Urbanista has been huge fans of The Bearded Theory festival over the years, so it’s always exciting to see an invite slide in the mailbox.
What makes this festival really cool it how much they cater for families whilst still putting on an amazing, well organised celebration of music.
The award winning festival has come a long way since it’s conception at the knockerdown pub in 2008. Now, it calls the independently owned 250-acre Catton Park estate its home, and what a home it is!
Catton hall is situated in a beautiful part of Derbyshire with the river-Trent running along side it. There are beautiful nearby villages and country lanes that make the drive to the festival even more tantalizing. But what made this particular one special was taking my youngest sons first music fez!!
My first festival was probably when I was in my 20’s and I have been addicted to the buzz for over 20 years, I only wish I had been one earlier. With that in mind, it was a no brainer that my sons first festival would be now… at the impressable age of 12.
The evolution of summer music festivals has been rapid over the last few years with many attempting to cater for children and teens. Bearded Theory just seem to get this concept right each year! It’s one of the first events in the calendar which gives it an extra buzz and energetic atmosphere throughout the weekend.
The organisation of this weekend is second to none. The campsites are positioned well, there seems to be plenty of room between tents and the Glamping looks pretty boss too!
Getting around the site is easy and with plenty of staff around to help answer questions and give advice so I wasn’t worried if my son had a little ponder on his own. In fact, he actually embraced the whole spirit of the weekend, opting to buy his first bucket hat and dance like a lunatic.
The Music?
Absolutely gutted we missed the Flaming Lips on the Friday, I believe they were outstanding as always, luckily I’ve manage to see them on a few occasions so its not all bad. The highlights for me were The Now and Nova Twins.
I had not heard of The Now previously but thought there set was really good and had the track Rewind on my playlist ever since.
The headliner for Saturday was Placebo and as a teen of the 90’s, they were pretty much the theme music to after parties and early morning gurning. I’ve always been fan but never managed to see them live so this was a another great moment for me. The band played a good mix of tracks from their back catalogue and latest album Never Let Me Go starting with the the first track from the album Forever Chemicals. Signing off with their version of Kate Bushes Running Up that Hill which they released on a bonus disc for the 2003 album Sleeping with Ghosts, if only they had waited for Stranger Things!
Bearded Theory throughout the years
To find out more on how this festival has evolved throughout the years – check-out our articles below.
Images courtesy Nathan Robinson at Apertunes.
