FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Beautiful Days

**Still undecided about your choice of festival this Summer? Look no further. Few have heard of it, but Devon’s Beautiful Days festival presents a thriving folk scene with a humble charm that you won’t find elsewhere.**

The first thing you’ll notice is the conspicuous absence of the materialism that’s so prevalent in today’s music scene. Once upon a time, your average student could afford the festival-going experience, but recent years have seen the emergence of a worrying trend. £200 for **T in the Park**? No thanks. **Beautiful Days** has kept its price admirably low at around half that figure, and features no branding or sponsorship whatsoever. It’s all part of a weekend that was designed to be uncluttered by corporate interests, and in the words of **Levellers** vocalist and founder Mark Chadwick, to act as the “antithesis of **V Festival**”. In essence, the whole thing’s a big “up yours” to the festival’s increasingly commercial competitors.

And that’s something that carries over to the festival’s atmosphere as a whole. Past years have seen attractions like a cycling pianist among the festival’s quirks. Instead of the customary watered-down pint, you could try the local real ales or visit a vintage London bus, out of which is served tea and coffee, doubtless part of what Chadwick calls putting the “weirdness” back into festivals.

Location-wise, I could go on at length about the rolling Devon countryside or the proposition of nearby beaches, but what it ultimately comes down to is that **Beautiful Days** takes place in a part of the country that might actually get some sunshine. These virtues have been rewarded with ever-growing recognition; **Beautiful Days** has been shortlisted for Best Medium-Sized Festival, as well as winning Best Family Festival in 2011. And, as anyone who’s used a portaloo will no doubt appreciate, it was shortlisted in the final ten for Best Toilets, too.

Then, of course, there’s the music. Over the years, **Beautiful Days**’ venue at Escot Park has belied its humble setting by attracting heavy hitters to its main stage. This year is no exception, playing host to established acts **Primal Scream**, **Ocean Colour Scene**, and **Sinead O’ Connor**. Meanwhile, the **Levellers** return to the festival that is their baby. As founders, they’re a consistent presence on various stages each year, providing a sense of continuity to proceedings which isn’t found elsewhere. They’re also drunk more often than not – they sometimes play under the name ‘Drunk In Public’ – and once insulted **Glastonbury** owner Michael Eavis at his own festival. In a way, they sum up the festival as a whole – honest and unconcerned with major commercial success.

But it’s the lesser-known artists that really impress. In recent years, **Beautiful Days** has been a hotbed for bright new talent. It’s a haven for the folk scene in particular, providing the same brand of acoustic goodness as the **Sidmouth Folk Festival** that precedes it. There’s always an array of budding artists here; the likes of **Stornoway**, **Newton Faulkner**, **Seth Lakeman**, **Ben Howard**, and **Frank Turner** have all made appearances early in their careers before going on to garner wider recognition. No doubt the same will be true of this year’s line-up, with **Damien Dempsey**, **Gaz Brookfield**, and **Heidi Talbot** among the list of singer-songwriters to look out for this time. There’s nothing quite like watching a musician on their way to the top, and **Beautiful Days** has to be one of the best places to do so.

In terms of sheer scale, **Beautiful Days** can’t compete with the Glastonburies of this world. But then, it doesn’t try to. For a real alternative to the big names of the festival scene, it offers an atmosphere that can’t be replicated anywhere else. If you give it a chance, this secluded corner of East Devon could just be the highlight of your summer.