LARMER TREE FESTIVAL, Tollard Royal
APART from a brief shower on the opening night, the 11th Larmer Tree Festival was blessed with ideal weather.
The thousands who made the annual pilgrimage to the beautiful Larmer Tree Gardens were rewarded with four days of scintillating music, from opening duo Gordon Haskell and Hamish Stuart through to closing act Pronghorn. The highlights were many.
Van Morrison, headlining the opening night, let his excellent band do most of the work as he showboated in his usual style, but the crowd lapped up every minute.
On Friday, Gjalla-horn, Shooglenifty and Mystery Juice were the stand-out acts of a brilliant day, with Irish songstress Cara Dillon, outstanding new talent Thea Gilmore, and African song-and-dance troupe Imbongi impressing .
Southampton favourites Arnie Cottrell and Tim Payne produced a stirring set on the final day, with Irishman Bap Kennedy and the inspired Nick Harper also producing some compelling stuff. The masterly vocal and guitar skills of bluesman Eric Bibb and friends got the biggest cheers though. Loads of good food, beer, and workshops helped keep people of all ages happy over the four-day fiesta, with the Carnival Creatures Procession on the final day giving youngsters a chance to dress up in colourful home-made costumes. Long live the Larmer Tree - superbly organised, unifying and uplifting.
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