Date: Friday 2nd August - Sunday 4th August 2002

This year's Whitchurch Festival certainly had a strong and varied lineup that was guaranteed to interest fans of good music, but the fact that the shows were to take place in the smaller hall was a little worrying ... how would this affect the good natured ambience of the festival?

As it happened, it didn't. The larger of the halls, the usual venue for the evening performances, was not available due to a new floor having been laid; therefore ticket numbers were reduced to accommodate the smaller, 300 person hall and a marquee erected outside for the bar, food and merchandise stalls.  This worked well and made for a more intimate atmosphere; while the sound was generally very good throughout.

The festival opened, as usual, in the Friday evening with a strong progressive /classic rock feel.  First up were Galahad whose set incorporated four tracks from different stages of their career, including a huge, superb chunks from their about to be released album 'Year Zero'.  This was the first time I had seen the band, despite knowing all of their albums, and I was impressed by the showmanship and class they showed. Well done also to their new young bassist who was performing for the first time in front of a UK audience.

Martin Orford and Gary Chandler were up next and, as expected, they provided a good natured, enjoyable show complete with a steady stream of banter between the two.  The set was made up of Martin's solo material and IQ songs, alongside pared down version of Jadis pieces.  More unintentional humour was provided when Gary broke a guitar string - giving Martin a chance to play an impromptu slice of 'The Last Human Gateway' - and then broke a second a couple of songs later, causing Gary to work out new fingering on the fly and to miss out the guitar solo section from the last number.  This amiable pair are always fun to watch, and tonight was no exception.

Jump were the headliners and they provided a strong set of classic rock with an R'n'B slant.  Some new songs, written for their next album, were included in the set along with some old favourites creating an enjoyable show.  There was just one thing missing - the barbed comments of Mr Dexter Jones. Has the loss of his flowing locks (now short and blond) robbed him the bombastic and acerbic wit that we all love ... I do hope not.

The afternoon sessions took place in the room that is also used to serve breakfasts; utilising the facilities to provide lunches and a bar. Saturday afternoon's music started with One Iota, a local band from Basingstoke, who provided a gentle start to the day's festivities.

MC Keith Bell then played a few numbers prior to John Mitchell's solo acoustic set.  John, who is better known as Arena's guitarist, is a compelling live performer in his own right and his set, which comprised music written for his own band The Urbane, works well when sung accompanied by just his guitar.

The last band of the afternoon was Haze, a perennial favourite and regular performers at Whitchurch.  The trio performed numbers by both Haze and World Turtle in their usual inimitable fashion.  Their enthusiasm appears boundless; they obviously enjoy playing to an audience as much as the audience enjoys watching them, and their own brand of progressive music with its strong keyboards and guitar work is a joy to listen to live.

Then it was back to the bigger hall where Primitive Instinct opened the evening's proceedings. This year they appeared with their full three piece lineup and played a set of rich and atmospheric music, including some older pieces that had not been performed live for some years.  Another super performance from this band.

Next up, a short set from Francis Dunnery's nephew aka John Wayne which unfortunately we missed - we had to pop up the road and expected to catch the end of the set, but when we returned they had finished.  Some of the audience were thrilled by the fact that Van der Graaf Generator's Dave Jackson was in the audience to see his daughter who was singing in the band - a very nice man.

Heading the bill was Francis Dunnery with a subtle, easy going set of songs. Opinion was sharply divided between his fans: some thought it was brilliant, while others felt that a more upbeat show would have been more appropriate for a Saturday night.  Anyway, it sounded pretty good to me.

We were told that an unknown artist by the name of Rolf was to open proceeding for Sunday. This turned out to be Rolf Smith of Tr3nity, whose recent release impressed New Horizons so much. Rolf records his solo material under the name of Maengan and has an act unlike any I have yet seen.  We are used to seeing keyboard players using drum machines - Rolf uses a pre-recorded synthesised backing track and plays the drums live, creating a sound not unlike Tangerine Dream. It was a shame that the room was lit with lunchtime sunshine as this act would have been much more effective set in darkness and accompanied by a lightshow...

Vocalist Damian Wilson who has sung with Threshold, Landmarq, Ayreon and in Les Miserable was up next accompanied by two backing singers and a keyboard player. Damian bewitched the audience and this was probably the only time during the weekend that everybody stopped chatting and listened. Damian's set revolved around his latest release 'Disciple' and at the end he received a huge and genuine demand for an encore from the spell bound audience.

Treebeard completed the afternoon lineup.  They play a happy blend of original material and cover versions, all performed in a folk rock style with much humour. They are always fun to watch, very entertaining and their excellent musicianship is obvious ... always a good show.

The evening line up was very different to what had gone before.  Sphere3 were promoting their newly available debut album - and they did it in great style. Their sound is energetic and upbeat prog fusion and in tonight's performance a heavier rhythmic quality was evident ... a fine set.

In complete contrast was a reduced Henry Fool with neither Stephen Bennett or Fudge Smith able to make the gig. Tim Bowness played the guitar on stage for the first time while the rest of the band filled in on other instruments.  The line up, which included Peter Chilvers and Mike Bearpark, played not only Henry Fool Material, but also versions of songs from NoMan and Tim Bowness & Samuel Smiles albums.  This was a superb and atmospheric set ... a real treat.

Finally to end the weekend, Focus showed that they haven't lost their touch; they played new compositions which, while linking with their seventies' music, brought the sound up to date.  This went down well with all who were there - they were the hit of the weekend.

So another successful Whitchurch Festival ends after three days of excellent music in so many different styles. Thanks are due, yet again, to Dave and Pete for organising the festival and to all of their helpers who ensure that the weekend runs so smoothly.

Marisa.