Togfest is a
local festival in Milton Keynes. It has
been going for decades and started out as a celebration for the band Togmor. But I hadn’t heard of it til last summer and
then the dates clashed with another gig I was at. But this time
around I was not going to miss it. It
was very easy to put my name forward. I just rang and left a message. The next thing I knew I was at a meeting to
find out more about what was involved and health & safety procedures for
the day.
I was emailed
my shifts and turned up in plenty of time on the day to receive my free crew T-shirt. I was given a hi-vis jacket, a radio and a
position with instructions of what that position required.
It was a
beautiful day in the sunshine and a pleasure to chat to the people who were
coming along to the festival, help them with directions and just keep an eye
out for any issues. It hardly felt like
work at all! I did three shifts with an hour break in between. I was grateful for the break and the free food
in the hospitality tent. I got talking
to several of the bands (some had travelled quite a way to be here). I also met other volunteers, many also
volunteering for the first time. Lots of
lovely people, great music and sunshine. What more can you ask for?
Things that
impressed me:
1.
Okay
I know I don’t have anything else to compare it to as it was my first time
volunteering in this environment, but it was extremely well organised.
2.
The
bands were of a very high standard. Very
professional and delivered some great performances and it was their own work. Hugely impressed with the level of talent in
one place.
3.
Free
T-shirt. Free food and drink. Free gig. It felt like I was really looked after.
4.
Although
we had security if we needed them, this had a real family feel to the festival
and most of the festival-goers were in good spirits.
5.
Real
toilets with lots of toilet roll. I am
not a fan of portaloos so to have real toilets and proper running water and
soap to wash your hands with was a huge bonus.
6.
I
learnt how to use a radio. It may sound
simple but it was something I had never done before.
The bands/artists
were chosen to give a wide range of music styles. From Reggie, Folk, Funk, pop and even hard
rock. The crowd seemed to enjoy all the
acts no matter what music genre they fell into. Here are a few of the bands/artists I was lucky enough to catch:
Reeds: Full of
engery and enthuiasim; Reeds really kicked of the show on the main stage.
Jacob
Szuleki: A beautiful fingerstyle guitarist. Acoustic guitaring at its best!
Jasper in the
company of others: With Ukuleles and
Fiddle, these guys really had a unique sound to their songs. And yes I did buy
the album and EP!
The
Waletones: Nice looking boys all smartly dressed reminded me of early
Beatles. And I would guess that The
Beatles was an influence in their style of music too. They even did a few Beatles and rock n roll
tracks.
Inlak’esh:
Okay it's not the easiest name to remember, but their distinctive acoustic guitar
playing will not easily be forgotten.
Great unusual sound.
Rewired: Very
professional band from Scotland that gave us some amazing tunes. Really can see them becoming major players in
the music industry. Scotland is well-renowned
for a stream of great artists (and no I do not mean The Proclaimers!). Watch this space – Rewired are gonna be huge!
New Device:
When a band describes itself as Hard Rock, I get a bit worried. I like a wide range of music but not screechy
guitar. But I had no need to be worried. These guys were professionally awesome (I just made that up but it works!) and
really rocked the joint. They really had
charisma and gave a fantastic performance. People got up and started dancing to them
(always a good sign) and their songs had great lyrics and tunes. Not screechy
at all!. Hugely impressed. Talking to them after their gig I found out
one of them likes Bowie. Another 10
points from me! Fabulous band that will
make it huge in the metal world, but don't take my word for it - they supported Bon Jovi on their last tour!
The Shadow
Cats: I don’t know how to describe them really, they have funk and reggae
influences and the lead singer just started rapping freestyle to the crowd
which was really impressive. They were definitely
a feel-good band and that was reflective in the mood of the crowd.
By this time
I was seriously flagging and decided to go home. This did mean I missed the headline band, Togmor,
which I am gutted about. But don’t worry
– I intend to volunteer again next year!
This has been
an amazing experience. If you would like
to join in the fun and volunteer with me next year, Togfest is always looking
for new volunteers. You don’t need any experience
– just enthusiasm and an interest in music. Email crew@togfest.org
for more information. But don’t wait til
next year – if your name is down now you can be sure someone will contact you
back in plenty of time for next year. You
get a free T-shirt, free food and drink and a free gig. You also have access all areas so you can hang
with the bands. Cool eh?
My Togfest 2015
photos are here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jasminestormie/sets/72157655178836255
If you are
interested in finding out more about the Togfest festival in general, this is
their website: http://www.togfest.org/pages/home/index.php
Thank you!! Great review for a great Festival. I've played at the Festival, and volunteered at it for as long as it's been going. I think of the day as a 'Family' day, and would hate to ever miss it :)
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