Julian’s Bridge Meadows, Wimborne
Day 1
If there was ever any incentive needed to spend a weekend in a field with a whole host of top local bands then Hen Fest provided it. The motive started five years ago when music loving Kate Hennessy could not go to any music festivals due to having Cystic Fibrosis. Kate’s Mother Gail was not going to have her little girl disappointed, so she set up Hen-Fest in their own back garden to keep her beloved daughter entertained. Five years later Kate had a lifesaving double liver transplant and now the festival has grown to its new home in the water meadows adjacent to Julian’s Bridge in Wimborne. The very passionate Hennessy Family and friends, with Gail Stuart at the helm, have all worked tirelessly to set everything up with the sole aim of raising much-needed funds for Cystic Fibrosis sufferers.
The Half Dead Darlings
The whole thing started off on Friday evening with a chilled set from the local trio “The Darwins” who gently eased things along with some well-crafted original numbers. They have specially brought in the Evolutionary Brass Section on numbers like “Following Cervantes” to bolster their usual semi-acoustic sound. Things get a little louder when middle-aged guys the “The Half Dead Darlings” take to the stage. The Americana-tinged soft Rock band combine Electric and acoustic guitars on fine original songs such as “Tracey Bennett” and “Whatever She Wants”-all about us men being under the thumb! Disappointingly the set is cut short due to on-going time restraints, however, they end on a high with a slightly heavy number called “The Drinker”.
Palms And Pelicans
All the way from Hordle are “Palms & Pelicans”, a 4-piece Indie band who take to the stage with loads of confidence. They have a good batch of original songs that seem to take inspiration from the Indie scene of the 90’s with band’s like Echobelly and Sleeper. They perform songs from their first two ep’s like “Cut the Sky”, “Walls” and the fantastic “Unbelievable”. There is also a snapshot of the future with a new dreamy song with delicate harmonies and an addictive guitar riff. They leave the stage after 30 minutes with much appreciative applause from their travelling fan clubs of loyal fans.
Quinns Quinney
Chaos reigned supreme next when every soundman’s nightmare “Quinn’s Quinney” tried to crowd 10 people onto the main stage, all with different instruments. The marquee by now was starting to fill up and the Quinn’s Quinney music demanded the audience’s immediate attention. Within seconds of the band’s first note the dance floor was filled with people moving to the bands infectious sound. They have a mixture of stringed instruments as well as a tin whistle, washboard and a Slim Jim Phantom-style stand up drummer. They are a sort of Skiffle orchestra, a collection of talented buskers who have clubbed together to make one unique sound. Lyrics have been cleverly re-worked from popular songs with hilarious and very entertaining consequences. Their set includes “Hit Me Baby One More Time”, “Sex On Fire”, “My Old Man’s A Dustman” and the Girls Aloud song “Love Machine”. They leave the stage after two encores with the crowd still demanding more.
Rat Race
The final band of this warm Friday evening are one of Dorset’s finest Ska band’s Rat Race. The 9-piece band have been around for about 10 years now and have recently gone through a few changes, notably their frontman Simon Haines leaving and Northerner Jon Knight taking over on vocals. Despite the changes they show no loss in quality or performance, in fact there seems to have been a fresh injection of energy. The crowd are still up dancing as the band plough through a great selection of tunes including “Baggy Trousers”, “Monkey Man” and “Sally Brown”. Jon and the brass section even jump down off the stage to join the audience during the high energy set. This is only day one with much, much more to look forward to after hopefully a good night’s sleep!
Words and Pictures by Chinners.
