Despite the unpredictable British weather, Bearded Theory 2024 proved to be a fantastic weekend of music and merriment. With an excellent line up, which included several of Notts' own talented bands, revellers were not deterred by a bit of mud during the four-day extravaganza...
Any UK festival goer will agree that a weekend in a field can look very different depending on the weather. It was wellies at the ready after an unfortunate deluge of rainfall in the days preceding Bearded Theory had us preparing for a wet weekend, but in true British style (despite still trudging through the mud) the sun ended up gracing us with its presence each day, and the evening gave us some spectacular sunsets.
We regretfully missed the mighty Henge on Wednesday, who, having seen numerous times I can firmly say, were an excellent choice of band to welcome revellers into the festival spirit. On Thursday however, the music starts at 1pm - so if you like your festivals long, you can enjoy a whole extra day of music to settle in. Arriving classically late however, we still got to catch both SPRINTS and Soft Play. Both are bands I’d not seen before and did not disappoint - once again affirming my belief that festivals are the best place to expand your musical horizons.
There was also a bit of exploring to be done - one of my favourite parts of a festival. Along with the main Pallet stage and the generously sized Meadow tent, there are a few little pockets to find; adorned with a giant pink octopus, the Maui Waui tent presented some enticing ska and raucous brass; Coda brought some superb electronic sets all weekend; and in the Earth area you could do everything from whittle a pipe and learn macramé to yoga and massage.
The sun dappled Woodland Stage was also very much worth a wander, with Slamboree Soundsystem bringing hula hoopers to the stage, along with an appearance from Beans on Toast
I particularly enjoyed the weirdness of the Convoy Cabaret stage, which presented some gritty punk with My Bad Blunder, and the wonderful carnivalesque nightmare that was Anarchistwood, whose stage outfits resembled that of an 80s club kid. The sun dappled Woodland Stage was also very much worth a wander, with Slamboree Soundsystem bringing hula hoopers to the stage, along with an appearance from Beans on Toast, plus the mighty Big Special, who set the world to rights with their candid and comical punk lyrics in on Sunday. This really was a perfect sizing for a festival, making it easy to zip to see the next act quickly or nip to the loo without losing your friends.
Friday brought us an array of genres, from Dexy’s Kevin Rowland, who performed classics such as Geno and Come on Eileen whilst looking like a suave Frank Sinatra on holiday in Cuba, to The Lambrini Girls absolutely killing it in the Meadow tent with their middle finger to the patriarchy punk. Followed by Bis and Panic Shack, this was a brilliant female-heavy triple bill, but I couldn’t help but think one of the three definitely deserved a later main stage slot. Headlining the night were Future Islands, who delivered wonderful stage presence with some heartfelt synth pop. Strangely however, at least a few people I spoke to noted singer Samuel Herring appeared to be singing backwards, which certainly added a little mystique to the performance, but may very well have been a consequence of the devil's nectar.
As a dance fix nightcap, the night was topped off with DJ sets by Leeroy Thornhill of The Prodigy and Roni Size, who both played in the gorgeously lit Coda tent, which at times reminded me of Van Gogh’s Starry Night with its layered projections and strobes.
The highlight of the day however, was undoubtedly Bob Vylan, who drew a huge crowd to the Pallet Stage. I’m constantly impressed how this band balances their utter loveliness and positive messaging on stage with their eloquent fury within their lyrics towards widespread inequality. As at many of their gigs, frontman Bobby at one point asked the men at the front to make space for women and non-binary people to enjoy the furore of being in the centre of things, without the worry of being squished, grabbed or smashed into. This was an invitation many seemed to welcome - and a mark of inclusiveness that should be standard in these times. They are a powerhouse to be reckoned with and will certainly be climbing festival bills over the coming years.
On Saturday we awoke to gorgeous sunshine, and thankfully the ground began to dry up in time for us to start ploughing the field again. In the Meadow tent we caught Nottingham band Do Nothing, who have had lots of national radio plays in the last few years and reminded me somewhat of The Divine Comedy. A good little tip off and a band I’m going to explore on record and back in Notts for sure. Sleaford Mods thrilled and bemused in their usual method on the Pallet stage, followed by Jane’s Addiction. I’ve always enjoyed a few of their songs, and perhaps you had to be there as a fan in the 80s and 90s, but after a few particularly crass jokes from the stage we moved on to seek out something a little more in keeping with modern values.
Ferocious Dog, another Notts band, with the good time nature of multi instrumental folk-punk, were a perfect fit for a Sunday afternoon, were followed by the hypnotic Dry Cleaning, who played a mesmerising set with a backdrop of hazy sunshine and epic summer clouds
Suddenly it was Sunday, and we’re all feeling thoroughly at home in our wild festival abandon. Sunday is dress up day at Bearded, and with this year's theme being retro future, the festival was suddenly awash with robots, silver space people and a variety of kitchen foil created costumes. We caught a bit of English Teacher before heading over to Ferocious Dog, another Notts band and with the good time nature of multi instrumental folk-punk, a perfect fit for a Sunday afternoon, and some high energy class from Gentlemen's Dub Club. They were followed by the hypnotic Dry Cleaning, who played a mesmerising set with a backdrop of hazy sunshine and epic summer clouds. Then, after this moment of serene, what better way to end the festival with the wonderful noise that is Amyl & The Sniffers? Loud, unrestrained, and gritty, if you’ve wondered where rock n roll has gone in the past ten years, look no further.
The final thing I’ll say is that Bearded Theory is one of the friendliest festivals I’ve been to - and very accommodating for audiences too. The staff were helpful, the showers were free, there was an excellent range of food traders and a decent supply of drinks on the bar (including, I was delighted to see, Notts brewery Black Iris with their own bar!), plus short queuing times for food, drinks and loos. These are all things that make a muddy weekend much more manageable (particularly as one gets a little older and craves those creature comforts). With the site being just an hour away from Nottingham, I will be sure to get tickets again next year.
Bearded Theory took place between 23 - 26 May 2024 at Catton Hall, Derbyshire.
beardedtheory.co.uk
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