Indietracks - A brownie pack holiday with real ale and amps

Indietracks is a small indie-pop festival held at the Midland railway museum. It pricked my interest thanks to it's unusual combination of steam trains and indie-pop ( although it has been postulated that the link is related to either a fascination with usable 'vintage' or real ale) and exhibiting some bands at the bargain price of £35. It is undoubtedly the first festival I have attended where I arrived by antique train, spent breaks in bands chatting to a lovely volunteer about his model railway 'My granddaughter goes to Glastonbury, she says it isn't like this' or bopped away in an engine shed. Indietracks is mercifully noncommercial (home-made is something of a theme) and not only are the sandwiches, buns and real ale (courtesy of the local CAMRA society) reasonably priced, they taste good too. Indietracks is the place for the vintage dress clad, broadsheet reading music nerd. It was possibly the only festival I have attended where children and pushchairs seemed appropriate, safe and welcome (I loved the baby ear defenders, I want some). The workshop featured jewelery making from Tatty Devine and talks on 'how not to run a music label' as well as bunting making and corsage construction. All vital indicators of the humble, twee, home-made nature of the event.



There were 3 stages, outside, the engine shed and the tiny tin railway church. Hair bow, ballet pump wearing indie fans trotted happily between the three, waiting to hear many bands who were suitably obscure. Such is the intimacy of indietracks you often found yourself corsage making sitting next to bands who had just finished playing, however this was also an indication of the lack of 'big name' bands. The names that drew us to Saturday were Emmy the great and Camera Obscura, perennials of Radio 6. Emmy the Great, following an apparently nightmarish journey gave a performance that was functional but added nothing to her recorded work. Camera Obscura were surprisingly upbeat, endearingly apologizing for one slow depressing number, as they had expected people to be sitting and chilling on the grass rather than standing and bouncing. Surprises to us were the impressive enthusiasm of Cats on Fire, and Sucrette who proved to be bubble sweet and managed to make music that sounded like it belonged on a Miss Kitty video game, pleasant summer listening. An honorable mention is deserved for Butcher Boy who utilised everything from cello to an accordion, whilst entertaining their small band of faithful fans. The Lovely Eggs also managed a strange mix between comedy, loud punky music and twee musings about fruit, cowboys and dinosaurs in the church stage. I'm not sure they have much to offer other than novelty - but they were like the entire festival, warm, unique and reminiscent of an indie band searching for a big break at a girl guide sing-a-long.