This weekend’s Brentwood Festival was hailed as the best ever after an estimated 10,000 people enjoyed the beautiful weather at the Brentwood Centre.

The weekend buried the memory of last year’s downpours with record numbers enjoying the headliners including Chas n Dave, Bruce Foxton from the Jam and the Loveable Rogues.

And the sucess of the event enabled organiser Jason Jopson to deliver a cheque for £10,000 to Help For Heroes, bringing the total of his fundraising to date up to £120,000.

Bruce Foxton

Phoenix FM were at the festival all weekend talking to bands and festival-goers and soaking up the sun.

Video playlist! See TWENTY videos of performances from the Festival including Navacross, Chas n Dave, Any Colour You Like, From The Jam, Mannequins, States of Emotion, The Late Twos, Undercover, Dookie, The Ends, Rajiv, Guns vs Roses and The Bracknall! Click the NEXT button on the video (next to the volume button) to scroll through them all.

FRIDAY

FUNKY VOICES got the proceedings off to a great start. If the Essex-based community choir can fit on the stage, then anyone can! Over 50 people were present and correct to sing hits such as Like A Prayer. We know how good they sound as they recently visited us and all managed to fit inside our studio!

First band up on the Main Stage for the weekend were LOBSTER, who were another band to recently visit Phoenix, this time on with Bryan Powis. The band knocked out a blistering rock set giving us an indication of some of the music to come.

It’s been a few months since we last saw NAVACROSS but it’s a live experience not to be missed. This unique Essex band play an eclectic mix of rock, country, folk, blues and Americana with have a great high-energy stage presence with songs including Ship Goes Down and Planes Left Trails.

Of course the crowd were just getting warmed up for the big names of the day – CHAS AND DAVE. It was a first opportunity for Brentwood to be treated to a whole library of songs such as Gertcha, Rabbit, Ain’t No Pleasing You and a curious song called Down To Southend which sounded suspiciously like Margate!

Final band of the evening were another Brentwood band who’ve recently been in for a session with us – THE TOMORROW MEN. They finished the evening off in loud raucous style with a set of original songs including Magician’s Grip and Solitaire.

SATURDAY

It was great to see Canvey’s THE ENDS make it through to the Festival after being one of the two winners in Phoenix FM’s Battle Stage competition. An energy-fuelled indie punk set to start the day, and some great song titles including You Were Nice Once (But Only Once) and We Could Call This Song “Untitled” (But That Would Be Lazy Songwriting).

Next up, were Essex rock band THE BRACKNELL. No strangers to Phoenix FM, the band’s set include their excellent recent single It Always Ends The Same.

We were then treated to a magnificent performance on the Main Stage from the first “tribute” band of the day, GUNS VS ROSES. Some bands look like their heroes, some bands sound like them, but this lot had bundles of both, and a great set list including classics such as You Could Be Mine and Paradise City.

Northern Ireland alternative rock band THE LATE TWOS were also recent visitors to Phoenix, having come down for an interview that very morning. They played a great set including a cover of the Stiff Little Fingers song Alternative Ulster. More from one of that band’s former bass players later …

London Pink Floyd tribute band ANY COLOUR YOU LIKE were up next with a note-perfect set which was mainly culled from the two most classic of their classic albums, Dark Side Of The Moon and The Wall – although we were treated to a rare gem in Fearless live in the Phoenix FM studio last week. The band were introduced by Phoenix FM’s very own Pink Floyd nut, Mike Jones. He told the crowd he’s seen all the tribute acts, but none of them topped this lot. And since they’re playing live and the real Pink Floyd aren’t any more, perhaps that makes them better than them too?

DOOKIE are another band who’ve been in for the acoustic session treatment with us. Another great set of Green Day covers including Holiday and American Idiot.

The first big draw of the day were Essex Britrockers MISSING ANDY. The guys popped in for a chat with Nikki Mills live on air just before their show on the Main Stage – you can hear their interview again here – and the many fans the band brought along swelled the numbers in the field to many thousands. Another blistering set including “old” favourites Kings For The Weekend and Dave along with songs from their new album Guerilla Invasion.

Local covers band THE EARNSHAWS are fast getting a reputation as one of the best in the area and they didn’t disappoint with a great set including Pumped Up Kicks, All My Life and Get Lucky.

When hard=working frontman Olly Hookings isn’t singing for Brentwood band STATES OF EMOTION he’s managing others such as The Tomorrow Men. Another great set from the band who attracted a crowd of over five thousand by this point in the day.

From this point on the evening belonged to the Mods. Headlining the second stage today were long-time Phoenix FM friends MANNEQUINS, who were the only band to have a marriage proposal in the crowd in between songs of their set (she said yes!) which didn’t stop a high-octane set of their original songs including Head Screwed On, Shiver and Remember The Time.

Time for the headliners and if you were there all day FROM THE JAM were well worth waiting for. If you loved The Jam – a band who had four no 1 singles (can you imagine that happening today) – this is as close to the real deal as you’re going to get. Lead singer Russell Hastings sounds just like Paul Weller, and if you didn’t know what Paul Weller looked like these days you could imagine he might have turned out like that too! Bass player Bruce Foxton is looking incredible for his age and has lost none of his enthusiasm for the live stage. And once you hear those very-familiar basslines of Start or Down At The Tube Station At Midnight, it’s 1982 all over again.

SUNDAY

Last year we had the Hurricane – this year it was the Murricane. Despite Andy Murray doing his best to put everyone in Britain in front of a TV to witness his maiden Wimbledon victory, the good people of Brentwood still came out in commendable numbers to watch some great bands and enjoy a third day of unusually warm sunshine.

The day started with a set from local scene stalwart ADRIAN NATION who’s been playing more local festivals than I can remember – this guy just keeps on going!

Former Inspiral Carpets lead singer TOM HINGLEY played a great acoustic set of his own bluesy compositions and old Inspiral numbers, and then proceeded to charm absolutely everyone he came into contact with. He was also the only person all weekend to wear a jacket all weekend and he didn’t look like he was going to break into a sweat either … highly admirable!

RHONDA MERRICK was another recent visitor to Phoenix, having recently played an acoustic session with us with guitarist Richie. Her sweet soulful performance with the Loose Change Band was exactly what Sunday afternoon needed.

Reviews coming for:
RAJIV
UNDERCOVER
NO MORE HEROES
THE DUALERS
PORTER
THE LOVEABLE ROGUES
THE PAUL COOK BAND
WHO’S WHO