Music & Entertainment
This information refers to 2008, and is maintained for interest only
Music
Musical entertainment is kindly sponsored this year by the West Berkshire Brewery.
Thursday is music-free, for all those that like to enjoy their pint in peace.
Friday night sees the return of the ever-popular Ding Dong Daddios. Bringing you the most dancable tunes from the swing heydays of the 40s and 50s, this five piece band always gets the party jumpin' and jiving'. Get ready to take a Choo Choo Ch'Boogie runaway train ride from Five Guys Named Mo all the way to Mac the Knife, passing through Istanbul (not Constantinople) on the way. Featuring Louis on vocals, French Pete on guitar, Pip on drums, Jon Bone on slide trombone and Bigshot Phil on bass.
Saturday night is when you can enjoy Whittakers Patent Remedy. A feature of the Reading music scene for fully 30 years, members have come and gone but one thing has remained constant ? good time music! Starting as a Ceilidh Band in 1977, WPR became well-known locally for Midday Music at the Hexagon in the days before Christmas Pantomime. Their Christmas shows were the stuff of legend. The common thread throughout has been Hugh Crabtree, and the beer festival line up includes two extra fiddle players and promises to be something very special indeed. Carlton Hunt (Bible Code Sundays and ex Bad Manners) on drums joins the regular WPR backline of Reading based musicians Dave Harding (bass), John Underwood (guitar), Martin Vincent (guitar), Hugh Crabtree (accordion and vocals) and Ian Cutler (fiddle). Guest Fiddlers Peter Knight (Steeleye Span) and Tom Leary (Tanna) make up a show band to be reckoned with. Everything from Western themes to pub songs. And watch out for a special guest star well known for his beer brewing credentials.
Saturday Afternoon
The Saturday session is kindly sponsored this year by Loddon Brewery.
Local Morris side the Kennet Morris Men will add to the Festival atmosphere by dancing a number of spots in the beer garden on Saturday afternoon. Also face painting by Body Canvas will be available for adults and children. Raphaelle and Gary Fieldhouse are multiple award-winning artists and have proved hugely popular at previous Festivals, so be sure and get in early to avoid disappointment.
The Balloon Platoon will also join us again throughout the Festival. grOmmet and the team are a bit off the wall but they create a wonderful atmosphere and make marvellous hats! If you want to stand out from the crowd, stop them and buy one.
Sunday Afternoon - Family Day
Sunday is traditionally family day at the Festival and this year is kindly sponsored by Hook Norton Brewery. We kick off with Pete White's Suitcase Circus. Pete Lawless White is an award-winning comic performer with a suitcase full of wonderstuff and a show full of inspired clowning. The Suitcase Circus Show is an hour of spectacular skills, comic inventions and audience participation. Simply great fun for both adults and children.
Face painting by Body Canvas will be available again and they will also be providing the bouncy castle - sorry, this one's for children only! Also to keep the little ones amused we will be running a children's colouring and drawing competition.
Hook Norton will once again be bringing their Shire horses on Sunday afternoon. Of all the breweries that own horse drawn drays, only two still actually deliver their products by dray and Shire horse. Major and Nelson are one of those pairs and they're taking time off from work to visit us at Reading. Major is a bay, 17.1 hh and loves beer. Nelson (nickname Nel) is a light bay, 16.3 hh and very protective of his food bucket! The term "gentle giant" is overused but seems exactly the right way to describe these lovely, mild but hard-working horses.
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