Open Air 60's Music Festival

North Newington, Banbury - Saturday 31st July 2005

Saturday 31st July saw the open air 60's festival in North Newington, near Banbury. Acts on the bill included Brian Pool, The Cufflinks, The Fourmost, The Dreamers, The Love Affair, jazz band, The Geckos and local 60's style bands, Generation Gap and Chuckletruck. Even though there was a whole day of great entertainment to look forward to, there was a black cloud hanging over the proceedings - Quite literally! From the time the gates opened, so did the heavens! A lot of people had come prepared for the rain though and had brought with them tents and gazebos (including our little group!). Others had to shelter as best they could!

The first band of the day was The Generation Gap. Four local lads who play classic 50's and 60's hits such as 'Wipe Out' and 'Jailhouse Rock'. Despite the rain, they got the day off to a great start and everyone was now in the mood to rock and roll.

Next in line was The Cufflinks - With songs including 'Tracy' and 'Ferry Cross The Mersey'. By now the rain was easing off and people were now emerging from their shelters and heading towards the stage.

Scattered around the playing field were various stalls - A record stall, refreshments, a bouncy castle and other fairground attractions. To entertain and keep the music flowing in-between bands was a DJ at the side of the stage that was also taking requests. He played 'It's Not Unusual' for me when I asked for some Tom Jones!

One of the bands that I was looking forward to seeing again was The Dreamers. I had seen them earlier in the year in nearby Middleton Cheney and really enjoyed the show. At the start of their set, lead singer, Alan Mosca promised that the sun would come out during their set - And sure enough, it did! And the rains stopped too. They really grabbed the crowd's attention and everyone was dancing and singing along to songs such as, 'I'll Never Get Over You' and 'I Wanna Be Your Man'. If you have never seen the band's impression of their drummer, Ray Martin during a particularly long and imaginative drum break, it is something not to be missed!

In contrast to the other music on the bill, next up was a jazz band called, The Geckos, who left the 1960's and performed a variety of songs including, 'Moondance' and 'Take Five'.
It was time for a break before Chuckletruck drove everyone back to the 60's. I was one of many who had won a large inflatable football on one of the stalls, so during the hour or so interval, we had a kick around and a bite to eat - The chips were lovely by the way! I also got a transfer/temporary tattoo for the back of my hand - Not bad for 20p! The DJ was still spinning his discs and during 'Is This The Way To Amarillo?', everyone was clapping along - Some even formed a conga line in front of the stage.

But soon it was time for the show to begin again. Chuckletruck's front man, Jeff Wilkinson was one of the main organisers of the event. They themselves are a 60's style band, covering such hits as, 'You're Sixteen' and several instrumentals by The Shadows. They even have their own versions of songs like, 'Green Green Grass Of Home', which was fun to hear! As they are a local band I hope to see them again soon.

The sunlight was now fading, but the rain still holding back. Another band that I was looking forward to seeing again was 'The Fourmost'. A band that I had seen on a Mersey Beat tour a couple of years ago. Again, I wasn't to be disappointed. They put on a really entertaining show, which included one of my favourite non-Beatle Lennon and McCartney numbers, 'Hello Little Girl'. The music didn't stop there though as hot on their heels were 'The Love Affair'. Many more were now up and dancing right on into the evening. Unfortunately, even though we hoped we'd seen the last of it, the rain began to pour down again. And it didn't even stop for the final act of the day. His band The Electix came on stage first and rocked straight into, 'No Matter What' - Which was a great opener! After another song or two, the band introduced their main man - Mr. Brian Pool. I had seen him twice before on the 'Reelin' and a Rockin' tour and knew he would be a brilliant end to a really enjoyable day. Karl Thompson, who not only helped to organise the event, but compered it as well, joined Brian on stage to sing, 'Someone' with him! The rain was now getting heavier, but it didn't dampen the crowd's spirits and everyone continued singing in the rain to the final set. They announced that the festival will be back next year - I hope it will! Apart from the weather, it was a day full of fun and music that will never fade away.

Click here to see some photos from the North Newington Open Air 60's Music Festival - July 31st 2005 (Link opens in a new browser window)