It was a case of sunshine and showers at Standon Calling in Hertfordshire with the likes of Bloc Party, Rick Astley, Years and Years and Self Esteem gracing the main stage.
The annual festival is known for its eclectic line-up appealing to all ages, from hordes of teenagers raving in the woods to sets by Faithless and Groove Armada, to pet owners parading their pooches at the dog show, pricey woodfired feasts, and whittling workshops in the Wellness field.
As ever there was something for everyone, with children enjoying skateboarding lessons, a swim in the outdoor heated pool, or Dick and Dom's DJ Battle.
The Lawn tent was more tea, cake, and listening to talks by pointy headed mathmeticians or evening comedy from the likes of Reginald D Hunter and Mark Watson.
And the Laundry stage saw rock, punk or indie acts like Django Django alongside BBC Introducing up and coming artists from Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire & Buckinghamshire, Essex and London.
Thursday and Friday brought the best kind of not-too-hot festival weather with sets by KT Tunstall and Human League, and on Friday a belting rock chick performance by Anastacia.
Well versed in working the crowd, she even threw in a welcome cover of Sweet Child O' Mine along with her hits. Later that evening, Olly Alexander, did lots of hip thrusting clad in string vest and black leather shorts, as first a phone box then row of seedy toilets appeared on stage.
Bare buttocks and hip grinding didn't deter the toddlers on shoulders, but stonking renditions of It's A Sin and King were well worth staying until the end.
Saturday threatened a washout with a solid 12 hours of rain, that turned paths and car parks into a muddy soup and dampened the costume parade. Uplifting tunes by House Gospel Choir, an energetic set from Confidence Man, and an uplifting entertaining performance by headliner Self Esteem warmed everyone up.
All good festivals need places to duck in from the rain. As pissed parents slopped beer on their baby's heads at the toddler rave, or forked out £15 for facepainting, Gift of the Gab's Magic Lantern delighted a small crowd with impromptu songs and stories, and at the Magic Teapot you could hunker by the fire with a £2 tea and singalong to Amy Winehouse or Cyndi Lauper.
Many worried about the rain many had left by the time Bloc Party, Mel C and Rick Astley closed the festival.
Standon Calling Festival’s Founder and Director Alex Trenchard said: "Yet again I’m blown away by the incredible atmosphere and spirit from everyone involved in Standon Calling. The smiles on the faces of our fabulous festival goers, all the artists and performers across a multitude of stages and the team who work behind the scenes to make this show such an enjoyable and inspirational place to spend four days, makes me enormously proud and happy to produce a show that people genuinely love and return to year on year. I truly believe this is the friendliest festival in the UK."
Standon Calling returns for its 18th year between 25-28th July 2024. Super Early Bird tickets are available here: https://standon-calling.com/
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