Brit fest day three!
Today marked the end of the third year of Brit Fest, and it’s safe to say everyone will be returning for their fourth year. We had the announcement from the amazing hosts, Jenny Powell and Mike Toolan, about the dates for next year, and they were revealed to be the 15th to the 18th of July. As well as this, they announced that they had already booked their first guest of 2027, and it’s another international one, which is very exciting.
In the first half of the day, we had amazing, electrifying acts such as Let Loose, Space and Rick Parfitt Jnr who all woke the crowd up and got them ready for the amazing acts to come next. After the heavy downpour we had on day two, the weather brightened up for us today. The theme for dressing up today was ‘Sporty Sunday ’, and it’s safe to say it looked like we were at the Olympics with some of the outfits that were showcased. We had sumo wrestlers, football fans and even people in Ski gear – it was a wonderful sight to see.
We went down to watch Baby Bird, who played the main stage and rocked it. This alternative indie rock band formed back in 1995 and has had some amazing hits such as ‘You’re Gorgeous’, which was released just a year after they formed, and reached number three on the UK singles chart. One of their songs, ‘The F-Word ’, was even used in the opening theme for Gordon Ramsay’s cooking show – The F Word – that was one of the first places people heard this song. This band has had many line-up changes over the years, but Stephen Jones has stayed and kept the music well and truly alive.
After this rock band, we were joined on the stage where the founders of Brit Fest were presented as Lords!
We were then joined by Fishermen in the Cornish sea shanty group ‘Fishermen’s Friends’, which was founded back in 1995 in Port Isaac, Cornwall. Three of the original members still tour in this band, including ‘John Cleave’, ‘Jeremy Brown ’, and ‘John Leftbridge.’ This band is truly unique and definitely one to see live I even had the amazing opportunity of catching up with John Cleave after the show, who was lovely and loved the atmosphere that the crowd brought. They played most of their classic songs, including the tune everyone knows, ‘What shall we do with the drunken sailor’ – I definitely want to catch this band again.
We then ventured up to the little big top to go and catch the Bartells set – I had heard amazing things about this band and was certainly excited to see them live. This five piece group from Shropshire certainly gathered a crowd together – they are playing at a fee more festivals this year including Deva Fest and App-Fest.
Back to the main stage where we saw British R&B girl group ‘Eternal’. This group formed back in 1992 where the lineup consisted of two sisters and two friends. Now this lineup includes the original 2 sisters Vernie Bennett and Easther Bennett alongside new addition Christel Lakhdar. This girl group sold over 10 million records worldwide and had 15 UK top 20 hits showing them as a success from the start. They certainly got the crowd ready for the legendary ABC to hit the stage with their upbeat songs, dancing and outstanding vocals.
Just before ABC came on we went back up to the Little big top where the Rosellas took to the stage even though they only formed 7 years ago in 2019 they already have a solid fan base built up.
The time everyone had been waiting for ABC! This English pop band that formed in 1980 has had some of the biggest hits throughout the years and led vocalist Martin Fry has definitely played a huge part in leading this band to success. Fry’s vocals are stunning and sound exactly how he did when the original songs were recorded which helps the band with their authentic original feel. They played some of their most famous hits such as ‘Poison Arrow’ – my personal favourite-, ‘The look of love part one’ and ‘All of my heart’. I can confirm that the crowd loved every second of this set but honestly who wouldn’t; the stage presence, the atmosphere, the vocals everything was perfect and always is at an ABC show. There were massive beach balls and balloons floating around the crowd – everyone was up on their feet dancing and singing. This was definitely the best choice of band to end the weekend with.
This was my first time at Brit Fest and it’s third ever year running and the crowd they have already built up is definitely one for the books. See you next year from the 15th to the 18th of July for another year of amazing music and people!
Review and all photography by Christina Thompson for The Songbird HQ