Hidden away in the rolling hills of Lancashire is a delectable avant-garde alternative to major festivals. The party planners at Beat-Herder are clearly passionate about what they do and this comes across in the way they place the festival-goers experience as a priority, rather than putting making money and milking profits first, as other events might. Advertisements are kept to a minimum, prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is unbeatable. Beat-Herder feels more like a movement than an event, and could well be the best kept secret of the festival world.
FRIDAY
Arriving at the festival site, situated in the gloriously green Ribble Valley, I realise that this is what Lancashire’s all about - good humoured, good natured and fun-loving music fans all coming together to celebrate quality tunes.
A look down at the weekends programme (which I didn’t have to pay £5 plus for) tells me there’ll be no short supply of legends or styles at all. From big-beat to ska, and dub to disco, it was all up for grabs.
The rain was kind enough to hold off for most part of the first day and our first stop was at the Trailer Trash Lounge to loosen up with the dynamic samba group Drum Machine. Later, upon entering the main site its artistic and functional design immediately wowed me. Metallic structures, like a random huge round steel ball with little windows, could be entered, where you could rest on plush purple cushioning. There was also a kid’s area with climbing poles and a big slide made of wood.
As evening fell the crowds rallied for Death in Vegas on the main stage. The two figureheads didn’t disappoint either. The other six band members fulfilled their roles well, laying down deep and brooding tracks like ‘Dirge’ and the Iggy Pop sampling ‘Aisha’. The group’s psychedelic and wavy, electronic harmonies were well suited to an audience of veteran ravers, hippies and alternative music fans. They were successful in bridging the gap between live rock and electronica, and overall an absorbing spectacle.
Still getting to grips with the locations of the eleven stages I found myself at the Smoky Tentacles tent and watched the mighty United Vibrations. The rhythm section was awe inspiring, switching sections from one style to the next. Call and response vocals painted out trippy and sweeping lyrics. Emphatic brass blasts pumped everyone up, blasting the tight and sweaty crowd into outer space.
Dashing back to the main stage I made sure not to miss Parov Stellar, who was getting everyone going with his swinging house tunes. The turnout was not huge however simply because throughout the entire festival there was something good going on at another stage nearly all the time.
Later on at night Fake Blood took to the most exciting stage, the Toil Trees, situated in the woods at the middle of the site. It had a really exciting feel raving it up there under the moonlight to bangers like ‘Deep Red’. Walking around the wondrous woods you’d find an incredible village of old times, designed to trip you out. Notably, Angie’s Den is a bar located at about knee height serving drinks, which made you feel as if you’ve grown fifteen feet taller.
Beat-Herder does not draw in huge numbers compared to the UK’s biggest festivals. In fact, compared to most, it’s tiny. But this is not its weakness; this is actually its strength. Compact crowds of enthusiastic and loyal music lovers travel from around Manchester, Scotland, and the rest of the North (perhaps the UK) to soak up the sounds in the Valley for this exciting weekend.
SATURDAY
The weather took a turn for the worse on Saturday, which wasn’t all bad as we dashed to a nearest tent- the Stumblefunk stage- where some Jungle and Ragga tunes helped warm us up.
It was clear how much thought had gone into creating the most interactive and expressive environment for us to enjoy. Multi-coloured urinals and other incredible structures brightened up the greyer hours. A huge metal plane was placed on the ground which you could sit in and climb on. Bike seats were stuck around huge pillars for you to rest your legs, doubling up as a great meeting place to find your mates.
With the mud now picking up we glided across to the Perfumed Garden stage. A really accommodating tent with a very green theme, plants surrounded the stage and deckchairs lined the outside. There was an African drum music group called the Kajamor Family playing their unique rhythms and chanting to the relaxed afternoon audience made up of mostly hippies and dreadlocked vegans of all ages. Like Glastonbury Festival, Beat-Herder has a positively cross-generation feel.
Back in the Trailer Trash tent a number of the 59ers fans had donned their psycho-billy attire to boogie to their throwback 1950’s rock n’ roll. The powerful driven rhythms made a nice change to listen to; pumped full of rhythmic adrenalin the Italian foursome packed a decent dose of edginess and power for fans and passers-by alike.
When Orbital performed on the main stage that night everyone around seemed to be bursting with excitement. The light show added to the palpable euphoria, with coloured beams of light shooting through the smoke. A number of people had donned their space suits and macs with masks in honour of the 90s free-party scene. Building up huge drops and oscillating waves of sounds, the Hartnoll Brothers with their trademark laser glasses impressed immensely.
There was no shortage of dance music icons on the Saturday with Goldie later firing out some drum n’ bass to a far-reaching crowd on the Stumblefunk stage, getting everyone moving to bangers like Loadstars remix of Chase & Status’ ‘Blind Faith’.
Later that night it was clear the troublesome mud was not dampening anyone’s spirits. Back in the Toil Trees I gawped at the classic film ‘Metropolis’ playing at an open air cinema, sat in some old cars and raved it up in the tightly spaced, darkly lit, Hotel California. It’s no surprise the festival’s art team work throughout the year creating the designs. This makes it feel really special. There’s so much to look at, from giant robots with big booty’s, to colourful kites and the legendary sword in the stone. Attempting to take the teleporter on my way out, which is a pretty exhilarating tunnel network, I couldn’t get halfway before a collision made me turn back.
SUNDAY
There was no better way to ease ourselves back into the party mood than watching fun-loving locals the Lancashire Hot-Pots on the main stage. Of course families really took to it, and could be seen enjoying all other kinds of music as well. The Hot-Pots’ ‘C.H.A.V’ number received enthusiastic participation, and later on a conga line even formed. Their banter between songs was uplifting, as were songs about love sung with that laddish northern humour.
After the novelty had worn off I witnessed The Ratz bash out their funky Ska. Their lyrics were emceed with venom and enriched with positive social thought. I spent most of their set skanking between two massive metal robot legs.
Heading back to the Toil Trees (nothing could keep me away for long!) Beat-Herder fan Mr Scruff was busy spinning out a six hour set. Having enjoyed last year so much, he brought his family along for the ride this time. His MC breathed life into the set, and as six o’clock approached he dropped an exclusive single due to be released in August. This track has slightly more of a kick to it compared to some of his other numbers.
Sunday was all about the main stage though as The Beat bounced around full of beans and drove any remaining festival energy skywards. Throughout their set more and more revellers accumulated, with a big swell during ‘Hands off She’s Mine’. The Ska veterans have not lost any enthusiasm through their years of experience as vocalist Ranking, and his son, Ranking Junior, skanked across and around the stage together. They dedicated ‘Stand down Margaret’ to the current prime minister, and later on paid their dues to Lee Scratch Perry. The highlight of their set was a dedication to Joe Strummer, where they sung the chorus to ‘Rock the Casbah’, but replaced verses with lyrics paying tribute to the great man.
As the end of the festival approached, the legend that is Lee Scratch Perry took to the stage. Scores of fans who had been following the dub soundsystems around (like the Bush Rocker HiFi’s Lee Scratch Perry Livification set which pumped it out throughout the day) emerged outside to see Lee perform. The ageing reggae and dub pioneer sung well, riding on top of the rhythms of his quality backing band. He paid respect to Manchester a number of times and in true Perry crackpot style invited the huge audience to all come and jam in his studio sometime. He also humorously paid his respect to his favourite parts of the female anatomy, which got a few gasps. His performance ended a truly incredible experience in the Ribble Valley.
Why the annual event has not exploded with nationwide popularity is beyond me. Maybe the fear of a little Lancashire drizzle puts most Southerners off camping, or maybe its passionate supporters want to maintain the underground vibe want to protect it from mainstreamers. But one thing is for sure, a lot of people are missing out on a rare experience to be at an event which is genuinely all about the people, the music and the fun. Long may it continue.
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