It promised to be the 'biggest and best' yet - and it was a promise well-kept.
Jurassic Fields returned to Bridport at the weekend, delighting music-lovers from far and wide.
The sun was shining and Asker Meadows was buzzing as the festival kicked off on Friday night with The Kaizens opening the festival at the main stage, stepping in after The Native had to pull out due to illness. With many people having been in work that day, The Kaizens quickly set the festival mood with a mix of their own indie rock anthems and some crowd-pleasing covers. Impressive still, was the fact their 16-year-old drummer learnt the setlist that very day after agreeing to fill in for the band at short notice. Over at the Big Top, Smiley and the Underclass drew a hefty crowd with a raucous performance of their unique blend of reggae and punk.
The Tiny Top was the place to be for the hardcore ravers, with dance fans spilling out of the tent to catch The Tattoo'd Beat Messiah, Jay Rees and Sledgehead Bristol.
Families and friends basked in the glorious sunshine, enjoying chilled-out pop from Jetstream before getting up to have a dance to indie disco from Arcade Hearts.
- Arcade Hearts at main stage
And, in what festival organisers dubbed 'one of the hottest festival appearances on the circuit in 2019', Coasts reformed to perform an exclusive headline set for Jurassic Fields. After being greeted with great affection by fans, they blew the crowd away with an energetic performance, joined, word for word, by their audience.
- Coasts reformed for a special set at Jurassic Fields
Friday was the perfect warm-up for an eventful and fun-filled Saturday; Davey Malone burst onto the Big Top with a powerful combination of folk and punk, while Bridges tore up the main stage.
A stonking set came from festival favourites and Bridport's own Shelby's Elbows over at the Big Top. Always a hit in their hometown, the duo got the party started with their exciting takes on well-known hits and there wasn't a soul in the tent not giving it their all.
And then came the moment the day had been building up to; Saturday's headliners. A spell-binding performance came from quirky folk band Coco and the Butterfields, who played a mesmerising and intimate set at the Big Top.
- Coco and the Butterfields
The festival culminated in an electric performance from one of the most energetic, exciting and powerful live bands to emerge from the post-rave scene - Dreadzone.
Entering their third decade together, and having released eight albums, they were a huge feat for Jurassic Fields, enthralling the crowd with their mix of dub, reggae, ska and electro and bringing this year's festival to a mighty close.
We bumped into one of the festival's ecstatic organisers, Scott Morris, stage side as he managed to pause to catch the band and beamed: "You haven't booked a festival unless you've booked Dreadzone."
It's great to see the festival flourishing, getting bigger and better each year, and unbelievable to think how far it's come in such a short space of time, having so far brought west Dorset exciting live music from acts such as Fun Lovin Criminals, Dodgy, Dr & The Medics, Neville Staple and The Dub Pistols while passionately supporting local talent. This year's festival was home to a new and bigger campsite, so its success shows no sign of slowing down.
It all began when Bridport friends Dan Broom and Scott Morris decided there wasn't a 'proper' music festival in West Dorset - and so the pair thought they'd give it a go.
Clearly passionate about nurturing local talent, their long-term objective is to set up a local professional music studio and rehearsal hall run by volunteers, allowing the sourcing and provision of grants to enable local musicians to further their careers. They also hope the festival will act as a model for other communities in supporting their local musical talent.
And with the festival well and truly established, going from strength-to-strength, it looks as though that dream is in reach.
Don't forget to also check out our gallery of gorgeous doggos at the festival too!
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