eddieandthehotrods : Message: RE: Cambridge Rock Festival / Rockin Beer Fest

What a great weekend, with, as you say, great performances from Otway & Band (but why so early in the day?) and E&THR. It struck me that the Feelgoods, stuck with the unenviable task of following the Hot Rods, had significantly changed the early part of their set in attempt to deliberately change the mood. Gone, too, were the long Steve Walwyn solos, that we usually see and hear - a pity, because Steve always puts everything in to those. At least they didn't have to cope with a crappy sound system, such as the one they suffered at Earls Court.

The Australian Pink Floyd was another highlight. I think it must be over 30 years since I last listened to The Dark Side Of The Moon, so I had no real pre-conceptions about what to expect. So, their first set, named after that album, was well played, and accompanied by a great light show. The second set was equally good.

Other highlights I can remember were:

Murray threatening to swear on live radio. (By the way, I heard that the 'Michael Jackson' reference at the end of 'Rumpelstiltskin' was edited out of the live broadcast.)

Richard bemoaning the absence of a glitter-ball for 'Bunsen Burner', because the budget had been blown on the 'Pink Floyd' light show.

Big 10: As last year, a great Ska band in the mould of Madness/Bad Manners. Pity I missed the beginning of their set this year.

Hazel O'Connor: Good to see she's still got it.

Deborah Bonham: What a great voice!

Wishbone Ash: Competent, but uninspiring.

Riga Steve was in his element as co-compere on stage, doing his bit for Radio Caroline, resplendent in his new E&THR t-shirt. (E&THR unveiled TWO new t-shirt designs this weekend.)

The progressive rock' band 'all the way from Brazil' was bloody awful - it should have saved itself the fare over.

I thought the bar was a bit over-priced, but there was a vast array of beers available, and the service was good and friendly with no long queues (CAMRA Organisers of the Olympia/Earls Court GBBF please take note), and soft drinks (at a separate counter next to the bar), were extremely reasonably priced. The indoor cafe was open this year, and although not cheap, the food was good, and there was plenty of seating. I thought the food stalls (less choice, this year) outside were also over-priced, but that's only to be expected with a captive market and no competition.

Another noticeable feature was the absence of litter - there were bins everywhere, and they were emptied by staff almost as soon as they were filled. No queues, either, for the toilets, and the indoor ones were very clean throughout the weekend. Car parking, too, was more than adequate.

All in all, a well-organised and satisfying event. It took us most of Monday to recover. Roll on next year!

Regards,

P.S. We didn't camp on site, preferring to use a hotel a few minutes away.

P.P.S. Suggested bands for next year: The Sweeney, The Tracie Hunter Band.

P.P.S.2. Good to see so many familiar faces, too.

P Please consider the environment before printing this email.

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-----Original Message-----
From: Otway@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Otway@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jane Armstrong
Sent: 22 August 2007 08:11
To: Otway@yahoogroups.com; eddieandthehotrods@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Otway] Cambridge Rock Festival

Once again the Rods and Otway stole the show on their respective days at
this great little festival. We always love going to this one as there are
so many Dunkerque veterans there and it's got a real party atmosphere.

Friday night was the Rods and Dr Feelgood. Unfortunately Chris had problems
with his amp - his guitar was getting quieter and quieter and at the end he
kicked it over in a real rock'n'roll moment. Richard ended up doing all the
solos. However, from our standpoint at the front of the stage the music was
so loud we couldn't really hear it properly anyway and it was a brilliant
gig. Dipster (who is getting married this Thursday!) was in fine form -
posing and showing off as only he can.

The Rods have played here every year since the festival started - twice just
before Dr Feelgood. Each time they have completely stolen the show. The
audience love them and everyone gets such a buzz out of their energetic
performance. It would be great if they were the headliners so we could all
leave on a high. Sadly, by contrast, Dr Feelgood are a little bit boring.
They seem to be going the way of the Hamsters and giving a technically
excellent performance but the passion is lacking. They are doing a job.
The Hot Rods on the other hand are still loving what they do and it comes
over in their performance. You can't help but get swept up in their
enthusiasm.

After a wonderful Saturday night performance by the Australian Pink Floyd
came Sunday and Otway. The band came on quiet early at 2.40 pm. Up till
then there were not so many people in the arena, maybe five or six rows of
people at the front plus others lounging around elsewhere or at the bar.
When Otway came on the hall filled. Seymour commented later on how great it
was to see the hall so full for their performance, when the following acts
attracted a significantly smaller audience.

One thing we noticed was that there were generally one or two press
photographers at the front for most of the acts. When Otway come on there
were at least half a dozen snapping away trying to get the perfect shot.

The Big Band were in fantastic form - one of the best I've seen - and as it
was being broadcast live on Radio Caroline there were some great running
commentaries from Murray and Richard - especially when Otway somersaulted.
There were so many flowers thrown on stage during BOTF that Otway could have
opened his own florists! Adam even did what could be termed as a drum solo
and not a fill.... :-)

Otway and the Band obviously enjoy this festival and always hang around
afterwards to watch the rest of the show and enjoy the selection of real
ales - this was originally called the Rockinbeerfest after all.
I would highly recommend that people make an effort to go to this next year.
For those who don't normally like festivals, think of it as a slightly
larger Dunkerque but with more bands. It's indoors so the weather doesn't
spoil it and the 3000 strong audience is pretty civilised for the most part
too.

Jane

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