On the opening day of the football season, instead of following the Imps as is customary, I sat in a field with hundreds of other people watching music.
It was a simple double-booking error. Usually, I’d book things around football season, but Gig in a Field 6 (known as GIAF6 from here on) had something that immediately drew me to it: Millie Manders and the Shutup, my favourite band. That prompted the booking (before we’d seen them at Wroot Rocks and the Ferocious Dog AGM). You could say booking for GIAF6 was a mistake, but only in terms of the dates.
For those who don’t know, GIAF is one of the country’s best small festivals and an intimate gathering of many like-minded people to watch good music. I’m recently redundant from my job, so I spent all of Thursday before the event twiddling my thumbs, waiting for the others to join up with me and depart. For those who do not know, the ‘others’ are Chris Laming and Dave Adams, making up a trio of like-minded music fans who watch so-called obscure bands across the country. We’re so like-minded that when referring to bands these days, we often say ‘the types of bands we like’, as if we’re a couple or something.
Where is it?
GIAF6 is held near a village called Wroot, on the Isle of Axholme (not a real island). The field is called The Nook, and it’s outstanding. You drive through the main gate, and your cars are in the event with you. The walk from tent to car is a couple of minutes, and when you want to watch bands, you’re a minute from the main stage, where you can set up with cool boxes and chairs if you wish. It’s small but not insignificant: the food options are amazing, from wood-fired pizza to Caribbean street food, fish and chips to burgers. It’s bring your own booze as well, so no over-inflated beer prices and horrible plastic cups.
The toilet situation did concern me – eight or nine portaloos and a couple of urinals, but they were without a doubt the best festival toilets I have ever endured. They were cleaned both mornings, and everyone is so polite about how they behave. Leaving them in an unacceptable condition is unacceptable to this group of people.
There’s no doubt GIAF6 appealed to a certain demographic of people. In the main, there were a lot of old punks, the sort you’d find around a New Model Army or Levellers gig back in the day. Much of the crowd has a left-wing vibe, but I learned it best not to be too political after a post on the Facebook page before I went about my England flag tent blew up in my face a bit. I just didn’t want to rock up with my tent and have people think I was some sort of beer-swilling right-wing zealot, which is a sad reflection on what I feel the flag means to some these days. Still, once pitched up, there were no issues because this group of people was great. I spoke to a few (not many due to being uncomfortable with new people) and everyone was really chilled. I think there were a lot of new friends waiting to be met. Maybe next year.
Thursday
We arrived Thursday around 7 p.m., and a friend of ours, Dave, was already there. He had already pitched up in his Bongo Freindee, and we got just across the way from him, so we were more or less together. I shall call him Dave P for the remainder of the blog so as not to get him mixed up with our Dave!
Chris and I had to promise our Dave that we wouldn’t ‘do a Koln’. In November 2022, Chris and I went to Koln for a football weekend, and on the first night, we popped out for a bite to eat and a quick drink. Ten hours later, soaked in IPA and whiskey, we realised we’d almost ruined the weekend, and the Saturday was spent nursing hangovers the size of a cow. That’s now called ‘doing a Koln’ and after repeating that at Badlands last year, we vowed not to do it again.
We did a Koln.
What that entailed was a protracted setup followed by beer, a wander down to catch the last of the open mic performers, which made Thursday feel even more intimate, before heading back to the tents, where we finished off a full bottle of honey mead, a smaller bottle of Lindisfarne mead, and a lot of beer. For us, that spelt danger, as we’re not drinkers. Dave would call that a light start, as he can drink for England.
Friday
After a good sleep, some water and a lazy morning, we got down for the music. Friday was the ‘big’ day for us, as there were several bands we wanted to see: Jack Kendrick, Nick Parker, Pet Needs, Beans on Toast and Jess Silk. That’s no reflection on those I haven’t listed, but rather that we knew we had a big day. None disappointed. I can’t go into all of them, as that would take too long, but one band I really loved and was unaware of were Brian Stone and the Masters of None, a great afternoon pirate-themed romp which ended with a lot of audience participation. Being a bit Koln’d, I remained seated, as I did for Jess Silk when a huge circle formed, and a whole lotta love seeped out. Chris had a bit of a moment to her song If Home Is Where The Heart Is.
For me, Nick Parker was the main Friday event. I’ve written before about Nick, we caught him in Nottingham and he sent me a lovely message when I bought some CDs. He’s one of life’s good guys and he’s clearly comfortable at Wroot. He wandered the site with his dog, Maggie, and said hello to more old friends than he could count, I’m sure. We had a chat, and then he went on stage and gave a typically amusing, humbled and heartfelt performance. He’s got some great songs, from Terry and June, a love song singalong, Half of the Moon, an observant ode to the eighties, and the poignant Living Again, which just oozes honesty. Not disappointed.
A bit of his set also summed up the vibe. He changed the lyrics to Terry and June to include Amber and Neil, the organisers. They’re held in such esteem by everyone, and rightly so. I didn’t get a chance to say thank you. I never wanted to interrupt them playing with their son or milling around with their friends, but they feel like a mother and father to everyone, even if they’re most likely both younger than me.
Beans on Toast is one of the first folk acts on this circuit I got into, and his gravelly Essex drawl has been a soundtrack to life ever since. He’s got so many songs in his back catalogue that you never quite know what you’re going to get in terms of actual tracks, but you’re guaranteed plenty of chatter in between, a little smattering of politics and a whole lotta lovin’. He’s a festival staple across many bigger events as well, but he fits the Wroot vibe perfectly.
We had Pet Needs headlining the first day, but it won’t be long before they’re headlining much bigger events. They said it was their first evening slot at a festival, and they put a lot of energy into their performance, no doubt at all. I like their tracks. They have a punk vibe with a real Englishness to it, and while that differed from many of the acts, it rounded off the first day in such a way nobody really wanted to go to sleep.
Except Chris, who didn’t make the end of the set, nor me, who was tucked up by 11. The Daves tried to stay up, but Dave P (not a morning person, we discovered) flagged quite quickly, leaving just hardcore Dave to go to bed last.
Saturday
It was a delight to see our Dave finally struggle for a bit on Saturday, if only to prove the one-man beer disposal unit did have a limit after all. Saturday started well (bacon, egg and sausage butty, tea made fresh, all for £6). I do like my food, and I was also looking forward to another pizza, having enjoyed a wood-fired one the day before. By this point, I’d also smashed my way through sausage and chips, and two burgers (one with loaded fries). food was quickly becoming a priority.
We made sure to be settled in the main area by the time the first act, Slackrr had finished. That wasn’t a slur on them – we also popped to nearby Finningley for ice and beer, ensuring we had a cold drink. Chris had got burned the day before, me less so, and we anticipated another warm one. Dave had a little sleep, the perfect moment to get the camera out.
Saturday had fewer bands we’ve seen and liked, but it did have Millie Manders, which I was excited for. They’ve just released a second album, Wake Up, Shut Up, Work, and it’s a banger. It seems odd, given how brilliant almost all the bands were, to have been so focused on one right at the end!
Paul Henshaw was funny, a guy we’d already seen at Dogfest last year, and he set the tone for the day. He got Jack Kendrick and Harrison Wright on stage, two guys who performed the day before, which was enjoyable. Jack and Harrison popped up more at GIAF than Rick Astley did at festivals last year, but they were far more entertaining, like a comedy duo that kept appearing, making you laugh, smile and sing before blending back into the crowd.
I really enjoyed Nasty Fishmonger, so much so they prompted my first visit to the merch stand. They got a bit political, which is alright by me as it was my politics they preached, and I love their songs. Tallulah is a great singalong track, but they’ve got some cracking folk songs as well. Chris was taken – he bought a t-shirt, and in true GIAF style, the band stayed at the event, and every time he walked past Liz, the lead singer, she’d say ‘cool t-shirt’. It was another example of how tight the festival is: I noticed Square Wild, a prog-rock funk band from Friday, all stayed to watch Saturday’s bands and were still there right at the end of the final act.
The weather didn’t hold all day, but as the clouds opened during Cosmic Ninja, a Rage Against The Machine style rock band, I stayed sitting down, drink in hand. Some people scattered, but not many. Rain is part of the festival vibe and you just have to roll with it. Once it finished, I did get changed though, is that cheating?
For the boys and me, there was a distraction once the sun came back out, Lincoln City’s first game. It kicked off during Headsticks, but finished in a 3-2 win by the time Millie Manders took to the stage. The win definitely lifted me, and I spent the hour they played at the front enjoying every second. I’ve seen them a few times now this year (and will do against at Badlands in Lincoln in a couple of weeks) and every time I feel more connected to them and their message. Fuelled by the win, San Miguel and great music, I made another visit to the merch stand for a t-shirt, if only to get two minutes chatting to the band like a fan boy.
Merry Hell couldn’t have been a better closing act. They’re folk through and through, with songs about togetherness, love and supporting those around you. I’m a massive fan of the singalong Come On, England, but that was merely one of many great tracks. By the time they reached the final songs, we were linking arms and dancing round and round in circles, the warm evening illuminated by the stage lights and brought to life by the brilliant music. By the end of their set, knowing nothing more was to come, I felt elated to have experienced the weekend, but sad that we would be going home.
Sunday
Catching our breath on Sunday was not easy – we were up and out fairly quickly. It was nice to see The Brandy Thieves had signed my tent, another strong act from the weekend I haven’t mentioned. I’ll be honest: by the time the tent was packed up, I was almost beaten. I didn’t even do three days of drinking on my stag weekend: the last time I drank so consistently, my age likely started with a ‘2’, not a ‘4’. I slept most of Sunday, and I slept solidly last night. I’m catching up today on what I took away from GIAF.
What did I take away? Great bands, some new, some becoming like old friends. I took away a vibe that maybe, due to my awkwardness in chatting to strangers, I wasn’t as much a part of as an observer. I ate like a king at a reasonable price, and avoided the pre-festival stresses around the toilets. I also have a clearer indication of the type of van I want – my dream is to own a camper, and I’m going to be making a purchase over the coming weeks, ready for the season next year. There was one, a red VW that caught my eye – perhaps out of my price range, but we’ll see. They’re partly my takeaways.
However, the last few weeks have been super stressful: losing my job, selling one of my websites and entering a real period of uncertainty. This was supposed to be a big blowout, a ‘go crazy’ weekend, but instead, I used it to process everything, to make sense of what I wanted. At some point during Merry Hell, as the sun went down and I watched a field full of people embracing, dancing and just putting love, not hate, into the world, I realised partly what I wanted.
To do it more. To get a van and go back to GIAF7 with Chris and Dave (and Dave). Maybe we can hit Ey Up Mi’ Duck as well, GIAF’s sister festival. I have zero desire to go to a 50,000-strong event with so-called big acts on, because the acts I like, the ones that are big to me, are right here, at events like these, connecting with people. That’s what i realised I wanted, that time in a safe space to just process life.
Who knows, maybe at GIAF7 (tickets bought this morning) I might even connect with a few friends I’ve yet to meet. If I can get over that anxiety anywhere, it is in a field near Wroot.