This weekend saw the return of Beat-Herder, Lancashire's much-loved festival. Packed with over ninety artists across many wacky and wonderful areas and stages, it was an action-packed weekend for all who attended. The main headliners were Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Hot Chip, and The Wailers and included on the bill were legendary BBC DJs Craig Charles and David Rodigan, who helped contribute to an eclectic mix of music, including funk, soul, reggae, electronic music, psychedelic rock and much more.

The idealistic landscape overlooking Pendle Hill in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, sets the perfect scene for Beat-Herder. This year had the added option to arrive on Thursday spanning the festival into a four-day event, and luckily the weather was on form too. Estimated attendance was around 16,000 people, including staff - a far cry from when it started as a small group of friends who raved in the trees back in 2006! Since then, this alternative festival has developed somewhat of a cult following thanks to its quirky features and antics.

What seems to set Beat-Herder apart is the finer attention to detail. Themed stages, props and fixtures mesmerise visitors. Alongside the popular Toil Trees area in the woods, the festival built a street where festival goers dance on classic cars, explore teleporting phone boxes, the church, bars, shops, secret tunnels and many more bizarre creations. If you’re lucky, you can even find the secret heated swimming pool! One is never sure what you will discover next, and it’s highly unlikely you will notice everything on offer.

Giving a little insight into the work involved to organise such an event, a quick chat with one of the staff members who help with the stages revealed that work normally commences about one month prior to the festival and continues for around four weeks afterwards. This is obviously reflected in the end result to produce a brilliant festival which has a great sense of community spirit amongst the team of crew and staff.

The festival leans more towards the electronic music scene, including the sub-genres dubstep, techno, house and drum and bass. However, there’s no shortage of bands and artists playing every day in various areas as well as on the main stage. 

Perhaps the most anticipated act was Nile Rodgers & CHIC’s performance, and they didn’t disappoint! They brought the house down with their classic hits, including I'm Coming Out, Le Freak and the huge single Get Lucky, which Nile explained he wrote with Pharrell Williams back in 2012. Other notable performers were Ben Ottewell from band Gomez, electronic act Public Service Broadcasting and famous DJs Roger Sanchez and Franky Wah kicking the party off on Thursday night.

Whether you want a more relaxed atmosphere or something a little more hardcore, Beat-Herder is a festival that has a little for everyone. In addition to the entertainment, there are many stalls, amusement rides, bars and food vans readily available serving at a reasonable price. Size-wise, it feels just about right. Not too big to get totally lost, but always something new to discover and see.

According to Beat-Herder’s socials, this year was the best ever. With each year seemingly growing and evolving, it will be interesting to see what 2023 has in store.

For more information, visit https://beatherder.co.uk/. 

Photo credits: Andrew Whitton & Giles Smith.

Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and Managing Director of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.