Events

Moor Music Festival – independence, fun and great music are an unbeatable moorland mix

With demand down this year for Glastonbury tickets and ever more music festivals appearing all over the UK, over 370 at the last count, festival goers are on the lookout for something more authentic, a bit edgier; vanguards of what a festival should be.

A recent investigation by BBC 6 Music resulted in a Listeners’ Festival Manifesto calling for smaller festivals that are cheaper and more personal. The Moor Music Festival with its independent ethos is a good example of how the changes called for are not only possible, but ideal. Moor Music Festival, now in its 4th year and tucked away on Addingham Moorside, next door to Ilkley Moor, celebrates individuality. Without sponsorship or corporate tie-ins, the emphasis is on high quality and attention to detail - an emphatic love of music, appreciation of good food, being environmentally responsible (no polystyrene cups here), use of local produce and of course the stunning natural environment of West Yorkshire to show it all off.

The full line up is yet to be revealed, but already signed are ‘Audiojack’, curators and players on Friday night in the Homespun dance tent, and current top ten artists, ‘Utah Saints’, playing and bringing the dance and funk acts and atmosphere of their long running Sugarbeat club night up onto the moors on Saturday.

Other areas within the festival include The MoorLive stage showcasing everything from indie to blues, and the Green Room, a softly cushioned and laid back space where you can see the most cutting edge of reworked cult films, shorts and documentaries, live audiovisual shows and DJ/ VJ collaborations playing into the night. Let us not forget the Earl Hickey Tribute Lounge too, a haven for world music, the acoustic and moustachioed or the bar which will double up as venue for the headset disco. Kids are well catered for with Kids Camp where they’ll be kept busy with workshops and a chill out space all culminating in a parade, encouraging them to start young in their festival going careers.

The Moor Music Festival has a history of top name acts, often just as they are about to break into the mainstream. Artists from previous years include ‘Dreadzone’, ‘Evil Nine’, ‘Underground Heroes’, ‘I was a Cubscout’, ‘DMX Crew’, ‘The Pigeon Detectives’ and ‘iLiKETRAiNS’ who commented: “[Moor Music Festival was] an undoubted highlight for us TRAiNS… trip to the countryside, weather forecast-defying sunshine…the alluring smell of barbeques and not a corporate banner in sight. What more could you ask for? Oh yes, a fantastically eclectic selection of live music and the chance to catch up with old friends.”

Event co-founder John Drysdale sums up what he feels are the key ingredients to a great festival: “Moor Music Festival is about having fun. It’s about bringing together all the things that we believe make a good party and a great festival: brilliant music, fantastic people, gorgeous food and a spot on location, we just love being able to share this with everyone who comes along. It’s a refreshing reminder of how a festival should be, not forgetting key details such as frosty lagers and clean toilets – always a priority!”

www.moormusicfestival.co.uk