FIELDFEST - ASTROMODA

 

Around about the time Bruce Springsteen was half an hour into his 30-song set in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium last night, I was enjoying AstroModa at Fieldfest, the now annual music festival in the village of Gomshall where I live. There were maybe 200 people alongside me, some dancing, some drinking, some chasing children and at least two dressed in cumbersome, inflatable outfits tailored to resemble potatoes.

Fieldfest is a modest affair, designed for all the family, with face painting and a bouncy castle for kids, pizza and hot dogs and a cash bar staffed by one of the blokes from my local pub. All profits go to good causes, a brain tumour charity and the infants school in nearby Shere. 

When I checked the internet a few weeks ago, tickets for Bruce that might have afforded me the same close-up view as I had of AstroModa would have set me back about £800 for a pair, and the cost of travel to Wembley, together with refreshments, would probably add a further £100 to the outing; around 27 times more than the £33 I paid for Fieldfest, two tickets at £15 each and an additional £3 for charity. Also, my wife and I bought two or three beers at £3 each too, no doubt considerably less than the price of beers at concessions stands inside Wembley.

I have no doubt whatsoever that Bruce offered a great show, as he did on every occasion I saw him, 11 concerts over the years, some small, some huge, albeit not recently, the reason the cost and travel. A glance at his setlist for last night tells me he played songs from every era of his career, the earliest from Born To Run in 1975, the most recent from his soul album Only The Strong Survive two years ago. I hope everyone at Wembley had a great time.

I had a great time at Fieldfest too; especially watching AstroModa, sisters Veronica (guitar) and Jessica (bass) Pal belting out rock and roll with the same passion I saw in Bruce at all those shows way back when. First and forecast, it was the sound of enthusiasm, an imprecise but crucial quality that all rock bands need if they are to progress. Supremely confident and backed by a tireless, shirtless (male) drummer, their set was a mixture of originals that I didn’t recognise and covers, among them The Cranberries ‘Zombie’, Kings of Leon’s ‘Sex On Fire’ and, as a closer, Lady Ga Ga’s ‘Bad Romance’. They put every ounce of effort into playing these songs, sang well and handled their guitars with great skill. It was apparent to all those watching that they knew their business and were loving what they did; undeterred by the sparse crowd, it seemed to me that Veronica and Jessica were playing as if 90,000 fans were cheering them on, a bit like like Bruce at Wembley, as if their lives depended on it. When they’d finished I cheered for more but it wasn’t forthcoming. Just like every other festival everywhere, big and small, it was running late.

AstroModa on stage last night. 

When they’d packed up their gear I was tempted to wander backstage and ask Veronica and Jessica about themselves, just as I did with a largely undiscovered Elton John at a festival 54 years ago this summer. Then I decided against it. After all, I don’t write for a music paper that sells 200,000 copies a week these days, and it’s unlikely I’ll get many hits on this post because no one who reads Just Backdated will have a clue who AstroModa are.  

We stayed for the final act, American Brad Henshaw who was very professional but whose country-style rock was a bit slick for my taste, the exception being a lovely interpretation of ‘Wichita Lineman’. Afterwards I collared the organiser of the festival, local builder Rob Arrow, a good friend of mine these days, who told me that AstroModa have just been signed, whatever that means these days. According to their website, Veronica and Jessica are teenagers and they’re based in Portsmouth. With the wind in their sails and a bit of luck they could go far. You read it here first.