The days when festivals attracted people who believed in the music and the atmosphere and a little bit of puff has almost gone. Corporate sponsors; multi millionaire celebrities and wall to wall burger vans have transcended the spiritual. Profit and cultural hegemony are now the order of the days. On a weekend when the V festival and Beautiful Days dominate the music mags a little rural first timer has gone almost unnoticed. Dorset has ‘End of Days’ and the Larmer Tree in North Dorset which are becoming established but now the county town are getting in on the act. ‘Forever Sun’ the new kid on the block is here and hopefully to stay.
The Forever Sun festival is located at the old county show ground just outside Dorchester. With a ten year license they have the time to develop into the best festival in the south and keep their soul. Glastonbury is iconic but then so was Enron. The soul was extinguished long ago. Many people in this part of the county have been screaming out for this type of experience if only to become a catalyst to wake up the rest from their pyre queues. The adage generally accepted is that what occurs in the metropolis takes a decade to get to most of Dorset. Like looking at the stars the light left thousands of years ago and by now they have either changed, collided or died. Forever Sun can be a new light emanating from the home of Hardy; the resting place of Mary Shelley and the vision of the Tolpuddle Martyrs.
With the summer we have had so far forever sun was certainly a possibility and day one was virtually perfect. However by day two a bit like the ideological insult we call austerity; normal service was resumed. It poured down. We got there at about 7pm and headed straight to The Mill Stage intending to see Ian Sedwell but his performance time must have changed and we missed him. We then headed over to the Curiosity Lounge to see Attila the Stockbroker. Missed his performance as well but was able to have a quick chat and a pic.
A massive Brighton fan I decided against mentioning their less than solid performance to the new season. It is a sign of the times that a performance poet can go nationally unnoticed and yet what they have to say is of greater relevance than almost anything else. Whilst the population rejoices at the size of Beyonce’s hips the narrative of reality is perceived as being on a par with a concoction of Latin and algebra. Anyway we love him and there were a considerable number who appeared to share our enthusiasm.
Next for a latte and a sandwich. The site was large and the small number of people moving around gave the impression of it not being busy. Just how we liked it but not necessarily the desire of the organisers. Had a chat with a couple of the food sellers. They had enjoyed a steady trade but would have preferred a narrower site so that the punters were closer at all times and also the access of children. Under 14’s were not allowed on site for insurance purposes but you can always guarantee more spending when the children are demanding. The bouncy castles were desolate. One trader pointed out that the music was primarily aimed at the age group most likely to have children and they were now less likely to attend.
Met up with Carl from Air Radio. One of the most hard working and nicest people we know he was trawling the site with two of his colleagues looking for interviews with the performers. Six white towels and a bottle of Jack Daniels were mentioned and the rest is left to the imagination. So to these performers. Well the ones we actually saw. First was King Kurt.
A psychobilly band who reached their relative zenith in the early to mid 1980’s. They had three fans at the front trying to resurrect the old days. This took the form of bundling each other to the ground and occasionally revealing their reproductive organs to each other. Who said the 1980’s was overrated?
We then took a break from the music and continued our saunter. At 9.15 we re-entered the throng attracted by the sound of The Doors emanating from The Nobby Stage. No Jim and Ray had not returned from their respective graves but judging by the response from the collective throng the sound person had got it spot on. As Break on Through faded Republica took the stage.
They played old and new and received a very positive response. We are not sure how much this has to do with the continuous sweet leaf smell we were passively inhaling but no one appeared to be complaining.
Finally back across to the Main stage via a vegetarian paella to see what I can only describe as the best live performance we have seen in a very long time. The Blockheads were immense.
A set list of their greatest hits; musicianship and a stage presence of style and the utmost professionalism and an audience that across the ages just let themselves go. Most importantly though we could see them without the need for large screens. Intimacy cannot be matched. From Sex and Drugs and Rock n Roll to What a Waste to Itinerant Child and wrapped up with Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick this was a close to perfect performance. They promised to come back next year and so they should.
We did not camp – family commitments and the rest would not allow and with the skies opening the next day it was probably for the best. But Jamie and Dave you both did yourself proud and can we suggest to our readers that if you have any skills you could provide for forthcoming years that you get in touch and offer your support. Just remember though to keep the soul! See you next year.
The Editors
