This the story of my 2012 Wivenhoe May Fair. Other people's mileage may of course vary.
Since moving to Wivenhoe the town’s annual May Fair on the
King George V playing field has been one of my favourite days of the year. When
my children were younger May Fair day was a day for their mother and I to pack us
up a picnic, some cold beers and a bottle or two of wine, not forgetting of
course soft drinks for the little ones, then meeting up with friends for an
afternoon of browsing the stalls and basking in the sun. The kids, armed with a
few quid from mum and dad would excitedly come and go from our little base of
blankets on the grass armed with ice creams and other purchases such a necklaces
and bracelets that were usually broken by the next morning. I even remember one
year in those heady days a little enclosure at the top of the field where
little kids could have endless fun knocking nails into scraps of wood with
hammers and nails kindly provided by the people running the attraction. I shudder
to think of the potential injuries and what a health and safety officer would
have to say about that today!
Oh yes, there was also some music going on somewhere down
the bottom of the field, but that was never really on our radar back then.
Fast forward a few years and the kids are now teenagers,
hanging out on May Fair day with their teenage friends, and dad is now more
interested in the music than having a
picnic. This is due in part to the amazing musical talent available these days
from the Wivenhoe and Colchester areas, and that, at least in my perception,
our May Fair has in recent years evolved into more of a mini festival. It’s
certainly not the same event that we used to let the kids wander around on
their own with the words “Make sure you stay together… “ ringing in their ears.
After the problems of last year, which have been well
documented and don’t need rehashing here, the organisers, in their collective
wisdom, decided to turn back the clock and try to take the fair back towards its
original peace festival roots. So, for its 30th Anniversary, the May
Fair was taken from its usual bank holiday Monday slot and moved to Saturday,
on a different weekend, in an attempt to keep the numbers more manageable. To
help turn back the clock a ‘70s vibe’ fancy
dress theme was announced, and the musical talent was drawn primarily from
Wivenhoe rather than, as happened last year, using big names from Colchester to
swell the crowd.
Arriving around 12.30 my first port of call was to catch up
with old friend Dave Beard who I heard would be setting up his stall on the
King George V. Sure enough Beardy was there and it was good to see him back
behind his stall doing what he loves.
 |
| Beardy on his stall |
After browsing the other stalls, and stopping for a chat
with friends Patrick Auer and Jo Weatherall on their stall selling jewellery and
watches, a hearty lunch of Jamaican food followed, curried goat with rice and a
fish patty, which was consumed before heading down to the Tree Stage in time to
catch local favourites Hobo Chang, a band that never fails to deliver, and yep,
you guessed it, to the delight of their home crowd they delivered with their
usual earthy mix of blues, jazz, reggae and ska.
Now, there’s three Colchester bands that I love to see
whenever I get the opportunity… Surfquake, Animal Noise and Dingus Khan, and
wouldn’t you just know it but the May Fair’s lovely organisers had seen fit put
two of them on. So first up were the Animal Noise boys, Jack (Drums), Birdy
(Bass and vocals) and Josh (Guitar and vocals) who served us up a blinding set of
their distinctive bruised battered and beaten acoustic dance tunes which had a
large crowd at the front dancing in the baking sun like their lives depended on
it. Thankfully local legend Martin Newell was on hand to compere between the
acts and made a point of reminding them to drink plenty of water and stay
hydrated. Wise words Martin.
If you would like to find out more about Animal Noise you can
read my interview with them from the November 2011 issue of Colchester 101
magazine. Read it here.
Next up, and all the way from Kentucky in the good ole US of
A, was Buddy Lee Dickens. Animal Noise are a tough act to follow and that stage
must have seemed like a big, empty space after Martin had introduced him and
left him alone on it, but Buddy made it his own, delighting the crowd with his
take on the theme to Spiderman, the self-penned Root Beer, and even had people running
to the stage to dance when he launched into the theme to the hit TV show The
Big Bang Theory. Totally awesome dude.
A trip to the bar followed to refill my thermal insulated
mug that was the envy of many who spotted me sipping my ice cold beer from it.
This baby mug holds two bottles’ worth of beer… next year I’m bringing its
brother, the mighty Big Red Mug that can hold the contents of four cans of Carlsberg
and keep it the same temperature it came out of the fridge for the afternoon.
Goodtimes.
If you would like to read my interview with Swell, aka
New Model Army’s Nelson, from January’s Colchester 101 magazine click here.
A trip up to the Sunrise Stage followed to catch the amazing Rhonda Merrick, a prolific blues and soul singer / songwriter hailing from New
Orleans, Louisiana. Rhonda’s presence was a real coup for the May Fair and
those lucky enough to be in the packed tent knew they were listening to someone
with a very special talent as she delighted all assembled.
To round off the afternoon it was back to the
Tree Stage again to catch funkateer and soulsmith Greg Blackman’s set. I’ve
seen Greg perform a couple of times before, once in Colchester’s Circle Bar and
a few weeks later in the front bar of the Bull on Crouch Street, and was very
curious about what this incredibly talented and charismatic musician was going
to bring to the main stage of a big outdoor event. Well… Greg owned it, smashed
it, nailed it, and all the other clichés… he did the lot of them! For the next half
hour or so it was Greg’s stage, and he was up there having the time of his life
in the blazing May sunshine showing the crowd, which down at the front of the stage was growing by the minute, just what to expect when you are in the presence of true
talent. For many who had seen his name on the line up but weren’t sure what Greg Blackman was going to be all about this turned out to be the
highlight of their day, and it may not be too long before Greg is achieving the
huge success and recognition he deserves and they are telling people how lucky
they were to see him for free at the Wivenhoe May Fair.
If you want to read my interview with Greg in the
April 2011 issue of Colchester 101 magazine click here
 |
| The crowd, including members of the New Town Kings,watching Greg Blackman's set |
And that was it for me. Time to make the
short walk home, put my feet up and apply lashings of aftersun to my sunburned neck.
Great Pics Simon....
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'm glad you like them.
ReplyDelete