A ‘life-enhancing’ weekend indeed

ENTHUSIASTIC crowds, warm weather and outstanding performances marked this year’s Towersey Festival, held over the Bank Holiday weekend on the Thame Showground.

Ock ‘N Dough with their Hoedown sounds set the feet a tapping at Towersey on Monday.

There were packed headline appearances from Kate Rusby, Midge Ure, The Young’uns and Billy Bragg, who charactically arrived after visiting striking bus drivers in Dorset. Other memorable performances included The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, The Wonder Stuff, 9Bach and the Tom Robinson Band. Some new bands too made strong impressions including Elephant Sessions in venue 65, and Cosmosis, invited along by the organisers of Thame’s First Thursday Music Club who ran The Bar Tent stage; an exciting band and one to watch!

Fifteen year-old Billy Watman, familiar to Thame music-goers from Music in the Park back in May, and fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe, mesmerised his audience with his Flamenco style fingering, accoustic guitar playing, and had them singing along to his very special version of Bohemian Rhapsody. And what confidence to play something you only composed the day before for your encore! Such a bright star!

Dragon lantern in the parade; made during a workshop at Towersey Festival 2016

Alongside many familiar elements, such as the traditional closing Lantern Parade and Festival Choir, this year saw the introduction of new programmes of activities for 5-11 year-old festival-goers and young people, both of which proved highly popular.

Attracting in the region of 7,000 revellers, the infamous British weather didn’t disappoint bringing bright warm sunshine on Friday and Monday, and only fleeting showers on Saturday and Sunday. Monday was hot and sunny seeing icecream stalls, iced coffee sellers and the two bar tents, practically selling out. There were over 40 beers and ales available, many from local breweries, and Tea Kettle Stout from Tring Brewery was voted the Best Ale at Towersey this year.

Towersey Festival Director Joe Heap said: “This year was our biggest ever line-up, and visitors really responded positively to the bill, as well as the site and infrastructure improvements we have made.

“There were so many highlights, from the family-friendly events and Towersey Festiva patron, Roy Bailey, launching his new album, to the Festival Dance House (FDH) stage, where there was a buzzing atmosphere with lots of young people embracing the festival’s strong dance programme.”

The artists also enjoyed the event with Sunday headliner Midge Ure Tweeting: “A beautifully run festival. Lovely organisation and great crowd… it was a joy to play.”

The Wonder Stuff’s lead man, Miles Hunt, told an adoring Towersey audience that this, his band’s first ever gig at Towersey, was the most enjoyable his band had experienced in years – though his language was somewhat more colourful !

And though the crowd felt a little thinner at times on the new, more spacious site, and a few merry-makers may have tripped on the ‘rubber road’, many in that audience and others throughout the three day festival, would have agreed with him.

Many more snippets and shared memories from Towersey 2016, on the facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Towerseyfestival