WHEN I first met Kate and Oliver Webster-Jones, the music-loving parents of three young children spoke of their dream of holding a family friendly festival on their land. Back then, 1,000 people flocked to their first event.
Seven years on, 10,000 turned up at Baldersby Park, outside Thirsk, at the weekend to enjoy what has become one of the top music festivals in the UK.
One of the secrets of its success is that children’s entertainment isn’t just an afterthought. This is a festival with something for everyone. And, with children happy and occupied, mums and dads were able to relax and enjoy the packed music, comedy and literature line-up.
We happily dipped in and out of various venues to discover music refreshingly new to us, from the poignant, moving vocals of Emma Pollock to the entrancing orchestral indie sound of Meilyr Jones and distinctive, eclectic melodies of Cristobel And The Sea.
Star attractions included Beth Orton and Everything Everything. But for us, the highlight was former Longpigs and Pulp guitarist turned solo artist Richard Hawley.
Hawley, who describes himself as a ‘bit of an old punk’, happily let rip with some impressive guitar shredding, while tugging at the heart strings with the sort of powerfully emotional, even romantic, songs that have seen three out of his last four albums in the Top 10.
Unfortunately, Labour MP Andy Burnham pulled out of the debate on the future of the North, part of the festival’s impressive spoken word programme, which included appearances from the Fall’s Brix Smith-Start and the Undertones’s Michael Bradley.
There was a little too much chippy, Northern working class posturing on stage during the ‘Will the North Rise Again?’ debate, which didn’t appear to resonate with this crowd.
Mark Watson, topping the comedy line-up, summed it up best during his sharply observed set: “This is one of the poshest festivals I’ve ever been to. It’s halloumi heaven out there.”
But, in the end, there was little need for debate. For this thriving North Yorkshire festival had presented us with a particularly inspirational demonstration of how, culturally at least, the North is rising fast.