Where's the Reggae Festival at? |
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Mikey Dread from Channel One
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Where's the Reggae Festival at? by Dready Sam
Where do you go in the summer if you want to hear some sweet Reggae music whilst sat in the sunshine? How about if you want to skank the night away to some Ska before crawling back to your tent? Dready Sam attempts to find out…
If you live on the continent you have nearly 100 festivals dedicated to Reggae & Ska music and it’s sub-genres to choose from. One of the biggest is Sunsplash in Italy. This festival lasts for 10 days and has an amazing line-up. 2009 saw Horace Andy, Steel Pulse, The Congos, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Beenieman & Buju Banton alongside smaller lesser known reggae acts. In an idyllic location where the sun is far more likely to shine than the UK it seems like a bargain at 150 Euros. With Reggae festivals in France, Spain, Holland, Croatia, Belgium & Germany you are never far away from a weekend of Reggae sounds.
If you are in the US there is also a huge amount of festivals dedicated to sweet Reggae music. Of course in the homeland of Jamaica there are also many Reggae Festivals and most people would say that would be the ultimate place to go to a Reggae Festival.
Back here in the UK things are quite different. The UK has never had a proper Reggae festival. A few attempts have been made, the Reggae Festival of Wales for example was a small event that tried to break the mould but unfortunately council and police red tape as well as other factors meant this only went ahead for two years. There have been some other events but most have been nothing more than day long gigs. The Notting Hill Carnival is most defiantly a celebration of reggae music but cannot really be considered a festival. There is also Boss Sounds festival which is two days of reggae music at an indoor venue but as there is nothing outdoors and no camping this doesn’t really fit into what we are looking for.
How could this be? The UK has played a massive part in evolving the Reggae scene into what it is today. Maybe it was time for a small history lesson.
The first wave of West Indian immigrants arrived in Britain in 1948. Naturally they brought their culture with them, which included music. During the 1960s the sound system dances and Ska developed alongside Rock Steady and Reggae. In the 1970s there was a generation of West Indians who’d been born and raised in England and were coming of age. Reggae was their music, and it was inevitable that a strain of British reggae would develop.
Bands such as Aswad, Steel Pulse, Matumbi and UB40 offered a westernized version of Jamaican music and UK bands like The Specials and Madness were part of a ska revival in the 1980s. A Jamaican poet living in England, Linton Kwesi Johnson, turned the Reggae vibe into dub-based sermons.
Reggae enjoyed a major revival in Britain during the punk age and inspired countless artists in the UK. DJs like Don Letts spun Reggae in clubs as there was no Punk to play in the early days. Young black musicians picked up instruments too, creating bands like Misty in Roots. Even those working at the control board, like producer Mad Professor have made an impact on the scene.
UK Reggae is undoubtedly regarded as highly as its Jamaican inspiration. At last in 2008 the UK hosted a proper Reggae festival, One Love, to mark 20 years since Bob Marley played the One Love concert. The event was such a success that it was repeated in 2009. The line up included Alpha & Omega, Adrian Sherwood & Brother Culture, Channel One ft Mikey Dread, Smith and Mighty, Macka B & Nucleus Roots. The location in Kent does not make it easily accessible to a lot of the UK but most of us are willing to travel for a weekend of fun and Reggae music! The £70 ticket price is very reasonable compared to a lot of other UK festivals.
I would love to say at this point that I went off to One Love festival but unfortunately I can't. The cost of a ticket as well as diesel to get there was out of my budget and so I was unable to see the festival for myself. Sadly the organisers of One Love were unable to offer any of the UK Reggae Guide team a press pass. There is a review of the 2009 One Love festival at www.virtualfestivals.com/festivals/reviews/6770/-/One-Love-Festival-2009-Rated/
So where could Reggae lovers go this summer? Glastonbury always has its fair share of Reggae & Ska but unless you want to go for other reasons the ticket price is far too much. There are lots of other great festivals in the UK that have some Reggae music amongst everything else. Some I feel are worth checking out are Beautiful Days, Womad, Workhouse, The Big Chill, Glade, Bestival and Waveform. Unfortunately that is not always enough for someone who loves the Reggae vibe and wants to hear a little more Reggae than a couple of acts over a weekend.
Endorse-it in Dorset festival always has a higher than average amount of Reggae & Ska bands with a good bit of Dub, Dubstep and Dubbed up Punk along the way. 2009 saw Dub from Zion Train, Reggae from Dubheart & Mikey Dread, Dubby Hip Hop from Powersteppers & Molara, Ska from Pama International & Ed Rome, Dubbed up Punk Ska from Back to the Planet & Inner Terrestrials and some Reggae influenced Dance music from festival favourites Dreadzone.
I spent the weekend at Endorse-it in Dorset Festival for UK Reggae Guide to see the Reggae bands there and to try and find out why the UK is so behind the rest of Europe when it comes to putting on a Reggae festival.
For my full review: See links below
Set on a beautiful rural site overlooking Cranbourne Chase in Dorset, Endorse-it festival started back in 2004 as a birthday party. Organised by cow-punk band Pronghorn, they have a love for the free festival scene of the 90s and DIY culture. Tickets prices are very reasonable at £68 for adults, £35 for older children and £10 for the under 10s.
Dreadzone, whilst certainly not a Reggae or Ska band have taken a lot of influences from both those genres. They were the last band on the main stage on the Friday night and really got the crowd rocking with old favourite tunes and a few new ones like 'Beyond a Rock' and 'Gangsta' from their forthcoming album. They played a blinding set and a great way to see in the first night of Endorse-it. The tent was packed out and people spilled outside all dancing along, Dreadzone are certainly a festival favourite!
I ended the night in the arena by catching the last part of Tragic Roundabout, a well known band on the free festival circuit of the 90s. They have their own unique style of punked up ska folk. I really like them and as I watched them I realised just how many bands that don't really fit into the 'Reggae band' category but could easily play at a UK Reggae Festival.
On Saturday I saw Back to the Planet, they played here a couple of years ago after not gigging for years. Then as this weekend they played all the old favourites like 'Teenage Turtles' as they are not writing new material but they banged out those tunes as if it was still the mid 90s and we were at a free festival. Back to the Planet are a Ska/Punk band, again not the sort of band that you would get at a European or American Reggae Festival but if the UK were to have a vibrant, eclectic Reggae festival then these sorts of bands could surely have a place there. The UK Punk scene has many links to Reggae music and a UK Reggae festival should reflect this.
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Powersteppas being interviewed
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Powersteppers were an off shoot from Zion Train, now no longer with Zion Train the main force behind the outfit is Colin Cod. I have seen Powersteppers a few times and the set can be anything from dub to dance, from Reggae to dubstep. At Endorse-it festival Colin was joined by long time vocalist Molara and Lofty from Dubmerge. Lofty has a more hip hop style and this was reflected in the set they played. It wasn't my favourite Powersteppers set but it got me bouncing a little and the crowd loved them. Definitely a band to have at a UK Reggae festival.
Shortly afterwards came Mikey Dread and Channel One sound system, mashing it up with some classic reggae tunes. The records were a little scratched in places but after the DJ told us they had been spinning them for 30 years you can understand why, it even added to the vibe of the gig to know that. It was lovely to bounce to a proper reggae sound system and it would be great to go to a Reggae festival here in the UK to be able to hear a few different ones.
Mikey Dread has played Geel & Jasound Reggae festivals and likes the different feel of playing a Reggae festival because everyone who comes to those festivals are all Reggae followers. He sees the UK Reggae/Ska/Dub scene as getting very healthy because of interest in sound systems and feels that there is always a place for a Reggae festival in the UK. I asked Mikey why he thought the UK has no established Reggae/Ska Festivals?
"Because of a lot of red tape from the government" he says "They should have a Reggae festival for sound systems."
I had wondered how easy it is for a Jamaican artist to get over to the UK to play. I had heard previously that it can be quite difficult. Mikey confirmed this.
The festival was in full swing, the weather was beautiful and people were having a great time. I had come to Endorse-it not only for the Reggae based acts that were on but also because I had been before and enjoyed the vibe of the event. Many people I spoke to said they come to Endorse-it for the 'old school' feel rather than any particular bands. I wondered where all the real Reggae fans were seeing as the festival had such a good line-up. Maybe the majority of Reggae fans are not really festival people, maybe they would rather go to gigs in venues than experience life in a field for a weekend.
There is no doubt in my mind that Zion Train would have to headline a UK Reggae festival or it just wouldn't be the same. They are Dub pioneers and to imagine a Reggae festival without them seems weird.
Neil Perch from Zion Train has played countless European Reggae Festivals so I asked him Why did he think the UK has no established Reggae/Ska Festivals?
"Investors are afraid, venue lease holders are worried about drug use and violence, policing is still racially biased in the UK and UK entry requirements for Jamaican artists are harsher than European ones. Europe has seen its first wave of reggae mania over the last 10 years and as such exists on a very different time line to England which has had this from the 60's. That is what has made the UK so innovative in these areas but this has shifted and the centres of Reggae production and enthusiasm have become France, Italy, Poland etc etc. Of course this means that the events will be come more prevalent in Europe and less so in the UK. Its a matter of cyclical history."
So does he think there is a place for a Reggae/Ska Festival in the UK?
"Yes definitely, the UK Reggae/Ska/Dub scene in the UK is innovating and energetic but also impoverished."
Neil had mentioned how hard it was for Jamaican artists to get over to play here. This was definitely a problem but would a UK Reggae festival have to have Jamaican artists to make it authentic? We have a wealth of talent from UK artists right here. As well as artists I've already mentioned there is Adrien Sherwood, Iration Steppas, Aba-Shanti-I, King Earthquake, Jah Shaka, Jah Tubby, Mungo's hi-fi, GCorp, Vibronics, Bush Chemists, The Disciples, The Rootsman, Twilight Circus and Nucleus Roots and that is the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of artists to choose from.
My time at Endorse-it was nearly at an end, it seemed the guests at Endorse-it were not hardcore Reggae fans and had come to the festival for the great vibe and a selection of music. A lot of the people at Endorse-it are not lovers of big commercial festivals, I feel the same way and although I really want to see a vibrant successful Reggae festival in the UK I wouldn't want to go to a big commercial event where the sponsors are multi-national giants and the drinks cost so much you need to get a bank loan out for the weekend!
Before I left the festival I spoke to Sean Flowerdew from Ska band Pama International. He also cited the difficulty of getting Jamaican artists over here to play due to government bureaucracy and the fear of councils and police to grant a licence to such an event. It seems the very word 'Reggae' immediately implies drug use and violence to many members of councils and police chiefs.
I had really enjoyed Endorse-it festival, the sun had shone throughout the whole weekend. Everyone I met was happy and smiling, children ran around having fun. Litter was kept to a minimum and even the toilets were reasonable! I had seen a great assortment of bands, my favourite being Zion Train. I had also discovered two great new acts in Dubheart and New Groove Formation. There had even been bands I had wanted to see but missed due to there being so much on! These included Inner Terrestrials, Pama International and Guns Of Navarone.
From talking to people that love their Reggae I have found that a lot of people think Reggae fans in the UK are just not that bothered about going to a Reggae festival or even a gig. I have also found that the majority of urban/black audiences that might go to a big reggae night do not really like the idea of camping for 3 days in a field. Many people also know someone who wanted to put on a Reggae festival but just came up amongst too much opposition from the police, local people and councils.
It seems that putting on a Reggae festival like Sunsplash or Chiemsee in the UK would be impossible. Getting Jamaican artists over here requires too much government red tape and even then visas will often not be granted. The police and councils make it hard to get a licence for a festival which has been wrongly stereotyped into the sort of event that is likely to attract drug use and violence. The truth is we just do not have the type of culture here that will embrace a Reggae festival and we also do not have the best summers!
I also think that if we could get massive Reggae stars over from Jamaica and put on a big Reggae festival here it would be likely to be a rather commercial affair, probably sponsored by Clear Channel or someone equally horrible. The fact is though it would cost huge amounts of money to get Jamaican artists over here.
That is no reason to give up though, the UK has some great artists and I do not see why it could not be exclusively UK acts to cut out the need for obtaining visas for performers and all the bureaucracy that goes with it. We have to accept it wouldn't be the colourful Caribbean feel of some of the famous Reggae festivals but we could make it our own. We need a Reggae festival from a UK viewpoint which includes some of our best Reggae artists but also bringing in UK Dub, UK sound systems, UK Ska, UK dance and the Punk/Reggae crossover bands. We need something uniquely British, celebrating not only UK Reggae but all the sub-genres and the people that love them.
We don't need red, gold and green flags and beautiful sunshine, in fact it will be more like camo tents and rain but we need to realise what amazing music we have made as a nation from some tunes West Indian's brought here in the late 1940s. Is that really too much to ask?
See my full review of Endorse-it festival:> Click Here
See all my pictures of Endorse-it festival:> Click Here
Dread Sam / Sam Wilkinson website:> Click Here
Band links:
Pronghorn - www.pronghorn.co.uk
Dreadzone - www.dreadzone.com
Tragic Roundabout - tragicroundabout.info
Back to the Planet - www.myspace.com/backtotheplanet
Ed Rome - www.edrome.co.uk
Powersteppers - www.myspace.com/powerstepper
Mikey Dread - www.rootsandculture.co.uk
New Groove Formation - www.newgrooveformation.com
Dubheart - www.myspace.com/dubheart
Subgiant - www.subgiant.co.uk
Zion Train - www.wobblyweb.com/zt
Pama International - www.pamainternational.co.uk
Inner Terrestrials - www.myspace.com/innerterrestrials
Festival links:
Endorse-it Festival - www.lgofestivals.com
One Love Festival - www.onelovefestival.co.uk
Beautiful Days - www.beautifuldays.org
Womad - womad.org
Workhouse - workhousefestival.co.uk
The Big Chill - www.bigchill.net
Glade - www.gladefestival.com
Bestival - www.bestival.net
Waveform - www.waveformfestival.com
Sunsplash - Italy - www.rototomsunsplash.com
Seasplash - Croatia - www.seasplash.ne
Reggae Geel - Belguim - www.reggaegeel.com
Sundance - Holland - www.reggaesundance.nl
Chiemsee - Germany - www.chiemsee-reggae.de
References:
Reggae Node - www.reggaenode.de/festival
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