Headliners This Is The Kit praise Forest of Bowland's Cloudspotting Festival

The independent, family friendly and very laid back three day event is set within the beautiful Stephen Park in Gisburn Forest between Slaidburn and Tosside, from July 28-30.

The event features two main stages plus a bar stage, a woodland stage and The Cabin in the Woods – a late night club style venue set in an old barn hidden deep in the woods.

There’s food and drink aplenty as well and a great selection of Bowland real ale and ciders and fizz, all at very fair prices for a festival.

Music wise, there’s something for everyone, with performances from Henge, Baloji, Moulettes, The Wave Pictures, Jesca Hoop, The Breath, DJ Woody, All Hail Hyena, Jeremiah Ferrari and the fantastic This Is The Kit closing the main stage on Sunday night.

Kate Stables, from This is the Kit, whose new album Moonshine Freeze was Album of the Day on BBC 6Music last week (their previous album Bashed Out was Guy Garvey’s Album of the Year), said she was very much looking forward to Cloudspotting.

She told festival organiser Matt Evans about her experience of playing at Cloudspotting 2015: “I can’t remember anything about the other festivals we’d played, but I do remember that an excellent feeling of relief and excitement descended upon me as soon as we got on site and started settling in.

“It was just the festival we needed!”

This Is The Kit features Kate’s long-time friend Rozi Plain on bass and backing vocals; Jesse D on violin and rhythm guitar; Neil Smith, a Yorkshireman, with those wicked guitar leads, and the soft, hushed drumming of James Whitby-Cole.

Their set will also be augmented with tenor and baritone sax.

Kate added: “The band have been amazing over the years at shoe string touring and roughing it.

“We still have to rough it to some extent but I’m pleased that these days I can pay the musicians a bit better for their skills and slog.

“We’re very much still in the realms of sleeping bags and sleeping on friends’ floors though.

“But I’m not complaining. Its great to see friends and stay with them and meet new people.”

Mountain bike hire, a woodland sculpture installation, circus school, theatre performances and many other kids activities make this festival particularly unique for families.

Lancaster’s Dan Heywood is also set to perform at this year’s Cloudspotting on the woodlands stage.

The Cabin In The Woods stage, which runs over Friday and Saturday nights, is curated by Blackburn based Gypsy Carrot Productions.

Experience an exotic concoction of cosmic dross and gypsy grooves brought to you by travelling purveyors of intergalactic rarities!

And all in a wonderful location, via lit forest paths, well away from the main festival arena and campsite.

On Friday night, DJ Woody presents History of Hip Hop.

Known for his innovative approach to the art of turntablism, DJ Woody brings a whole new meaning to the term Disk Jockey. Inventor of a collection of revolutionary creative DJ apparatus and innovator in the world of Video DJing, DJ Woody is a reincarnation of the pioneers from the early days of Hip-Hop.

According to Cloudspotting lengend, Talos 4000 (also on Friday night as part of Space Cassette DJs) is a peace enforcement machine created by Solsisum Systems to help establish order across the Disputed Worlds. The rogue unit achieved sentience through advanced meta-programming and was intercepted by the space-faring band of visionaries, Henge.

Since that fortuitous encounter, the amicable automaton has been spreading messages of love through the application of planet Earth’s finest acid rave music. The affable android regularly brings a warm, fuzzy feeling to the crowds at Space Cassette and has been known to catalyse euphoria at terrestrial festivals such as Bluedot, Solfest and BeatHerder.

On Saturday night in the cabin, there’s a Gypsy Carrot Takeover, featuring sets from Emma Clair (vintage beats and electro swing), Nanook (house and techno), Dom James (party), De La Fits (groove), Free Beers (funk and disco).

There’s a huge emphasis on family at Cloudspotting, with many special events taking place over the weekend.

Cloudspotting is taking a breather next year, so this will be your last chance to check it out until 2019.

For more information and tickets visit HERE

Read reporter Nick Lakin’s review of Cloudspotting 2016 HERE