I don’t know whether it was down to the fact that headliners Aswad don’t have the pulling power that previous years’ headliners have or whether we’ve just reached saturation point on the UK festival scene but there were notably fewer people at Off The Tracks this year. Not that I’m complaining. More space both on the campsite and inside the venue and beers not running out before the end of the festival are good things but obviously the fact that the festival may have struggled to cover its costs is a concern.

There have been a few changes to the setup since last September. As I mentioned in my write up from the Spring Festival the barn previously used for the “Chill Room” has been converted into a Café Bar and a different but similarly proportioned building running along the back of the courtyard now houses the second stage. The real ale bar was also positioned as it was in the Spring in a covered area next to the Café Bar. This leaves the whole of the main hall empty for seating and studying the projected photos from previous festivals, although Shamus O’Blivion played his late night set in there. The main stage was in a carpeted marquee as usual.

The entrance into the festival has moved to the side of the main building which made for easier access although I’m not sure how pleased a few of the stallholders would have been about this as it took away a lot of potential browsers who would previously have passed much closer on their way to the doorway. The Chill Room & the Courtyard benefited from some excellent projections courtesy of my friend Chris. A smattering of punters also added to the colour by dressing up & giving Graham the electrician a run for his money. And miraculously, apart from a few spots as I was taking my tent down on Sunday, it remained dry throughout!