Pump Festival - review of the four days (From This Is Wiltshire)

Pump Festival - review of the four days

8:52am Wednesday 29th July 2009 in

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Thousands of festival-goers descended on the banks of the river at Stowford for the 36th annual Trowbridge Village Pump Festival.

More than 8,000 revellers were at Stowford Manor Farm near Wingfield over the four-day music festival, to hear the likes of violinist Seth Lakeman, Alabama 3, Baaba Maal and the Cornish group 3 Daft Monkeys.

Festival director Christine Briars, organised the show after taking over from her late husband Alan Briars after he died of cancer in December 2007.

Dedicated fans travelled from across the country to make the first night on Thursday, with Seth Lakeman, Luka Bloom and Edward II included in the line-up.

Mother and daughter duo Niki Harris-Jones, 46, and Tabitha, 14, of Slough, were at the festival to see Seth Lakeman, who they have been a big fan of since they first saw him at the festival two years ago.

Ms Harris-Jones said: “His music is modern and upbeat folk with lots of sex appeal.

“We go to a few festivals together and we came here two years ago, but it was really wet and the river flooded.

“We also go to Towersy folk festival in Tame but this is better because it has more main stage bands.”

It’s not only the revellers who come to the festival from afar, with steward John Clarke travelling in from his UN job in Kosovo this year and stage manager Johnny Morris flying in from his home in New Zealand..

Mr Morris said: “I have been living in New Zealand for nine years now but I still want to be part of this festival. There is something special about the village pump that attracts people and entertainers, officials and followers, each year.

On the Friday night, the 3 Daft Monkeys kicked off the live performances on the main stage followed by Martyn Joseph, Che Sudaka, who were held up by an accident on the M4, Keith Donnelly, Alabama 3 and many more.

Headline acts on Saturday included Achanak, The Saw Doctors and Loudon Wainwright III, while on Sunday the 17 Hippies, Baaba Maal and Hazmat Modine pulled in the crowds.

Val Relton, 56, is a nurse from Brighton and came down to visit her Trowbridge-based in-laws as well as see the festival.

She said: “It’s great here. We are camping out in the van this weekend.

“Edward II were brilliant. I thought they would be a folk group but it was more dance and reggae, like an eclectic mix of music.

“It really is a lovely festival. I work at Glastonbury (nursing) and that feels huge whereas this is manageable and there are lots more kids here and teenagers but everyone is very well-behaved.”

Cris Dedridge, 46, of Cheltenham, said: “We have been here 15 or 16 times before. It is very good, the sound system on the main stage is excellent.

“There is more of a variety of food stores and there are lots of stores to look around.

“We saw Edward II years ago and saw them ago this weekend. It was more laidback this time but then it was earlier and people were still relaxing.”

Alan Harris, 49, of south Nottinghamshire, was with his friend Neil Rossiter, 49, of London, and they are just two of a group of eight old school friends originally from Oldham who meet up at the Pump Festival and have done so for five years.

Mr Harris said: “It’s great, good fun, lovely atmosphere.

“It is the fifth time I have been here. We are here to see Saw Doctors and Alabama 3.

“I like it because there are lots of new stuff, undiscovered stuff.”

Mr Rossiter said: “It is all about seeing my old mates again, I don’t see them often.

“We used to go to Cambridge but we’ve dumped that one because it is better here.

“It’s more laid back and it’s not over commercialised.”

Steve Knightley, a patron of the Pump Festival and one half of the group Show of Hands, was in all corners of the festival - standing in for a late act on the main stage, performing on the Island Stage and in the new folk club in The Barn, as well as being a judge on the P.U.M.P unsigned musicians contest.

He said: “I just love the Village Pump. It’s the great atmosphere - a real family event and a good old West Country festival.”

St John Ambulance provided 24-hour cover at the Pump Festival, with the first volunteers arriving at 9am on Wednesday to set up the first aid unit.

Three people were taken to Trowbridge Community Hospital during the event, but most of the casualties were minor injuries.

Linda Robbins, who was responsible for St John’s cover, said: “We were fully prepared to deal with any medical emergency that might have occurred but fortunately most of the casualties we treated were suffering from the usual festival injuries of cuts, bruises, bites and stings.”

A full roun-up and photos of this year's Trowbridge Village Pump Festival will be in Friday's Wiltshire Times. For an online photo gallery click HERE