After much speculation, the highly anticipated barbecue in the Frog And Fiddle's beer garden was finally lit, sending the wash of music lovers into a burger frenzy.
Everything was going perfectly; the collective's ears were being filled with glorious music, the atmosphere was electric, and now, there were sensational burgers for all! Rejoice!
And to top it all off, a whole host of delicious band's were to follow, promptly starting with Gloucestershire based, Zenith. This band, were definitley a treat, expanding the atmosphere of the room from euphoric, to dream like. Its hard for one to even attempt to pigeon hole this group; in one way, they are an electronic soul band, and in another they are an angst fuelled funk band. This all works beautifully, culminating in a memorizing wall of sound. A pure gift, and a definite highlight of the day!
Just when the crowd thought that their minds had been blown to a sufficient level, in came one of Cheltenham's finest, Emmett Brown. From the beginning of their set, right through to the end, Emmett Brown held the crowd in the palms of their hands, with their rich blend of ska - funk - punk, transforming the original crowd gathering floor into an instant dance floor. The band's rhythm led styling, with the added element of a rap -like poetry narrative, made sure that this band would not be forgotten in a hurry, and that there would definitely be sore legs in the morning.
The air in the room became beautifully chilled as the next act, the cool Arianne began to play. Offering a more folk indie attitude to the proceedings, Arianne's performance managed to fit seamlessly into the already diverse lineup, acting like a breath of fresh air. Their set then took an unexpected twist when, through the gentle haze of alternative indie folk, a delicious cover of 'You've Got The Love' emerged, winning over the entire room, and venue.
In keeping with the diversity of the lineup, the next act could not be more at odds to Arianna's repertoire. The Bushy Tail burst into life with a more jagged performance, laced with glitchy electro beats, and ska rhythms. The room was once again alive and jumping. Despite this promising reaction, the band's material tended to all blend into one throughout the duration of the set, in turn heightening the anticipation for the headliners to come.
This anticipation was rewarded as Blackberry Wood arrived. The Canadians once again proved to all that they were worthy of the headline spot, and everyone's adoration; fusing ska, folk, dance and a whole host of other musical styling creating the ultimate party. As with their previous Cheltenham Underground performance, the strong and energetic crowd found themselves on the floor, performing bicycle kicks at Blackberry Wood's request, shortly before finding themselves erratically bouncing around the room to a well chosen cover of 'One Step Beyond'.
It had been a long day, but it was guaranteed that a part of the atmosphere and collective happiness of the event would remain with everyone forever. The day was also a huge success in building much support for the charity Winston's Wish. This was achieved both through the vast offering of entertainment throughout, but also down to individuals simply putting their hands in their pockets and donating. It is also essential to note here that a large amount of support was generated through the selling of Cd's by the day's opener Juey, and the awesome banana cake supplied by Andy from Stressechoes; both uniquely added to the optimistic and loving feeling flowing through the venue that day. The Cheltenham Underground had prevailed yet again, and managed to work that special magic, sending everyone into the night, with smiles on their faces!
No comments:
Post a Comment