The Great British Alternative Music Festival
Butlins Minehead Resort
Friday 8th March – Monday 11th March 2019
I had a great time at The Great British Alternative Music Festival at Skegness in October, so much so that I can’t wait for the next one! But October 2019 seems a long, long way off, and I need something to look fwd to, to get me through the next few weeks of wall-to-wall Christmas tunes everywhere I go!
The good news is that between now and Skegness in October, there is another outing in early March at Butlins Minehead resort!
Once again, the lineup is exemplary, featuring the likes of Skids, The Undertones, Peter Hook & The Light, Blockheads, Big Country, From The Jam, The Rezillos, Hazel O’ Connor, Toyah, Ed Tudorpole and lots more.
Pictures from Skegness, October 2018
Like Skegness, the sound and lighting are of an exceptionally high standard, and the 2 main stages are close enough to each other to be able to see a bit of both bands if there is a clash where you really want to see both bands who are on at the same time.
When I mention this festival to people, the response is often “But… Butlins?” let me stop you right there!
With cheap flights now available in abundance, British holidaymakers are a lot more discerning than they were in the 1950s. Butlins has really stepped up to the mark to provide modern family holidays that are hard to fault. I see where people are coming from, I never thought about taking my kids to Butlins, as the only point of reference I had was “Hi-de-hi!”. But having seen the facilities at Skegness for myself, and talking to an enthusiastic Grandma on the train who saw my wristband and told me how much her grandkids love it, we decided to take our 4 year old next year – only the dates we could do are booked up – which speaks volumes in itself.
But in any case, this is a music festival which happens to use Butlins facilities off-season when the camp would usually be closed. The plus side is that you get a warm comfy bed with all the comforts of home, and decent food at a sit-down table. The minus side? There isn’t one!
If like me you’re not massively into camping, and find that city centre festivals lose their magic once you are out in the “real world” between venues, Butlins “Big Weekends” strike the perfect balance of having a warm, comfy bed and top quality food at sit down tables, whilst never having to leave the festival vibe, surrounded by people on a similar musical wavelength to yourself, though with the sanctuary of your chalet should you fancy a 5 minute quiet sit down and a cuppa!
One of the unexpected highlights of Skegness was the quality of the bands on the Introducing stage. People often think of “introducing” stages as half-baked bands which aren’t quite good enough, not here! All 12 of them were genuinely great!
We’ll be finding out more about the bands who will be performing on the Introducing stage and posting updates in the run-up to the festival.
Additionally, after photographing 34 of the 38 bands at Skegness, it’s hard to also write about the bands in any detail, so this time around Simon Peacock will be coming along to take notes and share his take on the bands.
If the bands below are your cup-of-tea and you need something to look forward to, to get you through dodgy Christmas tunes and a bleak January and February, Butlins Great British Alternative Music Festival at Minehead Resort can be booked here. If you’re quick, there is currently a Black Friday discount!
If these bands aren’t to your taste, there are lots of themed “Big Weekends” to choose from here. From 60s to 00’s, Rock, Folk, Soul and even Boyzone (I won’t judge!)
Also appears in Live Music Reviews