It seems like an age ago that we were invited down to the Port Eliot estate with a view to getting involved in the annual festival that happens there. Two summers ago, during one of their ‘fallow’ years off, we caught the train to Cornwall to meet the people behind the festival. We were open-minded but not really sure what we had to offer. We were a slowly evolving website that dwelt on the Zen-like pleasures in life – angling, music, good books and TV shows, food and film. They were a renowned literary festival set in a rolling country estate. Thankfully, they were also as open-minded about endless possibilities as us.
Cut to one year later, summer 2009. Down by a boathouse that sits on an estuary that exhales with each ebb and flow of the tide; that was where we set up the Caught By The River tent. Doing things the only way we knew how, we put acoustic performers next to book readings. Sometimes we managed to combine the two. Rock’n’roll bands played next to soul and reggae DJs; everyone from Chris Watson to King Creosote, Kathryn Williams to British Sea Power, Kurt Jackson to John Head brought their own unique vision to our party.
The three days flew past, blurred like a brilliant dream; the whole thing surrounded by a warming fog of Doom Bar and pastoral sounds. Safe to say we had an absolute ball. We were honoured to be asked back immediately for the festival’s 2010 gathering.
This year’s festival runs July 23rd – 25th. Reflecting how CBTR has grown over the last year and new directions it’s taken, the line up features many of our favourite contributors and co-conspirators. Tickets are available from the festival’s website now. Really hope to see you there.
We kick off on Friday 23rd afternoon with The Heavenly Jukebox playing reggae, soul and rock ‘n’ roll. Guest DJs including Pete Reilly (Soul Jazz) and The Seahawks.
and at 9pm we have got Cherry Ghost playing live.
Saturday’s line up looks like this:
11am Stephen Parker (Spoonful Sound System DJ)
12 Treecreeper
12.30 Stephen Parker (Spoonful Sound System DJ)
1pm Kathryn Williams
2pm Jude Rogers: ‘Lines Made by Walking’. Guardian and The Word writer Jude Rogers talks walks. As featured in her weekly column for Caught by the River.
3pm – 6pm The Bird Effect. Hosted by Ceri Levy. NB we’re going to run a separate story on the incredible line up for this in the next few days.
6pm – 7pm DJ Danny Wilson (as in Danny from Danny & The Champions of The World)
7pm Hanna Lou & Trevor Moss
8pm The Tailors
9pm Danny & The Champions of the World
10 – 11.30 Heavenly Jukebox DJs
11.30 Fionn Regan
followed by DJs til the last man drops.
On Sunday, we’ll be running like this:
11am Stephen Parker (Spoonful Soundsystem DJ)
12.15pm A Caught by the River Nature Book Reader – featuring Chris Watson, Laura Beatty plus others tbc
1.30 Chris Watson – Nature Disco. (the welcome return of last years festival highlight. Britain’s premier wildlife sound recordist digs deep into his library for a river themed 90 minutes. Sounds from Port Eliot to The Antarctic.)
3.15 Ralfe Band (performing their soundtrack to the film ‘Bunny & The Bull’)
4.15 The Leisure Society