June 29th to July 1st, Friday to Sunday, Ribble Valley in Lancashire welcomed the Beat-Herder Festival. For the month of June the weather was miserable but happy faces were all around, as the festivalgoers were certainly in good spirit this year.
The majority of the people there were wearing some kind of fancy dress themed out fit. We had a lot of Avatars with bright blue 
faces, scary clowns and even Chewbacca from Star Wars. A few crocodiles and people dressed as old grannies 
pretending to be stuck in 
the mud with the zimmer frames.
The music was fantastic, with a great line up this year. Some of the bands were back for the second or third time and it wasn’t surprising. The crowd hugely welcomed all acts. The interaction between the band and the audience was pretty powerful.
It was certainly a festival of lovers. A few gentle mud fights prevailed but ended up with a hug.
Saturday, June 30th
King Charles, 18:30 – 19:30
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King Charles went down very well on the centre stage. By the time the band took to the stage, the combination of alcohol and the vibe generated by the warm up acts seemed to have energized the crowd.
The front man resembled a young prince, a self-assured and enigmatic presence. There was a very theatrical element to King Charles’ performance. The lead singer and guitarist commanded the stage by inviting audience participation. Lady Percy got the crowd going at times, meandering into arrangement resembling Paul Simon’s Graceland era.
The lyrics were whimsical and eccentric, but as a whole the tracks were very well refined and you got the feeling that these songs have been bubbling away for sometime.
King Charles is a very proficient musician; at times pulling out some hair metal tapping guitar techniques.
A few songs from the set included:
“We Didn’t Start the Fire” was a nice post-modern blend of the original classic, with additional lyrics from political events that have happened in more recent years. As the lead singer sang, he requested that the audience, “Stamp their feet like beat – herders.”
Returning for a second year in a row, King Charles seemed to be a crowd pleaser.
The Whip, 21:00 – 22:00
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Another band returning to Beat-Herder was The Whip. With a set of pulsating rhythms synthetic textures, multi layered arpeggios, they had a very confidant set spurred on by the frontman. This three-piece projected a huge sound, albeit helped along by pre-programmed samples. The relentlessness of the driving rhythm section kept the Beat-Herder audience on their feet and the energy level high, musically at times sounding like a more commercial pivot, Vangelis and New Order.
The frontman never let up on the crowd throughout the set and passionately asked for displays of unity. This band seems very well suited to festival audience. This Oldham/Manchester three-piece may just have won over some new fans.
Stand out tracks included “Secret Weapon” and “Keep or Delete/Trash”.
Orbital, 23:00 – 23:55
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“What a wicked festival this is!” said Orbital‘s Paul Hartnoll, after they took to the stage with their customary headgear.
The nineties electronica greats are now back on the festival and live circuit after a break, with a new album Wonky (QRO review). It seemed this duo of brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll have not lost any of their skill in creating addictive melodic techno. The air is filled with thick sounding 303 synth baselines and crisp sounding 808 drum machines.
Orbital always seemed at home in this type of environment, and although not much to look at apart from some, the at-times dated-looking visuals the crowd seemed to get lost in the music.
The new material played that night was not too much of a departure of their old stuff, although you could hear some nods to the current dub-step genre.
Set list
Halcyon
D/R/U/G/S, 23:00 – 00.00
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Hidden deep inside a small wood laid a tent filled with electronic beats from D/R/U/G/S. The crowd were entranced by the music. They seemed as if they had been hypnotised as they swayed consistently to the tracks.
It was part ambient house, mixed with techno infusing vocal cut up techniques that are in fashion at the moment. A visual artist was with him that night doing live visuals on the fly.
You could hear elements of James Holden and the Border Community label in the music, at times sounding like an up-tempo Orb. The forest setting for this kind of set was perfect.
As with these kind of artist there wasn’t much of a performance, just the occasional drum trigger utilizing a series of Roland’s samplers and a mixer.
Sunday, July 1st
The weather was getting better, with a lot less rain than yesterday. Everyone who recovered from staying up until 04.00 was listening to Nathan Fake in the woods, but they were all eagerly waiting to see Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry.
Kitten & The Hip, 18:30-19:30
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Formed only last year in Brighton, Kitten & The Hip had electro-swing and more. They were followed by the Beat-Herder ‘Battle of the Bands’ winner.
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The Beat, 19:45 – 20:45
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With frontman Ranking Roger, original vocalist and toaster with The Beat, the positive energy and vibration that has always surrounded the band continued to channel through. Having enjoyed success along the way with General Public and Big Audio Dynamite, Ranking’s timeless and honest performances epitomised the free spirit that never fails to leave dance halls swaying.
Also on vocals was Murphy ‘Ranking Jnr’. Ranking Jnr’s vocal fluidity and ability left no one in any question of a prodigal son in brilliant form.
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, 21:15- 22:15
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Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry, 20 March 1936, Kendal, Jamaica) is a musician and producer who has been influential in the development and acceptance of reggae and dub music in Jamaica and overseas. He employs numerous pseudonyms, such as Pipecock Jackxon and The Upsetter.
At Beat-Herder he had an amazing stage presence, as women in the audience began to throw their bras and knickers towards Perry as he lit up a join on stage. He described how he appreciated the form of women and how he wouldn’t be alive to day if it were not for breast and pussy. Laugher and gasps of surprise come from the crowd!
Perry even asked the audience if he is allowed to light his spliff, from which the crowd all cheered.
