Location

The inaugural Brit Fest was held on a 100-acre festival site at Ashley Hall and Showgrounds in Altrincham from 5-7 July 2024. The setting for the main stage was fabulously placed at the base of a gentle slope that allowed wonderful views of the stage and the giant video screen from the vast area. 

Glamping, Camping and Parking

Glamping and Camping sites for tweekend ticket holders were located right next to the car park and main entrance, less than a five minute stroll from the main stage. The close proximity of the car park and stages meant there was no need to carry bags and coats around all day because they could be left in the car and picked up whenever needed. For those not wanting to camp but wanting to take advantage of a fruit cider or two, there were free shuttle buses running into Altrincham, meaning the festival was readily accessible from any stops on the Metrolink.

Seating

Picnic benches were available next to most of the food vendors although many people brought their own picnic blankets and camping chairs. Deckchairs were also available to some of the punters who had splurged extra on the VIP package.

ABC+ Warranty Stage

This small stage hosted a variety of different types of performances over the weekend. There were authors, comedians, more yoga, man vs food chilli challenges, choirs that could barely fit all performers onto the stage as well as some up and coming new bands playing original music. Fortunately we managed to catch a young guitar band, The Covasettes with an engaging lead singer who played a really tight set and it is a testament to them that the numbers watching at the end of their set were about t10 times bigger than those at the start. They admitted that their ambition was to play on the Main Stage here next year, and on this evidence, they are well worth a slot.

Main Stage

The artists performing at main arena were the reason people bought tickets and for the majority of the older crowd, once they’d placed their chairs on the grass, they were set for the day and didn’t venture into the other areas. TV presenter Jenny Powell and the Hits Radio DJ Mike Toolan were the comperes on the main stage all weekend with good humour and interacted well with the various competition winners who occasionally got to introduce the acts.

Friday line-up

The line-up on Friday was aimed towards the 90’s indie kid (now in their late 40’s or 50’s so are really pushing the definition of kid at this point). Dodgy, Reef, Starsailor, and The Feeling had taken to the stage before the youngest band on the line-up took over. Fresh from their number one album ‘Anxiety Replacement Therapy’, Lottery Winners were a massive hit with the audience with their chatter and tunes. Songs from Cast’s early back catalogue were well received but the response to their new material was more muted.

The clear highlight though was the headline set from Scouting for Girls with exquisite showmanship from Roy Stride on keyboard and vocals uplifting the crowd and getting them involved in the experience. They knew how to keep a festival audience on-side and threw in covers alongside their own greatest hits and made their lesser known songs into sing-a-longs.

Saturday line-up

The 1980’s inspired line-up ushered in the busiest day and boasted the shortest time between the acts on the main stage. I must admit to being a little concerned when I first saw the timings for Saturday’s performances given many only had 20 minute slots. I’d assumed they would be performing to pre-recorded tracks given the length of time it normally takes to change the kit for each band. I needn’t have worried however, because there was an amazing house band who provided the backing music for the artists that performed earlier in the day. The 20 minute slots were right for the assembled crowd because it allowed hit after hit to be played – it was clear not everyone in the audience had purchased as many Nik Kershaw singles or played T’Pau’s “Bridge of Spies” and Five Star’s “Silk & Steel” as often as I had in my childhood but I loved every second of all three performances. 

Sonia hasn’t lost much of her energy from when she burst onto the pop scene. The Real Thing had the crowd boogieing to their tracks before Paul Young’s more mellow set. Young’s ageing rasping vocals gave an indication of what to expect from the headline act also known for her gravelly voice.

The times when an additional break was needed between the acts were filled with other nostalgia shots with the introduction of Timmy Mallett who entertained the crowd by hitting a hesitant 73-year-old woman over the head with his giant mallet and going “bluergh” in her face. That took a lot of explaining to some very concerned children in the audience who don’t see that sort of thing on CBeebies these days. The appearance and an interview with ski jumper turned reality TV star, Eddie the Eagle Edwards, also brought smiles to many faces.

Kim Wilde’s longer set allowed for costume changes (removal of sunglasses, donning of cape and various hats) as well as a surprising number of dance moves. Her enjoyment at performing to a responsive crowd was evident, gone was the anger in her “You Keep Me Hanging On” vocals because she was clearly loving every second along with the audience.

The years have made Bonnie Tyler’s voice even more gruff but that didn’t stop the enjoyment of the crowd when she belted out “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “Holding Out for a Hero” sending the day-trippers home happy. 

Sunday line-up

Easy-listening pop was the order of the day on Sunday with The South performing The Beautiful South songs. The Christians were on fine form with Garry Christian chatting between songs in the forlorn hope that some people might rise out of their camping chairs. 

When people emerged from the VIP tents to hear “Slight Return” after The Bluetones had been playing for 30 mins lead singer Mark Morriss quipped the band should have learnt by now to put it earlier in their track listing but it was latecomer’s loss as they’d missed the majority of a really enjoyable set.

A Sunday afternoon chillout session was provided by Tunde from the Lighthouse Family who lifted everyone with his super smooth vocals.

Toploader worked the crowd and gave them what they wanted with a mix of their own material and covers before the eruption of “Dancing in the Moonlight”. 

A joyous, funky performance from Fleur East had the crowd throwing more shapes and a reminder in a tremendous extended version of “Sax” that X-Factor finalists had better singles than many winners.

Former M-People front-woman Heather Small rounded off the weekend with a tremendous set and performance which was only soured by reminding the audience “Moving On Up” was released 30 years ago. Her vocals are still spot on and on this evidence and back-catalogue, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her deservedly take the coveted Glastonbury legends slot next year.

Activities

In true summer festival spirit The Brit Fest wasn’t all music. Yoga workshops and reflexology foot massages were on offer for those looking to relax. And for those seeking more of an adrenalin rush there was a stunt tower allowing anyone from about the age of six upwards to jump from a six metre tower onto a huge airbag.

Altrincham based ice hockey team Manchester Storm had a fun set up allowing people to shoot pucks at an electronic wall against the clock. We also watched the Extreme Bike Show with BMX riders performing tricks up and over ramps and had fun in the solar powered Sol Cinema walking the red carpet before watching a short movie in the eight seater vintage caravan.

There was a much larger screen inside a bean bag filled tent that was meant to be showing children’s films but the sporting events of the weekend took over making it standing room only for the England Euros quarter final, Wimbledon and the British Grand Prix, but I guess it was to be expected at a Brit Fest.

John Collins Funfair

A large funfair filled what seemed like a field-and-a-half with great rides and fairground attractions which operated all weekend. The Ghost Train had an airhorn that seemed louder than anything coming out of the speakers on the main stage, the Fun House worked for little kids and adults who were also allowed to go down the twisty slide (or at least, no-one said I couldn’t, so I did). The non-musical highlight of the weekend for my son was slamming me into the sidings on the dodgem ride.

Artisan Markets

The Brit Fest boasted lots of stalls selling sweet treats, cheeses and gin as well as the usual festival bucket hat and clothing traders. Unfortunately for them, the layout of the festival site meant their stalls were in an area that wouldn’t get passing trade so it never felt as lively as it could have. No doubt this will be rectified next year because there were many interesting wares on display from local merchants.

Food and drink

For anyone wanting to stick to the British theme for the entire weekend there were fish and chips on offer and hot buttered crumpets but even though the music is British based, the food stalls offered a great variety of tasty food from all over the globe. From posh hot dogs and buttermilk chicken burgers to noodles, gyros and paella, there was lots of amazing looking and tasting food on offer. The meals we had from Big Mouth Gyoza and Grills & Chills were particularly outstanding. Unlike at some more established festivals where it can take up to an hour to get food or be served at the bar, there were no such problems here when the only time there seemed to be a queue of 15 minutes was for coffees and hot chocolates when the sun went down. The bars serving beer, cider and cocktails never seemed to have any queues worthy of the name.

Ambience

It was all very civilised with no flying pints glasses of any liquid and there were no signs of any aggravation or any edge to the atmosphere at all. The majority of people were placing their rubbish in the bins and the remainder was being quickly collected by the many litter pickers. It is likely to be the quickest clean up after any pop music festival. It was a very family friendly festival seeing random children using jumpers for goalposts and going off playing a huge game of football and making new friends. The only time I saw teenagers attempting to hit anything was when they were lashing out to pop the enormous bubbles from Sam Sam Bubble Man. Considering Altrincham is so close to Manchester the difference between a Cheshire festival and a Manchester festival was never as stark as when “Don’t Look Back in Anger” played over the sound system and there wasn’t a mass sing-a-long.

It is clear from my own experience and from overhearing many people when heading out of the festival that everyone had a great time on each of the three days. From the friendly security staff to the sound, lighting and production teams the festival was very well managed. For many, the music, the dancing, the space, the food and the fun will stay long in the memory and hopefully they will all be eager to do it all again at Brit Fest 2025. I know I will.

The post All you need to know about the very first Brit Fest appeared first on Quays Life.

Over the next three weeks the venue will host several UK exclusive premieres as well as screening classics from genius film director, Luis García Berlanga.  From Latin American cinema buffs to those who just want to see something fresh on the roster, there is a film for everyone on the line-up with the films covering a wide range of genres – coming-of-age dramas, capitating documentaries, and an explosive musical. This year, the festival features many familiar names in Spanish cinema including Ingrid García Jonsson, Blanca Portillo and Emma Suárez. Guests from four of the titles will give a post-screen Q&A to answer your questions about the films.

To find out more about this feel-good festival, we spoke to HOME’s Head of Film and festival curator, Rachel Hayward where she reveals her favourite film and how the festival champions fresh talent.

How did the festival start?

Rachel: “It very much came from a moment of importance in Spanish cinema; there were some interesting films coming out at that time. What’s impressive is that it started as a Spanish festival, now it’s Spanish and Latin American. The festival focuses on Spanish-speaking countries within Latin America, so we have other languages within the festival, like Catalan.”

What is the inspiration behind the name ¡Viva!?

Rachel: “It’s the feeling of the festival. That celebratory sense of the festival, that fiesta idea is what we carry forward now. If we gave ¡Viva! an identity that would be it, it’s a joyous and celebratory thing so the name really encompasses that.”

How does ¡Viva! stand out from other European film festivals?

Rachel: “What’s important for venues like HOME is that we have a connection with our audience. This is not what differentiates us from other festivals, this is what makes festivals so special. Connections with your local audiences and giving people opportunities to experience things they might not get to do. You may be able to speak to a film director in a language that you’re learning for example.

“We’ve brought films to the festival that just wouldn’t be seen in the UK and certainly wouldn’t been seen in Greater Manchester. Most of our films can only be seen in the UK in Manchester, so that exclusivity is really important.”

Which film are you most excited for?

Rachel: “There’s a relatively small number of films in the festival so we love them all! I tend to lean towards more issue-based films, the one I particularly love this year is ‘Nudo Mixteco’. It’s from Mexico and tells the story of three indigenous women and their lifestyles – it’s a beautiful film.

“One of our films is a preview, so it will have a UK release later in the year, is ‘Clara Sola.’ It’s an interesting and beautifully done film but it has quite challenging aspects too. The film is a story of a 40-year old woman who has lived a very sheltered life with lots of difficulties. It’s about her sexual awakening in some ways and her aspirations about her own life.”

Explota Explota is described as a “feelgood musical romcom”, do you think this could be the next ‘Mamma Mia!’?

Rachel: “I’d love it to be! ‘Mamma Mia!’ is a good comparison because the songs within the film are famous songs that Spanish and European audiences will be familiar with. The film was constructed around those songs to showcase them. It definitely has a ‘Mamma Mia!’ element for sure.”

Is watching films from the festival a good entryway into learning a new language?

Rachel: “That was my route into film! The reason I started watching European films is because I was learning French and German. We can’t travel all of the time, or hear different accents and intonations, so watching films can be so important.”

How will ¡Viva! inform a better appreciation for film as a whole?

Rachel: “We’ve still got these repercussions of the pandemic so having international film is such a brilliant window to the world that we’ve not been able to explore. It’s a way to learn about history and culture. It’s also a great way to interrogate ourselves about who’s making those films – whose voices don’t we hear? We give opportunities to voice those filmmakers whose work is not necessarily shown, and signpost things to audiences that they might not know about. That worldview is really important I think.”

Why is it so important to champion this new talent?

Rachel: “There’s a wealth of new talent coming through from Spain and Latin America and part of the festival gives us opportunities to showcase new voices, opinions, and ideas. There’s an obligation there, not just wanting to do it but also in terms of diversity.

What kind of impact does hosting big-name directors in the Latin American and Spanish community have?

Rachel: “It impacts the audience in a really positive way. People know that they’re going to get the best film choices means they’re going to tell other people about the festival. We’re able to secure funding for when we get these big-name directors which help us profile ¡Viva! both nationally and internationally. Ensuring these directors have a really good experience in Manchester is hugely important.

“In each country we work in, we want to have a really positive impact on new and established filmmakers. We track a lot of first-time film directors, and we want to showcase those films. There are several directors that have worked one festival before or even all of them and we want to champion their work. We want longevity through association with directors, but also showcasing first-time directors in a UK festival.”

How does HOME aim to promote more gender, race, and disability inclusivity?

Rachel: “This is really important for me as it’s not something you can sit back on and hope that you’ve done it. It’s a continuous area to work on and we look at how we can build on things. In terms of diversity, working with partnerships is important so that it’s not just my worldview that’s seen.

“Diversity needs to be looked at three different areas – what’s on people’s screens, who the audiences are, and who we’re working with. It’s important that we have a broad range of stories, histories, and voices on our screens; and we’re promoting them through the appropriate channels”.

How is important is film for advocating societal change?

Rachel: “For us, that drive towards societal change underpins a lot of what we do. Every month we look at the films on show and we think about the societal message and so many of our films have that at the heart of them. Whether they’re documentaries or dramas, it’s a crucial driver for change. HOME is a place with space so we try and have opportunities that are free, or at very low cost, where people can come and have discussions. We have an ongoing strand at the moment around environmental work which is very crucial”.

¡Viva! Spanish and Latin American Festival 2022 runs from 18 March to 7 April 2022.

The post Manchester’s ¡Viva! Spanish and Latin American Festival is back appeared first on Quays Life.

Saturday evening’s concert shines a spotlight on disco and soul spotlight with live performances from The Real Thing and Odyssey.

Odyssey return to Hale Barns direct from the USA due to popular demand to play to their “favourite audience”. Odyssey played at the very first Hale Barns Carnival in 2017 – and they’re set to wow audiences for a second time with hits including Use It Up & Wear It Out, Native New Yorker, Inside Out, and the iconic disco anthem Going Back To My Roots.

Liverpool soul legends The Real Thing, featuring original band members Chris Amoo and Dave Smith, will perform their top selling hits including You To Me Are Everything, Can’t Get By Without You, and Feel The Force.

On Sunday evening former EastEnder Martin Kemp headlines with a Back To The 80s DJ set. In the 80s Kemp enjoyed worldwide fame with Spandau Ballet so expect to hear him play some of the band’s classics like Only When You Leave, Through the Barricades, True, and Gold, to entertain the crowd.

Other acts joining the 80s line-up include front man of boy band Brother Beyond, Nathan Moore, whose hits include The Harder I Try, produced by Stock, Aitken & Waterman, and Owen Paul – who shot to fame with the song My Favourite Waste of Time.

During the day the weekend promises St Ambrose Fields will be buzzing with more than 100 family-fun attractions including falconry displays, magic illusionists, traditional fun fair rides, and an artisan market.

Daytime entry to Hale Barns Carnival is free between 12pm and 5pm on both days. The evening concerts are ticketed, gates open at 6pm with the concerts starting at 7.30pm. All 100% of the ticket revenue will go towards community projects.

Hale Barns Carnival is at St Ambrose Fields, Hale Road, Hale Barns on Sat 20 – Sun 21 July 2019. For tickets visit halebarnscarnival.ticketline.co.uk

We have a pair of tickets to giveaway to see The Real Thing and Odyssey at Hale Barns Carnival’s disco and soul night on Saturday 20 July 2019.  For a chance to win email your full name and address to competitions@quayslife.com with Hale Barns Carnival in the subject line. Or enter on social media by retweeting and following @quayslife and/or sharing our competition and liking our QuaysLife page on Facebook. Competition closes at noon on Friday 5 April 2019.

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