‘Hachfest’ - Hacheston's annual charity festival - is over for another year…and what a year it has been. An amazing weekend was had by all, a weekend sure never to be forgotten!

Murphy's Lore

The 3-day extravaganza opened with ‘Retro Revival’ Night, providing plenty for festival goers to strut their stuff to! ‘Bits ‘n’ Pieces’ got things off to a fantastic start, closely followed by ‘Boulevard Blonde’; and pause here to remember the outfits....it may sound surprising, but there is something quite sexy about grown men in long black military jackets with gold trim…and of course Vanessa looked gorgeous too! They certainly did not disappoint!

The costumes continued with ‘The Glamtastics’ – who truly showed they are the definitive 70s Glam Rock band!  Next it was the turn of the much anticipated ‘Wild Oats’…who proved to be well worth the 14 year wait! – suffice to say, they were an inspiration to everyone watching; and even as the skies opened and the rains poured down, nothing could dampen the spirits of the wildly excited crowd. A special moment saw drummer Stykx Scarlett keeping the crowd going during a temporary power failure, with what can only be described as an ore-inspiring drum solo – and not once did he stop smiling!

The night was topped off by one of the best Abba tribute bands – ‘Abba Revival’, who truly brought to life what it must have been like to watch and listen to the original super-group. Everyone in the audience was singing and dancing and cheering; “I defy anyone not to feel they have to dance to Abba – these guys are amazing!”, said one festival goer.

A reveller enjoying the traditional
English summer festival weather

Saturday ‘Live, Local and Loud’ kept up the high standards set by Friday night. The ICRfm Vinyl Club Showcase proved a popular choice with the younger musicians, and it was a pleasure to see some of the talent that is coming out of the area. Dirty Shockwaves showed themselves worthy winners of the recent ICRfm competition, and perfectly set the mood for the afternoon!

Here Town102 FM and Nick Morrell took over, and the day continued to please…

The standard of all the performances across the weekend was unbelievably high. Every act brought something a bit different and new to the Hachfest stage, and helped provide an outstanding weekend of entertainment. It is hard to pick highlights, but some who stood out were  ‘Underline The Sky’, ‘Hipshot’, ‘Skin The Fish’, ‘Voodoo’s Child’, ‘The Ballistics’, ‘Rosalita’ and ‘The Fat Band’. Festival Chairman and meadow owner, Alan Mutimer even got up on stage to play the cow-bell with ‘Trick of the Light’!

The atmosphere all weekend was one of fun, laughter and ‘just join in’!

Noasis - if you screw your eyes up a bit, they could  be....

Saturday’s headline band, ‘Noasis’ proved themselves to be every bit as they claim, the UK’s number 1 Oasis tribute. Their performance took the audience straight back to the mid 90s, when Oasis were at their height – playing all the classic hits, looking and sounding every bit the Mancunian stars, and with everyone in the crowd singing their hearts out.

Sunday’s ‘Chilled Out’ day was the perfect way to wind down the weekend, beginning with some Suffolk humour, followed by relaxing acoustic tunes from some impressive local singer-songwriters, and ending with the best dancing of the weekend. Two performances stood out that day – as part of ‘The Zoobies’’ set, Madison Bayfield, just 8 years old, took to the stage to sing I Can See Clearly Now – the old Johnny Nash number. She seemed to embody the true spirit of Hachfest, joining in, sharing a love of music, and having fun. She sang initially without any instruments, pitching the notes perfectly…a true star.

Secondly – rounding off the weekend - Murphy’s Lore, and what a perfect end. As the sun began to set, the crowd danced, jumped, spun, skipped…and many other interesting movement forms, to the energetic folk rhythms, and Celtic beats – absolutely unforgettable!

The weekend could not happen without the tireless work of all the team, volunteers, supporters and performers – thanks go to everyone who gave their time, energy and love to ensure this year’s Hachfest was the best yet.
Not to forget as well, that this is all done for charity….and initial figures look to have topped last year’s donations of over £8000!
All in all it was an inspiring weekend, everyone made it special, and the camping on site simply added to the true festival ambience. Feedback from those who attended, took part and helped has all been positive, “An extremely well organised and well run event, they had thought of everything!” “A truly fun weekend - one of the best local festivals around!”.

Looking forward to next year already – keep an eye on the website for details! www.hachfest.co.uk

Faye skinner
August 2008