The great thing about this little music festival in Eskdale is that there’s zero mobile phone reception.
It’s a communications black hole meaning there’s nothing to distract you from the music and the stunning setting.
There’s no WI-FI, the site’s cash only. If you want to check your work emails get in your car and drive for half an hour.
This festival is as off-the-radar as the ‘hidden valley’ it’s situated in.
I was even tempted to leave my watch at home as some EskFest regulars do. Time seems to stop still here.
Billed as a showcase for emerging Cumbria bands alongside more established acts, EskFest has been going for six years – apart from in pandemic hit 2020.
Fast forward to this year and it’s a miracle that there’s any music on at all.
With many festivals being cancelled due to continuing covid restrictions, this micro-festival got a late green light.
Everyone took lateral flow tests before they arrived and needed to show proof of a negative result.
Judging by the continual requests for the audience to social distance, the organisers took their responsibilities seriously.
During the three days council officials and Cumbria police dropped by. They were checking on compliance not the tunes.
It’s strange to be at a three-day festival with an overriding feeling that the plug could be pulled any minute.
In a sense that prevailing threat made the entire event a ‘live for the moment’ spectacle. Enjoy the next band on, as it could be the last…
But in the end, the pandemic couldn’t stop play. People watched, sang, drank and danced their way through the weekend. And here are my highlights:
The Silver Bars | Main stage | Friday 2 July
The Silver Bars hit a stage for the first time since the pandemic stopped pop with a blazing set.
It’s 3pm and 300 festival goers jolt from deck chairs with the band’s opener which has a something of the Style Council about it.
Singer Dylan Grafton gives an early indication of his stunning vocal range and lyrical creativity from the very first song which has a crack at those who settle for the mundane “you pray for a job and a boring routine”.
‘Joanie I’m Mad Too’ is part Bowie part Blondie while ‘The Morning’ is a bit Merseybeat with Grafton mop-topping as if he were a young Paul McCartney.
What is clear from the ten-song set is that The Silver Bars have maturity beyond their years and can’t half play. Big Part is their new single and sounds terrific.
The final song of their stunning set is the all conquering Man in the Sky – as perfect a pop single as you’ll hear in a rainy field all summer.
The Silver Bars are big in Barrow and it won’t be long before this fab five-piece brighten Britain with their brilliance.
Frontman Grafton is every bit the star of the show with a sprinkling of Paul Weller in his make-up. He has charisma, confidence and a swagger.
It starts to rain during The Silver Bars’ set. But all the clouds hovering above this brilliant Barrow band have a silver lining.
My Little Brother | Stags stage | Friday 2 July
Three of My Little Brother share vocal duties and deliver a mellow set of beautifully crafted tunes. You never know where the lead vocal is going to come from next and it makes for melodic moments.
Hailing from Penrith and Carlisle, My Little Brother produce joyous guitar riffs with a fine dose of Americana.
Think REM, Wilco or They Might Be Giants and you’ll get the general idea.
Playing just their second show since live music was allowed to resume in Cumbria fields like this one, My Little Brother say they are “overwhelmed” by the experience.
Clearly enjoying being back on a stage, they sound terrific and final song Chicago vibes like Dear Prudence.
Paddy Steer | Woodlands stage | Friday 2 July
Paddy Steer needs to change his stage name. I turn up expecting Irish folk. What I get is Frank Sidebottom meets Kraftwerk meets Gandalf from Lord of the Rings.
Paddy needs a name that’s as eccentric as his outfit and that’s fitting of his dazzling voyage of electronic music. He is part-warlock part-creature from Mars. In his spare time he’s likely on the board of trustees at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The Woodlands Stage is Eskfest’s smallest.
People clamber up a wooded embankment, others climb a dry stone wall to get a glimpse of this mysterious magic man.
Playing drums accompanied with a mix of dials and buttons which look like they’ve been salvaged from the space ship out of Blakes 7, Paddy’s set offers the most uplifting experience.
A five-year-old kid is dancing to every bop and beat on a bolder. He’s in a mesmerised trance as are the 60 or so lucky souls under the spell of Steer.
The Hogwarts Express is leaving with Paddy aboard. Jump on it.
Molly | Main stage | Saturday 3 July
Molly Warburton emerges from a torrent of rain with sunglasses perched atop her head, cut-off jeans and white tee.
It’s like the monsoon that consumed most of soggy Saturday never happened.
Molly has a smile as wide as the Eskdale valley and reminds of Tracy Chapman.
Molly from Lancaster, plays acoustic guitar beautifully and has a voice to match. She plays a mixture of her own songs and a glorious cover of Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Want To Have Fun.
Freyja Burke | Woodlands stage | Saturday 3 July
Freyja Burke plays mellow covers among the pines at the tiny Woodlands stage. The grace of her guitar playing outshines the reverberations coming from the other stages.
Freyja plays magnificent versions of First Aid Kit’s Cedar Lane, Britney Spears’ Toxic and Ryan Adams’ Oh My Sweet Carolina.
She even gives a music recommendation urging her audience to check out a band called The Civil Wars, “Just listen to every song, they are brilliant” she advises.
Burke is brilliant too. Check her out.
Bad Transmission | Main stage | Saturday 3 July
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Ska, reggae, rap and a saxophonist in a 1990 England blue away shirt – Bad Transmission are the coolest cats at EskFest.
Hailing from Ulverston, they deliver killer songs with fantastic lyrics. And they are just the most fun band to watch live. The audience love them.
Bad Transmission are working on a new album. If it has half as much energy as their live show it will be a stunning record.
DICKIE FELTON