Wednesday 14th until Sunday 18th July 2010 @ Larmer Tree Gardens, Salisbury
Featuring Performances From: Jools Holland, Frank Turner, Emily Barker, Ellen And The Escapades, Kill It Kid, Dr. Butler’s Hat-Stand Medicine Band, Russell Howard, Chumbawumba, Cornershop

Now in its twentieth year, Larmer Tree is certainly one of those smaller festivals that deserves its celebration. Now taking place across an astonishing five days and this year featuring acts as different as Jools Holland and Frank Turner, this brave little festival seems to be really coming of age.

It’s fair to say that the setting of The Larmer Tree Gardens in Wiltshire provides one of the prettiest settings and backdrop to a festival you’re ever likely to see, just gazing at the 100 year old garden stage as it’s lit up at night can lull you into an enigmatic daydream. When SY arrives on Friday morning, this small festival of around 5000 appears to be in good spirits despite the horror stories we hear of the torrential downpours the night before and looming dark clouds that threaten yet more to come.

As we enter the Arc stage to witness folk artist Emily Barker (fast becoming a big fish in a very small pond of new folk artists) the chairs and tables make this festival seem a wholly more civilised affair than others. Emily’s melancholy tones are wonderfully portrayed and she is sweet and subtle and with the accompaniment of Gill Sandell on accordion, she brings an air of traditional folk into the modern age.

As we jaunt over towards the main stage to witness this year’s Glastonbury Emerging Talent winners, Ellen And The Escapades, I was joined by the unlikely company of a peacock. Yes you read correctly; a peacock. It’s not hard to see why this act is being so wildly spoken about well crafted songs are delivered with a sweetness that’s rare to find in a world so obsessed with Lily Allen. Even the peacock liked them, I think.

The biggest surprise of the weekend comes with a visit to The Big Top Stage where we witness the best young band I’ve seen in a very long time. Bath’s Kill It Kid are a revelation. The five piece fuse folk and blues to create a familiar yet new and unique sound relayed by a singer whose voice is wild beyond his years. They put on a show that all who were in attendance will surely remember.

We saw the evening out in the Arc stage eating Bristol’s finest Pieminister pies taking in the classic musicianship of Dr. Butler’s Hat-Stand Medicine Band while waiting for an evening of comedy where host, Ed Gamble and warm up act Steve Hall, provide ample warm up to one of the west-country’s finest, Russell Howard. His showmanship was brimming confidence and he left the overcapacity tent laughing into the night.

As the family-friendly weekend continues, Saturday becomes the day of the one-hit-wonders as we are joined by Tub-Thumping’s Chumbawumba and Brimful Of Asha’s Cornershop. While Chumba deliver an insightful talk earlier in the afternoon at Club Larmer about 30 years of being in a band and follow it up with an entertaining and humorous folk session, their refusal to play their only real hit seems to leave some audience members disappointed.

So Larmer Tree rather quaint than small, ambitious rather than undercooked is an excellent family fare weekend in a beautiful setting and old or young, there’s plenty to offer for all. On first sighting you could be forgiven for thinking it an over-sized village fete but if only just for its unique setting this is surely a must one day for all festival enthusiasts.

www.larmertreefestival.co.uk

Adam Hooper
Photos by Laura Palmer