Music brings people together – that’s certainly what GuilFest ’25 achieves!
A line-up of internationally acclaimed groups including Razorlight, Stereo MC’s, KT Tunstall, Soul II Soul, The Amy Winehouse Band and The Jacksons sit alongside tribute acts like Blondied and Definitely Oasis. But this family festival isn’t just about music, it’s about entertainment, and there’s a Big Top Circus tent including a mesmerising hula hooper and a trapeze artist, as well as wonky bikes, like clowns ride! Henry (aged 9) is drawn to these, and tries almost all of them.
The only way for Henry to see the acts on stage is to sit on my shoulders, which gives him a great view, but after 15 minutes it becomes painful for me (I do this with my old-aged bad back for all the acts we see – and now need to have a thoroughly good massage and a lie down!). Atop my shoulders as I grimace, Henry catches the attention of Elvana (a cross between Elvis and Nirvana….) who gives him a high five as he makes his way through the audience back to the stage, to give us ‘A Little Less Conversation’. In fact, this star gives his security team a major headache as he persists in walking through the audience – it’s very funny.
Between each performance, the anticipation builds as we watch the instruments being tuned and the stage swept.
Razorlight really appeal to Henry, who is busy clapping away through their performance. The drummer, guitarist and songwriter Andy Burrows is a busy man, because KT Tunstall borrows him to play drums during her set. All of us are aghast that Razorlight finish without playing ‘America’ and then, after a little break, they return to put us out of our misery.
Blondied, fronted by Michelle Hendriks, remind us that Debbie Harry co-wrote so many great hits, some of which we’re able to sing along to. She has such stage presence.
“For me this festival is about living in the moment,” says my wife, Caroline. “It’s a really great way to forget about everything else in your life that’s going on – escaping reality, which is really what I need to do more of when life is so stressful.”
As we walk around the site, we come across Batala. This high energy percussion group, which features as many as 40 drummers, has roots in Brazil, and all the costumes have come from there. The energy and the joy that bashing a drum can bring is phenomenal! The conductor is having a great time putting his percussionists through their paces, and it’s delightful to watch. The audience is invited to get involved and have a dance inside the group. We do the conga and just lose ourselves in the music. At the end of the performance, Henry is handed a massive drumstick by the conductor, who asks him to throw it up in the air – but he just can’t seem to let it go until he eventually manages to, which is just as well, because all the drummers are waiting for him to do this before they continue!
Rock Choir are always enjoyable to watch, and it’s heart-warming to see the power of music bringing many singers together of all abilities and ages, and from all walks of life. It’s clear to me that each and every one of them thoroughly enjoys performing.
Shut your eyes when Bronte Shande of The Amy Winehouse Band sings, and you could be forgiven for thinking that Amy herself is here! Clouds give way to sun for the duration of this performance. Revellers do get a bit wet in Stoke Park, but it’s quite warm, so it doesn’t matter. Bronte is accompanied by a hugely charismatic singer who also does some superb dance moves, ensuring that this is a wonderfully memorable gig.
Rob Birch of Stereo MC’s gets my respect, not just for his great creativity and considered lyrics, but also for the way he conducts himself on stage. His hip-hop group had an international top 20 hit with their single ‘Connected’ and a UK top 20 hit with ‘Step It Up’, which, as a naïve thirteen-year-old, I listened to, but didn’t realise it was his creation!
GuilFest, founded by Tony Scott in 1992, brings together so much memorable music, and I am very grateful to him for doing this. What a fantastic idea! It must be gratifying to see the hordes of revellers pouring through the gates to experience such a varied selection of entertainment over this July weekend. It’s such a privilege to see so many world-class acts all seamlessly brought together before our eyes.
There are many more acts, but there just isn’t time for us to see them all. One thing’s for sure, GuilFest sets the benchmark for music festivals, and I can’t wait for next year’s event!
Visit guilfest.co.uk to find out more about the festival.
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Tim Saunders is a travel writer and photographer regularly contributing to publications with a combined audience exceeding 100,000 readers. You can read more from Tim on his website travelwriter.biz and www.testdrives.biz.
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