Book your tickets now for Lodestar, the boutique festival in the Fens, which this year takes place 4-6 September.
Offering a laid-back vibe, a host of great acts and a beautiful countryside setting, Lodestar is a top option if you’re after a chilled out family-friendly festival (it’s even got lovely clean, award-winning loos!), at a snip of the price of other events of its kind.
Headlining this year, in a bit of a coup for Lodestar, are indie heroes Razorlight. Fronted by Johnny Borrell, the group dominated the charts in the mid-00s, leading the British guitar music revival along with the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs: a welcome antidote to the flood of anodyne X Factor hits threatening to soundtrack the new millennium.
We’re hoping for all the classics from Razorlight like Golden Touch, Vice, In The Morning, Somewhere Else and America. Despite a line-up change in 2008-9 and a 2010-15 hiatus, it’s now rumoured the group are working on new material – hopefully we’ll get to hear some of it at Lodestar.
The festival, which takes place on a farm in the small village of Lode, is run by Doug Durrant, whose family have lived on and worked the land for generations. The family-friendly festival, now in its seventh year, features three stages of live music, comedy, crafts, food and entertainment, with the aim of bringing local people together to experience established artists and celebrate up-and-coming talent.
Friday night welcomes Kitten, The Primitives and The Sherlocks to the main stage; with Decades of Disco and Music of Motown DJ’ing on the Lady Jane Stage. There’s an Open Mic night, meanwhile, on the Village Green stage, along with other local artists.
The aforementioned Razorlight headline on Saturday, with The Sunshine Underground and The Hearts; Ellie Rose is on the Lady Jane Stage and don’t miss Sigma Collective on the Village Green. We’re also liking the sound of the ‘Cabaret into the late night’ on the Lady Jane Stage.
On Sunday, enjoy tunes from Lùisa and My Baby, The Ouse Valley Singles Club and local rising singer-songwriter Rachel Clark.
Tickets are £105 (adult weekend), day passes are available. It’s an extra £10 per person for three days’ camping. Further details online, and follow @lodestarfest.
Razorlight: Golden Touch:
Full weekend adult tickets are £110, children under 15 go free. Day tickets are also available.
