Last weekend, that’s the first weekend of July 2022 if you’re reading this later or I’ve ended up publishing it later than I intended (I’m now returning to this confirming that the latter has indeed happened), Travis and I made our way from London to Upton-upon-Severn for this small festival, Woofest, winner of the UK’s Best Small Festival award last time it was awarded in 2019, and held in order to raise funds for the local St Richards Hospice in Worcester.
I’ve been to many festivals before (and continue to wear the evidence of the last several on my left wrist) but this time there was a difference – I wasn’t just watching but also performing. When I say ‘I’ I mean me Doug not in the guise of Doru. I realise all this multiple identity madness can get confusing but Doru is a specific character for performing songs in a particular style and genre that I write myself, whereas when I write in other genres or perform in bands with other musicians I’m just Doug. Clear as mud I’m sure.
It’s been an ambition of mine to perform at a festival for a while now. Little did I know it would be my first ever proper gig. I’ve done lots of open mic performances or playing in groups of friends, but I’d never played before at an event that people I didn’t know had paid for. I’d expected to be nervous beforehand but when our turn came to get set up on the stage I felt surprisingly chilled about the whole thing, there was a feeling of something there for sure but it was as much excitement and anticipation as anything. I enjoyed the whole experience of being on the stage setting up, and being announced and then thoroughly enjoyed the whole set. I think I’m hooked.
I’m sure that the biggest single reason for the lack of nerves was that I wasn’t alone. In the past I’ve almost always performed by myself whereas this time I was one of six. And all the others, unlike me, are really good musicians. It felt a lot more relaxed to be part of a team, especially one where you knew you could rely on everybody else. I just had to not mess up too much and everything would be fine which is a lot less pressure than playing on your own. And it just sounds so much better as well, so much fuller and more dynamic. I always wanted to perform music live and now I see being part of a band as the best way to do this, instead of my default which is generally to try to do everything by myself.
This was also a big weekend for me and Travis in that it was the last musical event in the calendar before we were due to head off north into the wilderness for a while. It was great for the last London-founded music event to go off in such fine style and to spend it with a group of really good people, both within our little band and beyond.
I have never been to a festival quite like Woofest before, with so many volunteers and sponsors making sure every penny from every ticket goes to such a good cause and it’s really quite humbling to see and to play a tiny part in it all. What struck me most was the sheer quality of everything on offer. You might expect a small not-for-profit festival to be well-meaning but perhaps a bit less professional in terms of setup but this simply isn’t the case. The staging and sound was fantastic, including a proper sound desk out in the field, two stages run with military precision so that there is hardly a moment’s break in the music (all of which was great), and it all just works. Well it doesn’t just work, it works because of the tremendous effort and skill of everybody involved and they all deserve huge congratulations for what they have achieved here.
We’ll be supporting Woofest again next year, whether we’re fortunate enough to be playing again or not, and would highly recommend that you do the same. Don’t hang about though, as this year sold out well before everyone who wanted to managed to get tickets.