Bromyard anyone?

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Paul Davenport
Date: 16 Sep 10 - 12:21 PM

Yes Mo I absolutely agree!

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Mo the caller
Date: 16 Sep 10 - 06:57 AM

It's often those who aren't 'big names' who are the stars for me.

Thats what I like about Whitby (oops, sorry wrong thread)

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Paul Davenport
Date: 16 Sep 10 - 04:04 AM

'Nice to have to booked artists in the beer tent playing in sessions, Simon Care on Fri and Kevin Doonan on Sunday.'
Yes it was. Now that is an interesting point. The whole point of folk music is that it's accessible. Its sad that you have to even mention what should be taken for granted. The booked artists are people just like you. The current trend to booking 'names' to pull in the punters often means that the said artist arrives for the gig and then leaves in his/her tour bus, without even a nod in the direction of interchange with the punters. Oh yes, and often takes a third of the total festival budget with them.
Meanwhile you have a lot of 'smaller' names working for nothing or merely for tickets because there's no money to pay them even expenses.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Mo the caller
Date: 15 Sep 10 - 03:45 PM

Thanks Tim. Sorry Tom. I should know, I dance to Albireo
often enough (can't spell that either), and I even went to the trouble of putting a link up to Tom's website.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: mandotim
Date: 15 Sep 10 - 09:18 AM

Hi Mo; it's Tom Kitching, not Kitchen!

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: the lemonade lady
Date: 14 Sep 10 - 09:37 AM

Just dawned on me that the blicky has to be done by me, so click here and to see where we've been click 'view all'

cheers

Sal

I love Mama Blues
(produced,acompanied and recorded by my son Joe)

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: the lemonade lady
Date: 14 Sep 10 - 09:22 AM

I think the sound engineers are responsible for the 'canned' music. They have a cd player and put on what they want to listen to. Why can't there just be peace? Somehow they need to keep filling the air with sound.

sal

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Mo the caller
Date: 14 Sep 10 - 04:34 AM

Why did that do that? to continue...
2. Sound leakage between tents may be unavoidable but WHY play canned music, it sounded as if that was what was coming from the ceilidh tent while we were in the Final Song. Then as that finished we were blasted with unrelated canned music when we'd have rather left with heads full of what we'd just heard. Maybe it's a ploy to clear the tent quickly to escape.

Nice to have to booked artists in the beer tent playing in sessions, Simon Care on Fri and Kevin Doonan on Sunday.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Mo the caller
Date: 14 Sep 10 - 04:24 AM

Great session on the Friday night in the beer tent. Going strong when we popped in to get our programme, still going strong after we'd checked into the B&B, and again after the concert (highlight was the 'The Fay Hield Trio'). Could have stayed all night but went early to the football club and it sounded as if there'd been some good singing in there, we caught a bit before Jim & Graham's spot. Had to leave that early and get an early night as we wanted to be bright and early for the Day of Dance in the Falcon on Sat, Sheila Mannering provided a good day as usual, with time to look into the session downstairs in the lunch break. The evening dance finished in time to get down to the site for Belshazars Feast and the Watersons, glad not to miss either of those, though I was sorry to miss Tom Kitchen (great fiddler, I've not heard him with Gren Bartley)
Enjoyed the Doonans on Sunday night.

Two quibbles.
1. Why does it always rain on Friday evening?
2.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Wheatman
Date: 14 Sep 10 - 02:55 AM

I enjoyed Bromyard this year even though the majority of those booked were not to my taste. I did manage to get a couple of songs in on Sunday afternoon at Paul and Liz's session and that was the icing on the cake, for me. The problems amplified above were common criticisms which can be levied at most large festivals. Festivals cannot be all things to all men as every attendee has their own agenda. No organisation in the world can cover all the expectations, there has to be a compromise and a percentage will feel dissatisfied. The character of an event will change as participants get older, move on or their tastes change. If this did not happen we would be all still singing I'll tell my Ma or the Leaving of Liverpool. Good songs I know but after 45 years of singing there has to be some new input. Also one cannot remove the "rosy memories" of past years when perhaps things were a little smaller and the events were cosy and personal. As far as the oik problem is concerned I remember Bromyard 15 or so years ago and there was blood running down the street on the Friday and Saturday nights and blue lights all over the place. Most town centres are no go areas after nine on a Friday or Saturday night most festival session participants avoid the issue by melting away from the trouble. This then causes problems for the attendees who prefer the pub session rather than the formal concert or organised event. Whittlesey has had increasingly over the past 10 years had to cope with the inebriated oiks who are not folkies and I observed similar situations in Rothbury and Whitby this year. I cannot offer a resolution to that problem but fully intend being at Bromyard next year because I will not let the Alligators bring me down.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: GUEST,Ticketseller
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 04:54 PM

We arrived at noon on Thursday, set up then went for a wander and bought our programme from the Stewards' tent (roughly next to Jan's Van)!!!

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: the lemonade lady
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 03:33 PM

Thank you for your comments about me and Loxley. We really enjoyed ourselves. You were a really great audience. The highlight for us was looking up through the hall to the back and noticing that everyone was quiet, and listening to us. Thank you.
Shrewsbury festival goers also had problems with singarounds and the lack of them. Sal
www.myspace.com/shotdogs

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: John J
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 03:21 PM

We had a great time although there were a number of performers who in my opinion weren't appropriate for a traditional folk festival. That's not to say the weren't good at what they did, they just didn't float my boat.

Re: the office, we arrived around 6pm on Thursday and it was all shut up.

The stewards and organisers all did a grand job - how on earth did they all manage to keep smiling all the time??

JJ

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: ChocolateLover
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 02:32 PM

Oh, I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it, I did. It was the first big(ish) festival I'd been too, and loved the chance to see big names like Show of Hands and the Watersons as well as well-loved friends like Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer. The singarounds were great, the toilets were scrubbed regularly and stayed amazingly tidy considering the mud and the food was fantastic from the point of view of a veggie.

I would love to know where you got your program from though - when we arrived on Thursday we were simply told that the office didn't open until Friday.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: GUEST,Ticketseller
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 01:43 PM

I have just returned from Bromyard and simply do not recognise the festival about which people are moaning here...
I bought my programme on Thursday at around 2pm and planned my weekend events to include the concert in Falcon Mews on Thursday evening - my highlight was the young lad Cohen and his Pa.
I found the festival (as usual) to be buzzing with a variety of options for listening, watching and joining in. It was very well organised with brilliant toilets, a much improved bar & loads of food choices. A duckboard and saw dust helped out at certain muddy points and one has to remember that being a sports ground, the main arena cannot be filled with hard core or bark chippings to soak up the wet.
Naturally, I did not enjoy EVERY artist on the list, but loved most and every night I went very late to bed with the sound of lively sessions from the bar and club still ringing in my ears.
It was a lovely weekend and I hope it is exactly the same next year.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: GUEST,JennyO
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 01:25 PM

So if Sal was only performing on Thursday night, no wonder we missed her. We only got there Friday night. No programs till Friday, eh? Not good.

There's another thing I want to say some time, about performers only being on once, but I think I'll leave that till I'm back home on my computer. Typing on my phone is rather long and tedious.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: GUEST,JennyO
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 01:13 PM

Maybe the Rose and Lion would be a good pub for regular sings. It seems to have a good space. We looked in there on Sunday night but nothing was happening by then. We seemed doomed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time all weekend for whatever singing there was :(

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Hesk
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 01:03 PM

Re: Guest.
I was trying to be positive about the Rose and Lion sigaround. I am sorry if it didn't sound like it. It was a fun and welcoming singaround. There did seem to be leader, I think his name was Tony, but I could be wrong. It was him who asked if I would like to sing. When I said it fizzled out, it was because people left. I bumped into some of you later at the site. I certainly had had enough to drink by then, and needed a break! Your group song "We're Norfolk and Good", was certainly memorable!

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: ChocolateLover
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 12:47 PM

Sorry, guest at 12:26pm was me, cookie now reset.

It did seem a bit mad to me to advertise things that were on on the Thursday evening (e.g. Sally & others in the Falcon) in a programme that wasn't available until Friday morning. So I missed her too.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: GUEST,JennyO
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 12:31 PM

Absolutely, Paul. You're right of course. What we say to each other on here is not necessarily going to reach the right ears. If a few of us talk to the right people, we have some chance of changes being made. We will follow the idea up by contacting relevant people, and if you already know some of them and can do the same, I think something good can come out of this!

G-Force, I didn't realise Sal was performing. We missed her :( I have to agree with you about Rosie Doonan I'm afraid. Some of the music around was quite far removed from folk, and not a particularly good example of whatever it was, either.o

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 12:26 PM

Re: The Rose and Lion session, we don't really have a "leader" as such, we are just a group of singers from Norfolk/Suffolk who enjoy singing. Anyone was welcome to get up and sing, we're not very formal - sorry if you feel it fizzled out, it's up to anyone who wants to, to sing. If no one stands up . . .

To give an alternative view, about half of our group weren't actually camping on site, but were buying day tickets if they fancied it and spent most of their time in the town instead, which they preferred. I must have been fortunate as I didn't notice any trouble in the town at all. And I'm just a short plump female, so not particularly intimidating to put anyone off.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: G-Force
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 12:21 PM

This is the other half of G-Force and I would also praise the Lemonade Lady's set. We'd never heard her before (although heard of her!) and we were most impressed. Actually, we're hoping our club might offer the group a booking.

On the down side I think the festival organisers are frankly taking the p..... There was a lot of mud around and after disaster of two years ago I would have expected them to at least put down some straw in the really dodgy places. One day there'll be a nasty accident and I hope they get the pants sued off them. They take our money but seem to care little for our welfare. We only just managed to get off and we left Sunday when it was relatively dry. We won't be going again.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Paul Davenport
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 11:44 AM

JennyO wrote, 'All we need is one pub that is willing to have the sessions, and some promotion so that people know where to go if they want a singaround.'
I think this is a really positive suggestion. In fact I shall be bringing it to the attention of certain festival organisers of my acquaintance. There are certainly no shortage of pubs in Bromyard so maybe this would be a way to go in future festivals. I think you should contact the relevant people and make this kind of positive suggestion - the trouble with this discussion site is that it is not always the best place to air views when you want people to change things.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: G-Force
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 11:17 AM

Venues are a bit of a problem generally at Bromyard. Sound leakage between the various marquees is chronic. The football club is not much good for sessions or singarounds, being a narrow L-shape, with the bar in the inside corner of the 'L'. The Falcon Mews is nice for an unamplified concert or workshop, but the Thursday concert had a sound system which was awful.

Still, I mostly had a good time. The weather spoilt the atmosphere somewhat (not much incentive to cart instruments about when it's raining and muddy underfoot). Saw some new (to me) acts which I liked, including Angles and Lemonade Sally's trio. Rosie Doonan was just an insult, fancy putting that on main stage on Saturday night.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: GUEST,JennyO
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 10:17 AM

Paul, I can shove my way with the best of them, but as far as we could see, there wouldn't have been anywhere to sit when we got there, so we couldn't see much point in that. Sorry we missed your folk club on Sunday - Rob went to a melodeon workshop while I checked out the craft fair, and what with lunch and getting chatting with friends, followed by a concert they were in, there wasn't time for anything else. I certainly don't think the festival should forgo doing the folk clubs! As I said before, I think they are a Good Thing. What a shame you didn' t have more people!

For singing sessions, I think that what happens in Sidmouth is a good model. There is a designated pub - in the case of Sidmouth it is the Middle Bar at the Anchor - and a tin is passed around at every session for donations. All we need is one pub that is willing to have the sessions, and some promotion so that people know where to go if they want a singaround. There are already regular tune sessions in the Falcon, so the same thing could be done in another pub for those who enjoy unaccompanied singing!

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Hesk
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 07:15 AM

I agree with JennyO about Kitty and Derek, I have been to Swanage, when it didn't clash, and the singaround in the Lion is very well run.
At Grove (White Horse Festival), on the Friday evening, they managed to fit in 50 singers, with no-one left out, they even remembered my name!
At the same festival Tony and Pearl O'Neill ran cracking sessions in the pub, as usual.
Dave and Kate Guest may run a small festival, but it has a terrific atmosphere, so well done to them.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Paul Davenport
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 06:58 AM

JennyO wrote, 'I like the idea of the Folk Club format in a festival. It can give people unfamiliar to those an idea of how they work, and the atmosphere is more intimate, It was a good venue too, with good acoustics.'
Again, we were scheduled to run the Festival Folk Club on Sunday afternoon. Audience were once again conspicuous by their absence. We suggested to the other artists that we should just swop songs rather than do spots. This worked really well. We all did our allotted time and every member of the audience got to sing, in some cases more than once.
Now I don't particularly like running these things. Liz and I are not MCs and generally MCs are not booked to do 40 minute sets in concerts, but…I would welcome some insight into what kind of festival should basically forgo running these events and simply allow the venues to be taken over by a non-paying fringe. If this doesn't make any sense (and it doesn't to me) then why are these events that the festival runs, so poorly supported. Personally, if I want to get into a room, I do as mother taught me, say 'Excuse me!' and then politely shove my way in.
Bromyard is a festival that I attend as a punter if I'm not booked, it is lively and inclusive. I'm truly sorry that others do not share this experience. – Paul

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: JennyO
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 06:00 AM

Well, Hesk, maybe we'll bump into you at Swanage next year, and I believe we will get some singing done there. You are guaranteed a fair go with Kitty and Derek running the sessions.

About the Football club - we actually aren't particularly shy in sessions, but on Friday night, I don't think it was meant to be an open session. Jim Mageean and Graeme Knights did pretty much all of the singing, and we joined in, sitting right up the back near the bar. This is fine for some people, and for us a lot of the time, but we do like to hear different voices and have the opportunity to contribute ourselves.

On Saturday night, we could see the circle off in the distance, but we couldn't see any empty seats there, or get close enough to hear the singing properly. It would have been drowned out by the noise at the bar. Maybe if we had been prepared to wait a few hours for the crowd to thin out, we might have been able to move closer, but it was already after midnight, and we decided to cut our losses and go.

Just in case we are starting to sound like whingers, there were enough good things about the festival that we liked, to feel that it was still a good weekend.

Concert standouts for us were Show of Hands on Friday night, and Belshazzar's Feast and the Watersons on Saturday night. I also popped out at one stage and heard a bit of Whapweasel in the Ceilidh tent, and wished I could hear more, There was also a very enjoyable concert in the Arts Centre tent on Sunday afternoon which finished up with some rather rousing union songs. Plenty of opportunity to join in there.

Other things I liked were the Morris dancing displays, the Folk Club upstairs in the Falcon Mews on Saturday, where I actually did manage to get a floor spot, and the standard all the way through was good, and the tune sessions in the Falcon were good as always.

I like the idea of the Folk Club format in a festival. It can give people unfamiliar to those an idea of how they work, and the atmosphere is more intimate, It was a good venue too, with good acoustics.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Hesk
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 05:32 AM

I do think that JennyO has a point about the singarounds on site.
I come from Hampshire, and over the years the friends I used to go with, have found other things to do.
I am , therefore, dependent on being invited to join it at various venues, and being recognized by folkies who I hav'n't seen for a year. This year, on site, this hasn't happened, and in the Football Club, in particular, I did notice some very tight, closed circles, where people outside of the circle were not welcome, or invited to contribute , despite joining in the choruses.
I am sure they do not mean to be rude, but they could be a little more thoughtful towards those who are not in a large group, or a dance side. I think that most people find singing in public a little nerve wracking, so a little more consideration would go a long way.
I too am considering Swanage next year.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: JennyO
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 07:51 PM

Paul, we went to the Watersons concert, and straight after we went to the football club. As we walked in, we could see some people in a circle at the other end of the room, but couldn't get anywhere near because of the other people sitting in the seats in rows and the noisy bar. We sat for a while, hoping to get somewhere near the circle, but gave up because of the crowding and the noise.

On Friday night, as far as I could see there was the same noisy bar and rows of seats and the same 2 or 3 people leading all the singing at the other end of the room. We were lucky to get a seat just inside the door.

My idea of a session, for a start (and I am talking particularly about a singing session) is a situation where everyone sits around the room where they can be seen/heard by whoever is running the session, and where possible, everyone has a turn in singing at least one song if they want to. In other words, a singaround.

It sounds like if we had been prepared to forego the Watersons, we might have made it to the circle, but by the time we got there, we couldn't get anywhere near it. I'm not saying this is your fault at all. Obviously you were doing the best you could, but a long fairly narrow room with the singing circle at the far end with a noisy bar and rows of seats to get past just doesn't work IMO.

Noreen, every time we walked past the beer tent, we could only hear Irish music. On Friday night, we left the festival site after spending about an hour in the football club, probably about 1am. I guess the singing in the beer tent must have started after that.

Tonight, around 9-9,30pm, apart from a small tune session in one pub, the town looked nearly deserted. Most people were down at the festival site. The final concert was on, there was an Irish sounding session in the beer tent, and the football club was closed.

All I know is that this was a very different Bromyard from the way it was two years ago. There were singing sessions in the Hop Pole almost every time we went in there in 2008. We started this thread, hoping that the singers would find each other. We kept checking to see if anyone knew where there might be one, even tried to start one ourselves. Now after the event, people are saying we missed one here, or there, but that's no use now. It shouldn't be this hard.

Well, maybe somewhere different next year....

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 06:43 PM

Jenny O

There weren't lots of Catters at Swanage... we had good singarounds in the Red Lion, including a few Catters, though.

Swanage and Bromyard have clashed since Bromyard moved from the third weekend in September to the second. I was amazed that there were so many dance sides at Swanage (about 40), because I remember Bromyard as being big on Morris team displays!

Kitty

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: the lemonade lady
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 04:55 PM

But all onsite for ticket holders only. No local people can join in if they don't have a ticket as they can in the pubs.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Noreen
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 03:53 PM

On friday night there was a sing in the beer tent til 3am, I am told.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Paul Davenport
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 03:40 PM

JennyO wrote– 'So far, the only singing we've found are organised 'sessions' in the Football Club, and the only singers are the organisers. We poor cattle at the back are expected to just join in. Not MY idea of a session!!' and then Sal said, 'Something's not right. Why has this happened I wonder? '

I can only reply as I found it. Liz and I were programmed to run, and I quote, 'A music and song session' starting at 11.15pm in the Football Club. We arrived early expecting to have to join in to an existing session as we did last year. The place was relatively empty. Then we remembered that we were in competition with the Watersons who were on in the main venue at the same time. We duly started as timetabled and, for around twenty minutes we struggled to keep anything going. Liz was suffering from a streaming cold and so we were over the moon when anyone took the initiative or responded to our pleas for someone else to lead a song. (The less we had to do the better) Despite this the empty seats at the front remained empty and the small band of stalwarts at the front sang chorus song after chorus song. By midnight the place was starting to fill up and more singers and musicians appeared. We were massively grateful to Sue, Gavin, Kirsty, Esther, Ken, Tom and several other un-named individuals who supported us. Special thanks to the Kingsmen who came and gave us a welcome break with some excellent rapper. The numerous instrumentalists who appeared didn't play despite the lead given at the start. A few tunes would have been more than welcome.
This was most assuredly not a singaround, it was a session (exclusively song as it happened) and people contributed as and when they felt able. Our job was to start it and then keep it going.
We all had a great night and Liz and I left a thriving session at around 12.45am.
So what's your idea of a session?

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: GUEST,worcs wanderer
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 02:42 PM

Hesk said: "I feel that many festival goers now regard Bromyard town, at night as a threatening place, and this was mentioned to me by a member of the staff at the Rose and Lion. He said it was caused by locals, and was a year round problem."

I heard from a regular attendee at a local session that the session skipped a night a couple of months ago because the pub had to close for a while after some football fans seriously misbehaved there in the afternoon.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: GUEST,EOFFCM49
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 01:54 PM

TRY ROSS ON WYE

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: GUEST,JennyO
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 12:03 PM

We saw the Watersons last night too. Yes, definitely an historic occasion! We also enjoyed Belshazzars Feast.

We did notice some rowdy locals around the streets on Friday night - other than those, the streets were almost deserted.

I also heard that there were a number of robberies that night, done by a well organised team of robbers - not locals. I have certainly noticed a strong police presence.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Hesk
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 10:38 AM

The Rose and Lion had a pleasant sing around on Friday, mainly a club from Norfolk, the "leader" asked if I would like to sing after a few moments, even though he did not know me. This fizzled out towards late afternoon, as beer, at £2.00 a pint, was too tempting. There was also a music session going on.
I feel that many festival goers now regard Bromyard town, at night as a threatening place, and this was mentioned to me by a member of the staff at the Rose and Lion. He said it was caused by locals, and was a year round problem.
For this reason, and others, the Festival site is very well packed at night.
A highlight, for me, was an 8 person Watersons set on Saturday night. This was fantastic, and felt like an historical occasion.

I have never seen intimidating behavior on the site, in over 20 years, just a little skylarking, from time to time.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: GUEST,JennyO
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 08:41 AM

One of the reasons would probably be not having the Hop Pole any more. Others I will go into later.....

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: GUEST,JennyO
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 08:38 AM

Perhaps they all went to Swanage. We are thinking we might do that next year too.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: the lemonade lady
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 08:15 AM

Something's not right. Why has this happened I wonder?
Sal

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: JennyO
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 05:32 AM

I agree absolutely, Sal. Well we'll still be at the Crown and Sceptre today from midday in case anyone wants to come and sing. So far, the only singing we've found are organised 'sessions' in the Football Club, and the only singers are the organisers. We poor cattle at the back are expected to just join in. Not MY idea of a session!!

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: the lemonade lady
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 03:49 AM

I can't decide what caused this. Yes, the kids do react this way; excitement about a festival in town, pubs cashing in and making cheaper drinks available. Kids showing off and being territorial. I dare say over the generations it's always been the same, but where are the session players? Can't they afford to come this year? Is it that the festival has somehow managed to keep everyone down on the site? Has this become an 'us and them' situation? There's usually a core of people who only come for the fringe, are they not there? I remember not being able to get into a pub for singers and musicians, and there being 'lock-ins'. Last night was not a typical Bromyard fest Saturday night.
Sal

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: My guru always said
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 02:33 AM

That's a shame Sal, but I'm sure there must be more to this year's fringe at Bromyard than that, surely! Always difficult with young people & drink whenever they hear tell of a Festival in their neighbourhood, we've seen that at a few festivals over the years. But that's not the Festival's fault, I blame the parents!!!

Wish we could have got along this year, maybe next year...
Hils

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: the lemonade lady
Date: 11 Sep 10 - 07:06 PM

Usually during a festival at 10.30 at night, the pubs are heaving with music sessions and singarounds, Bromyard especially. The only heaving going on was the local drunken youths; shouting, swearing, echoing off the buildings and down the streets; smashing plastic glasses in the gutters. It was appalling! We went around to all the pubs but only a couple of half hearted musicians were playing in one or two, and that was 'Dreeeeeem' Everly Brothers! What's happened? One pub had locked it's doors and closed. I came home. So is that it then, Bromyard?
Sal

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: GUEST,JennyO
Date: 11 Sep 10 - 12:41 PM

If anyone would like a sing tomorrow (Sunday), Rob and I will be at the Crown and Sceptre from midday. Any other interested singers?

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: Hesk
Date: 09 Sep 10 - 01:35 PM

Has anyone ever been on Thursday (Today)? Are the facilities up and working, and does anything go on in the evening?

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: GUEST,Connie
Date: 09 Sep 10 - 03:59 AM

Weather update again - oh yee of little faith Dave. Forecast this morning shows sunshine, sunshine, sunshine. Maybe my wellies will be redundant. Now, where did I leave my sun hat?

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: GUEST,Connie
Date: 08 Sep 10 - 01:40 PM

Site crew tell me that the local radio weather forecast is expecting good weather. Who knows? We'll have a great time whatever the weather.

Subject: RE: Bromyard anyone?
From: GUEST,Connie
Date: 08 Sep 10 - 10:18 AM

Don't be too pessimistic Dave. This forecast has changed since I looked at it this morning. What we had in the year of the Mud was an already waterlogged field plus a torrential downpour on the Friday afternoon which wiped out most major roads from Bradford to Hereford. The field isn't waterlogged this year and the current forecast is for "light rain" and there's time for it to go back to sunshine and showers. I'll be taking my wellies though, just in case.