Review and photos By Kit Foster
This was my first time attending A New Day Festival on the outskirts of Faversham, a festival
full of like-minded people all wanting to enjoy music and build an enjoyable atmosphere.
Once I had the postcode, I was on my way towards the festival but once I got closer to the
venue, I struggled to find a clear sign to where I should park as part of the media team. The
site was a little tricky to find at first, but luckily there was a very helpful staff member at one
of the entrances who made a great effort to radio the festival’s team to find out which way
to send me. Eventually, I was going in the right direction to park and get into the festival as
media. I only attended this festival on Friday and Sunday, but I still felt as though I had a
great experience as a customer as well as a photographer working at the event.
The only negative point I will raise is the possibility of choosing a different landscape for
the festival, as soon as you step into the field it is immediately downhill and quite hard to
walk on, I could imagine what it is like being drunk at this festival and falling down this hill. I
also wanted to point out that some customers at the festival acted a little entitled which has
nothing to do with the festival and more to do with the selected few who disrespect others.
Please be respectful to others when attending a festival. One man shouted abuse at me to
‘stop blinking my car lights’ at him when I asked him very politely to move out of the way so
I could leave the festival, his hostility made the Sunday night uncomfortable. Other than
these points, there isn’t much more negativity surrounding the festival.
On Friday, the music was a wide genre but not everything was to my taste, I can see
why people keep coming back to this fantastic festival every year. They have something for
everybody when it comes to music ranging from folk, country, soft rock, alternative,
and classic and a beautiful violin added to the lineup. When it came to the food and drink
provided, the price wasn’t bad at all which wasn’t what I was expecting. Usually at a festival,
food prices are incredibly expensive and sometimes unfair to families that have already
spent a lot of money getting tickets. The people serving drinks and food were very helpful
and chatty, and also a great range of different foods to cater to everybody’s needs. This involved
meat options, a vegetarian stall, pizza, burgers and a few doughnut and ice cream stalls for the
kids… and the adults.
The toilets were very clean and kept well stocked throughout Friday, but there could have
been more to cater for the amount of people that attended the festival. The queues were
not long for the toilets and the food/drink stalls which was another positive within the
festival. Onto Friday’s music, a few of the bands were a lot livelier than others which led to
music the crowd could dance along to, it put everybody in a great mood to dance. The
bands were very interactive and wanted to involve the audience in the set which is always a
great thing at a festival – you do not want to be standing around like a lemon as an audience
member. Audience interaction always boosts the atmosphere.
A few bands stood out to me the most on Friday, Firstly Thunderstick deserved a spot on the
main stage, but it didn’t make much difference as there wasn’t a stage clash which I thought
worked very well. It meant that the crowds could move from one stage to another and not
miss any bands and the bands didn’t miss out on a bigger audience. Thunderstick was very
theatrical and put a lot of effort into their stage presence and had lots of props to entertain
the audience. Each track involved a different story and various props to bring light to those
stories, it’s always a plus to see a band put in a real effort.
Another band I particularly enjoyed from Friday was two-piece Avawaves who use just a
violin and a keyboard, with no vocals. It was a range of beautiful pieces and some serious
talent on the violin. It put me into a daydream, rather than putting me to sleep. I didn’t
expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Nine Below Zero was another band that stood out to
me, their energy was infectious and one of my personal favourites on Friday. Their
keyboardist had the vibe of Elton John with his personality and giant glasses, you could tell
that he wanted to be there and loved playing to this particular crowd.
The final band of the night and headlining Friday was Phil Campbell and The Bastard Sons
with heavier riffs compared to the bands who played before and an attitude to match their
genre of music. I have witnessed this band play before at the Maid of Stone festival, and they’re
not a band you want to miss and a band that deserves the headline spot for every festival
they attend. When they play, they play for the audience rather than themselves and their
sound is spot-on and encourages you to interact with them as they play. They were the
perfect band to end Friday night.
Friday was a fantastic kick-starter to the festival and had me intrigued and wanting to come
back for more. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend on the Saturday, but I did come back on the
Sunday for more of this festival.
When I returned on Sunday, I realised I could go backstage where I found a tent
catering to the needs of artists and the media team. This was a massive relief as for a
second, I thought nothing had been provided for the artists or media team. There were
various food/drink options with cups of tea or coffee and a toilet stall. The treatment of
the photographers was spot on, and I was made to feel very welcome at the festival and
appreciated.
During the last day of A New Day Festival, I was very happy to see the Glenn Miller
Orchestra and witness an orchestra live for the first time. Each member played beautifully
and whenever they spoke to the crowd, the reaction was an eruption of cheers and
encouragement to play more songs. The orchestra swept through many covers and had
everybody singing along to a Frank Sintra cover, they were a highlight for the festival and a
good choice for the lineup on Sunday. I also have to mention Rosalie Cunningham, Frank
Carducci and The Zombies as the main attractions for the closing day of the festival. All three
of these artists put on a fantastic set. Frank Carducci was a flamboyant storyteller with
extravagant costumes, wings and lots of glitter. Rosalie Cunningham had a very 70’s/80’s
vibe with the vibrant colours of their costumes and very high boots on each member.
Finally, The Zombies were a great choice for closing the festival. Their vocalist still has an
incredibly strong voice and the band keeps up with him just fine. Overall, A New Day
The Festival had an enjoyable variety of music with fair prices on food and drink and I would
recommend this festival to plenty of people who enjoy different genres of music.
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