Rally Chat Upton on Severn blues festival 2016 (1 Viewer)

[grasscutter]

Good to catch up with a few Funsters yesterday.
Watched the amazing Chicago Bytes at the Plough Inn last night.Some of the best harmonica playing I have heard.
Looking forward to Rex Factor today

 

[hilldweller]

Good to catch up with a few Funsters yesterday.
Watched the amazing Chicago Bytes at the Plough Inn last night.Some of the best harmonica playing I have heard.

Weren't they amazing. Trip was worth it just to see them.

 

[hilldweller]

Oh not again.

Not again indeed, field is as solid as tarmac. What a little gem of a town, instantly fallen in love with the place. First class campsite organisation.

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[canopus]

Steady on with the praise Brian we don't want it snow.

 

[hilldweller]

Well home, a day early.

Why, because out nice neighbours where chatting to 03:30 Fri, 02:00 Sat and no way was I staying Sun.

Anyway, totally overdoes on loud music. Four days of the same is too much for me.

We ended on a slightly more mellow note, had a cruise listening to Rex Factor. Mercifully more relaxing than the rest of the many stages.

Standing waiting to get on the boat was horrible. Above and behind us band 1. Just to our right band 2 and far right the big stage with band 3 and far more than 10,000W of audio power. The sounds, all different, combined at this spot.

You could not pack more bands in the small space available but mostly it worked fine.

Highlight was Chicago Bytes which we heard on Thu night.

 

[Armytwowheels]

I understand where you are coming from Brian. On Saturday and Sunday the riverside area was heaving and what with shoulder to shoulder bands it was a strange experience of listening to all the bands at once but focusing on the one you were standing in front.

We mainly watched the bands in the sports field as we had dogs with us. I hadn't got a clue who we were watching get but they all seemed good and a lovely atmosphere.

The town it's self is lovely, could not have wished for a better location. Our camping neighbours were great too @Silkcut1105 and Sally and Pete.

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[hilldweller]

The town it's self is lovely, could not have wished for a better location.

I wonder what the locals think. Shop/pub owns must be delighted, but the rest, what an upheaval many times a year.

April - Folk Festival.
June - Jazz Festival.
July - Blues Festival.
July - Steam Rally.

 

[Armytwowheels]

I wonder what the locals think. Shop/pub owns must be delighted, but the rest, what an upheaval many times a year.

April - Folk Festival.
June - Jazz Festival.
July - Blues Festival.
July - Steam Rally.

I guess that is why it is such a thriving unique town, rather than being full of chain shops and a faceless high street.

As we walked round we noticed one or two plaques saying that the money from the festivals had funded this and that, including the sport and play equipment in the park.

They cannot have it all ways I suppose.

 

[movan]

Won't have anything said against Upton ... for all the throngs of people, for the open all hours alcohol trade, how many skirmishes or policemen did you see? I have never seen any. Just music lovers, dancers, people of all ages and ethnic origins enjoying themselves. Long may it continue.

Wouldn't park on that campsite for all the reasons mentioned .. floods and noise till early hours.

Enjoy everybody.

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[hilldweller]

Won't have anything said against Upton ...

Wouldn't park on that campsite for all the reasons mentioned .. floods and noise till early hours.

Enjoy everybody.

Just one charity shop that we noticed, these days half the shops are. Yes, a thriving town.

Flood barriers all over the place. The big obvious glass one in town but across river a little cottage with what looked like a nice brick wall bound planting area but the slots for a flood gate at the front door told it's true purpose.

Might try the Jazz festival next year.

 

[kip]

Have to say our first time at Upton, campsite well marshalled good facilities,will definitely be going back ! enjoyed the atmosphere, Lots of people having fun !!!

 

[Janine]

I wonder what the locals think. Shop/pub owns must be delighted, but the rest, what an upheaval many times a year.

April - Folk Festival.
June - Jazz Festival.
July - Blues Festival.
July - Steam Rally.

When we were talking to a shop keeper last year, they hadn't got a good word to say about the jazz festival-goers. Apparently they spend no money in the town!

By the way, how long was the queue for the chip shop this year?

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[BobtheBass]

The other festivals, I think, are all paid entry to the performances, whereas the blues festival is completely free. I guess this leaves the bluesters with pockets full of money!

 

[hilldweller]

By the way, how long was the queue for the chip shop this year?

Too long, right to the street junction.

The Chinese takeaway was empty and the food excellent.

We did manage F&C on Sun night before we did a runner. Very good too.

 

[Mousy]

We had a lovely weekend, the town was heaving with mainly middle aged music lovers, but we coped. Heard some good bands. Upton was great and we'd go back again on a "normal" weekend.
We stayed behind the Drum and Monkey pub with the East Worcester Camping and Caravan Club DA for £7.50 per van per night.

Mr Mousy and Cliff spent most of the weekend dropping their voices by at least one octave and exclaiming "woke up dis morning and my women done gone"

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[Bacchus]

£7.50 per van per night.

That sounds very reasonable, I took a couple of friends in the van so we ended up paying £105 for two nights which is pish when you consider the facilites at the far end of the field - a block of five portaloos (a quick google shows me that I can hire those for £27 per week so my old van and the small tent next to us covered that!)

Adam Sweet on the Acoustic stage was a highlight though, and a band called the Hot Tubes in one of the pubs. I thought that the village absorbed the horde very well seemed to do its best. Tremendous amount of drunkenness, the worst being the locals, but no violence and no threat of violence.

Unlikely to bother again at that price, but very glad that I've been (c:

 

[themogs]

Our first time At Upton Blues.....brilliant !!!
The amenities at the camping area knocked spots off any Warner show we've been to.
C'mon Warner & the rest.....you can do a lot better !!
Back to the festival, and the highlight had to be Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band...Absolutely brilliant;
and can he play an audience.
Left on Sunday, all blues'd out.
Seen very few Funsters...Brisey, Grasscutter, Makems, Catspyjamas, Silkcutt, Penelope Pitstop.
Still, we would definitely go again..we loved it

 

[makems]

That sounds very reasonable, I took a couple of friends in the van so we ended up paying £105 for two nights which is pish when you consider the facilites at the far end of the field - a block of five portaloos (a quick google shows me that I can hire those for £27 per week so my old van and the small tent next to us covered that!)

Adam Sweet on the Acoustic stage was a highlight though, and a band called the Hot Tubes in one of the pubs. I thought that the village absorbed the horde very well seemed to do its best. Tremendous amount of drunkenness, the worst being the locals, but no violence and no threat of violence.

Unlikely to bother again at that price, but very glad that I've been (c:

The fact is that the money raised on the official camp site is what pays for the musicians. The money raised on any of the unoffical camp sites does not contribute to the running of the festival which is free to attand and EVERY act gets paid (even Rex Factor who donated their fees to charity).
If everyone stayed away from the official site there would be no festival.

Portaloos are cheap to hire - its the delivery, removal and constant emptying which costs real money - many times the rental price.

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[themogs]

Oops....sorry Brian
We also bumped into & had a chat with Hilldweller & his young lady

 

[jockaneezer]

Well it was the quietest festival campsite we've ever been on, we were back on row J1 and once the bands had finished for midnight, we never heard a peep until about 9 the next morning.
Val's cousin owns a shop on Old Street and managed to call in a favour and got us a table upstairs in the Boatyard for excellent tapas, contrast that with the interior of The Muggery where the Hot Tubes were playing, the last time that carpet was cleaned was the tidy up after the Black Death
Just as others with dogs, we spent most days on the sports field looking for shade and the music was a bonus. There was great dog walking in the fields off from the sports area and a nice walk along the river known as The Hams.
Will definitely be back, and if they can arrange the same weather again, even better !

 

[Mi58ck]

There is also a music festival over the August bank holiday,We went last year had a wonderful time.Can't wait till this years festival

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