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What an excellent festival this was. Sitting outside a pub on a balmy but slightly overcast day listening to quality music with a pint of real ale in one hand and a cheeseburger with mucky onions in the other hand is quite close to what I envisage heaven will be like! In the company of some of the area's musicians and fans, sat with my faithful mutt, and the Windy Corner Head Cook, I really enjoyed the evenings fare. As I couldn't get to the all day fest until evening time I missed The Harry Coffey Band and Gaia, two of Barnsley's finest, and unfortunately the highly rated Red Shed had to cancel due to injury, which was a great pity for the crowd.

Paul Roffey of the Harry Coffey Band organised this charity event in aid of Barnsley Hospice , and what a great job he did, ably assisted by his dad "Harry Coffey". The PA was exceptionally good at this outdoor fest and as we arrived we heard the superb Leeds blues band, Crosscut Saw. The groove was just right as I attacked my first cheeseburger. As I sat on the grass wallowing in this groove, I realised why I had once written in Blues Matters Magazine that this band were the guardians of modern blues, because the genre is safe if their hands. They are a cracking band, absolutely top class. Unfortunately I missed talking to them as they were driving their van out of the car park as I emerged from the pub with our drinks. So I'll say it here boys, you were excellent.

A quick change on stage and the lads from Castleford were on next. That's Aquilla, a popular band specialising in light rock. With numbers from The Police, Jam, U2, R.E.M and even the Rolling Stones, the repertoire was a pleasant change from the normal heavier stuff, but a concession to the heavy rock fans came with a fine rendition of Sweet Child of Mine. The audience were loving it and the band certainly put their heart and soul into it, especially Carl Gavins who gave those drums a real workout dressed very smartly in a Rock of the North T shirt! Nice set lads, and a very enjoyable one.

During the changeovers I'd been talking to some characters of the live music scene including Hoyland's DJ Rossi, Royston's Rick Denman and the Feral Circus boys, and Dean from The Badgers, a Bargh Green local who had been playing alongside The Harry Coffey Band in the afternoon, as well as ace drummer Tony Race from Stoke. There were familiar faces from around the area's rock pubs and clubs too and they really seemed to be enjoying the concert judging by the looks on their faces. Tim, Jason and Kurtis from The Brew also said hello, and apart from being a great band, are nice people too.

So after some hard work getting the stage and lights sorted out, and after the raffle was drawn, The Brew hit the stage in a frenzied and energetic way, socking it to us right from the start. This band are quality. DJ Rossi and I were enthusing at just how good they were, because they really are something special. Jason Barwick is an incredible guitar player at the grand old age of 17 and Kurtis Smith, who might be as ancient as 18 years old, must now be one of the best drummers in the whole of the UK, never mind the North. During a drum solo in Led Zeppelin's Moby Dick, Kurtis threw away the sticks and played just with the palms of his hands. Fantastic stuff. Vocals and bass were taken care of by Kurtis's dad Tim Smith, and Tim is a very, very good player and as lively as they come. During the breaks between the songs Tim coud hardly speak to introduce the next song as his acrobatic performance takes so much out of him! The Brew's performance was excellent and a fitting and high quality end to a great day of fund raising for Barnsley Hospice.

So well done all the bands over the day and very well done to Paul Roffey for a very well organised festival. It's probably the best organised festival of this size I've ever been to, and if Paul organises another one next year, I'll be there like a shot. It truly was a" big day out" and a very enjoyable one.