If you could bottle the electric atmosphere generated at this local Festival at Meggies Burn on the outskirts of Blyth, then it should be prescribed on the NHS to boost everybody’s mood. A celebration of friends coming back together with the shared passion for music and the desire for having a good time, after what has been an unprecedented 18 months of pandemic fear, confusion and restrictions. The initial inclement weather forecast on the Friday afternoon turned out to be just a brief few showers which a Waterproof Kagool, poncho and sturdy Wellies or boots could cope with nee bother.
After some classic banter and tunes playing whilst sat around the tents which included our own unofficial version of the Olympics (‘Boomerang Cowboy hat head catching’, The £2 coin drunken flip, etc) we then headed over the very short distance into The Marquee to see GROWING ROBOTS performing an array of brilliant songs to get the crowd going. Then it was time for UK CHILI PEPPERS to get the feet bouncing and the singalongs started throughout the Marquee. As the rain eased and the numerous Pint cans of Red Stripe started flowing – we made our way around to The Outdoor Stage at 6.40pm just in time for THE NATIONAL ANTHEMS to take to the stage. Singer Jon Corbett swaggered onto the stage with a Liam-esque stylish white jacket on, encouraging the crowd to move towards the front to get the atmosphere going. Every tune was a singalong Indie classic including Columbia, Supersonic |& Roll With It by Oasis, Rocks by Primal Scream, Waterfall & She Bangs The Drums by The Stone Roses, Paul Weller’s Changing Man, Blur’s Parklife, The Day We Caught The Train by Ocean Colour Scene, Sit Down by James and Step On by Happy Mondays, ending with the arms-in-the-air anthem Don’t Look Back In Anger. The crowd were in the palm of their hands throughout the set and there was an unofficial dance-off down the front to see who could emulate Bez, Ian Brown, Bobby Gillespie, Liam Gallagher and Damon Albarn the most. I overheard a few fans saying they wanted to book this band for their Wedding. Stylish, swaggering Rock & Roll delivered at it’s best. You can’t help but get up for it when these lads are on stage. Proper Belter man!
Jon Corbett, lead singer for the band told me ”It felt so good to be back to perform our chaotic 90’s racket. The Blyth crowds are always game, but after the two years we’ve had this one was extra special…God bless Vince Race and to all those who sang along, danced and pelted us with beer, we thank you.”
Gary had this to say about his weekend experience: ”What a weekend. It was a great vibe from start to finish. Amazing to meet loads of friends that I’ve hardly seen in 2 years and all party together again. Great set up and some really great sets played. Something for everyone. Shame the weather was a little poor but at least it didn’t belt down all weekend! Roll on next year! Cheers Vince & Andy.”
At 8pm it was time for a major dance down the front as C-COLLECTIVE brought their Prodigy Experience to the Outdoor Stage. It was time for some Red~Bull Energy and some leg stretches prior to this madness of dancing with like-minded Prodigy fans…it felt like a homage to Keith Flint (RIP) as we tried our best to replicate his rave dance manoeuvres as best we could. The fire-eating stilt walkers appeared to the side of the stage just to add to the euphoria and a well-known legend of the Blyth Karaoke/Pub scene decided to go on an epic crowd-surfing mission. Oh, how we have missed this so so much! Pulsating, energetic tunes included Omen, Invaders Must Die, Voodoo People, Poison, Breathe, Smack My Bitch Up, Firestarter, Out Of Space then the encore classic of Everybody in the Place (Let’s Go!)…Our legs, feet, lungs, heads and hearts needed a breather after that setlist but at least we managed to do some Cardio workouts to counter balance the alcohol intake.
”Beeney” crowd-surfing to C-Collective during Firestarter.^
Local Oasis tribute band HOWAYSIS took to the Marquee Stage at 10.15pm as the Friday night headliners and boy oh boy did they deliver! A vast array of hits and singalongs to choose from, they picked the best of the best for the crowd to saviour and revel in. It was rammed in the marquee with arms in the air, voices singing as loud as possible and plenty of wide smiles on faces – as it used to be before Covid-19 hit our shores. These lads produce tune after tune in a very authentic way, with singer Jordan replicating the moves and mannerisms of the iconic Liam Gallagher of the 90’s era with his youthful swagger and attitude. Noel Robson (Noel Gallagher) performing his beautiful solo set which always gets the crowd emotionally singing along and reminiscing over the many good times spent associated with these anthemic tunes. I can’t wait to be down the front again in a few weeks to see these playing at Party In The Park in Morpeth on September 17th. Mad For It.
THE NATIONAL ANTHEMS FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/TheNationalAnthemsOfficial
C-COLLECTIVE FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/ccollectiveband
HOWAYSIS FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/oasistributehowaysis
GROWING ROBOTS FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/growingrobots
UK CHILI PEPPERS: https://www.facebook.com/ukchilipeppers
TICKETS FOR PARTY IN THE PARK AT MORPETH ON SEPTEMBER 17TH-19TH: https://www.seetickets.com/event/party-in-the-park-2021/morpeth-town-afc-craik-park-stadium/1414887
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