May Bank Holiday 2016 Slap Magazine Review

If it’s going to be anything like last year…

We were pleased to have received a glowing review (pun fully intended) in an issue of the awesome SLAP magazine.  Written by Duncan Graves, we hope you enjoy reading this review and it gives you a flavour of what to expect at the Out to Grass May bank Holiday 2017 event.

Bank Holiday Shenanigans
Out to Grass | 27-30th May

With so much happening and so many choices to choose from. What to do on May Bank Holiday was always going to be a difficult decision. That was until the name Paddy Steer popped up in my feeds playing at Out To Grass. Decision made.

Out To Grass is a wonderful campsite and venue hidden in hollow on the ridge-way between Worcester and Bromyard. With a large covered communal fire area to keep you warm in the twilight hours. A bar with real ale and cider on draft and two large domes to watch bands and relax in. What more could one ask for. Well all of that and top class entertainment for all the family for the price of regular camping.

The main activities kicked of on Saturday morning with Aerial Silk and Trapeze workshops, Slack-lining and a people’s gallery from the Clik Clik Collective. All accompanied by the the sounds of DJ Morris. All this soon came to a halt when Paddy Steer took to the stage. Paddy Steer defies convention. He is a one man band, orchestra, sound machine. Dressed from outer space Paddy creates his own brand of ‘outsider music’ with home made synthesizers, drums, lap guitar and a glockenspiel fitted with humbucker’s. I have never seen so many people, young and old, so captivated. He takes his eclectic influences of Jazz, Prog Rock and Disco, puts them in a blender, runs them through an oscillator, then adds some punk ethos to create his own unique sound. With songs about potholing in a home made wet-suit and hose pipe bans. He managed to keep the whole campsite mesmerised for over two hours.

Normality was temperately resumed when Miss Pearl and The Rough Diamonds took to the stage. Some good old 50’s rock and roll got folk to their feet dancing. Normality never last for long though at Out To Grass and the last band of the evening Glow People saw to that. Accompanied by six projectors painting the main dome with 360 degree of moving fractals and contemporary dancer Misha. Glow People gave us a glimpse at their new album as well as playing all their old psychedelic favourites.

Sunday was a more relaxed day with people enjoying the workshops and beautiful surrounding countryside. And the weekend’s live entertainment was brought to a close with a great performance by Worcester’s finest post punk indie band Skewwhiff. To sum things up it was a perfect weekend. Brilliant music without the stress and cost of a big festival and just enough free time and space to recharge my batteries.

Thank you Out To Grass.
Duncan Graves

Skewwhiff performing on May Bank Holiday at Out to Grass

Electronic music at Out to Grass

Creating soundscapes and aural delights at Out to Grass Malvern

This review is a reproduction in full of the original article that appeared in the July 2016 issue of Slap Magazine.  All rights for photography and copy belong to Slap Magazine.  You can see the original (and lots more great stuff) on their  Website here.  Many thanks to Duncan and the team at SLAP.