 3rd July, 2011, The Ribble Valley, Lancashire THERE are festivals that really reflect a fine summer’s weekend. I’ve just experienced a balmy, gently barmy, weekend of wondrous delights at the Beat Herder Festival in the Ribble Valley, North Lancashire. This was a rock solid, unpretentious affair with plenty of head space for those seeking to retreat, refresh and refuel. From the chill-out spaces to the fun-filled festival fields, where reddening bodies slowly wilted under the glaring sun, the friendly mood remained consistent throughout. It really was a throwback to what seasoned festival goers might remember. Multi instrumentalists enriched the predominantly dance-themed affair and bright colours sweetened the spectacle. We made many new friends with characters from across the north west of England. We arrived on the site as the sun rose on Friday morning. Others were already there for the 9am box office opening as the dust rose on the site entrance tracks with the crowds arriving. The live music started at 4pm, before which we settled in and then wandered around the compact site checking out the 11 different stages, from the main Beat Herder to The Snug. We’d joined up with some friends in their live in vehicle, an old mobile library. There were many camper vans on the flatter top part. The main arena and central thoroughfare were quite hilly. The general lay out was good though. A big wheel and the Toiltrees woodland added a central point reassurance to any disorientated souls. All spaces were beautifully filled with visual delights including LED lighted hazel branch domes and lots of traditional craft stalls and demonstrations. There were lots of lovely fabrics and clothes at decent prices. Spontaneous street poets and mechanical contraptions from the Trailer Trash marquee further enhanced the experience. Families could also relax as their children were excellently catered for with lots of fun activities and games. The festival crowd really took to the fancy dress theme, the letter E, on Saturday. At least three Evel Knievels were floating about. I saw a female Einstein whilst an elf’s hat and a high visibility jacket transformed me into the ‘elf and safety’ dude. Wyn’s Eclipse t-shirt from the Cornwall mass gathering in 1999 introduced him to many souls who’d also been there. One lady had three hanging baskets attached to her. The green foliage was just three weeks old, she eagerly explained. I was mightily impressed. On a gorgeous Saturday evening Dreadzone’s eclectic mix of tunes really whooped up the crowd. The headliners were Leftfield. What a treat. Their 90-minutes up to midnight left me spellbound. The beat and drive heightened my senses. We stood for the first half right beneath the right hand stage speakers and later bounced over to the middle sound tent. With almost 10,000 people on the site by late Saturday evening most of the following early hour delights were packed out affairs. Craig Charles’ DJ set had the ladies dancing on the tables in the Workingmen’s Club. Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards tried to get in there but the skis on his back made it impossible to manoeuvre through even this tightest of slalom runs. The Smoky Tentacles Shisha Lounge quickly became my favourite on Sunday. Its acoustic stage presented an ambient and pleasant counterpoint to the weekend’s rave up. Performers there included the Hang Project, featuring the ethereal sounds of a hang drum, and North Wales’ singer songwriter Stacey Cohen who captured the relaxed Sunday afternoon with a fresh, soothing sound. Legendary Jamaican vocalist Horace Andy lit the main stage with a bright presence on Sunday evening before we ambled over to sample the fun with Slamboree Live in the Stumblefunk tent. An almost telepathic mood continued later on into the night when a young lady camping nearby remained transfixed by the letter E. Eggs were on her agenda and we just sat there amazed as she promised to deliver that all important egg we’d forgotten to bring for an eagerly anticipated blueberry pancake breakfast. We took a fair bit of food with us but still couldn’t resist the falafels, roasts and curries on the trade stalls. Corporate brands were absent from the Beat Herder and the prices seemed correspondingly lower, at an average £1 for tea and £4 for a decent dinner. The beer was also good and reasonably priced. The Beef Herder is a great pint of bitter. Throughout the whole weekend there wasn’t a hint of trouble. People were too busy having a good time and making sure no one was being left out. Likeminded souls full of honesty and fun make this a ‘must be there’ event. BE SAFE BE SEEN BE ANYONE YOU LIKE (King of Hi-Vis) © 2011 Ronnie Parry Images by Wyn Rimmer
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Ronnie Parry at the Beat Herder Festival in The Ribble Valley

1st, 2nd and 3rd July, 2011, The Ribble Valley, Lancashire

THERE are festivals that really reflect a fine summer’s weekend. I’ve just experienced a balmy, gently barmy, weekend of wondrous delights at the Beat Herder Festival in the Ribble Valley, North Lancashire. This was a rock solid, unpretentious affair with plenty of head space for those seeking to retreat, refresh and refuel.

From the chill-out spaces to the fun-filled festival fields, where reddening bodies slowly wilted under the glaring sun, the friendly mood remained consistent throughout. It really was a throwback to what seasoned festival goers might remember. Multi instrumentalists enriched the predominantly dance-themed affair and bright colours sweetened the spectacle.

We made many new friends with characters from across the north west of England. We arrived on the site as the sun rose on Friday morning. Others were already there for the 9am box office opening as the dust rose on the site entrance tracks with the crowds arriving. The live music started at 4pm, before which we settled in and then wandered around the compact site checking out the 11 different stages, from the main Beat Herder to The Snug.

We’d joined up with some friends in their live in vehicle, an old mobile library. There were many camper vans on the flatter top part. The main arena and central thoroughfare were quite hilly. The general lay out was good though. A big wheel and the Toiltrees woodland added a central point reassurance to any disorientated souls.

All spaces were beautifully filled with visual delights including LED lighted hazel branch domes and lots of traditional craft stalls and demonstrations. There were lots of lovely fabrics and clothes at decent prices. Spontaneous street poets and mechanical contraptions from the Trailer Trash marquee further enhanced the experience. Families could also relax as their children were excellently catered for with lots of fun activities and games.

The festival crowd really took to the fancy dress theme, the letter E, on Saturday. At least three Evel Knievels were floating about. I saw a female Einstein whilst an elf’s hat and a high visibility jacket transformed me into the ‘elf and safety’ dude. Wyn’s Eclipse t-shirt from the Cornwall mass gathering in 1999 introduced him to many souls who’d also been there. One lady had three hanging baskets attached to her. The green foliage was just three weeks old, she eagerly explained. I was mightily impressed.

On a gorgeous Saturday evening Dreadzone’s eclectic mix of tunes really whooped up the crowd. The headliners were Leftfield. What a treat. Their 90-minutes up to midnight left me spellbound. The beat and drive heightened my senses. We stood for the first half right beneath the right hand stage speakers and later bounced over to the middle sound tent.

With almost 10,000 people on the site by late Saturday evening most of the following early hour delights were packed out affairs. Craig Charles’ DJ set had the ladies dancing on the tables in the Workingmen’s Club. Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards tried to get in there but the skis on his back made it impossible to manoeuvre through even this tightest of slalom runs.

The Smoky Tentacles Shisha Lounge quickly became my favourite on Sunday. Its acoustic stage presented an ambient and pleasant counterpoint to the weekend’s rave up. Performers there included the Hang Project, featuring the ethereal sounds of a hang drum, and North Wales’ singer songwriter Stacey Cohen who captured the relaxed Sunday afternoon with a fresh, soothing sound.

Legendary Jamaican vocalist Horace Andy lit the main stage with a bright presence on Sunday evening before we ambled over to sample the fun with Slamboree Live in the Stumblefunk tent. An almost telepathic mood continued later on into the night when a young lady camping nearby remained transfixed by the letter E. Eggs were on her agenda and we just sat there amazed as she promised to deliver that all important egg we’d forgotten to bring for an eagerly anticipated blueberry pancake breakfast.

We took a fair bit of food with us but still couldn’t resist the falafels, roasts and curries on the trade stalls. Corporate brands were absent from the Beat Herder and the prices seemed correspondingly lower, at an average £1 for tea and £4 for a decent dinner. The beer was also good and reasonably priced. The Beef Herder is a great pint of bitter. Throughout the whole weekend there wasn’t a hint of trouble. People were too busy having a good time and making sure no one was being left out. Likeminded souls full of honesty and fun make this a ‘must be there’ event.

BE SAFE

BE SEEN

BE ANYONE YOU LIKE

(King of Hi-Vis)

Images by Wyn Rimmer