TEDDY ROCKS FESTIVAL 2022
Teddy Rocks Festival 2022
at Charisworth Farm in Blandford, UK
photos and words by Phoebe Reeks
Having been threatened by the pandemic over the last few years, Teddy Rocks returned to Charisworth Farm in Blandford for another awesome weekend of live music in the Dorset Countryside in aid of fighting children’s cancer. Thousands of people packed out the fields across the three days, with well over 100 acts playing over six stages.
Friday’s line-up boasted a range of local acts and covers bands from the Dorset area, as well as a performance from somerset legends, The Wurzels who had a massive crowd filling out the Big Man Top Stage, performing classics such as ‘I am a Cider Drinker’ and ‘The Combine Harvester (Brand New Key)’.
Saturday saw Californian rockers, Eagles of Death Metal headline the main stage for their only UK date on their current tour, with lead singer Jesse Hughes arriving on stage on a motorbike dressed as Evel Knievel before performing an endless string of popular hits including ‘I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)’ and even a cover of David Bowie’s ‘Moonage Daydream’.
Sunday saw Scottish group, The Fratellis perform several hits from their debut album Costello Music including fan favourites ‘Chelsea Dagger’ and ‘Flathead’, as well as tracks from their latest album, Half Drunk Under a Full Moon and a cover of ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’.
The crowd erupted with excitement as the main stage displayed lots of pyrotechnics, confetti, and fireworks on several occasions throughout the weekend, which made this stage an even more thrilling place to be.
Across the weekend, there was such a range in genres of music, from acoustic and folk sets in the Merry Woodland to pop, rock, and metal on other stages. There were a few tribute bands of the likes of Green Day, Muse and Foo Fighters, as well as local artists from the south coast, including Lauran Hibberd and The Manatees. The Vocalzone stage gave lots of upcoming bands the opportunity to exhibit their music, including Bellevue Days and Tempesst. There was a range of national artists, from Newton Faulkner, A, Terrorvision and Bob Vylan to international artists Dead Sara and Lyoness. Teddy Rocks founder, Tom Newton’s band, The Bottom Line also made an appearance giving an energetic performance to a large crowd.
Teddy Rocks Festival and the charity it supports, Teddy20, was founded by Tom Newton and his family, in memory of his 10-year-old brother Ted, who sadly lost his fight to cancer in 2010. Teddy Rocks has grown immensely from a tiny pub gig in 2011 to an amazing festival which has got bigger and bigger over the years, raising money for an incredibly worthy cause, which provides financial and emotional support to children and their families going through cancer treatment.
Lots of bands made honourable mentions to everyone behind the scenes and thanked the festival for the opportunities and for working towards such an important cause. Teddy Rocks is a well-run, well-organised festival. The festival itself is very family friendly, with plenty of activities for little ones including crazy golf, funfair rides and games in the woods, and provides a safe space for children to experience live music. There’s also plenty for the adults too with lots of independent stalls, a couple of bars, a comedy tent, and axe-throwing to mention a few. It’s a perfect festival for all ages, with something for everyone, with spaces to both enjoy the music, and spend time catching up with friends and family in a positive environment whilst supporting a really important charity – don’t miss your opportunity to buy tickets to next year’s festival, which are on sale now!
A
BELLEVUE DAYS
BOB VYLAN
DEAD SARA
EAGLES OF DEATH METAL
LAURAN HIBBERD
LYONESS
NEWTON FAULKNER
TEMPEST
TERRORVISION
THE BOTTOM LINE
THE MANATEES
THE WURZELS
THE FRATELLIS
