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LodeStar, an independent event, offered something unique with a credible line up and purity in its ethos. Landowner, festival organiser and music lover Doug Durrant is deeply saddened by this difficult decision. He had hoped the event would bring something special to the community and give festival goers a truly memorable weekend.
Regretfully, his teenage ambition to stage a festival on the land his family have farmed for four generations has had to be postponed.
LODESTAR CANCELLED
Lodestar, Britain’s newest indie-rock festival, will not be going ahead this year.
It is tremendously unfortunate that LodeStar’s inaugural year happened to be 2007 – a year with the worst summer weather in Britain for 200 years. With the disastrous floods hitting the country, even established festivals have struggled. With heavy hearts the LodeStar team hope that the summer brightens for the UK and the festival scene.
All at LodeStar have been overwhelmed by the unprecedented enthusiasm, support and loyalty of the bands involved. From the established ladies and gentlemen of The Rakes, The Bees and Idlewild to the cheeky chaps and chapesses of 2007’s hottest breaking bands such as The Pigeon Detectives, The Wombats and The Hoosiers. More than anyone, Badly Drawn Boy has shown a heart-warming passion towards LodeStar in its infancy. Equally, the support and association of BBC 6 Music delighted everyone involved in the festival.
Festival organiser Doug Durrant explainsthe decision: “Despite a tremendous amount of effort in marketing the festival, unfortunately, we were battling against all the pictures and reports about the dreadful weather we’ve been having this year. Ticket sales were fairly low, and totally reflective of the weather up until the end of July. The weather might have turned around, but it’s come too late for LodeStar. As director I had the responsibility of considering everybody involved with supplying services for the festival, and it was a judgement based on where we stand today.”
“This year’s bill was exciting – from the artists appearing on the Friday to the last act on the Sunday. I do feel that the weather has beaten us. So I felt it was best to scrap this year and crack on with 2008. I think that when you’ve worked hard for two years to put on a fantastic festival for people and it doesn’t happen, the only way to get over it is to look forward.”
Every person who has bought a full price ticket to LodeStar will be refunded in the next few days, and Doug is looking forward to offering them future opportunities to enjoy live music in Cambridgeshire.
