Sunday 27 May 2012

All the Fun of the May Fair

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.




We returned in time to catch the last song of Lou Terry’s set, then it wasn’t long before Martin was introducing Surfquake to the eager crowd who were then treated to a mix of surf guitar rock including classic TV themes and their own songs. Surfquake, comprising Swell (Go-go Guitar), The Dune (Surf Drums), and Wivenhoe locals Hannah Lulu (Quayboards) and Noserider (Hotrod Bass) are a popular festival band, and as expected proved a huge hit with this crowd.
 
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.

Thank you to the May Fair committee and all those involved with putting together such an amazing day for all who attended.








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