Lakefest Day Two: From Psychedelic Folk to a Full-Blown Friday Night Frenzy

Sam Holt
1 day ago
3 min read

Eastnor Castle Grounds - Friday 7th August 2026

WORDS / IMAGES SAM HOLT

Lakefest Day Two:

Friday I checked Liverpool based band Professor Yaffle who deliver a psychedelic folk style set. From what I gather they usually choose venue for their acoustics which would work well for them, so was unsure how they’d turn out in a festival set up, but I needn’t have been concerned. Their set appeared proud of their locale the second song of their set drawing on an area in the city, I enjoyed them.

Split Second, the Bromsgrove band, arrived to a wall of guitar sounds that suggested the indie guitar-based band would hit us hard. They did so in their own manner, they performed with passion and raw intensity. They also incorporate elements from Oasis and Red Hot Chilie Peppers. I see that their debut album will be out shortly, so it might be worth keeping an eye out for.

When Erica arrived on stage, Dalton Woodward and Mikey Long appeared in orange overalls. Mikey crossed the stage like an astronaut, but since it matched their intro music, why not? The band from Gloucestershire performed a brief but impactful show, and as they seem to be festival regulars, I can understand why.

Award-winning country singer Harleymoon Kemp has carved out a niche for herself in a style that seems to be gaining traction right now. She recalled throughout her performance how many country songs are about heartbreak, which, although difficult for her personally, made for amazing music that could not be denied. She talked about relationships and told a story about how a guy messed her up by texting her at one in the morning. She politely told him that she wasn't a drive-through and denied his invitation to come over, setting up another great song. She was an intriguing performer for the tea time slot having 32 million YouTube views and a number one single in the UK country charts. Although most of her set were originals, I did catch a few covers and a couple of great ones of "Take It Easy" and "Interesting Take on Summer of 69."

Irish band The Undertones needed no introduction, especially after the soundcheck they immediately launched into their set with bass man Mike Bradley telling the crowd they were ‘about to hear some of the best rock n roll they’d heard’. Playing many of the classics including Jimmy Jimmy, Here Comes the Summer, Teenage Kicks, one of the favourites of the late John Peel and my Perfect Cousin. Despite this being the second incarnation of the band with Fergal Sharkey splitting with the band, replacement vocalist Paul McLoone has fitted in extremely well, other than guitarist John O’Neil being replaced by his brother Damian they have maintained a stable line up and are still touring on a regular basis.

As Jazzie B reminded us, "Soul to Soul, all the way from London's Campden Town, he's out first, followed by the band, who play the introduction, and an all-female lineup of singers and violinists take front of stage." Naturally, theirs is a professional set that creates a lovely nostalgic trip back in time to the club scene from which they grew and the sound system they created, which helped many other artists. Even if you're not a fan of the band, Back to Life is an instantly recognised song that continues to be regularly played on the radio. The set buildup continues until they play their most well-known song, Back to Life.

Example, Rapper, singer and producer topped the bill for Friday night, the stage was dark and a DJ was warming the crowd even further, the crowd were already in hight spirits many on other people’s shoulder and were clearly ready for it, he came out singing and generally getting the crowd into a frenzy, it really wasn’t hard they were packed but moving to the beats of the music. It was something else and the atmosphere was palpable and electric; it was simply intense party in full swing bringing together people of all ages. Music brings so many people together with love, what a way to escape the outside world.