After we had a fallow year in 2018 (not one single camping festival...shocking) it was nice to get back to one of the best, Beautiful Days, and despite the weather (Friday was a trifle 'moist') it lived up to its name once again. This was our third BD and there was the usual mix of new and old acts with a leaning towards the folkier side of things (okay I know Sleaford Mods, Skunk Anansie and NOFX ain't exactly folk but there were more fiddles per square mile at BD than many festivals). There were oodles (yes, that's officially how you measure bands) of highlights, Friday dished up the lovely Beans On Toast, up and coming indie rockers Cabbage, the awesome Queen Zee (glam pop-tastic) and a hits packed set from The Stranglers. It rained on and off for a mere 14 hours or so but it's summer time in Britain so what do you expect eh?
After scraping the mud out of various orifices and drying off our clothes on a fence on Saturday morning we hot footed it...well wet footed might be a better description...to catch Echo Town (any band with a didgeridoo will didgeri-do it for me) on the main stage at 11am, squelched over to see another highlight The Recks (gypsy jazz, rock, folk, general awesomeness...plus the lead singer has the best facial hair in music) in the big top tent.
Other Saturday highlights included Peter Hook and the Light cramming more Joy Division and New Order classics into an hour than you'd think possible (it was ruddy brill)...
....Tom Robinson reminding 6Music fans like me that he's just as great a musician as he is a DJ (War Baby, Glad to be Gay, 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16 etc Motorway...and a bunch of other class tracks that I'll have to hunt down and buy) and the ultimate Marmite band Sleaford Mods (for the record I loved 'em...but then again I'm a jolly fucker).
Sunday morning and we managed to make it to The Membranes and Choir for 11am (the kids rise and shine show in the Theatre Tent at 8.30 helped raise us from our cider...oh so much cider...soaked state) and The Bar-steward Sons of Val Doonican (I've never seen the Big Top so rammed). The Blinders played a blinder of a set (thrashy indie rock with a bit of bluesy twist in places...think The Doors meets Arctic Monkeys) Ferocious Dog's celtic infused folk punk got us in the mood for a double helping of US punk punk in the form of Less Than Jake (more fun and energy than a Duracell bunny on speed) and NOFX (who rather brilliantly pissed off half the crowd in roughly 30 seconds...now that's proper punk). Of course we had to end the day and festival itself with The Levellers who put on a typically joyous and heartfelt show (a repeat of their 1994 Glasto set apparently), gawd bless 'em. I'm pretty sure that any money the band made by putting on Beautiful Days went on the set climaxing firework display but it was worth it. Flash, bang, wallop what a festival.
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