This will be our seventh Guilfest in a row and there are several reasons why we keep coming back each year. It's easily the most relaxed and friendly festival that we go to, there is none of the attitude and posturing that you get at many of the bigger festivals and it makes for a much more enjoyable experience. Primarily though it's the line up; year on year Guilfest produces the most eclectic line up of any festival on the circuit, nowhere else do you get such extremes all on one site. Where else could you see Peter Andre and The Defiled?! There really is something for everyone and as it's spread across eight stages there is plenty of scope for variety.
For me at least this year was going to be a very different experience as I decided it was time that my two and a half year old son made his festival debut. Catering for kids is another area where Guilfest excels; there is a big children's area with all manner of activities and rides and they even get their own stage featuring a variety of acts from clowns to fire eaters.
Unfortunately the M6 and M25 conspire against me on Friday and make for a six and a half hour journey! Alas this means that much of Fridays schedule goes out of the window but the line up is so strong today that there is still time to see some great performances. We do get there in time to make it to the Big Cheese tent (known in previous years as the Rock Sound Cave) for Pure Reason Revolution. These guys are on fire at the moment, they've finally found just the right balance between intricate prog rock and thumping electronica and although they only get a short set it's very impressive in front of a good crowd. I'm already getting a taste of how things are going to unfold as I'm trying to watch the band whilst keeping one eye on the little guy or constantly having him climb all over me! Following PRR we head over to the Good Time Guide Stage to catch The Popes, who you may remember released a couple of albums with Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan. They do their thing well but it's clear that they lack that extra ingredient and charisma that they had with MacGowan out front and Paul 'Mad dog' McGuinness doesn't quite have the voice to carry off some of the more raucous numbers.
Friday night is really all about the headliners as Funeral For A Friend make their Guilfest debut on the Big Cheese Stage and by all accounts turn in a fine performance. For us though it has to be Roger Daltrey performing the whole of The Who's 'Tommy' alongside a handful of Who classics. We do however make time to check out a few Adam Ant songs and whilst musically tight he really lacks charisma, his crowd interaction rather lifeless and a far cry from his hey day. It's not bad as such but just rather non-descript, which is disappointing as back in the day he was one of music's great showmen. The same can't be said of Roger Daltrey who owns the main stage from the moment he steps out on it. He retains much of the energy of his youth as he belts through 'Tommy'. The trademark microphone swinging and powerful voice are both present and although there are some horrendous sound problems early on it really doesn't detract from a great performance that is topped off by a smattering of Who songs. 'Teenage Wasteland', 'Man Behind Blue Eyes' and 'Going Mobile' were worth the ticket price on their own and as an added bonus Daltrey is joined by Pete Townsend's brother on guitar for a couple of songs. A fine end to Friday at Guilfest.
Saturday gives us a first chance to check out the smaller stages, which often feature a plethora of local acts, some good, some er...not! There are a couple of promising young bands that we catch; The Fan Jets and Shattered Intent make good impressions, both looking very young but turning in performances beyond their years (although some members of the Fan Jets looked decidedly petrified!).
An hour or so spent in the kids area coincides with a torrential downpour! Everyone stands in the toddlers tent whilst the sound of The Farm on the Good Time Guide stage provides a cheery soundtrack to the rain. Despite frequent showers the rain is interspersed with sun and the site never degenerates into the mudbath that we might have expected. For the second year in a row I find myself in front of the main stage when N-Dubz are on. How has this happened? It was never in my plan to be able to say I have seen N-Dubz twice! Needless to say, not my cup of tea but the crowd love them and I manage to restore credibility by heading off to the new Vive Le Rock stage for Anti-Nowhere League. Last time I saw ANL I was disappointed, it was all very dated and lack lustre but today they are on top form. Singer Animal looks much the same and they turn in a great set of old and new and I can't help singing along (being careful to omit swear words in front of the little guy!). This stage features a great mix of punk and ska all weekend and is a really welcome addition with every band we see getting a good crowd in no matter what time of day it is.
Alright I admit it, I am curious to see what Peter Andre is going to do and I watch a couple of songs! It's surprisingly rocky with a decent full band behind him but then he has to do all the choreographed dance moves and it all gets just a little cheesy but again, the high pitched crowd (wonder why that is?) love him and for what he does it's a good show I suppose. For us though it's back down to the Big Cheese tent for Skindred and there's little doubt that they get the biggest crowd of the weekend in here tonight. It's so tightly packed that they've had to open up the back and one of the sides of the tent, which is just as well as it looked sweltering in the middle. This is exactly the sort of crowd Skindred feed off and as you'd expect singer Benji uses it to his full advantage with the usual banter and antics that make Skindred such a good live act. They play a blinder tonight and prove more than worthy headliners.
As we walk through the VIP area on Sunday we are greeted by the sight of lots of young girls clambering to get a look at the main stage for (who I later find out) Chipmunk. A good call on the part of the festival bookers as much like N-Dubz he certainly seems to appeal to the younger elements of the audience. For the second time this year I catch Hugh Cornwell (original front man for The Stranglers) plying his solo trade. I'm still not convinced, the old Stranglers songs sound flat (for example 'Duchess' without the keyboard part, which is of course the best bit!) and whilst his solo material is decent it's not that memorable. The Saw Doctors over on the main stage put on a decent show of likeable upbeat Irish folk; they're like a more polished and more pleasant /respectable version of The Pogues and because of that they are subsequently not as good! However on a Sunday afternoon at a festival they provide welcome distraction. What's great about festivals is that when you walk around you end up watching bands that you would never see otherwise and today first up is Erasure. Now I remember these growing up as a kid in the 80s so whilst never a fan I know a couple of the songs but the sound is a bit light and with only Andy Bell, Vince Clarke and two dancers on stage it all looks and sounds a bit empty. Bell does his best but aside from the front rows he's struggling to hold the crowds interest and it's not that long before he loses ours! The good thing about this being that we move on and discover Joana and the Wolf on the second stage. At times both looking and sounding like Kate Bush, Joana gives a compelling and quirky performance backed by solid alternative rock tunes. The crowd interaction is endearing and there's just something very likeable about them. Worth checking out should you get the chance.
For those of us with punk persuasions Sunday night is the highlight of the weekend! First up is UK Subs over at the Vive Le Rock stage; the ever youthful Charlie Harper and crew packing it out and just doing the business like they always do. I've never seen UK Subs do a bad show and they don't disappoint tonight either, it's just a shame that set times mean we have to leave during 'Warhead' to catch the start of Public Image Limited. PiL were the band Johnny Rotten/John Lydon formed when he left the Sex Pistols and many would argue that over the years PiL have become almost as influential as the Pistols. I was intending to head over to watch Gallows half way through but as their departing singer Frank Carter cancelled at short notice due to an infection we get to watch the whole of PiL's set and that really is a silver lining. I would have liked to have seen Gallows with Frank one more time before he quits in August but PiL's set more than makes up for the disappointment, they are great. Lydon is much more animated and motivated than he was on the last Pistols tour and it's really good to see. The set list is excellent mixing the hits such as 'This Is Not A Love Song' and the encore of 'Rise' with the visceral 'Religion' and the classic 'Flowers Of Romance'. It does get a little flat during the middle section of 'Flowers of Romance' but they are soon back in the groove and PiL go on to deliver what is probably the set of the weekend by some distance.
So there it is, Guilfest done for another year and once again it's delivered the goods. As usual we've had a great time and seen some great bands, roll on next year! One foot note; having a two year old in tow means you have to go to the toilet, a lot. Not once all weekend did we find a toilet that was blocked or unusable and that's a first for any festival we've been to. A small but important detail!