Beat-Herder Festival 2013 Review

All photos: James Abbott-Donnelly

As the Beat-Herder Festival site lies a short drive away from the Skiddle offices, we couldn’t resist sending a team of festival-lovers to investigate what promised to be the biggest and best Beat-Herder yet. Instead of packing off a group of jaded old reporters, we asked a small group of our most enthusiastic friends to report back.

Taking inspiration from Beat-Herder’s own reputation as “the people’s festival”, we’ve augmented their words with those of the competition winners, Sophie O’Reagan & Aaron Dawber. Here’s the insights they got into what they enjoyed about the soiuree this year

Beat-Herder has stormed in-and-out of the Ribble Valley for the eighth consecutive year, but after last year’s rain clouds there wasn’t a storm in sight with three glorious days of sunshine beating down on the festival. Walking around the cosy festival site we were greeted by the amplified sound of three days of eclectic music from some of the best artists on the circuit.

A new addition to this year’s festival was 'The Fortress' which was a haven for festival goers with an appetite for summer vibes. Enclosed within the four walls it was non-stop beats from Mumbai Science, a DJ set from The Other Tribe, retro grooves from Paul Taylor followed by keyboard classics from the YouTube sensation Davos.

Jane Sharrock

My highlight was definitely Chic. They are one of those acts who many people have heard of but are not quite sure why. I myself had to convince a few people I knew to come down, promising that they would know every song. The set itself wasn’t just  the highlight of this weekend, in fact it could be the highlight of any weekend. Nile Rodgers showed in such a cool manner why he was one of the most prolific songwriters of the 20th Century.

As well as delving into Chic’s back catalogue, pulling out hits such as “Everybody Dance”, “Le Freak” and “Good Times”, he also treated the crowd to some of his production work, which included David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” and possibly the day’s biggest sing-a-long, Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”. If only to prove his worth with a contemporary audience, Rodgers remained on stage after his band departed, jamming over his most recent hit, Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”, which played out over the PA. The crowd sang the words back to him as he smiled in the sunshine, firmly cementing his status as a living legend. 

Joseph Sheridan-Ruddy

Waking up in the baking sun on the Saturday we had a lot of music to look forward to. One of the highlights of the day was The Other Tribe on the Beat-Herder main stage. Returning to the festival to play for the third time, they captured the spirit of Beat-Herder with bass-heavy, tribal indie rock, warming everyone up for another night of non-stop dancing.

After moving from stage to stage enjoying the sounds and escaping the heat in the Toil Trees, we returned to the Beat-Herder stage for Buraka Som Sistema. Travelling from Portugal with their blend of techno and African music, they closed the Saturday main stage festivities leaving everyone craving more.

A rush for the stage instigated by the band, as they belted out Boy Better Know’s “We need some more girls in here” refrain, led to one over-excited festival fan throwing up her Tibetan dumplings as she vaulted the crowd barrier. As she continued grinning and dancing and the stage filled with regular festival-goers, the carnival atmosphere continued through the night.

John Sly

Having to endure one of the hottest days of the year after two relentless nights at Beat-Herder; it was a godsend to know Mr Scruff would be in the wonderfully cool and shaded Toiltrees. Arriving at the secluded woodland area it was clear we all were in the same boat seeking refuge from the sun. Not knowing what to expect from a four hour set, I was worried my tired little brain would get a little restless, but Mr Scruff rose to the occasion perfectly, breaking us in gently whilst the sun began to set.

What started off as a chance to relax and recover in preparation for our last night soon unexpectedly built us up ready to send off Beat-Herder in style. The venue was the perfect space surrounded by speakers and just the right amount of trees providing a comfortable enough area to dance and enjoy the music. His ability to pick songs creating an energetic yet relaxing atmosphere was something fresh to me and the crowds’ own provisions of balloons, Frisbees and water pistols marked a perfect Sunday afternoon.

The Toiltrees became one of the main attractions throughout the weekend with different venues and areas to explore it became the perfect way to enjoy the festival without having to worry about sunstroke. With a demon barber offering cut throat shaves to a tattoo parlour with constant queues out the door it really was an unexpected place. A church with disco hymns, the ‘garage’ area with the roofs of broken down vehicles used as dance floors and even a teleporting telephone box with secret tunnels escorted you to each end of the venue. This little section of Beat-Herder was full of excitement which became a true highlight for me this weekend, thanks again for the competition prizes!

Sophie O’Regan

With a selection of music as eclectic as the party-goers, Beat-Herder is a great, well rounded music festival. There’s plenty to do from morning to night and back to morning again. In its seventh year the organisers have well and truly got this festival lark down to a tee. They boast some of the big names of some of the larger festivals (such as Chic and Jimmy Cliff), and then the laid back, local vibe of a day on the park, drinking with your mates. The layout of the festival is very simple and, as everything was so well signposted, we were able to find our way around with no problems whatsoever - even after a few beers!.

The security was extremely friendly and more than happy to help with any of our problems or queries. Plenty of well stocked bars around the festival meant we never had to queue very long for a (very reasonably priced) drink and with the various food outlets selling everything from Thai banquets to Brazilian BBQ there was always something tasty to fuel up on. Whether you’re a donk-loving townie, a trippy hippy, a family wanting to spend some quality time together or anything in between, this is the festival for you – we’ll be back next year!

Aaron Dawber