Rain or shine, this festival is a winner

10:52am Thursday 14th August 2008

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ENDORSE-IT-IN-DORSET FESTIVAL, SIXPENNY HANDLEY

ARRIVING at the festival on Saturday afternoon, things didn't look good. The sky was leaden and there were sudden bursts of unwelcome heavy rain. I began to wonder if my adventure would end before it had started.

However, the Endorse-it crowd are a hardy bunch and a bit of bad weather wasn't going to interfere with their annual knees up.

So I parked the car in an already muddy field and set off through a soggy campsite in search of the festival. On entering the site, I found a small group of desperate souls huddled around the main stage, listening to something that might have been hip-hop, which was interesting considering the rural setting, but as most folk had sensibly opted for the shelter of the various marquees around the site, I will never know.

Once inside it was apparent that everybody was in good spirits and intent on enjoying themselves. An excellent punk ska outfit called Splitters were doing a good job entertaining the troops. Ska was definitely the music of choice for the weekend - it was everywhere.

So it was entirely appropriate that the Jamaican institution known as The Skatalites should play on the main stage in the early evening. Although very few members of the original band are still with us, the tradition is maintained and the music sounded as fresh as when I used to hear it on Radio Caroline many moons ago before reggae existed.

The rain fell like stair-rods, the crowd at the front skanked on oblivious, happily lost in the high stepping rhythms. There was a great camaraderie, a shared love of the music and the fact we were standing in a very wet field in Dorset listening to it, made it seem a bit a like a dream.

The evening progressed with some suitably raucous punk folk from The Cropdusters and then topping the bill, The Buzzcocks, whose intelligent punk still has an edge. They played their hits but they weren't just going through motions, they remain a stimulating creative unit.

By the following afternoon, the weather was brighter and I gave the festival another crack - what a change!

The rain had ceased, the revellers were dressed up to the nines for Ladies Day and fun and frolics abounded. Ed Rome had them all dancing like crazy and Alabama Three, best known for The Sopranos theme, played a great set, which was worth the visit alone.

After many amusing encounters and curious distractions I happily wended my way home.

Endorse-it is a great little festival and long may it run.

- Roger Elliott