WIGAN DIGGERS - Believe Square, Wigan
In these dark days of dynamic pricing, there is a local event that offers an oasis of treasure in a desert of value. With entry starting at nothing and the price never rising above that, the 12th Wigan Diggers Festival attracted a large and happy crowd to Believe Square for an afternoon and evening of free music and the sharing of ideas.
Starting with a reenactment of The Diggers occupation of the Common Land of St George's Hill in Kent, under the leadership of Wigan born, 17th Century radical philosopher Gerrard Winstanley, main stage proceedings got off to a melodic start, courtesy of local folk-rock band Vision Thing – appearing on the size of platform their songs and delivery demand. What then followed was a range of styles and genres, but a good bit of folkiness was never far away as a further 16 acts followed, with Brother Bastion’s upbeat agit-folk leading the way. The Quaintest Show on Earth proved to be well named before members of Vision Thing, plus one, stepping in at very short notice for an unfortunate Covid victim, gaining plaudits for their carefully curated choice of material, as well as their willingness to step into the breach!
Rabble-rouser extraordinaire, Joe Solo (accompanied by the Wigan Diggers Chorale towards the end of his set), delivered a selection of folk-punk anthems, aided and abetted by a clenched fist raising, partisan crowd. Following a poetic interlude from Janine Booth, proud Mercians, Greenman Rising fused traditional tunes and modernist danceabiilty to great effect, providing the sort of good natured uplift any festival would be pleased to present.
Over on the acoustic oriented Song and Story Stage, we were treated to excellent singer-songwriter sets from both Tom George and Thomas Raven, both of whom will bear further investigation. They were followed by the classic rock of The Amber List on the main stage.
A reminder of the political underpinnings of the event was provided by St Helens based Stephen Smith before an immensely high energy raw mix of traditional, Irish, Shanty and Folk lit up the crowd like an explosion at a firework factory – hard to believe that, after putting everything you thought they had into a breathless 40 minute romp – they were about to drive an hour to do the same again over 90 minutes at another gig! Respect is due!! Self-described as “quirky happy punks”. Rooster Rebellion entertained with their insights into topics such as social injustice (on message) pies (this is Wigan – very on message) and climate change – which thankfully it didn’t as the torrential rain held off until the day after!
You won’t get many reviews of German punk band on these pages, but Mutant Proof are well worth a positive mention. True to the spirit of ‘77, and with some nifty guitar work to complement the aural assault, if you hanker after a musical adrenaline rush – then these are your guys. Musical purists may baulk, but they certainly livened up the crowd again!
Billed as “music from the heart to stir the soul”, Cobalt Tales have nothing to fear from the trades descriptions act. With the Pat Sherrington half of the folk-plus duo enjoying a Wigan homecoming, she and partner Nuala proved as engaging as they were entertaining, demonstrating why they are fast becoming folk-club favourites and festival regulars in our part of the world!
The event was brought to a conclusion by a stunning performance by Scottish folk-punk 7-piece, The Wakes, conjuring up memories of The Pogues, The Levellers and The Clash, whilst adding something of their own into their musical mix, with Celtic touches reminding us that they do indeed hail from a Big Country!
So, full value and a big bang for your lack of bucks, thankfully, as important as the music, the bar did a roaring trade in Diggers themed beer - which was good for the festival’s future, as this is the main source of their income to finance the festival. All this means that we are all set for next year - watch this space for details!
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