Express & Star

Bewdley is in line for Rustic Folk Festival - and we've got all the news

Live music has long been one of the aces up the proverbial sleeve for this region.

Published
Last updated
The line-up

A history of brilliant musicians to make any other area jealous, and a bevvy of great venues for them to strut their stuff.

And you can't have too much of a good thing, right? That is the view of 35-year-old sound engineer Chris Surgenor, from Bewdley, and his musician friend Brian Stone.

They have teamed up with Chris' employer - Hopleys Family Camping - and The Rustic Pizza Company to create a brand new festival giving local folk artists the chance to show what they can do in a relaxed, family setting.

And like all mighty oaks, it's little acorns that give them the chance to grow.

"The idea for the music festival came about while we were doing The Rustic Sessions," says Chris. "We ran these shows on Monday nights in The Rustic last summer with original artists, recorded and filmed for our YouTube channel. At one of the sessions we had a group of folk artists come and play. They were just amazing, everyone really enjoyed it, the kids and grown-ups were dancing around and it was just an overall great atmosphere.

"One of the artists who played, Brian Stone, said what a lovely venue and campsite it is and that it’d be great to do a festival here, and that’s how it started."

It's not the only festival they provide either. They also put on Hopfest in June, as well as Hopfest on Fire over the Bonfire Night weekend. And Chris believes Brian's faith in the venue is justified, and families will love the atmosphere they can create.

"We really like folk music and when we’ve had folk artists play they’re always a crowd pleaser, with Brian being a folk artist it made sense. We have two other annual festivals here on the campsite and having a different genre also gives everyone a bit more variety.

"Tickets are limited to 400. The festival is family orientated, suitable also for groups of friends and music lovers. We aimed to keep the tickets affordable and still make sure we had a great line-up, I think we’ve managed to find a good balance of quality and affordability.

"Alongside the main stage there will be a small second stage, with open mics and spoken word poetry. We want the festival to feel inclusive and having this stage opens up the floor to locals and individuals who want to show their talents.

"The Rustic Pizza will be open for food and drinks. We’re also looking at having some stalls and other things to do and hope to confirm the exact details soon."

And that 'local' feel is key to a lot of people's thinking these days. The rise of the internet has transformed the music scene remarkably. Now with the likes of YouTube and Soundcloud available it is easier for more artists to put their material out there than ever before. And as a result, fans want to see those local artists given a proper chance to grow.

"We were very keen to attract some local talent," agrees Chris. "It’s important to support local up-and-coming artists and provide them a great platform to play from, as well as for them to gain experience from playing alongside already established artists."

One of these signed up already is another former Unsigned page star from December – Kidderminster-via-Bewdley's The Humdrum Express. And for him, real name Ian Passey, being able to play on such a platform so close to his home is crucial.

"To get a festival of this quality taking place so close to home is a real bonus for our area," Ian said. "To then be asked to perform as part of such a strong line-up is the icing on the cake. The surroundings are perfect and I'm very much looking forward to both playing, and watching, over the two days."

But it's not just local talent to get excited about. Headlining are Cornish group 3 Daft Monkeys, who have a good career behind them including a couple of rowdy Glastonbury sets we at The Ticket have previously enjoyed. One critic described them last year as 'among the best live moments I've experienced in nearly 40 years of gig going', and they will also be at The Bostin' Days 3 festival at Bilston's Robin 2 on October 13.

It's quite a coup for a first-time festival, and Chris is keen to thank the secret weapon behind it all. "We’ve got Brian to thank for the incredible line-up," he says. "He’s booked all of the bands and will also be playing at the festival himself. Being a touring artist he’s well-known by the other acts and he was able to secure them all to play."

And the band themselves are looking forward to the experience, telling The Ticket: "Being based in Cornwall we love playing festivals around the country as it gives us the opportunity to get our music out to a varied and enthusiastic crowd. We hope to see some familiar faces and make some new fans at The Rustic Folk Festival, it's got a great line-up."

And Chris added: "Tickets are selling well, considering it’s the first Rustic Folk festival we’re happily surprised, and very grateful for the support and positive feedback we’ve received so far. We really hope the local community will get behind this lovely festival and come enjoy the music with us."

l The Rustic Folk Festival takes place on April 13 and 14 from 6.30pm to 11pm at Hopleys Family Camping, Cleobury Road, Bewdley, DY12 2QL. Adult tickets are £25, with 12-to-17-year-olds £10 and under-12s free. Accommodation ranges from £19 per night for tent or campervan pitches to £95 per night for a tipi sleeping six. For more information, tickets, to book camping or enquire about playing at the festival, visit https://hopleyscamping.wixsite.com/therusticfolk or www.hopleyscamping.co.uk