How Herefordshire competes with Glastonbury

4:10pm Friday 18th July 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

THE familiar moan repeated by the county’s younger population is that there is little in the way of entertainment in Herefordshire.

But surely this is not the case when the months on July and August arrive.

The county is blessed to have some of the best music festivals in the country that retain more style and identity than the much bigger parties held in the fields of Somerset and beyond.

The evidence can today be seen near Bromyard as around 3,000 people are making their way towards Rowden Paddocks for Nozstock.

The festival has made quite a name for itself locally over the past few years and has gone from a one-day party to a three-day weekend.

Up and coming home-grown talent like The Anomalies will be playing alongside more established names from the past decade like Utah Saints on the three stages.

Herefordshire’s biggest popular music festival is also found nearby in the east of the county.

The Big Chill in Eastnor has, like Nozstock, grown in size through the years and now features some of the biggest acts in world music.

Leonard Cohen, Mr Scruff, Martha Wainwright and Beth Orton are just a few of those performing from August 1 to August 3.

And there is an equally impressive line-up of acts at a new festival starting in Much Marcle.

Jefferson Starship, the band that headlined Woodstock under the name of Jefferson Airplane, Steve Cropper, Bad Company and Cerys Matthews will all be at the RocknRoots festival on August 22, 23 and 24.

The one downer on this year’s circuit is the omission of Sheep Music. Last July’s downpour took its toll on the Presteigne party and the organisers decided against holding the festival this year - although they have announced their intention to return next year, bigger and better.

But there is good news for those living on the Welsh border as the Green Man Festival goes from strength to strength.

Now happily settled in Crickhowell, having moved along the Black Mountains from Clyro, the sixth Green Man sees Spiritualized, the Super Furry Animals and King Creosote among the headline acts from August 15 to August 17.

While people can rightly moan about the lack of diversity during the cold winter, no one has the right to be bored for two months in the summer when - even if there is no sun - there is more than enough going on to put smiles on faces.