Riverside festival planned

6:38am Friday 5th September 2008

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Harvest festivals tend to conjure up images of tinned food.

But organisers of the Truck and Wood music festivals are working with an Oxford pub to plan a harvest-related bash on a grander scale.

Their latest festival idea will be held at the recently renamed Isis Farmhouse pub, on the River Thames towpath at Iffley Lock, on Saturday and Sunday, September 13 and 14.

The festival will coincide with the harvest moon, which is the next full moon.

Joe Bennett, who has been organising the Truck Festival with his brother Robin since its inception 11 years ago, said: "This is a bit different from the others.

"For a start, it is at an existing farmhouse pub rather than in the middle of nowhere - although it is relatively in the middle of nowhere as pubs go!

"There will be a variety of brilliant acoustic, country and hoedown acts."

The two-day music festival is being headlined by four-piece indie rock band The Magic Numbers, who will be playing on Sunday evening.

The festival will also feature performances by Coute Diomboulou, featuring Witney-based Senegalese musician Jali Fily Cissokho, Hot Club Of Cowtown, Piney Gir and the Age of Reason, and Danny and the Champions of the World.

But there will also be a strong emphasis on sustainability, food and reducing carbon footprints - similar to the inaugural Wood Festival in May, when all the fuel was generated by unorthodox sources such as chip fat and bikes ridden by festival-goers.

Mr Bennett said: "There is no parking anywhere nearby so everyone has to travel by foot, or bicycle or boat - we have already got a few people coming by boat, which we are encouraging.

"Jonathan and Jane Price, who run the pub, make all their own food and try to bring it all in from local and, where possible, organic providers so we are going to have more of a focus on food with harvest being the title."

Mr Price said: "Jane and I knew of Truck and their terrific reputation for staging quite individual events, so we were excited when Robin approached us and asked whether we would be interested in working with them to create a small, special event at The Isis. "It's exactly the kind of event that we want to see here - good music, interesting people, and a strong environmental theme."

There will also be a range of different workshops, with demonstrations promised on how to grow your own organic vegetables and talks about food and the impact of carbon.

Due to the size of the venue, a maximum of 400 tickets will be on offer at £20 for day tickets and £30 for a weekend pass.

Tickets are available from the website www.thisistruck.com, The Isis, Videosyncratic in Cowley Road and South Parade, Mostly Books in Abingdon and Toby English Books in Wallingford.