03/10/2017
Unique in its charming seaside location, Looe Music Festival takes place in the heart of a picturesque fishing town on the South coast of Cornwall. Stages and marquees well hidden amongst the bustling harbour, intimate winding town alleys and a lovely beach with amazing views in all directions. This three day festival spills out from its numerous official sites to enter locations spread amongst the town, creating a unique party atmosphere throughout the whole of this beautiful setting.
This is a grown-up festival in its musical taste and in its lack of a main festival camping area. Looe has a fantastic selection of holiday accommodation that must be booked separate to your ticket but offers greater flexibility and comfort than your average festival. Groups of scantily clad rowdy youths often seen wandering the larger UK festivals are replaced by much older groups and families, many of whom in impressive pirate fancy dress adding to the Cornish flavour of the weekend. Prinking (pre-drinking) has not yet taken hold in this tucked away corner of Cornwall, there is a more ‘traditional’ mind-set to drinking at the numerous lively pubs and festival sites. This ensures the town is lively from early in the day.
The performers are certainly from the more established acts rather than current chart sensations. The Korev stage is the festivals main area and covers Looe’s sand beach, allowing the kids to build sand castles whilst mum and dad sample the local excellent cider and dance away in the sand. Or the shorter of us to kick up a mound to see over the taller shoulders in front. Recent years have seen performances from the likes of Jools Holland, Bryan Ferry, Johnny Marr and The Darkness. This year was the turn of Reverend & The Maker, Happy Mondays and Lulu. Expect an eclectic mix of high energy ‘keep you on the move’ music, delivered back-to-back from either end of the beach and around the harbour plus acts on every street corner, and in every bar and restaurant. Festival areas are set out well with stages at either end, there is no time wasting waiting for acts to set up, you simply turn around when one is finished to see another ready to go!
A visit to Looe during the festival without a ticket is still well worthwhile. Camping isn’t a prerequisite, you can visit for the day or the weekend, stay in comfort and eat like a king. Exquisite local small independent Cornish caterers line the harbour wall leading from the harbour side Champion marquee to the Korev stage offering a vast selection of delectable locally sourced food and drink. The seafood brought in fresh that same day a particular highlight. Lovable waifs and strays take over every spare corner to perform and sing their hearts out with bands performing at most pubs in the town, ‘The Bullers’ a particularly lively recommendation. Activities such as BMX displays, storytelling, dance workshops and puppet performances will keep the whole family happy. Boat trips operate from the harbour wall all day long.
This is one of the last UK festivals of the year and as such, be prepared for the weather! This year was a particularly wet one with the main stage completely exposed to the elements. However, the rain is not a show stopper in Looe, the majority of stages are under cover and there is a great array of quaint pubs to lose a day in.
Looe Music Festival is a not-for-profit event run by a registered charity. It maintains a focus on maintaining the Cornish culture and language with this year seeing a mass participation in a rendition of ‘Roev Sos Roev’ (Row Boys Row) and many of the immensely talented acts are selected from this amazing county.
It really is the atmosphere and setting that makes Looe a must to visit. The friendly atmosphere throughout the town, the Cornish camaraderie, the fact that you could bump into your favourite band’s front man as they walk off stage and straight into a once fisherman’s cottage now friendly quirky Cornish tavern for a rest and a tipple.