Brentwood Beer and Music Festival 2012 – Dodgy
My first visit to the snappily-titled Brentwood Beer and Music Festival, which started in a pub garden, became the Brentwood Festival in future years, and then, inexplicably, “Evoke” in 2019, the last year it was run.
Over the years the festival turned from a good event that supported great music and local bands, into something that people who enjoy Towie and Love Island would call a festival (music taking a massive backstage over blingy falseness). Would you pay ridiculous sums of money to sit in a VIP area drinking champagne and watching mediocre Eagles cover bands? The festival became neither one thing nor another and most of the people going towards the end weren’t really music fans at all – they just wanted to get drunk all day in a field while sitting on a camping chair.
This is the second year of the event – torrential rain all week and all weekend did put a bit of a dampener on the atmosphere. I actually remembered to bring wellies so I was fairly unaffected.
Along with seeing headliners Dodgy – for the first time in over 17 years! – and yobcore Hard-Fi wannabees Missing Andy, I caught a bit of Mark Morriss and a few other acts including Beverley Sisters tribute act Three Belles who were extremely good (and authentic).
I also sat in on Dodgy’s acoustic session played live on Phoenix FM which was conveniently situated just a few yards from the main arena. I was mostly there on the Sunday although I did get a couple of photos of the site on Friday evening too.
Sadly the rain kept the crowds away from Dodgy’s final set. I counted exactly 50 people watching it, in a field that could have held 5,000. It was probably the worst rain I’ve encountered at a festival. Fantastic set though – really tight.
Saturday 7 July 2012, 487 views
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Gigs
- Aggrasoppar – OY Brewery, Tórshavn
- International Pop Overthrow 2025
- Gigantic Indie All Dayer – Marble Factory, Bristol
- HMS Morris, Pictish Trail – Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham
- The Others – The 100 Club, Soho
- Stray Tracks: White Gates Band, Mystery Team, Basharan, SNM, Monumental – Pink Toothbrush, Rayleigh
- Franz Ferdinand, Master Peace, Great Leslie – Empire, Shepherd’s Bush
- Melys, Yr Anghysur – Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda
- Ynys, Sybs, Lafant – Y Cwps, Aberystwyth
- Sultans of Ping FC – Saint Luke’s & The Winged Ox, Glasgow
- Franz Ferdinand, Permanent (Joy) – Grand Central Hall, Liverpool
- Half Happy, em koko – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
- My Life Story – The Quarry, Liverpool
- Melys, Osgled – Y Cwps, Aberystwyth
- They Might Be Giants – The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm
- Darling Buds, Simon Love and the Loves – 229, Great Portland Street, London
- Fightmilk, Tugboat Captain – Paper Dress Vintage, Hackney
- Bugeye, Lucky Number You – The Victoria, Birmingham
- Art Brut – The Castle & Falcon, Birmingham
- Sultans of Ping FC, Meryl Streek – The Ritz, Manchester
- Chroma, Baby Brave, Lila Zing – Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham
- Melin Melyn, Ynys, Pys Melyn – Town Hall, Llangollen
- Antarctic Monkeys – The Buttermarket, Shrewsbury
- Bloc Party – The Institute, Digbeth, Birmingham
- Urdd Gobaith Cymru: Achlysurol, HMS Morris, Llareggub Brass Band – Mathrafal Field, Meifod
- Echobelly, Camens – Live 45, Kidderminster
- Futureheads, Adult Play – Shrewsbury Castle, Shrewsbury
- Adwaith – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
- Melys, Pys Melyn, Sophie Kilburn – Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda
- Sea Power, Callum Easter – Town Hall, Birmingham
- Dydd Miwsig Cymru: Morgan Elwy, Tew Tew Tennau, Mynadd – Y Institwt, Llanfair Caereinion
- Bikini Beach Band – The White Hart, Stoke Newington
- Pacifica, House of Women – Academy 2, Islington
- Fonda 500, Bugeye, Hurtling, Colossus – Amersham Arms, New Cross
- Snow Coats, Toodles and the Hectic Pity – Signature Brew, Haggerston
- Snow Coats – Tunbridge Wells Forum
- Darling Buds, Keeley – The Thunderbolt, Bristol
- Fightmilk, Feeble Strength – Signature Brew, Haggerston
- Thousand Yard Stare – The Lexington, Islington
- Thousand Yard Stare – Prince Albert, Brighton
- Be Your Own Pet – Rough Trade East, Whitechapel
- Brian Butterfield – Bush Hall, Shepherd’s Bush
- Pulp – Apollo, Hammersmith
- Blur, Self Esteem – Wembley Stadium, Wembley
- Blur, Wu Lu – City Hall, Newcastle
- Salad, Repetitive John – Arts Club, West Hampstead, London
- Salad – The Hope and Ruin, Brighton
- The Others – The Garage, Highbury
- Fightmilk – Signature Brew, Haggerston
- Ynys, Gillie – The Victoria, Dalston
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