The Wokingham Festival returned to Cantley Park for three days of live music over the August Bank Holiday. This fully independent music festival started fourteen years ago, initially held in Wokingham town centre, the festival moved to Cantley Park to accommodate growing audiences. Both Saturday and Sunday featured seventeen bands each day over two stages with an eclectic mix of local and mainstream Rock and Pop bands. I attended the Monday as it leaned more towards Progressive and Psychedelic Rock, which was right up my street! Eleven bands played over two stages with an early start of midday. Headlining the ‘Trademark Windows Stage’ was one of Britain’s best-loved festival bands, the superb Ozric Tentacles. Support came from Amanda Lehmann, Hoopy Frood, Spriggan Mist, The Paradox Twin and That Joe Payne. Headlining the smaller ‘Wokingham Music Club Stage’ was Sonic Whip with support from Storm Deva, Jimmy the Dog, San Demas and Chloe Mogg. The host for the day was Darren Redick from Planet Rock.

Kicking off the day’s musical feast on the main Trademark Windows Stage was Amanda Lehmann. Probably best known for her collaborations with former Genesis guitarist, Steve Hackett, but she is also a singer songwriter and guitarist in her own right. Amanda released her first solo album ‘Innocence and Illusion’ in 2021; a fusion of Prog, Rock, ballads and Jazz-Blues. She was also voted in the Top Ten Female Vocalists category in the 2021 Prog Reader's Poll by Prog Magazine. Normally Amanda would have a full electric band, but at this event she appeared solo with only an acoustic guitar in tow. Her beguiling set featured songs from her solo album plus a few new ones destined for her next album. Tracks played included 'Tinkerbell', 'Shadow', 'One Last Spin', 'Sepia Tones', 'Memory Lane', 'The Watcher', 'Count for Something', 'Mother Earth', 'Childhood Delusions', 'Only Happy When It Rains', 'Monsters' and 'We Are One'. The sun shone bright, and the atmosphere was super chilled. At this point in the day there must have only been about fifty or sixty people in the field, but as the day rolled on people started to arrive and the crowd expanded to around a few hundred. A pleasant mix of happy families, old hippies, Prog aficionados and a few curious music lovers made for a fun friendly day.

I managed to catch a few songs from the Storm Deva duo Carollyn Eden and Stuart Clark on the Wokingham Music Club Stage before heading back to the main stage for hippie festival stalwarts Hoopy Frood. Following the release of their debut ‘Psychonaut’ album in 2004, Hoopy Frood was booked to support Ozric Tentacles in 2005. They have kept up the creative momentum ever since and are hard at work recording their fourth album. The current lineup features Steve Varman (guitar), Rich Walgate (bass), Michelle Higgins (vocal), Adam Hampton (percussion/flute), Ruari Hignell (percussion) and Andy Aust (drums). A serenely halcyon set featuring irresistible grooves, ambient spacey sounds and a high dose of Dub Reggae for good measure!

After a quick check on activities at the club stage with the Bluesy wailing of Jimmy The Dog it was back to the main stage for the jubilantly joyous Spriggan Mist. A Progressive Pagan Folk-Rock band from Bracknell, formed by husband-and-wife Baz and Maxine Cilia in 2008. They have released seven albums to date including ‘Caught in a Spell’ (2009), ‘Soul Retriever’ (2012), ‘Myths & Legends’ (2015), ‘The Portal’ (2017), ‘Ghostly Tales Live’ (2021), ‘Isambard the Mechanical Dragon’ (2022) and ‘Live at Quiet Whistle Test’ (2023). The band currently features Fay Brotherhood (vocals), Baz Cilia (bass), Maxine Cilia (saxophone/guitar/keyboards), Neil Wighton (guitar) and Ali Soueidan (drums). Their effervescently thrilling set featured dynamically intriguing tunes such as 'Lair of Isambard', 'The Portal', 'Spell Maker', 'Remember the Day', 'Ancester', 'Isambard The Mechanical Dragon', 'Zombie Nation', 'Spriggan Dance' and 'Scar finalle'. Before festivities commenced bassist Baz summoned the attentive crowd of onlookers to move closer to the stage and get dancing. The party got well and truly underway by this point with many people getting into the spirit of the occasion. Fay commanded the ceremony with her charismatic presence, soaring vocals and head of foliage! Much elation ensued!

Over on the club stage, Hardcore Metal four-piece San Demas were entertaining a few dozen or so bemused punters with their blend of angst-ridden Rock! Hitting the main stage, The Paradox Twin got down to some serious noodling with their blend of Heavy Prog! Formed by singer songwriter Danny Sorrell, their first single 'Planeta', from their debut album ‘The Importance of Mr Bedlam’, gained a nomination at the prestigious Progressive Music Awards. The band went on to release a second album in 2021 called ‘Silence from Signals’. Unfortunately, I didn't see much of their set as I was in need of some grub by this point in the day. Whilst enthusiastically chomping down on a tasty chicken burger, I did manage to catch a few songs by West Midlands based Alternative/Indie Pop singer-songwriter Chloe Mogg on the club stage. Chloe is out promoting her debut album ‘The Crazy One’.

Being suitably fed and watered, it was time to take up position at the main stage for the fabulously exuberant That Joe Payne. Vocalist, Joe Payne, has been involved in a range of projects, from solo releases to collaborations with the likes of Dream Theatre’s Jordan Rudess (2024), The Enid (2011-2016), Methexis (2015), John Holden (2018-2022) and Zio (2018-2020). Lauded by audiences for his five-octave range and flamboyant showmanship, he released his first solo EP ‘What is the World Coming To’ in 2018. Subsequently, he has gone on to release four solo albums, ‘By Name By Nature’ (2020), ‘By Name By Nature Tour’ (2021), ‘Ding Dong’ (2022) and ‘Bread & Circuses’ (2023). His longest running collaboration was with The Enid where he features on seven of their albums including ‘Shining’ (2012), ‘Invicta’ (2012), ‘First Light’ (2014), ‘En Concert á Crescendo’ (2014), ‘The Bridge’ (2015), ‘The Bridge Show, Live at Union Chapel’ (2015), ‘Dust’ (2016) and ‘The Dust Show, Live at Cadogan Hall’ (2016). Joe was voted Best Male Vocalist two years running by the readers of Prog Magazine, and three Progressive Music Award nominations. Joe's set consisted of a diverse assortment of Prog tinged theatrical musical delights handpicked from his lustrous back catalogue, although a major highlight of this set was his vivaciously ebullient rendition of Queen’s 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. Highly impressive vocal performance indeed!

Before settling down to watch the headliner’s on the main stage, it was time for another short trip over to the club stage to catch a couple of tunes from Dutch Alternative Rock band Sonic Whip. After forming in 2018, brothers Meryn and Florian Bevelander released their self-produced debut album ‘Triskelion’ in 2021.

With the festival closing rather early at 8pm, headliners Ozric Tentacles got their ninety-minute mind expanding sonic trip underway at 6.30pm sharp! The Ozric’s were formed during the Summer Solstice at the Stonehenge Free Festival in 1983 by guitarist Ed Wynne and his bassist brother Roly - who tragically died in 1999, along with drummer Nick "Tig" Van Gelder, bassist Eddie Myer, guitarist Gavin Griffiths plus keyboardists Joie Hinton and Tom "Zorch" Brooks. They gained a reputation as one of the most influential bands to emerge from the UK’s festival scene, going on to become stables at Glastonbury and other major Rock festivals throughout the UK and Europe. Throughout their forty-one-year career there have been approximately thirty musicians that have passed through the bands ranks at one time or another, with Ed Wynne being the only constant throughout! The current line-up features Wynne - guitars, keyboards, samples, bass, drum programming (1983–present), Vinny Shillito - bass (1990-1991, 2007-2009, 2023-present), Silas Neptune - keyboards, synthesizer, guitar, samples (2009-present), Saskia Maxwell - flute (2021-present) and Pat Garvey – drums, percussion (2023-present). Unfortunately, bassist Vinny Shillito couldn't make the gig, so multi-instrumentalist Coreysan Atheleny Wallace stepped in to cover bass duties.

Apparently, the band name was a joke suggestion for possible names for alien breakfast cereal! According to Wynne, "’Ozric’ is an old Viking name meaning 'divine energy', and 'tentacles' is a silly word to put on the end." Initially formed to jam at free festivals, they have subsequently gone on to release twenty-two studio albums and a string of live albums. The first six albums they made were originally only available on cassette direct from the band, including ‘Erpsongs’ (1985), ‘Tantric Obstacles’ (1985), ‘Live Ethereal Cereal’ (1986), ‘There Is Nothing’ (1986), ‘Sliding Gliding Worlds’ (1988) and ‘The Bits Between the Bits’ (1989). Subsequently, all six were released in 1993 as a CD boxset called 'Vitamin Enhanced', which was re-mastered in 2014 and then again in 2021!

Their first proper studio CD/Vinyl release was ‘Pungent Effulgent’ in 1989, followed by the double album ‘Erpland’ in 1990. In 1991 they managed to achieve the top spot in the UK Indie Chart with their single ‘Sploosh!’ from the album ‘Strangeitude’. In 1993 their ‘Jurassic Shift’ album reached the Top twenty of the UK Albums Chart and number one in the UK Indie Chart. After that unexpected burst of commercial success, dynamics changed within the band and members would come and go. Despite the many lineup changes over the years they continue to be prolific, releasing a steady flow of quality albums to this day, including ‘Arborescence’ (1994), ‘Become the Other’ (1995), ‘Curious Corn’ (1997), ‘Waterfall Cities’ (1999), ‘The Hidden Step’ (2000), ‘Spirals in Hyperspace’ (2004), ‘The Floor's Too Far Away’ (2006), ‘The Yumyum Tree’ (2009), ‘Paper Monkeys’ (2011), ‘Technicians of the Sacred’ (2015), ‘Space for the Earth’ (2020) and their latest ‘Lotus Unfolding’ (2023).

The Ozric’s metaphysically trance inducing set featured such lusciously sensuous gems as ‘Eternal Wheel’, 'The Domes of G'Bal', ‘Lotus Unfolding’, ‘Sunscape’, 'The Throbbe', ‘Burundi Spaceport’, ‘Ayurvedic’, ‘Jellylips’, ‘Sploosh!’ and ‘Kick Muck’. Their infectiously seductive grooves and heavenly swirly swooshes were spiritually soothing and had us all in a state of chilled out bliss! Indeed, a wonderfully uplifting and trippingly meditative experience. Overall, a very enjoyable, well-organised and friendly festival. Looking forward to next year already!

Steven C. Gilbert