Bearded Theory 2025
Early arrival
———
This festival has become a firm favourite of ours – not just for its eclectic and varied lineup, but the chance to reunite with friends from Sheffield, soak up the energy and step away from everyday life.
This was our the fourth visit to Bearded Theory festival and getting here a day earlier ahead of the masses was definitely worth it. No crowds, no rush and acres of space.
The Woodland stage was open, and hosted a handful of bands who played to a chilled, happy and appreciative audience.
The mood was set!
Mayhem
From Thursday things ramped up and got a bit messy – it was the start of four days of fun and mayhem. It’s very easy to lose a day here, they all kind of merge!
As is the custom here, we had Tequila slammers for breakfast, which put everyone on the right track, along with a newly discovered German variant, involving cinnamon and a slice of orange! I’m not sure who invented that version, or if John simply made it up to see if everyone would follow along… which of course we all did.
Not that I’m obsessed with the weather, but it did create a bit of a costume and clothing dilemma as it was forecast to be warm, cold, windy, dry, sunny and rainy! A typical British Bank Holiday weekend!
One minute it was baking HOT, the next we were heading for our thermals. But we were incredibly lucky! It only rained twice (I think) and on both occasions it was in the early hours, and when we were under canvass. This year, the mud stayed away. Result!
… And this year, I fully embraced the opportunity to wear a gorgeous technicoloured maxi length dress – I loved the colour, not sure everyone else did..
Beautiful people
These guys really do fit that description! Hearts of gold, and they certainly know how to have fun.
No matter what time of day or night, or what kind music is playing, whether it’s punk, ska, rock, dance (and there is a lot of that), folk, country or soul, or any of their variants, there is always a chance of bumping into one of more of the group having an absolute ball!
Depending on the stage, we actually have a number of go-to spots to meet up. This kind of works, so as long as you remember the rule for each stage.
Without looking back at the programme, I couldn’t say when we headed off to Big Ed to experience a set by Greg Zogg. I also can’t remember exactly when we got there, nor when we left… but know I was there coz my ears still hurt and legs ache (but I do have some photos)…
Flying high
It’s amazing what a little bit of Dutch courage can get Emma to do! With her fear of heights there is no way I’d thought she’d go on this ride…. I was wrong. The encouragement from Sue and Karen helped.
Performances and DJ sets
Far too many performances to mention and I didn’t take pictures of them all – well none that are in focus. But some of the bigger bands I remember seeing are: Public Service Broadcasting, Iggy Pop, Manic Street Preachers, The Meffs, Paul Heaton, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, 3 Daft Monkeys, She Drew the Gun, The Selecter, Greg Zogg, Divorce, Nadine Shah, Lottery Winners, Asian Dub Foundation a bit of Leftfield, and Barry Ashworth DJ set (Dub Pistols). I saw more, but suspect I may have been a wee bit worse for the wear!
The exit
Five nights and six days later, it was time to pack up and go, with the field looking much like it did when we arrived 🙏.
Sadly, it was the end of another Bearded Theory experience….
Until next time
Like a member of the ‘Cult of the Planet People’ from the 1979 TV series Quatermass, we went into autopilot. Drawn to a small corner of a remote field in middle England, we found our flag and accepted our fate.
Here are the links to the last visits here…