Guerrilla Nature

What a delightfully enjoyable event this was!

The weather was generally excellent, with the warm early June sunshine seeming to bring out the brightest moods in those who attended. An occasional pitter-patter of light drizzle didn’t seem to dampen spirits in the slightest and the merry throng carried on regardless.

There were fantastic food options from local vendors, each of which brought their culinary A-game to the table, providing a wide variety of options to cover just about every dietary preference. Fortunately for anyone who might have felt other than compelled by or comfortable with the selection on display as part of the festival itself, the relatively central location of the event meant that alternatives were never far enough to mean having to miss much of the party.

And who would have wanted to miss this?! Headliner Jersey Budd owned the stage for a subtle but powerful performance to finish Saturday evening, as the sun declined sublimely behind the main stage. However, that was after a long list of spectacular performances. They included the HQ showcase to get the afternoon rocking, followed by other great local acts such as the up-and-coming Sorrel, as well as, just before the Saturday headline from the internationally renowned local artist aforementioned, The Blues Irregulars. They really lit up the stage with their unique blend of creative characters putting on quite the show of musical ability and swagger that might even have deserved recognition as the most impressive performance of the whole weekend.

The smaller stage was the primary centre of focus for this writer, as an opportunity arose to perform there when one of the booked acts discovered at short notice that they were unable to attend. It might be fairly considered vulgar, or conspicuous in some other way, to review one’s own performance but, for anyone who would like to make up their own minds about it, the spontaneous set from Guerrilla Nature and Calvin J can be found below this article.

We had a lovely time, the crowd were very kind and we were very lucky to be followed by stalwarts of the Leicester scene including the brilliant Honest Dave with his accomplice, the lauded Daz Lynch playing some of the classic original material that we know and love, then an array of talent accompanying Sally Hossack. All of those performances were up to the usual high standards, with a pleasing fluctuation of energy levels as the soundscape flowed through various styles, genres, melodies and harmonies in front of a thoroughly appreciative crowd.

It was not only the splendid plethora of sonic concoctions and terrific performances that made this day special. The atmosphere felt truly inclusive, relaxed and free from judgement or tension, seemingly for the whole event. There was one incident of someone being escorted from the site but nobody we spoke with seemed to have witnessed what had led to that occurrence. Meanwhile, families played around the huge freestanding hammocks that had been installed for the event, as their various members took turns to enjoy lying in the soft fabric and friends chattered, whooped, whistled and cheered in ways that indicated their obliviousness to any disruption that may have been occurring.

Away from the main site and back on the canal towpath, visitors were met with the sights of goodness knows what other activities were happening throughout the day, with even the barges adorned for the occasion.

Walking home as the sun set below the line of the trees, there were so many positive and joyful memories to savour from the day, even the gorgeous vista was unable to convince the mind to stay in the moment instead of looking back at the fun whilst also relishing the prospect of next year’s event.

Above: review of Riverside Festival Leicester 2023

Below: content related to Leicester Riverside Festival 2023

Above: content related to Leicester Riverside 2023

Below: back to Articles