Krankenhaus Festival

Big is definitely not always better. Krankenhaus Festival, curated and organised by the band Sea Power, is small by design; it doesn’t get bigger and, as a result, is perfectly formed. A completely unique festival that does so much right and is a beautiful combination of quirkiness, chaos and community. Not even the intermittent rain that’s in evidence all weekend can dampen the spirits. The annual setting is the beautiful Muncaster Castle in Cumbria, and festival goers have access to the castle and gardens, which have soundscapes playing through the weekend, which, together with the bands playing in a cowshed, makes the location a very unusual setting.

Unlike many festivals, you are encouraged to get off the site and explore the surrounding Cumbrian coast and West Lakeland fells during the mornings before the bands kick in, but if you don’t fancy that, then all sorts of other activities are on offer in the mornings: yoga, crafting, a community choir, talks, films etc. A highlight for me of the morning sessions this year was the talks by author Helen Mcdonald (of H is for Hawk fame).

Of course it’s the bands that are the main draw of the weekend. Friday kicked off with 1000 Rabbits with folk/jazz-influenced quirky storytelling; Ellis D brought tousled hair and drainpipe trousers to the barn with his charismatic guitar pop before Haiku Salut transformed the atmosphere with dreamy film-scape panoramic bleeps and beeps. Three bands in and it's so clear that real thought goes into the eclectic programme. Other Friday highlights included Leeds’ rising stars' adult DVD that got the barn rocking in the middle of the afternoon with their rave-based beats. Brakes played their first show in 12 years and were so tight it was incredible to think they'd been away that long, a really triumphant return.

Saturday was a strong lineup with so many highlights. Wax Head brought their drum fronted sonic assault to kick things off and absolutely threw themselves into it. TVOD brought New York cool to the barn, channelling a post-punk party vibe. Down in the Glade Hector Gannet injected some big brass songwriting from the North East into the mix. Back in the barn, Mary in the Junkyard was truly astonishing, modern yet timeless, creating an eerie, spectral performance as if the songs were emerging through the mist. Then our hosts Sea Power played the first of their sets, which was effectively a crowd-pleasing festival banger set with added Japanese Tailo drumming and a guest appearance from Clari Freeman-Taylor from Mary in the Junkyard. To cap the night off was an astonishing performance by Charlotte Church and her Pop Dungeon, a joyously over-the-top medley of everything from Dolly Parton to the Dead Kennedys.

Sunday kicked off with Smote, which taught me never to assume what a band is going to sound like when they take to the stage with two violins. Smote blasted out an earth-shattering drone fit to accompany the Balrog, and it was truly mesmerising stuff. TTSSFU unleashed a swathe of gothic shoegaze-influenced rock with a smile. Down in the Glade, the pioneering Lost Map record label from the Isle of Eigg took over the day. Dominie Hooper put in a spell-binding solo performance with confessional storytelling and cello loops.

Firestations delivered a perfect afternoon slot of indie song writing, and later on Blind Yeo delivered a brilliant set of cosmic psychedelic Cornish dance music. Back up in the barn, Sea Power delivered their coup de grace, returning to where it all started for them with a brilliant rendition of their debut album. The Decline of British Sea Power, in full, before the Irish punks, Sprints, finished things off with a thoroughly energetic set that left you wanting more.

Each year Sea Power and Krankenhaus produce a weekend of beguiling magic on the Cumbrian coast; there is nothing quite like it, and I hope that it continues to remain small, quirky and beautiful.