With so many of the – now almost countless – larger festivals offering increasingly similar line-ups based around a rotating group of major-league headliners, while becoming increasingly corporate, expansive and not to mention expensive, the smaller festivals are beginning to look like much better propositions. They might have smaller acts, but then it's a hell of a lot easier to get closer to the stages to see them perform, and without having to remortage your house to buy a ticket eight months in advance before the line-up's even been announced.
Galtres is just one of those smaller festivals, with a weekend ticket for the three days costing just £60 while offering British Sea Power, The Charlatans and The Levellers as this year's headliners, making it an extremely appealing on-the-doorstep alternative to the immense Leeds festival. Best of all, it's also a proper beer festival, with over 100 local beers, plus ciders and perries on offer. Having thoroughly enjoyed the Saturday at last year's festival, I was raring to go for the full weekend this time around – as was Mrs N.
We hit traffic a couple of miles away from the site. After two days of heavy rain, things had taken a turn for the muddy and cars were having difficulty getting into the car park. We didn't need to park up as we were only getting dropped off, but it still took a long time before we were able to get near the entrance. Once in, we pitched the tent and headed for the main area. Again, an epic queue for wristbands for ticketholders meant it was after 8pm when we set foot inside the already churned-up and muddy site and we'd missed a few acts on my to-see list, including Honeytone Cody.
So we elected to grab some refreshments, and I got stuck into my first pint of the weekend, the Wensleydale Brewery's Coverdale Poacher IPA at a robust 5% ABV, before we made our way to the Oxman stage to catch the end of FIONA CLAYTON's set before hunkering down for PURESSENCE. Back in the 90s, I recall seeing their records everywhere, but never felt the compulsion to investigate further or to actually listen to one of them. In the event, as the rain began to pelt down, I discovered that I really hadn't been missing much. After an inordinate amount of time adjusting the mic levels and reverb on the vocals, they proved to be about as inspiring as the weather, serving up a tepid platter of mediocre indie. Suffice it to say they weren't nearly as good as they evidently believe themselves to be, although a fair few were evidently well mad fer it, proving that it's all a matter of taste and that it takes all sorts.
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Calling in at the beer tent en route – this time for a pint of Great heck's Staggering Genius (also a five per-center) – it was time to head to the main stage, officially named The Duke's stage, for BRITISH SEA POWER. Now, I'm not an immense fan of their by any means, but having seen them play at Fibbers not so long ago, can vouch for their abilities as a live act, and can definitely see their appeal. In fairness, they did their best to keep it lively as the downpour continued, but the front end of the set seemed to very much favour the mid-tempo middling tracks, and the audience began to thin around halfway through the set. Even the chants of 'Easy! Easy!' at the start of 'No Lucifer' failed to really get the crowd participation I would have anticipated. They threw in a spirited rendition of 'Remember Me' toward the end of the set, but for many casual observers, it would seem too little, too late.
I was rather disappointed to have missed Low Duo in the Firkin tent, and back on the Oxman stage, BLACKBEARD'S TEA PARTY were giving it some energetic electric folk action, but it was time to call it a night. Heading back to the campsite, I caught a glimpse of GLASS performing in the Little Top, some two hours later than advertised, but having laughed myself silly at their preposterous posturing on the main stage last year, I wasn't about to subject myself to the same again this time around.
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