Now in its fourth year, the Beat-Herder Festival (3rd, 4th, 5th July) is set in beautiful woods and farmland beneath Pendle Hill and overlooks the 3 Peaks of the Yorkshire Dales. At a capacity of only 5000, it is a unique, intimate, and friendly experience, spiced with artistry, the best music, and theatrical nonsense.
Formerly a best-kept secret, Beat-Herder is smaller version of events such as Bestival and Glastonbury. 2009’s early bird tickets sold out in 3 hours, 20 minutes. Tickets are only available from the Beat-Herder website.
The festival is fully independent and self funded, building on work from over the last 10 years and its origins as a free party within the Northern scene. It remains a DIY ‘handmade’ production, helped by the input of friends and volunteers. Split into four areas, the Main Arena, Lazy Way, Toil Trees, and the Lazy Meadow, within these are eight musical pockets, numerous cafes and bars (4am licence). Food and drink (including alcohol) can also be brought onto the site.
The musical talent this year ranges from Reverend And The Makers, The Whip, Beardyman, The Filthy Dukes, Utah Saints, Banco De Gaia, and the Dub Pistols, to 808 State DJs, Krysko, James Yuill and many more.
In addition, the event’s reputation for art, theatre and spectacle continues, via installations and wacky props. There’s Mikey’s Tea Shack, a rustic building situated within the woodland. A secret room in the woods accessed by a long tunnel, a vodka bar that requires thirsty people to lie on their bellies to be served, a trick or treat booth, and beyond. Artists include Paul Hitchen and Hugh Jart (Glasto and Bestival letter creators), graffiti crews such as Bestjoinedup, the Mutoid Waste Company, costumed acts, stilt-walkers, the Ladybird Project kids area, a techno barber, workshops for all ages, comedians, and much more (please see the full line-up below).
Beat-Herder’s organisers (including builders, joiners, plumbers, gardeners and electricians) stick rigidly to an eco-friendly and green ethos, recycling reclaimed timber, materials from house clearances, donations, and skips to build the site infrastructure and the many ‘objects’ and sculptures that are a unique feature of the festival. These include a cube that holds a 36 ft maze, the shower blocks, the VJ booth, an underground bar, and many more. In addition, each artist performer receives a handmade flower box, with plants grown from seed and their logo painted onto it.
Mainstage:
Reverend and The Makers
Beardyman
The Whip
Filthy Dukes
Young Punx
Dub Pistols
Banco De Gaia
Nucleus roots
Loonaloop
Biscuit Head and The Biscuit Badgers (comedy musicians)
Voodoo Trombone Quartet
Monkey Wrenchers
Shoshin
Woods ‘Toil Trees’:
Sugarbeat Club ft Utah Saints, Meat Katie, Ali B, Toni Jarvis, Mooquie
Punks Jump Up
808 State Djs
Men in Masks
Krysko
James Yuill – LIVE!!
Toil Soundsystem DJ’s
Tilley & Killawattz
DJM
Skank2skank soundsystem
Celt Islam
Trailer Trash:
Underground Roots featuring Bongo chilli and Danman
Dead Silence and The Real DS
DJ Baliuk + RMKO (Ukraine)
Shean P (Disconotdisco/BBE)
Trailer Trash DJ’s
Rusty Staples
Stumblefunk:
Pendle Coven
Mr psik
Knob jockeys
Ken Evil
Xander
Caul Bearers
Live film re-score by Animat
Johnny clash
Unbalanced jack
Electrosluts
Se7en
Pete Mangalore
Lost Property
Longshot
Freaky Bitches
Dave Witchdoctor
CONTINUES OVER…
Smokey Tentacles Shisha Lounge:
Techi
The Hang Project
Lazy Habits
Rum Jig
Lewis Garland and The Kett Rebellion
Brooke Sharkey
Woodnote
The Beat-Herder and District Working Mens Club:
Captain Hotknives – (Comedy musician)
The Eggs On Sticks Theatre Company
Andrew Barry
Eddie Earthquake and The Tremors
Bushrocker Hi-Fi:
Mikey Don
One Love (Lancaster)
Messenger (Edinburgh)
Eden Dub
Adult tickets now £60, kids tickets (under 12′s) £5, Campervans £10 – + booking fee
No dogs on site ANYWHERE!
No glass in the main arena
Site opens midday on Friday 3rd July. (pitch tents and set-up)
Festival begins/opens – 17:00
http://www.beatherder.co.uk/site/location-map/
