The festival kicked off with Radio Tarifa playing through the sunset in this Gloucestershire gorge, bringing their trademark blend of flamenco and Arabic influences spiced with ancient and new instruments. Had this been WOMAD, you would never have got close but at this friendly smaller scale festival it was easy to get right up front and enjoy the gig.

Adding spectacle to musical innovation, the Matthew Herbert Orchestra topped the night off at the main stage to an appreciative audience. The festival had begun in style and revellers made their way back to the tents or, as we did, found the well-hidden Wychwood Club where Fly man Phil Meadley played a storming set of club sounds and Arabesque.

He was followed by Nikki Lucas who cut, mixed and span her way through afrobeat, Latin and a dozen other styles of global dance music to top the night off perfectly.

On Saturday night, Mory Kanté got everyone dancing with tracks mainly from his new album Sabou. Of course he did an encore with 'Yéké Yéké' to an ecstatic crowd. He followed Eliza Carthy's folk with attitude. Steve Earle finished off the mainstage for the night while Gilles Peterson played an excellent set in the second stage tent.

Just before writing this, we heard that there will be a Wychwood Festival next year. It has been a wonderful experience and a guilty pleasure to have bands of this calibre without huge crowds.

Show of Hands were the last gig I saw and they were enough to convert me to folk, Rita Ray and Max Reinhard DJing and Alabama 3 played later but I was driving back home by then...

Until next year!

Links:
See Wychwood Festival in pictures on Flykr