The Warwick Folk Festival is an amazing 25 years old in 2004; just the right age to have the best of youthfulness with a touch of experience.
| |  | Kids enjoying activities at the festival site
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I would even go as far as to say the festival had more sophistication this year, with freshly ground coffee and a number of orchestrally influenced bands. But that would emphasise the wrong side of the 25th birthday.
Like all the best birthdays, the highlights were the people, the music, the dancing and the beer. Only this was a birthday for thousands of people, so it was one big party.
| |  | Here's to a great weekend
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Click the images button to launch a photo gallery from the event.
Like a diary in photographs, it takes you through the festival experience over the whole weekend, so if the world of folk festivals is a mystery to you, prepare to be enlightened.
Next year, just go along and (roughly) follow the picture guide of how to make the most of the three days of music and laughter.
Read on to find out what our reviewer made of the 2004 event.
An enjoyable experience to recommend
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Review by site user David Chambers
After one of the worst spells of ‘British Summertime’ weather, with howling rain the day before, amazingly in true Warwick Folk Festival style, the start of the 2004 weekend saw the sun break through, the wind die down and the ground mercifully dry-up.
Negotiating the festival
| |  | Colum Sands; a great musician and talker
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Arriving on Friday evening at the festival site at Warwick School I threw the tent up quickly and headed into the centre of the festival and (after a quick beer stop) into the marquee.
Looking at the 2004 line-up it was refreshing to see that no band was obviously billed as the ‘headline’ act as the festival organisers had split the peak timeslots between a variety of bands.
From browsing the programme it was impossible to tell which of the performers were going to be big crowd pullers. This strategy employed by the festival arrangers is to be commended as it helps all acts get an equal bite of the festival cherry.
Bringing people together
| |  | Show of Hands on stage on Friday night
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Friday night saw the debut appearance of Mise. Their slick performance was impressive especially as they are all only around 20 years old. There is definitely potential for this band and worth keeping an eye on.
Show Of Hands were next onto the stage accompanied by the Rolling Stones’ keyboard player Matt Clifford, Miranda Sykes on double bass and Rom Dobbs on drums. Unfortunately the band’s Celtic charm was somewhat weakened by over-synthesised accompaniment and would have been better to go back to basics.
| |  | The Witchmen in Warwick Town Centre
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Saturday saw crowds of Morris groups descend on Warwick town centre. Orange wristbanded festival goers and Saturday shoppers mingled together on the streets of the town providing many unexpected sights.
Each corner turned seemed to reveal a different presentation of music, shouting and dancing. Some of the most frightening were the Witchmen.
Music and ale
| |  | Some of The Street Legal Band in Market Square
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In the evening the market square played host to Molly Brown, Nizlopi and The Street Legal Band on Saturday night. There was less of a folk feel to these three bands. I suspect they were been chosen because of their local connections.
I returned to the main festival site see a fantastic performance from Last Nights Fun in the Bridgehouse Theatre. It was good to see them return to Warwick since their appearance two years ago and this time their musical sincerity and feel was even more exceptional.
I then sampled a fine selection of real ales from the bar and retired to a sleepy and politely peaceful campsite. A special commendation must go to the beer tent staff who seemed to be in constant demand by hoards of thirsty customers. The refundable deposit on the glasses was also a good introduction this year, doubtless saving tonnes of wasted plastic.
A thorough recommendation
| |  | Richard Bolton; a virtuoso on the cello
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Sunday was a lot more chilled out, but with plenty more music and dance. The day’s first highlight for me was from Pete Cooper and Richard Bolton whose virtuoso renditions of some folk classics on cello and violin were distinctive.
Many more bands later, I finished the weekend with a second late afternoon set by Last Nights Fun, enjoying them just as much sober as will a stomach full of real ale.
I went home with no doubts in my mind at all about this review. The festival was a wholly enjoyable experience that I would recommend to anyone.
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