So hard to know where to start after four days in the grounds of Larmer Tree as there was so much music on offer and like all festivals, you miss more than you see which makes the whole experience so communal.

Thursday was the start of the festival proper after Jools et al and I’d marked my programme with ‘must sees’. Courtney Pine was superb live. The last time I saw him was many years ago and he seemed a bit too jazzy stiff then. This is a much different Pine, full of confidence and covering a whole load of styles of jazz as if to match the huge lion printed on his shirt. 60s soul power, acid jazz, Monk’s ‘Round Midnight’. ‘Take 5’, reggae and even some Mahavishnu-style jazz fusion (with the blistering Omar Puente on electric violin). It was well hot.

They had clearly gone to bed a bit early than me by the look of them as they had all the spirit of the previous day (even if Mum did have a bit of a bad finger; Lewis suitably admonished by Mum for revealing such a thing)

“I’m Billy Bragg from Barking”, said Bard Billy and, as ever, he’s top value at an event like this. He even popped back to appear with Ozomatli from LA. The trombone player told me, “If you like Antibalas, you’ll like us.” Well I know what he means but they struggled to take band of the day as in the Big Top, there was the heat that is the Balkan Beat Box. Think of a Balkan version of Soil & ;Pimp” Sessions. Now that is hot!

After that, there was no way I could take advantage of a late evening in Club Larmer or the Social and decided to avoid early festival burn out.

Friday saw the Trojan Sound System on the beautiful Garden Stage celebrating 40 years of Trojan Records. Selector Earl Gateshead was joined by Chuckie Banton (Vocals) and MC Jah that went through loads of old classics like original versions of ‘Rivers Of Babylon’ and ‘Red, Red Wine’, ‘The Liquidator’, ‘54-46’ and well as some “Rebel Music for positivity”. Not quite hot enough to make the sun shine though.

Somehow managed to miss Doreen Thobekile and Transglobal Underground — who I was told were both excellent but, even more trombone stole the show. Los De Abajo have apparently been on the organisers wish list for some time and they didn’t disappoint on the Main Stage. Not sure they needed a 6-string bass(!) but these guys had funk, reggae, ska, hip hop, salsa and a great sense of fun; enough to make you jump for joy.

Suitably on a high, I checked our beloved DJ Chris Pedley on the decks in Club Larmer and then Le Vagabond Boogaloo Club ‘til the early hours.

This meant, I had to pace myself on Saturday. Lunchtime on the Main Stage, Daby Balde was a perfect start to the day as the sun shined on the Senegalese singer and his band. But nothing can prepare you for the medieval future of Circulus. Spotted at Folk Brittania last year, these guys bring electric guitars and a Moog Prodigy to The Borgias’ soundtrack. Suitably dress in hats and robes of medieval 70s focus of Moogmania, their future hit, ‘Power To The Pixies’ has a strong hint of Spinal Tap about it (unless you’re Cornish). In the evening Kissmet and Dreadzone were on the Main Stage but I went to the small Acc tent for an entertaining experimental set by Thomas Truax, the ‘dance’ set of Circulus and the youthful sibling 50s rockabilly (it’s coming back, more to come on this soon), country, swing and rock’n’roll.

Sunday began for me on the main lawn with Kitty, Daisy & Lewis for a second time. They had clearly gone to bed a bit early than me by the look of them as they had all the spirit of the previous day (even if Mum did have a bit of a bad finger; Lewis suitably admonished by Mum for revealing such a thing). Racing through all the hits of yesterday, the only noticeable difference I spotted was Daisy’s beatbox bit in ‘Blue Moon Of Kentucky’ and an even more magnificent harmonica on ‘Got My Mojo Workin’ by Kitty.

I admit I didn’t see much of Amy Winehouse’s favourite support band, The Rumble Strips but their cover of ‘Rehab’ is good (not so sure about ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’) and they clearly satisfied the younger folks in the crowd. And fair play to them for chatting with the fans after the show. After a bit of a pre-carnival lull as everyone prepared to show off their hard work from the workshop events (which was indeed very creative), all the way from Tennessee (via Germany), Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike displayed their multi-talented instrumental “turbo folkabilly bluegrass”. World music and festival stalwarts, Baka Beyond appeared as an expanded group with Baka Gbiné. This was a bit of a surprise and featured some of the tracks recorded on their album in the forests of south east Cameroon. They’ve got appearances coming up in London (Bush Hall, Brixton and Ealing Global Festival), Amsterdam and Belgium. Probably the best dancing on stage we’d seen and, after them workshops, in the crowd too.

On the basis of saving the best ‘til last, Easy Star All-Stars were being touted as the band to see all week with their reggae take of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon and Radiohead’s OK Computer. Was there time to get to the other fields’ Big Top stage to see the Voodoo Trombone Quartet? Just about and they were brilliant, those kids in Madness’ ‘Baggy Trousers’ video have grown up. These were the guys that led out the carnival, but on stage they were in their suits, red shirts (one blouse) and matching Fez hats. ‘The Phantom’ is typical acid jazz ska and it’s as if there’s some sort of kinetic voodoo going on the tent packs out as they get through their set, ‘Swing & Roundabouts’, ‘Major Taylor Bicyclist’, a tribute to J-lo and a version of ‘Hey You, The Rock Steady Crew’ and ‘Monster Island’. But nothing quite prepares you for their version of the Sugarbabes’ ‘Destination’, it’s like the last train to skaville has been fitted with rocket engines. This is the hot club de Fez and after an encore of ‘The Phantom’ (fast version), it was time to dash back to see Easy Star All-Stars. Voodoo Trombone Wooohahh!

Perhaps it was because VTQ were so dynamic, the All-Stars suffered a bit in comparison. The musicianship was spot on; note for note the sax solo on ‘Money’, lots of dry ice and enough lighting equipment to satisfy any Nick Mason fan. Perhaps it was the dread in the pixie hat or the guy next to me in the Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon t-shirt that made it seem slightly odd. Can’t deny it’s a brilliant concept as the Floyd stuff satisfies old folks, younger folks love the sing-a-long ‘Karma Police’. The band wanted to stay on but after a couple of versions of the Stage Managers thanking all and sundry, it was that old man again, the ‘Dangerous’ DJ Derek with his reggae karaoke.

So as DJ Derek plays ‘I Can See Clearly Now’, we can reflect on the four days of fun and merriment in the Wiltshire countryside. Certainly a great time and they’ve put us onto loads of bands to look out for on Fly. Would we go again? Definitely. Did it rain? Definitely. Did it matter? Not a jot. Thank you Larmer Tree people.

Hectic Mix nominations: Los De Abajo, Balkan Beat Box, Voodoo Trombone Quartet

Links:
www.baka.co.uk “If there has to be a definition of world music, this is it” Andy Kershaw
Earl Gateshead at RBMA
Mahavishnu_Orchestra