Firstly I want to say:  I am really happy that this little gem of a festival in the middle of some of Englands most beautiful landscapes – the Cotswolds – has made it to it’s 16th year!! However, while my colleagues have been diligently attending and singing it’s praises, this was my first time at Cornbury, hence I’ve missed 15 of them… OMG 😉 

OK better late than never and like so many other festivals I have been to, you usually go because you like the headliners on the bill, but along the way you discover new talent and artists/musicians that make the headliners a nice addition…

Yes, Trevor Horn (pun intended); The Specials, Keane and The Beach Boys are great names with a history that people of my age group really appreciate (I’m 53, but it’s a secret), but here are a few that I equally enjoyed:

RACHEL SAGE: I’ve been following Rachel on Facebook for – I don’t remember how long. Can’t quite remember how this came about, but this was the first time I’ve seen her perform live and she didn’t disappoint. Her songs worked very well and her set the Cafe Nero Stage was an ideal start into the weekend for me 🙂 I think I’ll go and see her again next week during her UK tour.

Saturdays highlight was WILDWOOD KIN: It’s funny how suddenly there’s the new band in your life and although they have been around for a while, I haven’t heard of them before. The set blew me away, firstly because they have great songs, but I was also happy to see a un-usual set-up on the stage and the drums at the front of the stage played standing up by the lead singer is perhaps something The Eagles should’ve done when Don Henley was singing. So WILDWOOD KIN was – I think – my personal highlight of the festival. And just as luck has it, they are appearing on BBC-Radio-London this morning and i wonder what it means – why a band was totally unknown to me and then in the space of a few days I see them live and hear them on the radio… hmmmmmmm

But, of course one has to mention TREVOR HORN. Back in the 80’s and 90’s I didn’t really know his name, but certainly his music and the acts he produced. Seeing his set, simply made me feel like seeing some of my favourite 80’s  (and somewhat 90’s) bands play live again. Every song of his set was a hit and everyone knew the words and the audience had a great time. It was a shame that GRACE JONES wasn’t available to sing “Slave to the Rhythm”, but the rest of the concert was delivered with so much fun and professionalism, which totally enraptured the audience.

Apart from the music I watched colleagues kids having a massively great time, rolling around in balls 3 times their size; playing hook the duck, oh those classics; going on other crazy rides, and enjoying the amazing array of free stuff (that their parents enjoyed even more) including free ice lollies; circus toys; make your own pyramid lanterns (at least that’s what I thought they were) and making art out of old records which I thought was a particularly nice touch.

In summary, this is a classic festival, recommended for up market family fun; suitable for all ages; particularly those who appreciate the finer things in life including 80s and 90s music.