News: Landed…

Well, we’ve now had a couple of days to recover, ponder and reflect on the first Runway Festival, and are in fact already focussed on the weeks and months ahead. But having had that time to think about the weekend, we’d primarily like to thank a lot of people for their help, co-operation and enthusiasm.

Was it a success? Well, the fact that it went ahead without major hitch, the quality of the music was fantastic, and the numbers in attendance were certainly respectable, oh, and it didn’t rain!… we have to say, yes! The setting was unique, and the vast majority of people seemed to enjoy being surrounded by runway tarmac and within touching distance of planes, jets and copters. The Red Arrows flying over at 5.15 on Saturday was a distraction of the highest order!

So, who to thank? In no particular order: The Bournemouth Flying Club and all its staff and regulars for coping with the disruption. To Classic Drums and Langdons Electric Music for supplying gear, to Alfie for (as usual) providing a superb sound. To the stewards who managed to appease those Flying Club members, to the various exhibitors and contributors to the Festival, in particular FairPlay who blended in beautifully to the outdoor patio area and the summer sun.

To everyone who came just to check it out – thank you! It was the first, so not guaranteed to be a success, so we really appreciate those who chose to come out to the Runway Festival rather than choosing another way to spend your weekend. Last, and certainly not least, to the bands who were quite magnificent (bear with us whilst we carry on uploading videos to YouTube) - from the very first minute of the beautifully heavy Muddy Miles, to the last seconds of Toupé who kept the final hardcore mass pressed to the front of the stage up ‘til midnight on Sunday – thank you all!!

It would be fair to say the weekend went with more than just the odd hitch. We certainly learned lessons, and this Festival will certainly help us in our preparation for next year’s event (yes, there will be one next year – venue tbc). For sure, seven months planning, organisation and promotion will be advisable over seven weeks, and literally not taking anything for granted will be something we’ll certainly remember. One of the minor hitches occurred on Sunday afternoon as the Hug Tent suffered at the hands of the increasing wind. We managed to stop it flying away completely, but resorted to simply asking people to donate to Julia's House, and thanks to all those who did we managed to raise £172.17 for this fantastic charity.

For the main part the whole weekend was hugely enjoyable, for us, and we hope for those who came. Lastly, we’d like to say a huge THANK YOU to Lulu, the better looking half of Bullitt's rhythm section. Originally it was just going to be a day to celebrate Lou’s birthday, with Bullitt playing and perhaps another band, and whilst (once they asked us to get involved) our initial grand plans failed to fully materialise, the fact that the event went ahead at all is all down to the effort, enthusiasm and patience of many people. Here’s to the next one!

Photos - from top to bottom: Muddy Miles, Deltorers, My Broken 101, The Sables, Toupé - more here

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