Saturday, the main stage kicked off with Fraid Knot, gorgeous folky-rock melodies floating through the Spring warmth. I'm No Fish, from Ashbourne saw the first rising star appear with the 14 year old Katie stealing the show with her vibrant guitar rifts.

The Green Parade did take place; over fifty adults, youths and kids got 'greened-up' and paraded around the site, reminding everyone that summer is almost here.

As the sun began to set, the big bands began to appear: BBBlackdog from Belper and Germany were amazing, with two bass guitars and drums rocking the way for their troupe of belly-dancers! Cortosis played a blinding set (much to the appreciation of a major festival promoter, scouting for talent). Serotonin closed the day with their inimitable mix of bluesy-rock, Ollie's gravelly voice rumbling over the fields…

Sunday started mellow (well everyone was a little fuzzy!) two young bands kicked off. Chattertons from Matlock played their first gig, and they got the crowd rocking (not just their dads),and Limited from Belper.

The show came alive with PunkTup from Kirk Ireton who got everyone going with their classic renditions of the 70s masterpieces. Fossil Fuel, from Worthing, played with a charisma seldom seen in these parts, the cheer that went up at their encore echoed round the hills.

Then came Candy Apple Sour from Cromford… Within minutes their tops were off, and they were strutting their stuff. Luke, Brett and co had more energy than almost everyone else put together, the stage invasion was almost inevitable.

So came the finale. Corkstone taking it down a notch, beautifully, before Left Hand Drive made everyone smile with their soft, boppy mix of edgy classics.

…and so to the serious stuff: Thirty-five bands played, nearly two tons of kit were assembled and disassembled, over 50 helpers made the event so successful. And everyone did it voluntarily.

Nobody was paid for their support, and all the proceeds are going to charity. Already support is on its way to Burma to help the victims of the cyclone there. Soon support will be going around the rest of the World.

A massive thank you must go out to everyone who provided this support, to the residents of Ashleyhay who put up with the disruption, and to everyone who came to the Ashleyhay Festival 2008.


By Martin Redman, organiser