This laid back, chilled out festival has become an established event on the Kent/South East music scene; one way you can tell is by the number of t-shirts seen being worn from previous year’s festivals, which is a curious type of one-upmanship if you think about it; it’s saying “we’re not newcomers, we went to the first one etc, we came here before, so there”. It’s either that or the washing basket is full and those t-shirts of obscure European Prog bands that set the wearer apart as a real connoisseur are perhaps a little too snug around the waist these days to be worn anymore.

There are three key factors that set this festival apart and which make it a great weekend for the traditional music fan. Firstly, the lineups over the three days are an interestingly curated, eclectic mix of Prog Rock, New Wave, Rock (typically heritage bands formed in the 60s and 70s), Folk, Blues, World Music and all spaces in between. This year was no different. They included a lot of acts you’ve heard of but whose glory days are long past as well as others with long careers, potentially, ahead of them. What they all had in common was an enjoyable level of musicality, so even if the set lists were unfamiliar (which, for me, a high percentage were) the performances were engaging. The second massive selling point is the delightful setting. Located in Mount Ephraim Gardens in Hernhill, near Faversham (just off of the A2 and a short drive down a wiggly road), the walk from the free car parking area is through orchards with views of rolling countryside all around. The main festival site is on a sloping field leading down to a lake that sits behind the main stage, with a second stage close by below the sculpted gardens of an historic manor house, so pretty charming. The lay of the land results in a really good sound from every part of the site (not to mention good views of the stages) and is particularly impressive as you arrive and the sounds from the main stage float upwards to you clear as a bell. The third factor is, how can I put it… a lack of arsy-ness! There’s security of course and lots of folk stewarding but the overall vibe is one of relaxed friendliness. The blessing of three days of sunshine this year was the icing on the cake.

The main stage on the first day was definitely focused on the Prog side of the musical spectrum (a big give away being the presence of flutes as lead instruments in four of the bands). Cuprum was the first act I caught and this likeable Czech combo lead by vocalist (lyrics in Czech) and flautist Richard Malát play a nicely melodic and jazzy blend of Prog, perfect for following note by note or using as a soundtrack to the start of the festival experience. Albion up next (with the confusingly unoriginal name) describe themselves as a Progressive Folk Rock/Metal band, which just about covers it. They’re a young band and displayed some impressive chops but, for me, only caught fire in patches when they locked into some interesting instrumental unison passages, otherwise the folky vocals and the more raucous shreddy guitar moments jarred. They were lively and provided some moments, the best being a Planxty cover, ‘Raggle Taggle Gypsy’ to close with. Flor de Loto, all the way from Peru were quite good fun, featuring a guest traditional flautist who played a number of different sized quenas and exuded a good natured, impish vibe while competing with the head band wearing shaded lead guitarist. The tracks by them on Spotify sound like something you might listen to while having your chakras balanced but in the flesh were rockily Prog with a traditional South American flavour. Not something you see every day of the week, especially in Kent. What can you say about Focus, appearing on stage in the golden glow of the setting sun, other than that they are a brilliantly vibrant combination of two original members (nearly) and two younger exceptional musicians who play the band’s impressive back catalogue with a real sense of joy. They played all the biggies, ‘Eruption’, ‘Sylvia’, ‘Hocus Pocus’ and so on. They are hugely enjoyable to watch and Thijs van Leer on keyboards exudes the avuncular charm of an off-duty Santa, providing an onstage warmth that was distinctly lacking in the last act on the main stage, Tangerine Dream. The German electronic band are representative of a distinctive Teutonic tributary leading off from mainstream music and, following the death of founding visionary Edgar Froese in 2015, continue as a three piece, including Japanese violinist Hoskiko Yamane. They were interesting but, given that the techno sound was provided largely by pre-programmed loops and patterns from the banks of different keyboards onstage, it was difficult to see what the musicians, the two keyboardists in particular, were adding creatively as live performers. It looked pretty minimalistic.

Over on the second stage the Zac Schulze Gang had been a real highlight of the day, burning their way through a number of R’n’B standards like ‘Walking The Dog’, ‘I’m A Man’, the Feelgood’s ‘She Does It Right’, and covers like ‘Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick’ (an absolutely brilliant version) as well as their own material like 'Hole In My Pocket’, all played with high energy, maximum facial gurning and stunningly powerful Blues guitar. Punchy, engaging and superb. The night ended on this stage with another energetic act, the always entertaining When Rivers Meet. The charismatic husband and wife duo of Grace and Aaron Bond play their grungy Blues with a compelling level of stage presence that by comparison highlight how many bands lack this quality. They played a tight set with numbers from the latest album 'Aces High' like ‘Play My Game’ building to fans’ faves such as ‘Did I Break The Law’ and ‘Free Man’ and, as usual, went down a proverbial bomb.

On the second day I was greeted as I walked to the entrance by some enchanting harmonies floating in the air from the vocalists of Solstice and just caught their last song, which made me wish I’d arrived earlier as they are a fabulous festival band, playing lively, melodic music with multi layers and provide a visual feast as their singers dance energetically around the stage. This couldn’t be said about Edgar Broughton who provided a typically downbeat counterpoint to this sort of shenanigans as he sat playing solo acoustic and telling stories in between songs in his wistful brummie accent. His straight faced tale about seeing Mick Farren literally die on stage was the highlight of his set. He made the observation that a lot of acts (meaning heritage type acts) perform virtually as their own tribute act, as a prelude to explaining that he would only be playing new material. Apart from him risking a potential lynching backstage, considering that hearing the “old songs” is what a lot of people came for (and is the rationale why many bands from yesteryear are able to reform and have an audience) the real point is that while many established bands continue to make new music (some of which can be great) the white heat of their creative heydays have long passed and the best songs from their golden period are their best songs. As a case in point, the highlight of Curved Air’s set on the main stage later in the day was their rendition of ‘Back Street Luv’. Vocalist Sonja Kristina was the main focus of band, making up for her limited mobility with a never ending series of flowing arm movements as if conjuring up some of the hippy vibes from the band’s creative origins in the sixties.

The highlight band of the second day were a bunch of mere babes by comparison to most of the day’s other performers, Molotov Cocktail. Led by harmonium playing actress Natalia Tena this combo added fiddle and trumpet to make a melodic cocktail of sounds that they describe as contemporary world music but songs like ‘Double Dare’ and ‘Neon Lights’ are catchy Pop music at its best (perhaps not in the massively over produced and stylistically limited sense of much recent Pop music). They were great, upbeat, and provided a joyously rambunctious feel to the afternoon. They are definitely worth looking out for. It was definitely time to reset all clocks for Gong, a band I’ve read a lot about over the years without actually hearing much of. They played a hypnotically engaging set and despite having no original members they provided a rare instance of a group of musicians carrying on the adventurous spirit of the foundational band while expanding into new areas. Kavus Torabi on guitar and vocals was a slightly manic but friendly centre stage presence. The way that the two guitarists and the sax player weaved around each other, locking into multiple, expanding riffs was a real trip without any narcotic involvement. The imaginative use of multiple vocals to create a chanting effect on some songs created a trance like feeling. ‘Rejoice!’ was a standout song. Their performance had the type of real power that didn’t need to rely on excessive volume. Sheer brilliance. Hawkwind closed the day and a large audience enjoyed the accompanying light show as lasers blazed from the stage and hit the group of trees towards the back of the crowd area, illuminating the dark country side around. The current set of space rockers led by Dave Brock had a distinctly terrestrial look but sounded good.

The final day provided probably the most eclectic mix of acts. The Sandy Denny Project provided a gentle backdrop to the early afternoon with some lovely harmonies and closed their set with ‘Who Knows Where The Time Goes’. On the main stage The Bollywood Brass Band played tunes familiar from Indian cinema (not sure though how many of the crowd would come into the category of avid Bollywood watchers) and were good fun. Their set was enlivened by the addition of a captivating, super smiley Indian dancer for some numbers. The day and festival ended with the bombastic Britpop of Feeder, the only band of the three days that were precious about photographic access during their set. Kicking off with the distinctive high pitched “ooh oohs” of ‘Feeling A Moment’ they were good but somehow seemed a little out of kilter with the general festival vibe that had been created up to that point. Earlier in the afternoon Rory Gallagher fans (hand up) were treated to a set of his songs by Band Of Friends, featuring Rory’s long time bassist Gerry McAvoy and drummer Brendan O’Neill (a mere 10 year associate) for an authentic rhythm section, although to be fair, that’s not the first thing you’re listening out for when you play your treasured Rory albums! Luckily the Stratocaster duties were handled with aplomb by FM’s Jim Kirkpatrick and guitarist Paul Rose, who both let rip with some gritty solos that Rory would have approved of. A mixture of some lesser known tracks and classics like ‘Cradle Rock’ and ‘Tattooed Lady’ (plenty of those around).

More very tasty guitar playing was in evidence from Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash, who’s set included a number of tunes from 'Argus', such as ‘Time Was’, ‘Warrior’, ‘Throw Down The Sword’ and the flowing ‘Blowin’ Free’, which closed the set. Guitarist Danny Wilson, aided by Misha Nikolic, played some lush solos that brought a smile to the face and the pair combined to recreate the trademark ‘Ash harmony guitar licks. There were two further contrasting acts earlier on the main stage. The brilliant Sweet played hit after hit in a crowd-pleasing performance (although Edgar Broughton would not have approved). Sole surviving original member Andy Scott was struggling a bit with the heat and while he’s not going to be trying out any back flip moves any time soon, his playing was a crunchy as ever playing those distinctive riffs. ‘Blockbuster’ closed what had been a total glam bang-arama. The set by The Men They Couldn’t Hang was delayed and shortened by a technical issue but they gave a rousing performance and featured the fine fiddle work of legendary sideman Bobby Valentino. An honourable mention goes out to The Soho Dukes who played on two days (the second time to fill in for a no-show band) and played raucous Rock ‘n’ Roll with some surprisingly memorable lyrics led by menacing/entertaining front man “Johnny Barracuda” (particularly sinister on ‘Bovver Boys’!). Their album Bar Fights And Tuppenny Uprights is well worth a listen.

In summary, three days of fabulous music in a lovely and relaxed setting. Well done to the organisers of this much loved festival.

Simon Green