Review: Larmer Tree Festival 2015

By the time we arrived on the Friday evening, talk of Tom Jones‘s incredible Wednesday night performance and Bellowhead‘s awesome set were still permeating through the crowd. But there was still plenty of fun to be had with a brilliant music and comedy bill.

The Magic Numbers shared a wealth of material off their new album Alias, which marks a slightly more rocky/experimental sojourn while remaining sympathetic to the crowd’s love of their 2005 self-titled debut album by playing some of the tried and tested hits – including Mornings Eleven and Forever Lost. These songs may be 10 years old, but they’re just as flowing and fresh as they ever have been. The band is as tight as ever and seems to thoroughly enjoy playing here. They popped into Clevedon man Jon Earl’s Songs From The Shed mobile offering too.

Who wouldn’t, it’s one of the finest festival environments in the country – The Larmer Tree Gardens, a Victorian garden stage with peacocks doing their elaborate wooing thing in the background and a relaxed vibe throughout. It’s no accident that this is home to two of the UK’s best-loved festivals, the other being End of the Road in September. The site, while laid out differently for each, makes excellent use of the woodland area.

Here, there is a book tree – with classics hanging from the branches, ripe for a read. It’s here you’ll see pop up sets from all sorts of artists. We caught a brilliant gig from the Southampton Ukelele Jam – some a little worse for wear, but just adding to the collective spirit of the event. Opening with their version of The Cure’s Inbetween Days they guided us through a set of hits covering Kylie Minogue, The Killers, Oasis, The Ramones and more. It was one of those unforgettable festival moments, dancing Minion man aside.

Accomplished guitar duo Rodrigio y Gabriela chose this festival slot as their only UK date as part of their current European tour – a fine accolade for this 25th anniversary offering of Larmer Tree festival. These guys need no bows and bells so took to an empty stage armed with nothing but their guitars and their honed skills. They were joined mid set by a bunch of twinkle-toed folk from the crowd who turned the stage into a party akin to the Ikea ad where they’re all dancing in the kitchen. It didn’t detract from the jaw-dropping brilliance of the music and left people wide eyed in wonder as to just how Rodrigo u Gabriela master the guitars like that. Astounding and the perfect headliner for the Friday night.

Over in the comedy tent, Sarah Pascoe headlines with a hilarious self-deprecating set of comedy. It’s rammed and deservedly so. The Social is open late and features some smaller, but nowhere near less worthy acts. Run by Bristol singer/songwriter Nuala Honan this tipi type venue inevitably includes a strong Bristol contingent and includes Lukas Drinkwater and Curtis Eller’s American Circus. It’s a great place to chill out with a good ale or crisp cider.

Show of Hands are real Larmer Tree veterans, with singer Steve Knightley playing 3-4 sets in various guises over the course of the weekend; the best of which takes place on the smaller of the two garden stages on Saturday afternoon. Joined by bandmates Phil Beer and Miranda Sykes they take us on an interesting journey through their folk-infused world, with songs such as Longdog and Cousin Jack. It’s soothing, spectacular and well received.

Bournemouth’s Pronghorn bring the party on Saturday evening, as the rain draws in. Playing in the Big Top, the cow punk troupe and Glastonbury favourites blast through their energetic folk punk combo songs and the crowd cannot fail to get their groove on to the fiddles, the washboard and the funny lyrics. You couldn’t fail to notice the hundreds of people dressed in their finest silver – which, for most, constituted tin foil – in recognition of the special anniversary of this festival. The silver one. 25 years. In a world where festivals come and go, that’s quite an achievement and is well worth celebrating.

Sunday is all about Westcountry funnyman Bill Bailey who headlines the main stage on one of the most beautiful evenings of the year – blue skies, bright sunshine and thanks to Bill, great times. The perfect mix of music, comedy and all the other elements you’d expect from an award-winning festival.