Saturday 4 June 2022

Connected and more

 Oh god, I had forgotten how good it could feel.  It’s been a while!

But last night, after a couple of years without any, the visceral and emotional pleasure of experiencing live music again felt even more special than I’d expected.  It was positively life-affirming.  And it was practically in my back garden!

Ah, what a lovely evening.  Against a clear blue sky the sun slowly descended into a horizon studded with ancient trees and an elegant church spire; on the other side of the gently sloping field the turrets of the stately home hosting the event glowed in vivid pink illumination.  It’s an absolutely beautiful setting for a tiny music festival and incredibly for me it’s only a two minute saunter from my front door (a crow could fly there in a few seconds).  I could hear the bands sound-checking through the kitchen window earlier.

But to be there, in amongst it – it’s that thing, isn’t it, of sharing the joy, the atmosphere, the whatever-it-is that live music gives you which is hard to describe – with your fellow human beings, hence my use of the term life-affirming.  With no pressure on us and a couple of tickets bought ages ago, my friend and I wandered down for our prescription of festival elixir just in time to catch the three bands we were most keen to see.  This being a very small, inexpensive event, it tends to host artists who’ve been around a while (or who’ve gone away and come back), you know the kind of thing.  But no prejudice on my part, I’ve been around a while too…

So, all power to Stereo MCs, Electric Six and Ash.  I loved them all.  And I got a strange kind of pride and sense of connection that they were playing in my home village and were so well received – it felt kinda personal.  It was perhaps especially heart-warming too that the festival could go ahead again and had quickly sold out, having been postponed for the last couple of years.  Plus there was no mention of that other thing that's apparently going on this weekend... what a delightful, hedonistic bubble.

All three bands completely delivered – Stereo MCs just made you want to dance and smile and celebrate, the sun warming your face, high on energy and life, timeless.   Electric Six were slightly, wonderfully mad, as you might expect –  especially eccentric frontman Dick Valentine with his introductions (“Song No. 1” , “Song No. 2”, etc.)   And Ash – well, I’ve loved Ash for a long time but had never seen them play – and here they were celebrating 30 years since their first rehearsal in June 1992 when they were 15 years old, and now on stage with a little entourage of young offspring at the side  – that alone is enough to make you smile isn’t it?  They were superb, tight as fuck, with a well-chosen setlist highlighting both characteristic pop melodies and those harder choppy guitars.   I have long wanted to hear Girl From Mars under the stars…   Ohh, at last.

So yeah, I had forgotten how good it could feel; what a difference it makes to your well-being to be entertained by proper talent and immersed in vibrant, live music with your fellow humans, not to take it for granted either.  I’m a little loved-up, to say the least.






16 comments:

  1. That sounds marvelous. I have to admit, I've been rather wary of venturing back into the live music scene as I'm not sure it can properly live up to my memories (not to mention the price these days!)... but this sounds like a wonderful night, and extra points for not having to travel too far.

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    1. It was just so sweet and easy and we were lucky with the weather too. I get what you mean about living up to your memories; going down there with no big expectations was probably a great place to start as it was better than I could have even hoped - maybe that's the key?

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  2. Sounds great C, there's nothing quite like it, that feeling when you are fully in the moment of a live band connecting with a crowd. There's something transcendental about it.

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    1. That's so true, you just have to be there. I know you've written about a number of your live music experiences lately SA, and it's been a great reminder.

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  3. So lovely to hear that you had a great time, C, and on your doorstep too. Wonderfully expressed.

    Coincidentally, the one and only time I saw Stereo MC's live was in similar circumstances. Bristol used to have an annual community festival in the grounds of the Ashton Court estate, which was always a reasonable walk from wherever I lived at the time and a big summer event.

    In 2001, due to the Foot & Mouth epizootic, the festival had to relocate to a field in a suburb a couple of miles out of town. Stereo MCs were headlining and were brilliant, exactly as you described above and just what was needed.

    On Saturday, I'm going to my first gig since Feb 2020, to see Madness. It's an outdoor concert in the grounds of an arboretum and the first gig we've been to with our daughter. I cannot wait!

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    1. Thanks Khayem. Stereo MCs in an outdoor setting is a great combination, isn't it? Something about those rhythms going right through you in the freedom of an open field - sounds as if I experienced something very similar to you (even with over 20 years between, all credit to them).
      Your first gig for over 2 years, in the grounds of an arboretum with your family and Madness at the controls - it's going to be a massive smilefest for you on Saturday, I'm sure - ah, enjoy!

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  4. That sounds like the perfect way to return to live music after such a lengthy break. Beautifully written C. Your joy spills out from the page...or rather from the screen...you know what I mean!

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    1. Thanks, it was a huge much-needed boost - glad I have somewhere to express it too!

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  5. As everyone has said, you've expressed the feeling of joy you experienced so well here. Sounds like a perfect evening, especially after the restrictions of the last two years. There is nothing I like more than being outdoors at dusk when the sky turns from blue to pink, then purple, when all the lights come on. The 'gloaming' - a very special time.

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    1. Thanks - and I do love that word the 'gloaming'! It seemed to be a very slow transition from day to night and there was that lovely period where a clear sun and a tiny crescent moon shared the sky together. By the time Ash came on it was getting quite dark and we got the full benefit of the stage lighting effects too. Perfect.

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  6. Oh, C, I have gig envy... particularly would like to see Ash. And all on your doorstep too, what could be finer?

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    1. Ah sorry to give you gig envy! Ash were fab and I would see them again in a heartbeat. This little festival seems to be getting bigger - in a good way, though, not too big - and this year's headliners on the day we were went were particularly good. Hoping it'll be the same next year, but there was definitely an extra sense of celebration after the 2 year break which heightened it too.

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    2. It isn't a million miles from me, so will be interested to see what the line-up is next year.

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    3. Ah, you'd be most welcome! Hoping for a good line-up, I thought this was one of the better ones this year so hope it continues in that vein. Will be keeping an eye out nearer the time.

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  7. I know exactly How you feel, C.

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