Culture, Entertainment, Music, Review

Review: Beat-Herder Festival 2017

0 1791

By Neil Harrison
Photography Duke Studios


Where to begin with a review of Beat-Herder Festival? Promising an “orgy of beats and barminess,” this unique, eclectic event delivered in abundance from the outset.

Hitting the ground at full pelt with some quality sets from bands including Good Foxy and the sublimely surreal Henge on Friday, nobody who was there would be able to tell you if the beats or barminess showed any signs of waning until after Dub Pistol’s climactic closing show on Sunday. With a few big name acts and a deranged meat raffle in a 1970s style Labour club along the way, Beat-Herder 2017 had more to take in than you could shake a muddy wizard’s staff at. Here are just a few highlights and some obligatory stuff about the weather.

On the Friday and most of Saturday an omnipresent fine drizzle covered the fields of Sawley, Lancashire, where the sheep had made way for ravers of all ages to don their wellies and enter the unreality of Beat-Herder.

Big names to look out for included Kelis, who seemed well-attuned to the atmosphere and delivered a great set on the opening night, and the legendary Sugarhill Gang who seemed less well-attuned (breaking into an acapella rendition of Bon Jovi at one weird point) but were very enjoyable nevertheless. On the Saturday, Sleaford Mods were on superb form, Jason Williamson at his vitriolic best and engaging in some quality banter with the Beat-Herder locals.

Away from the mainstage, the award for venue of the festival went to Trash Manor, a walled garden-cum-bar-cum-mosh pit that served up some of the surprise best music of the weekend, including Cabbage and the aforementioned Henge (really, really do check them out).

Of the many and varied bizarre Beat-Herder offerings,’Beyond’ is a truly mesmerising experiencing. Entering a rather unassuming doorway, along a muddy tunnel, you suddenly find yourself in a veritable rabbit warren of mini-clubs and bars before emerging into an outdoor rave in full flow. A sensual overload, a maze of musical treats, you could happily get lost and spend an entire weekend in Beyond alone. No doubt some did.

If the underground Beyond was The Shire, then Toil Trees was its Rivendell. Billed as a rave in the woods, Toil Trees in fact delivers so much more. Tattoos for instance, or a haircut. A church? How about a phone box with a secret tunnel? Just off Quality Street, on the Toil Trees stage, DJs such as Pocket Size Dave and Mr Scruff kept the beats coming to a spiritual party in the woods that seemed destined to go on in perpetuity.

On the Final Day, the sun emerged to cast a different light on proceedings. Once more the Fortress stage began to shoot plumes of fire into the sky and quickly filled with revellers. In ‘Factory’, a very funny, if rather bemused, Reginald D. Hunter gave a Sunday afternoon stand up routine to half a crowd of third day festival casualties. The fact that he was in a wheelchair (after recent leg break) only lent an extra surreal edge to the gig.

With regards to the main stage acts, Sunday was the real highlight. The always brilliant Toots and the Maytals provided the momentum for a blistering set from Dub Pistols that drew the biggest crowd of the weekend and saw the festival off in style.

Finally, any review of Beat-Herder would be remiss without a mention for the Beat-Herder and District Working Mens Social Club. By far the best place to grab a pint, with its anti-Thatcher banners, friendly bar staff, fruit machines and pictures of working class luminaries (Jim Bowen, Seth from Emmerdale et al), if the outside world all got a little too much, as it often did, the BDWMSC provided much needed anachronistic comfort.

The overwhelming sense upon leaving Beat-Herder, is one of “did that just happen?” Frenzied, yet friendly, overwhelming and truly, truly wonderful, happen Beat-Herder 2017 did. And it was brilliant. Roll on 2018.

About the author / 

Humanity Hallows

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More News Stories:

  • World Book Day: Manchester’s best literary hangout spots

    Featured image: Edward Firman There is no better combination than a good book and a hot cup of coffee; it’s the ultimate feeling of cosiness no matter the season. However, there’s something comforting about rainy days in Manchester, when the skies are gloomy and you stumble upon an independent bookstore. Over the years, bookstores have…

  • The Resurgence of Female Pop Power: 5 female artists touring the UK in 2025

    Featured image: Evie Gledhill By Evie Gledhill Last year, some of the biggest names in music toured the UK. From global superstars Taylor Swift and Beyonce to breakthrough artists like Chappell Roan and The Last Dinner Party, we saw the revival of strong female pop icons in the music industry. And at a time when…

  • Manchester Metropolitan kicks off GoGlobal Week 2025

    Featured image: Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Met is set to launch GoGlobal Week on Monday, a celebration of the University’s diverse global community and a platform to support students to prepare for international opportunities and careers. Running from Monday 3rd to Friday 7th March, the week-long programme features expert panels, workshops and interactive events with…

  • Manchester-based coffee magazine Dial In launches @ Altogether Otherwise – “An incredible event supporting a really great scene”

    Featured image and photography: Adrianos Falkonakis Manchester coffee lovers gathered at Altogether Otherwise on February 13th to celebrate the debut launch of Dial In magazine. A passion project created by Manchester Met alumni Ania Klekot and Elliot Howard, Dial In is the newest addition to Manchester’s independent publishing scene, bringing a fresh voice to the…