Helped by the crowds that flocked to Oswestry’s food festival, ‘Reggae in the Park’ which took place recently (July 14) was a resounding success, say the organisers.
“The music was a real draw and the park was the busiest it has been for ages, all helped by the great weather, of course,” said Neil Phillips of the organiser, Eclectic.
“It worked really well with the food festival, with lots of people taking advantage of the excellent street food and drink available close by,” he added.
Record enthusiasts from the Peoples’ Vinyl Collective (PVC) and other guest DJs took to the turntables for a non-stop afternoon of reggae old and new. Jilly Hartshorn (aka D-Jilly) and Ben Williams of PVC and The Vinylistas played out a blend of retro dancehall, dub and classic reggae cuts, while James Shuttleworth (aka Pixel) treated the crowd to some contemporary drum and bass.
Neil Phillips, Adam Beckett and Saffron Rainey also shared in the DJing, playing some punjabi reggae, ska and rocksteady. Plus there were plenty of tracks from artists on Jamaica’s famous Studio One label including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Toots and the Maytals, Dennis Brown, Ken Boothe, and the Heptones.
Park-goers were full of praise for the event on the day and via social media.
“Great reggae vibes in the park today. It was like a little slice of Notting Hill Carnival in Oswestry,” said Terry Cripps.
“Awesome tunes in the park on Sunday. It made for a very chilled out afternoon. Please bring more of that to the town,” said Julie Richards.
Amanda McGregor said: “It was great to have something different and the atmosphere was really lovely. I can't remember the last time that I had such a relaxing, stress-free day”. She added: “It was also nice to see that people had tidied up after themselves.”
Visitors in town for the food festival also wandered over to check out the music, including Carl Hopley from Birmingham. “It was a fab ending to a great weekend. Such a fantastic, chilled out atmosphere,” he commented. “I sat in the shade of a tree, intoxicated by the beautiful weather and chilled atmosphere of the sounds. Loved it!”
Joanna Dalietos said: “Perfect weather and great tunes. I hope it’s going to be a more regular thing.”
Neil Phillips said: “The response has been overwhelming and we’re delighted to announce that, with the kind permission of the town council, reggae will be returning to the park for the August Bank Holiday weekend.”
‘Reggae in the Park 2’ will take place Sunday 25 August from midday, concluding Oswestry Town Council’s widely praised summertime programme of bandstand music in Cae Glas Park.
Other remaining bandstand dates include Ifton Brass (July 28), Oswestry Street Band (August 4), and Telford Brass
