Hitchin rocks to Rhythms of the World Festival

 

The most unlikely of festival experiences can sometimes delivery such galactic weekends of pure unadulterated laughter, enjoyment and high jinks that they leave me shattered with a smile on my face for days on end. The Hitchin ‘Rhythms of the World Festival’ last weekend did just that.

 

The Hitchin Rhythms of the world festival is the UK’s largest free festival spread over a weekend, with over 90 free world music acts across 3 stages, this year being on the 14th/15th July. I was staying at my good friends’ Sandra and Alastair’s newly converted palatial luxury mannor, just on the edge of town, both proud stalwarts of the Hitchin festival experience. So what amazing new world music did I see at the festival? Um..a short answer is not alot. I quickly grasped that music at the Rhythms festival is just a backdrop to a whole lot more; hanging out, watching Vicky Pollard impersonators falling over, conversing to random BBC 3 interviewers (true-it happened), meeting new folk and generally indulging in as much shoes-off craic and festival liberation as possible.. and it goes on for hours…

  Brid waxing lyrical on BBC Radio

But the real fun started after the main festival activities die down at midnight. The famous MTV unplugged format may have faded into nothingness some years ago but the format is alive and kicking in the backstreets of Hitchin. As the pubs closed down, our inebriated rable of happy friends moved onto the next stage of the saturday evenings proceedings;Ade and Brid’s house, possibly the warmest and gregarious couple I have ever met. Throw in a didgeridoo, a shed loads of ales and an assortment of seasoned lashheads and musicians and you have the most combustible and hilarious nights of entertainment I have ever witnessed. The rawness and just plain talent of musiciains I witnessed was just fantastic and the atmosphere was electric. I actually believe that at 3 a.m in the morning as I observed big John, a kind of gentle Vinnie Jones character, on his didgeridoo almost destroying my ear-drum with a monumental tune, there was no more livelier and convivial place to be on planet earth! As the shenanigans continued towards 4 a.m Patrick, Sandra’s brother, never one for shyness infront of a microphone and a drunk audience capped the evening with a hilarious belowering rendition of the Irish national anthem, most of the room were now hunched over in laughter. It was his sheer utter buffooning confidence that made it so funny.

Other festivals will be hard pressed to match the spririt of The Rhythms of the World festival in Hitchin. Go see it next year. I will be there for sure.

Thankyou Sandra and Al, Ade and Brid and all their friends for such a memorable weekend  

The Rhythms festival code of conduct (from website);

1. Enjoy the unusual, each day of the festival (yup did that)

2. Respect the town of Hitchin for hosting the festival

3. Take personal responsibility for your rubbish

4. Do not bring glass with you into the town

5. Show your appreciation

6. Leave your car at home

Tom Shepherd, part-time John Rotten inpersonator, makes his claim for the 2007 Rhythms line-up;

http://web.mac.com/gary_maguire/iWeb/Prk/Audio%20Podcasts/Audio%20Podcasts.html