Between Friday 19th until Sunday 21st June 2009 @ Secret Location, Gloucestershire
Featuring Performances From: Metronomy, Wilf Thrust, Slow Club, The Wave Pictures

“Does size really matter?” is a question that I’m sure many of us ask ourselves on a regular basis; over the weekend of the 19th to the 21st of June however, I had to ask myself this question in a very different context…

There isn’t much indication of what to expect before you arrive at Winterwell Festival (its whereabouts is kept secret - no joke, the location is only revealed to valid ticket holders and you need a password to get onto the official website!) but once there it would be impossible to be anything other than delighted by its setting in the heart of the beautiful Cotswolds.

It doesn’t take long to see just how small Winterwell really is; only 1500 tickets are released every year and I’m pretty sure that Cristiano Ronaldo could punt a ball across the festival site. This, of course, could provide problems for some as there is a limited amount of entertainment that can be fitted into the tiny valley: After you’ve sampled the wonders of the Pie Minister stall (refreshingly there wasn’t a filthy festival burger in sight), browsed the yoga and vintage clothing tents and had a go at intoxicated hula-hooping, you may find yourself kicking your heels a bit, but this is all the more reason why you need to immerse yourself in Winterwell’s brilliant atmosphere.

The festival, now in its third year, is certainly one of the lesser known members of the British festival scene yet is quickly gathering approval and respect from all those who come across it. To the organisers’ credit, Winterwell doesn’t advertise and has developed and expanded through word-of-mouth alone which gives it a unique and almost familial feel. Indeed the legendary pioneering DJ Norman Jay MBE described the festival as; “The most perfectly formed boutique festival of the summer,” after his set there last year and his much anticipated return performance proved to be one of the highlights of this year’s event, along with his judging of the mandatory Outer Space themed fancy dress competition on the Saturday evening.

As for the music on offer at Winterwell, the word ‘eclectic’ just doesn’t do it justice. It’s fair to say that the entertainment went from the sublime (Metronomy’s electric Saturday night headlining performance) to the ridiculous (the aging troubadour named Wilf Thrust imitating a cockerel with his knackered violin was a personal favourite). Nevertheless, the crowd was in such good spirits for the whole weekend that perhaps even Nick Griffin would have received a ripple of applause.

Saturday’s main stage was taken over by Moshi Moshi Records who set about showcasing the talent on their books; a much anticipated performance by Slow Club proved fairly disappointing as they somewhat overcrowded the small stage, resulting in a flurry of lost vocals and instrumental confusion. Despite some technical difficulties, The Wave Pictures impressed with a stronger, albeit much shorter set, highlighting the band’s quirky and relaxed charm in the face of a PA system that had seen better days (which, disappointingly, also led to the cancelled sets of Nat Johnson and Plugs later in the evening). Fortunately, as the sun set over the valley, the cavalry arrived in the form of a big white van containing a working system just in the nick of time for Metronomy to ignite the stage with a superb performance featuring their new live drummer and bassist – goodbye eccentric three-piece, hello electro-band mayhem! Despite heavy time constraints, the Totnes synth kings pulled most of their hits out of the bag and proved to the eager Winterwell crowd why the likes of Bloc Party and Kate Nash are queuing up to work with them.

Whether you’re looking for beautiful scenery, a chance to dress-up like a space robot or the opportunity to eat pie for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Winterwell caters to everyone’s tastes and has proved thankfully to all concerned that size, in fact, doesn’t matter.

www.winterwell.co.uk

Alex Duell