THE tranquil grounds of a
North-East Castle burst into
life as the Mods came to
town.
Like a scene from
Quadrophenia, Vespas and
Lambrettas paraded through
Stanhope’s market town,
bringing with them the
nostalgic feel of times gone
b y.
Their destination - the
Stonevalley festival- a
celebration of music and
scooters that attracts people
from all over the country.
There was a buzz of
anticipation as a sea of tents
took over the usually quiet
and spacious fields and
friends reunited to admire
each other’s motors and
chatter excitedly about the
weekend ahead.
It is the fourth year that
organisers have held the
event and each year it gets
bigger and better as word
spreads about the friendly
family atmosphere and
fantastic music.
For seven-year-old Lewis
Davis, from Thorney Close,
Sunderland, it was his first
music festival and he
proudly donned a t-shirt
telling everyone.
Hi grandmother Jeanette
Davison said the family had
decided to bring him
following their experiences
the year before.
She said: “We loved it last
year and we knew Lewis
would. We brought him
because it is so well
organised and we knew he
would be safe here and
people would look out for
him.’’
The festival was launched
four years ago by a group of
people who had a mutual love
of music from the Mod era
and a fan of scooters.
Co-organiser Lisa Turnbull
said: “We all met and just
clicked. We wanted to create
an event with a safe, friendly
atmosphere for all ages, full
of lovers of great music, who
all want to enjoy a cracking
weekend.
“We cannot believe how
popular it has become. It is
amazing.’’
The past few years have
seen old favourites like The
Beat and The Selector
headline on the Saturday
night and this year
organisers scored another
coop with From The Jam
featuring original Jam
member, Bruce Foxton.
The return of festival
favourites Basket Case and
the Scandals, who have
become the ‘house band’
along with another 12 bands
and a massive scooter rally
proved a winning formula
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