TOP NAMES THRILL AT FESTIVAL No6
GOOD TIMES ROLL AT FESTIVAL No6 IN ITALIANATE VILLAGE DESPITE WEATHER
HEAVY rain meant another muddy Festival No 6 this year, but the bad weather failed to dampen spirits as thousands enjoyed an eclectic three days of entertainment.
Organisers seemed to have learnt the lessons of last year’s event, when the car park flooded, cars were written off, and punters complained about the festival’s response to the difficult conditions.
Regular and heavy rain showers may have lashed the site again this year, but periods of sunshine were enough to keep spirits high as the event coped well with the downpours.
A highlight for many on Sunday was the appearance of John, Paul, George and Ringo – or their counterparts in the Bootleg Beatles – who were accompanied by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra to mark the 50th anniversary of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
They were certainly guaranteed to raise a smile as the crowd sang along to a set packed with classics and enhanced by the live orchestration, which was showcased on songs like A Day in the Life and its powerful crescendo.
Huge papier-mache versions of the Fab Four had earlier paraded through Portmeirion, accompanied by local group Band Pres Llareggub and their brass band Beatles renditions.
More wild brass was heard in the central piazza at the heart of Portmeirion village, where the Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band whipped up the crowd with furious drumming and lively singing.
On Saturday night, Cabbage and The Cribs delivered punk rock energy at the Grand Pavilion, before headliners Bloc Party performed a triumphant set in a blizzard of powerful lights.
Those who were undeterred by the weather (or perhaps felt they were so wet already that it didn’t matter) swam in the outdoor swimming pool near the estuary, or took to the water itself for paddle-boarding sessions.
Deep in the woods, revellers enjoyed themselves on a floating dance floor set in the middle of a lake, and partied among dense forest at the Tangled Woods stage.
The Flaming Lips brought the curtain down on the festival, leaving the soggy but happy thousands to make their way home through the mud.