Due to work commitments, and the fact that the Thursday night of the CRF has always largely just comprised of tribute bands, I did not actually get to the festival until around midday on Friday - after the long drive up from Devon. It was too early to check into the Travelodge, so I just headed for the site - which, although close, was not really walkable from the Travelodge sadly. The site itself was quite different from what I was used to at the Haggis Farm Polo Club. The festival made use of some of the site's existing infrastructure, as well as erecting some of their own. The smallest (Emerald) stage was inside a marquee, like the previous festivals, whereas the main (Ruby) stage was inside a something of a hangar and the second (Sapphire) stage was enclosed in what can only be described as a large stable block. It was a strange mix of stages, but they seemed to work fairly well - although I only made fleeting visits to the Sapphire Stage. The main issue with the Ruby Stage, though, was that you had to be inside the hangar to see any of the bands. The previous main stages were in marquees with open sides, which meant that you could sit outside and watch the bands. This meant that you could have a bit of a break and still enjoy the music, or check out a band that you were unsure about whilst eating your dinner. This was not possible this time, with the exception of the Emerald Stage - meaning that the bands missed out on any casual interest and the potential to pick up extra fans that way. It was nice to have proper toilets on site, though, and not have to rely on portaloos. The toilet block within the festival site itself took a hammering during the weekend though, and probably actually ended up faring rather less well than the portaloos - and it seemed that no-one from the wider site itself thought that they may require some attention, which was a shame. Something which the wider site also did not pay that much attention to was the food on offer. The bar was run by the festival, but due to the wider site's rules the food was all provided by them - and the festival could not organise this side of the experience. As such, there were only four food vendors present throughout the weekend - and one of them only served donuts and hot drinks. That meant that only three different types of meals were on offer throughout the whole weekend. This was certainly one of the positives of staying off-site, but the lack of good food options (which generally had not been an issue at the CRF previously, despite the choice lessening towards the end of my original run of visits) understandably annoyed many of the festival goers. There were plenty of places to sit outside, though, which was good - although as mentioned above this could not generally be combined with enjoying the music. You either had to be sat outside or actively watching the bands, which was disappointing.
With any festival, though, what matters the most is the music. The CRF has survived over the years thanks to its line-ups and, although I am of the view that the organisers rely on many of the same bands year after year (which is both a pro and a con), this year's iteration promised a solid weekend of rock, prog, and blues music. When I arrived at the site on Friday, the three-piece rock act Albany Down were just about to start their set on the Ruby Stage. I listened to their first handful of songs whilst looking through the records and CDs that were for sale at a stall that had been set up within the hangar, but soon decided that the band's rather bland brand of rock was not really for me. After finishing up at the record stall, I decided to go and have a sit down outside and heard the day's first band on the Emerald Stage - Between the Vines - warming up. They sounded promising, so when they started their set I headed into the marquee to give them a proper listen and ended up staying for their whole set. The four-piece band, which included Dare drummer Kev Whitehead, played a brand of country rock that was not too far removed from the Eagles and other similar bands - with tight vocal harmonies, single/songwriter-esque lyrics, and the occasional bluesy guitar break. Fronted by Rebecca Whitehead, Between the Vines impressed a decent-sized crowd during their set with a sound that was perfectly suited the sunny day outside. Friday was extremely warm, and Between the Vines' laid-back country rock sound was a perfect way to kick off the festival proper for me. Most of the band's songs seemed to tell a story, which made them easy to listen to, whilst memorable choruses and tight vocal harmonies gave them a melodic edge. My only criticism of the band would be that they relied on programmed keyboard parts for a couple of tracks. The keyboards enhanced the band's sound quite a lot, and it would have been good if they had experimented with keyboards on more of their songs and brought along someone to play them. All of the band's songs could have easily had an organ or piano backing, so perhaps this is something that they can toy with more going forward. A strong cover of Stevie Nicks' Tom Petty-written favourite Stop Draggin' My Heart Around went down well with the crowd towards the end of the set, too, and Between the Vines were one of the weekend's main discoveries - whom I shall need to investigate further going forward.
Following Between the Vines' set I decided to check out the last few songs of 4th Labyrinth's set, who were a good chunk of the way through their performance on the Ruby Stage. I remember enjoying the band's multiple sets in 2016, but they are not a band that I have kept up with at all since. The band's sound is a mix of 70s pop rock and prog rock, and it works quite well - but sadly there was not much left of their set by the time Between the Vines had finished. Marcel Kunkel (vocals/keyboards) also seemed to want to take up much of the last portion of the set trying to get the crowd to sing along with him and partake in Mexican waves - so I did not actually hear that much music from the band. The final, somewhat lengthy, song that they played, though, was excellent and very much reminded me why I had enjoyed them previously. I will need to check out the band's albums properly this time, too, as they certainly have a knack for writing great songs. It was the band that followed 4th Labyrinth that I was most interesting in checking out, though. The Room are a six-piece melodic rock band that I have been aware of for some time, but had never gotten around to actually checking out. I ended up watching the whole of The Room's set, as the band's mix of melodic and prog rock impressed. Frontman Martin Wilson has an expressive voice who gave some drama and flair to the band's lengthy, atmospheric songs, whilst the melodic guitar style of Steve Anderson and Alistair Bell added some further lyrical touches. With the exception of one song that was written as a single, most of the band's songs are quite lengthy. There were occasional hints of Marillion, both old and new, in the band's sound, but possibly the band that they reminded me of the most was Saga. Wilson's voice is not a million miles away from the style of Michael Sadler, and the band's atmospheric, synth-heavy sound is quite similar to the sweeping depth of the Canadian band's long-standing style. The Room's songs are not overly complex from a musical stand-point, but instead they are atmospherically deep - and I got the sense that lyrically there was quite a lot going on. They are a certainly a band that I am going to need to explore further, as I really enjoyed their set - even if a few issues with Chris Teeder's keyboards caused a few minor delays. I had planned to buy one of the band's CDs after their set, but they were having issues with their card machine (and I had no cash on me at the time) so I will be visiting their website shortly to make a purchase - as The Room are very much up my street.
Following a brief sit down I headed back to the Ruby Stage to check out Spriggan Mist, who had been promoted from the Emerald Stage to cover for a COVID-inflicted Space Elevator, but the folky/gothic/pagan rockers did very little for me. There was some theatricality to their set, with costumes and a couple of dancers/actors backing them up, but I did not find the songs very engaging. They very much seemed like a case of style over substance to me, so I decided that it was time for dinner - as my McDonald's breakfast seemed like quite a long way away. The pizza that I opted for was enjoyable, and set me up for the rest of the day - which consisted of the two bands that I was most excited to see. Up first on the Ruby Stage were Dare, a melodic rock five-piece fronted by Darren Wharton who have become a real favourite of mine of late. I last saw the band in March when they put on a barnstorming set in Nuneaton, and their set at the CRF was more of the same - with Wharton and co. delivering a set packed with hooks to an appreciative crowd. Three songs from the band's latest album, Road to Eden, kicked the set off, with the excellent Born in the Storm proving once again that it is one of the best songs that Wharton has ever written. Vinny Burns (guitar/vocals) delivered slow-burning solo after solo-burning solo throughout the first two-thirds of the set, with his playing in the soaring Cradle to the Grave and the poignant I'll Hear You Pray showcasing why is such the perfect foil for Wharton's songwriting style. Despite the heat, which was clearly getting a number of Friday's bands, Dare easily put on one of the sets of the festival. Hearing the band's festival anthem Days of Summer at a festival was a special moment, and the dark, atmospheric When Darkness Ends was a brief moment of reflection in what was otherwise an upbeat and soaring set - with the bass playing of Nigel Clutterbuck particularly shining during the later. The final third of the set moved away from the band's more recent albums, and back to their first couple of releases - when they were more of a hard rock act. Wings of Fire opened up this closing suite, and Burns raced through the gears with a shredded solo - with the whole band helping Wharton out during the anthemic chorus. The keyboards of Marc Roberts also took on more of a prominent role here, especially during the dancing intro of Abandon and the pomp riffing of Into the Fire - songs which are ever-present Dare staples. The slightly folky The Raindance impressed as always, but the highlight of the final portion of the set for me was the excellent ballad King of Spades - dedicated as always to the late Phil Lynott, with Burns interloping part of the Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend guitar solo. It was left to Return the Heart to close things out, and by this point the band had been playing for nearly 90 minutes. The relatively small but appreciative crowd certainly made it known that they had enjoyed the band's set, and Dare seemed to have enjoyed themselves, too, despite the heat. Dare's setlist was:
Born in the Storm
Cradle to the Grave
Road to Eden
Home
Until
Days of Summer
I'll Hear You Pray
Every Time We Say Goodbye
Where Darkness Ends
Sea of Roses
Wings of Fire
Abandon
Into the Fire
The Raindance
King of Spades/Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend [Thin Lizzy cover]
Return the Heart
Clashes are, of course, always something to contend with at a festival, but the one that hurt the most at this year's CRF was the fact that Tygers of Pan Tang clashed with Dare. I know that clashes are unavoidable, but putting two of the biggest names of the day on at the same time surely could have been avoided. I think it is fair to say that the turnout at the festival was not exactly great, so forcing the already relatively small crowd to choose between two relatively large draws probably did the festival no favours. I would have loved to have seen both bands, and I am sure that I am not alone in feeling that way. Both bands likely suffered as a result, too, and Dare's crowd certainly shrunk as their set moved along - with some likely opting to head over and check out Tygers of Pan Tang. This disappointment aside, there was still one band left that I wanted to see: Cats in Space. I have become a big Cats in Space fan over the past couple of years, and the six-piece throwback 1970s rockers put on what was probably the set of the festival with their brand of upbeat, feel-good glam rock. With frontman Damien Edwards now fully entrenched in the band's ranks, this set was possibly the best performance from the band that I have seen yet - and it contained a number of their best songs, as well as two tracks from their upcoming album Kickstart the Sun. As is often the case Too Many Gods kicked things off, with Edwards owning the song vocally. Cats in Space are band that are more than the sum of their parts though. Greg Hart (guitar/vocals) writes much of the material himself, but Dean Howard (guitar/vocals) takes the lion's share of the guitar solos, whilst Hart and bassist Jeff Brown do most of the harmonising with Edwards. What struck me this time was how tight those three are vocally. Howard adds some vocals during some of the more anthemic choruses, and Andy Stewart (keyboards/vocals) uses his vocoder to great effect, but the main harmonies come from Edwards, Hart, and Brown - and there is clearly no trickery going on behind the scenes to help them. What you hear is all live, and that made the band's set all the better. They pulled a decent crowd too, and it is easy to see why with anthems like Listen to the Radio and Only in Vegas being so easy to sing along with. Even the newer cuts Teenage Millionaires and Poke the Witch stuck with me after only a single listen, and the set just got better and better with the slow-burning I Fell Out of Love with Rock 'n' Roll and the disco-themed Thunder in the Night - complete with some great Brown bass playing. The epic Greatest Story Never Told rounded out the main set, with Brown and Edwards trading vocals, and the band briefly left the set to plenty of applause from the gathering crowd. There was time for one more, and the band dashed back out to squeeze in a powerful rendition of Hologram Man - which contains one of the best choruses in the band's canon in my opinion. They then took their bows to plenty of noise, and it was clear that little was going to top Cats in Space that day. The band's setlist was:
Dive!
Too Many Gods
Revolution
Listen to the Radio
Mr. Heartache
Only in Vegas
Teenage Millionaires
Scars
Poke the Witch
Marionettes
Atlantis
I Fell Out of Love with Rock 'n' Roll
Thunder in the Night
The Mad Hatter's Tea Party
Greatest Story Never Told
-
Hologram Man
With the exception of Dare and one other band, who I will get to, no other band came close to touching Cats in Space's excellent set at this year's CRF - and they were a great way to cap off a pretty full-on Friday. I made my way to the nearby Travelodge to check in and get some sleep - which came in fits in starts due to their being a few of us in the room, as well as the heat. I knew that Saturday was a relatively weak day bands-wise, and there was only one that I really wanted to see. I planned to head to the festival in the evening to catch Atomic Rooster, but much of the rest of the day was spent in nearby Peterborough. I briefly visited the city in 2019 for a conference, so it was nice to visit properly - despite the rain. Friday had been extremely hot, almost uncomfortably so at times, whilst Saturday was much cooler and often wet. Breakfast was consumed in one of the city's Wetherspoons, before I went shopping for a couple of hours. Some of the city's charity shops were quite fruitful, and I came away with five records in total. Four of these came from a vintage-inspired charity shop that had a huge selection of decent records to look through. I could have bought more, but sometimes you have to limit yourself. I also bought a new pair of trousers for future festivals as they were on offer in one of the camping shops. Over a drink later, my group decided that after Atomic Rooster's set we should head out for an Indian - so a plan was settled. I found the details of a local Indian restaurant and booked a table - which certainly seemed a better prospect than paying over the odds for food back at the festival. I also picked up some bits from Marks & Spencer for Sunday's lunch. As such, I barely engaged with the festival at all on Saturday. In some ways this was a shame, but it was also reflective of the wider line-up. There just were not that many bands playing on Saturday that I was interested in. I would have liked to have watched Hollowstar but they were one of the last bands of the day and the rest of my group would not have been up for watching them - leaving me stranded on site! Outside of them, and Atomic Rooster, though, nothing really appealed. Focus were the day's headliners, and the Dutch band do nothing for me at all - and have played at the festival countless times before. A day in Peterborough was better spent, then, especially with a pretty full-on Sunday to come.
I arrived back at the site not long before Atomic Rooster started their set, and what followed was over an hour of heavy progressive rock that showcased why the band were so influential back in the 1970s. The current incarnation of Atomic Rooster features two members from the band's classic period: Pete French (vocals) and Steve Bolton (guitar/vocals); and whilst neither of them are founding members there is still a feeling of legitimacy about the line-up. The current band is very much paying tribute to the original band and keeping the music of the late Vincent Crane alive, and their hard-hitting CRF set certainly saw them putting their best foot forward. I first saw the band at the CRF in 2016, which was one of the reunited Atomic Rooster's first shows. They have become quite the live fixture since, so I was looking forward to catching them again. Atomic Rooster are a progressive rock band, but they very much emphasise the harder end that sound. Aside from a couple of instrumental pieces, Atomic Rooster's set was riffy and melodic - with many of the songs possessing strong choruses that were easy to latch onto. Bolton provided some strong guitar solos, but for me the star of the show was new keyboard player Ross Munro. I did not quite catch what French said about him, but I think that the CRF show was Munro's first gig with the band. If so, this makes his performance all the more impressive. Due to Crane's songwriting dominance, keyboards are a huge part of Atomic Rooster's sound, and Munro laid into his Hammond organ throughout. Songs like the riffy Tomorrow Night and Devil's Answer benefitted hugely from this Hammond drive; whilst Shug Millidge (bass guitar) propelled everything forward in classic organ-trio (despite the presence of Bolton's guitar) fashion. There was a pretty healthy crowd gathered in the Ruby Stage's hangar during the band's set, and Atomic Rooster certainly received a strong reaction throughout. They ended with a version of Arthur Brown's Fire (also co-written by Crane) during which there was so much soloing that Bolton broke a string. It was a powerful end to a memorable set, and it certainly made Saturday's short trip to the festival worth it. I then headed the short distance to the nearby estate of Hampton Hargate for an Indian at the excellent Maharani's - which certainly seemed more appealing than watching Focus, who I have never really appreciated. The relatively early night was welcome, too, as there was to be plenty of music to enjoy the next day.
Following something of a lie in I travelled back to the festival site looking forward to a final day of good music. I got there whilst hard rockers Beguiled were playing on the Ruby Stage, but their rather uninspiring sound did little for me. It was not long before they finished, though, and I took my place to check out Sam Millar & The Sass Bandits - the first band that I had earmarked to watch. Millar was formally a part of hard rockers Bigfoot, who seemed to have something of a profile before splitting up, but his solo material seems to be much more AOR in nature. Despite having issues with his guitar throughout the set, and a live mix that was a bit mushy and buried James Thorley's keyboards, Millar impressed throughout his relatively short set. All of the songs played were pretty hooky, with memorable riffs and vocal refrains, whilst there were plenty of tasty solos to enjoy too. Much like Cats in Space, Millar's band can be commended for their tight vocal harmonies, too. Millar sang well throughout with Lucy Shevchuck (guitar/vocals) and Alex Lacy (drums/vocals), with the three bringing the band's big choruses to life. I often think that melodic rock bands can be let down live by their lack of tight vocal harmonies, and it really pays to have multiple competent singers in a band to ensure that such things can be properly delivered. Millar's band certainly pulled this off, and I imagine that the choruses would have sounded even better with a clearer mix. Throughout the festival the sound was generally pretty good, and Millar's band were one of the few to sound a bit muddy. It was a shame as AOR needs to sound clean to really work, and much of Thorley's work was sadly lost as a result. Despite this, though, I heard enough to know that I want to follow Millar's work going forward. There were enough chorus hooks to keep me interested, and the excellent ballad Lost in Translation contained lots of great soloing from the man himself. AOR has never been hugely represented at the CRF in the past either, so it was good to see the genre getting a bit of love this year. I was clearly not the only one impressed by Millar's band, either, as after his set he was selling plenty of EPs and shirts. I purchased his two EPs, and am looking forward to giving them a proper listen in due course - and I think that Millar will certainly be one to watch out for going forward.
The next band on the Ruby Stage, Cairo, were another band that I had earmarked to watch. I have been listening to Cairo since they released their debut album Say in 2016, due to Rob Cottingham's (vocals/keyboards) previous association with Touchstone. Despite having had since Say since it came out, I had never seen Cairo live before - so I was looking forward to finally doing so. It was fitting too, as I first discovered Touchstone at the 2008 iteration of the CRF, and I bought their debut album Discordant Dreams after their set, so it seemed right that I would catch Cairo live for the first time at the same festival. Despite enjoying Say, Cairo have never grabbed me as much as Touchstone did - particularly the band's first two albums. Touchstone always felt like a band that was more than the sum of its parts, with a number of different influences and songwriting styles meshing together to form something unique. Cairo has less of that diversity, and is very much Cottingham's brainchild. This is no bad thing, but for me Cairo work the best when they are playing to Cottingham's strengths. He excels at writing smooth, melodic songs - so Cairo's songs of that ilk really shine. I have never really thought of Cottingham as a true rocker though, so Cairo's heavier tracks never quite hit home - but generally the band operate in something of a melodic progressive rock camp, with Cottingham's keyboards dominating. Sharing the vocals with Cottingham was frontwoman Sarah Bayley, who is a relatively recent addition to the band. Her voice fitted in well with Cottingham's songs, though, and their two voices blended together nicely. Songs such as the spiky Wiped Out showcased the best of this vocal approach, whilst the smooth Say was a big vocal showcase for Bayley. James Hards (guitar) also impressed throughout the set, and he included melodic guitar solos in a number of the songs. Cairo's sound is much more soundscape based than Touchstone's ever was, so there is not quite the same emphasis on guitar solos, but when Hards did let rip he really impressed. The band's set came to an end with the proggy and melodic Nothing to Prove, a song which very much represents Cottingham's current approach to songwriting. A number of new songs were played, too, and the band's second album is due out later in the year. I will look forward to giving it a listen when it is released, and it is great to have finally seen Cairo live after six years.
The blues of the Chris Bevington Organisation did not tempt me, so I decided to head back to the car for lunch. Buying food the previous day in Peterborough had been a good idea, and it saved paying over the odds for something from one of the wagons. I did end up catching the end of the Chris Bevington Organisation's set, though, and the few songs that I heard were decent. They were more upbeat and interesting that the sort of barroom blues that the festival usually puts on, and their last few numbers passed the time until the next band that I was interested in catching: Magenta. Magenta are a Welsh progressive rock five-piece whom I have ever only really been a casual fan of. Despite being part of the wider modern UK prog 'scene', and often lumped together with Mostly Autumn, Touchstone, etc., Magenta are very much a progressive rock band with a capital P - and are much more Yes influenced than many of their peers. As such, I have generally only really followed the band from afar, but with my increased love of prog over the past couple of years I was looking forward to seeing the band again. I had seen the band live once previously, at the first ever Trinity Live event in 2014 - which was organised following the band's frontwoman Christina Booth's cancer diagnosis. Thankfully that all seems to be in the past now, and Magenta have continued rocking - putting out the well-received Masters of Illusion album in 2020. Like Mostly Autumn who followed them, Magenta were afforded a lengthy set - and a decent-sized crowd had gathered to watch them. Despite me not being familiar with much of the material played, I still really enjoyed Magenta's set - and it is certainly time that I properly delved into their catalogue. Most of the band's songs are quite lengthy, but there is still plenty of melody to be found. Booth is a great singer, who's clean tone soared above the rest of the band - whilst the rest of the band's core of Chris Fry (guitar/vocals) and Rob Reed (keyboards/vocals) provided the main musical motifs. Most of the soloing and melody came from Fry's lengthy solos, but songwriter Reed also shone with his dense soundscapes and occasional solo. Melodic tracks like Bela sat well alongside the lengthier songs, and every song impressed with their mix of melody and instrumental prowess. The band's powerful set came to a close with an excellent rendition of The Lizard King, with its great vocal hooks and clapping rhythm, which received a strong reaction from the crowd. There was only one more band that I was interested in properly catching following Magenta's set, but I headed outside for a bit of a break first. It had been a day consisting of a lot of standing by this point, so a quick sit down was needed before heading back into the hangar for Mostly Autumn's set.
It is my understanding that Mostly Autumn have played at every iteration of the CRF, with the exception of one, and they were one of the main reasons why I attended the final day in 2008. They are one of my favourite bands, and I take every opportunity possible to see them. They always deliver at the CRF, and their set this year was no different - especially as they were afforded an hour and 45 minutes on stage, which is much longer than is usual. The set was largely a truncated version of the Graveyard Star-led set which I saw the band perform at The Robin 2 last year, but the new material was mixed in with the older tunes for more of an overall flow - and the band also played one older song which I had never seen them play live before. The set kicked off with the high-energy and synth-heavy Tomorrow Dies, which has become a real live staple over the past few years. It is the sort of song that pushes Olivia Sparnenn-Josh's voice to the limit, and the pulsing playing of Iain Jennings (keyboards) - along with the punch of the rhythm section - made the song a perfect set-opener. Equally driving was the anthemic hard rock of Spirit of Mankind, from the latest album, which followed. In fact, the early portion of the set in general was pretty hard rocking, and the energy levels remained high throughout. Henry Rogers' (drums) barrage to start In for the Bite and the poppy upbeat rock of Into the Stars ensured that this was the case, and it was only with opening section of Western Skies, with the gorgeous flute playing of Angela Gordon (flute/keyboards/whistles/vocals), that the band slowed things down somewhat. Western Skies culminated in a powerful rocking crescendo, though, so there was not much respite to be had. The folky Skin of Mankind and the old favourite Nowhere to Hide (Close My Eyes) reined in the arrangements somewhat, before the spotlight was turned over to Chris Johnson (vocals/guitar/keyboards) for a couple of numbers. The alt-rock vibes of Changing Lives always go down well, and even encouraged a bit of audience participation, before his aching ballad Silver Glass, which was not played last year, injected some real emotion into the set - with bandleader Bryan Josh (vocals/guitar) adding the song's trademark guitar solo. A couple more new numbers followed, including Sparnenn-Josh's soaring This Endless War, before the old favourite in Mother Nature was wheeled out. Josh did not sing during this set as much as he often does due to the song selection, so it was great to hear him belt out the epic prog number - and the closing instrumental section with Jennings' keyboard solo and Josh's lengthy guitar solo is always a joy to behold. A surprise then followed in the form of Heart, Body and Soul - a song which was featured on the special edition of 2017's Sight of Day. The song had only been played a handful of times before, and featured Sparnenn-Josh and Gordon singing in perfect harmony, whilst briefly Johnson took over Gordon's keyboard duties. It was a brief moment of calm before the band's soaring signature cut Heroes Never Die took thing to the next level - with Josh's trademark closing solo being another highlight. It was left to Forever and Beyond to close things out, and given the reaction of the large crowd it was clear that Mostly Autumn had, as always, delivered one of the sets of the weekend. The setlist was:
Tomorrow Dies
Spirit of Mankind
In for the Bite [Bryan Josh solo material]
Into the Stars
Western Skies
Skin of Mankind
Nowhere to Hide (Close My Eyes)
Changing Lives
Silver Glass
This Endless War
Back in These Arms
Mother Nature
Heart, Body and Soul
Heroes Never Die
Forever and Beyond
Following Mostly Autumn on the Ruby Stage were Franck Carducci & The Fantastic Squad, a French progressive rock group which I had heard a lot about so was interested to check out. After two songs, however, the theatrical collective were not doing all that much for me, so after a long day I decided to call time on the CRF for 2022 - with Mostly Autumn's set a perfect way to round it out. Having now had a week or so to reflect on the festival whilst writing up this review, I think it is fair to say that the 2022 iteration of the CRF was a rather different experience to the festivals of the past for me. As I did not camp on site, I do not think that I really entered into the spirit of things as much as I usually would have. If I was staying on site, for example, I definitely would have made more effort with Saturday's line-up, and I may well have discovered some more unknown bands. I was glad of the proper bed and a shower every morning, though, so staying off site certainly had its benefits. As I have perhaps alluded to throughout this piece, too, I think that it is fair to say that the overall turnout at the festival was not great. Some of the 'name' bands pulled decent crowds, but the Ruby Stage's hangar never exactly looked all that busy. This is a real shame as CRFs of the past have generally been fairly well attended for their size, but I do wonder if fatigue is creeping in somewhat. Even until relatively recently the festival managed to get a couple of 'bigger' bands each year, but this year they very much stuck to their regulars. There were also quite a few bands that I would have watched if it was not for them clashing with other bands, which is an inevitability of every festival. I was gutted to miss Tygers of Pan Tang, Bad Touch, Sons of Liberty, and Vambo among others - which probably made the line-up feel thinner than it actually was. The clashes seemed worse this year than they had previously though, although that may not actually be the case. In conclusion, I had a good time at the 2022 iteration of the CRF. I think that I have probably sounded quite negative at times throughout this piece, but on the whole my experiences were still positive. I do feel that the festival is in a bit of a rut at the moment, although two cancellations and the general economic climate at the moment have certainly played their part in that. The festival's organisers always do the best they can with the resources that they have, and they should be congratulated for that. I do wonder, though, if some new ideas as to how to shake things up somewhat are needed - particularly line-up wise and the reliance on many of the same bands year after year. The success of 2022 and the wider economy will ultimately dictate what will happen with the CRF going forward, though, and I would certainly like to return to the festival again - although this will be very much dependant on the line-up and the location, and I think that it is a sign of a times that a ticket to the CRF, sadly, is no longer an auto-buy for me. To sign off on a positive note, though, all of the bands which I managed to see that I wanted to delivered on stage - and, ultimately, this is all that matters.
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