Blackthorn Festival 2017 - 1 Day Preview
Only one day to go till Blackthorn 2017 kicks off where three days of fantastic music will grace Stockport over four stages – including the country Buckle & Boots Stage after its success of the past two years as a separate festival. The final line-ups and stage times have been confirmed and it looks like yet another mouth-watering weekend showcasing the abundance of talent that resides across the UK.
As is always the case with the festival, it’s great to see a number of bands/artists we’ve featured on Sonic Bandwagon playing at some point over the weekend, with another assorted range of talent on show, compliments of the diverse taste of show organisers, Karl Hancock, Dan Adams and Mr Peeps - ‘something for everybody’ as they say.
There has usually been on focus on the cream of Greater Manchester talent in the previous years, but this year sees more bands travelling from further afield around the country – showing the continued pulling prowess of Blackthorn. The selection of famed 90s bands playing key slots: Lightning Seeds, Reef and Space demonstrates this pulling prowess and adds more excitement this year than ever before.
As well as the more famous bands, there is a wealth of highlights over the three days. The tribute acts on the Friday night are always a special section of the festival. The Sex Pissed Dolls, The Smiths Ltd and Ohasis provide this year’s nostalgic trip.
But even if nostalgia isn’t your thing then the ‘Psychedelic Circle’ at The Meadow Stage promises to be just as much fun, with an evening dedicated to the best in new and upcoming psychedelic music from the likes of Control of the Going and Freak Out Honey amongst several others. I’m already torn as to where I’ll be.
There’s a few bands I’ve seen before who I’m looking forward to watching again. Jess Kemp, always top of my list and has arguably been the best performer at Blackthorn in the past two years with her charming array of songwriting that never fails to connect with the audience. New York Tourists were also impressive last year with their indie rock onslaught. Happy Daggers provided much of the funk from last year so I’ll be cutting loose when they’re on. I’d be interested to see how Puppet Rebellion have progressed as this is a band I’ve not seen for about four or five years now. No Hot Ashes, The Claremonts, and The Jade Assembly are all acts that performed brilliantly last year too, and I’m looking forward to seeing each of them again.
There are of course several acts whose music I’ve heard but haven’t had the privilege to see live yet, which I’m hoping to change over the weekend. Top of the list is Blinders, who have been touring with one of last year’s highlights, Cabbage. I’m hoping for a similar ‘blown away’ impact as Cabbage did last year. Stillia, False Advertsing, Types, October Drift, Where Fires Are, Indigo Velvet and Satyr Play are all bands to watch out for from a personal point of view.
There are too many bands to mention that are worth watching, and I’m sure more will be on my radar after the weekend that I haven’t heard of already. From personal experience in the past two years I’ve attended, the music is always brilliant and some of the people I’ve met at Blackthorn have become friends beyond the festival. The atmosphere is always great and I highly recommend it to anyone.
With the array of music, activities and food and drink on show, there’s something for all the family to enjoy at Blackthorn. Price ranges, more info and a list of all the bands performing can be found at http://www.blackthornmusicfestival.co.uk.
I hope to see you down there. Stay tuned on Sonic Bandwagon’s Facebook, Twitter, and Web Page for updates over the weekend.
Ticket prices are as follows:
£55.00 - Weekend Ticket Single - £20.00 for 15s and under
£20.00 – Friday Solus - 5:30pm – 2:30am, £10.00 for 15s and under
£30.00 – Saturday Solus - 11:30am – 2:30am, £15.00 for 15s and under
£30.00 – Sunday Solus - 11:30am – 8pm, £10.00 for 15s and under
£15.00 – Camping Pitch Ticket - Camping for the weekend
6 and under enter for FREE
Tickets on sale from outlets May 1st
- Buy tickets direct from Blackthorn 07340 809204, or [email protected]
Or get them from our local outlets:
- - Inkbox Marple
- - Stationary Supplies Marple
- - Compstall Post Office
- - Romiley Post Office
- - Alternatively you can purchase from Skiddle
More information on Blackthorn Festival can be found on the official website, Facebook and Twitter.
Address: Whitebottom Farm, Etherow Country Park, Compstall, Stockport, SK6 5HZ
About the Author
Nigel Cartner Nigel is a huge fan of music from the 60s and 70s with an emphasis on rock, psych, blues and indie. This spreads to music of the same genre into the modern era. Being a Manchester lad he also has an affiliation with local music past and present. He has also recently released his debut novel, 'Lost in Manchester, Found in Vegas' which is available on amazon or njcartner.com
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