“What shall we play now?” The question posed by John Steel, drummer with the Animals and Friends and the surviving member from the band’s inception in 1957, as they came back on to the stage at MantonFest for the encore.
Of course, it was the one number that they hadn’t played, the number that fans had been shouting out for the previous hour and a half: ‘The House of The Rising Sun’, The Animals greatest worldwide hit from 1964. Maybe ‘We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place’ as encore would have been more appropriate, but the rocking crowd who had stayed and survived the showers, excesses offered by the Ramsbury Breweries beer tent and numerous excellent food outlets (“I need another Hog Roast” exclaimed Pete at about ten o’clock. “I’ve only had three so far, I’m not hungry, but I need another…..”) were in no mood to let the band go without that number, and they weren’t disappointed.
The Animals and Friends closed MantonFest 2016, a great line-up mixing big names – Dr Feelgood’s set was electric, sparking the crowd’s energy level of excitement with their mix of ‘Down by The Jetty’, ‘Roxette’, ’She Does It Right’ and other hard-driving classics – to the many excellent local bands on the bill such as Straight Six, regulars for several years and now playing their swansong performance, Barrelhouse, The Banned (even topping their last year’s stunning debut performance), The Clive Collective, Empty Gestures, Ukey D’Ukes, Smiley’s People, Skedaddle and The Harry Miller Band – a great new act who kicked off proceedings at the other end of the day.
A laid-back and relaxing mix of a music festival with a stream of accomplished sets and a family day out, with whole families from babes in arms to great grandparents setting up their own picnics wth gazebos, chairs etc all in a field that acted as a natural auditorium with everyone, everywhere being able to see and hear what was going on. Swindon PA Hire provided the sounds and lights, and unusually for a local festival the quality of the sound system meant that everyone could enjoy all the performances.
“A great day” exclaimed Roger Grant, chairman of the organising Committee, “All the profits will go to ‘The Brighter Futures’ radiotherapy appeal at the GWH, not sure yet how much as we haven’t had a chance to count it all but it’s a good amount”. And he promised to let us know how much when he had.
And next year? “The only promise we can make is that it will be at least as good as this year” said Roger, adding that “it’s a wonderful way to create a great fun day out for the while family whilst raising money for a fantastic charity”
Top that – not even The Animals and Friends, Dr Feelgood or any of MantonFest’s 2016 line-up could come close!
All pics copyright Neil Goodwin / marlborough.news ltd
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