It’s just typical isn’t it. All that hot sunny weather we’ve been having recently and as soon as it comes to the Gloucester Festival music day, it rains. Just typical! Never mind. At least the music was good. There’s only one stage this year - which is something of a mixed blessing. While some of the acts that have featured in the smaller band and DJ/Dance tents have left a lot to be desired, they did at least offer something of a variety - an opportunity to embrace the “something for everyone” ethos that any festival worth its salt should be able to offer. Under One Tent
So this year there will be no space for bands like Irritant, U-Turn, The Penance of The Holloh of yester-year. What we have in its place is a relatively safe selection of acts and bands covering the genres of soul, folk, radio friendly indie and hip-hop. The proceedings get off to a glorious gospel tinged start with United in Christ Gospel Choir performing a selection of original and covered work. “Melodies from Heaven Rain Down on Me”, runs one song’s lyric. Rain Down As long as it’s melodies rather than actually rain that is coming down, no one will mind. I know we need the rain but the heavens could have chosen a better time! Other songs to feature in their set include “Total Praise”, a beautiful barrage of close harmony. It’s a kind of gospelified version of a choral piece you’d be more likely to hear in Gloucester Cathedral than Gloucester Park. There’s also a song called “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” and, of course, “Amazing Grace.” Get Your G-Strings Here
 | | Never the Bride |
The next band to take to the stage take the music in a completely different direction. Never the Bride are a powerful musical force to be reckoned with and well worth a listen - be this in the comfort of your own home on a CD (priced £10 at the nearby stall, apparently) or in a blustery Gloucester Park with the threat of rain at any moment. Opening song “I feel like Making Love” is a bit of a departure from the theme of the last act’s set. This band is raunchy with a capital RAUNCH. They even sell G-strings (priced £5 at the nearby stall, apparently). Obvious comparisons could be made between lead singer Nikki Lamborn and the likes of Tina Turner - and rightly so. Sensational She has a truly powerful voice as can be demonstrated in the cover of “It’s a Man’s World”, “Take another Little Piece of my Heart” and the Shirley Bassey-ish “Surprise”. Attempts to cajole the audience into joining in with “Oh Lord Won’t You Buy me a Mercedez-Benz” backfire when it seems that no-one but the hardiest of Never the Bride fans know the words. Still, apart from that, it’s been an excellent set - and another great chance to forget about the impending rain. Stuck in Traffic
 | | Wylde Green |
Next up come Wylde Green who are late. There’s some doubt as to whether Wylde Green were genuinely stuck in traffic or whether the were actually stuck in the pub. The pub accusation would be a terrible slur if proved untrue. Unless, of course, it is the truth, in which case the whole set could be a terrible slur. Wylde Green are made up of a violin, squeeze-box, guitar and singer - and a lot of handclapping from the audience. They rattle their way through a selection of traditional Irish folk songs (“Whiskey in the Jar” is the only song featuring the lyric “stand and deliver” that doesn’t involve Adam Ant dressed as a highway man). There are also a couple of Pogue favourites thrown in for good measure. Toe Tapping Sadly it’s the wrong time of year for “Fairy Tale of New York” (can there be a wrong time of year for such a great song?), so we have to settle for the equally great “Dirty Old Town”. There are traditional Irish Jigs scattered here and there. Riverdance eat your heart out (and I so wish they would!). This is much better. It brings a smile to everyone’s face.
 | | Root-id at Gloucester Festival |
A couple of people are dancing - not enough to fill a stage and produce a worldwide tour, it has to be said - but everyone is having a good time. There are smiles aplenty and some people (whisper it quietly) are even tapping their feet! There’s also a chance for a good old Irish sing-a-long with “The Wild Rover”. It’s one of those you may think you don’t know, but you actually do. Soon everyone’s joining in with the raucous chorus. All together now: “And it’s No Nae Never……” Play the Hits There’s a further change of pace with the arrival of The XFM Band. As far as I can tell, DJs from London’s Indie rock radio station, XFM aren’t in this band. Though Lauren Laverne did used to be in Kenickie, she doesn’t seem to have reverted to her former employment for the sake of Gloucester’s music day. The XFM band bash their way through a selection of recent Indie hits from the Strokes through to the Arctic Monkeys. And every one’s a winner. Un-Covered When a band is this good, you have to wonder why they limit themselves to covers of other people’s stuff. Perhaps they do have their own original material and this is just a case of giving the public what they want. But it would be fantastic to see what they can do when they’re not saying “Tonight, Cat I’m going to be…..” The highlight comes when the band roll back the years to perform “My Sherona” complete with a blistering guitar solo. It’s one of those Marty McFly does “Johnny B Good” in Back to the Future moments. Totally electrifying. Rooting for Root-id
 | | Root-id on stage |
From Indie to Hip-Hop now as the Park welcomes Root-id. Strictly speaking, that’s not true. Root-id aren’t just Hip Hop. Theirs is a blend of ska, reggae, pop and the aforementioned Hip-Hop. It’s like The Fugees are back together and performing in Gloucester at a secret gig. Opening number “Shake Your Booty” is a full sound with amazing harmonic singing and rapping over a gorgeous reggae beat. Other stand out moments come in the form of “I Know A Girl” (about being snubbed) and “This is a Raid” (about a £10 million raid). Finally, there’s a community sing-a-long as lead by Afroman with the summery “Loose Yourself”. All Around the World Later on there will be music from Freshlyground from Capetown, Sherman Robertson from Texas and Soul Destroyers, a soul cover band, all bringing their own brands of musical sunshine to the overcast park. It’s been a slightly smaller festival this year, although in some ways it has been bigger and better than ever. Which ever way you look at it (excepting the weather) it’s been perfectly formed. | 
