Tim Hughes dons cricket pads and flannels for a weekend of pop, hip-hop, grime and jungle, among scenic surroundings in the Chiltern hills

A top rapper, chart-topping pop group and one of the world’s leading DJs unite this weekend to play a festival with a difference – in aid of a small village cricket club.

While most rural cricket clubs are content with a hog roast or raffle, Aston Rowant prefers to do things differently – laying on the kind of entertainment usually only seen in big clubs and music festivals.

So instead of pub acts and ceilidh bands, the club, near Chinnor, have urban star Wretch 32, melodic pop act The Feeling and dance music icon Jaguar Skills.

Joining them at this weekend’s party – dubbed “Astonbury” in a cheeky nod to the massive Somerset bash – are BBC TV’s The Voice contestants De’Vide and Jade May-Jean Peters, London ska band Imperial Leisure, Swoons, Laura Williams, The MFU, Liza Swart, Haze, The Picture Palace, Casson, DJ Richard Cook and the Jeremiah Brothers – the side project of The Feeling’s Kevin and Ciaran Jeremiah.

This will be the eighth instalment of Astonbury, and sees artists following in the footsteps of The Voice’s Tyler James in 2013, and last year’s blockbuster act, the rapper Tinchy Stryder.

The festival, which started off as as a humble gig on a cricket field using a farm lorry as a stage, this year moves to a new 5,000 capacity site on the Kingston Estate, at Kingston Blount.

For the first time, action will take place over two days, with camping encouraged.

Event director Thad Cooper, 27, from Aston Rowant, said: “This is a big step up for us. Previously we’ve held it in a barn, but this year we are taking it outside, and for two days – which is amazing.

“It also means the barn can be used for the harvest – which is as it should be.

“We now have a very big stage, which is exciting, and it’s a very beautiful site in the foothills of the Chilterns, surrounded by lovely old trees. It is going to look great.”

He urged people to get their tickets in advance, to avoid disappointment.

“I can’t wait to see the festival taking place,” he said.

“Where else in Oxfordshire are you going to get Wretch 32 and Jaguar Skills sharing the same bill?

“We’ve always been ambitious, and had dreams of Astonbury becoming a big event for years. Now that has come to fruition, we just want the weather to be good – ideally the hottest day of the summer... on record!”

The festival is an important fundraiser for the cricket club which has a thriving youth section and is home to the national disability first XI.

Thad said it also presented a great opportunity for local bands and artists to show off their skills.“Despite being able to land top global acts, Astonbury has stayed true to its roots,” he says. “We continue to provide a fantastic opportunity for local talent to showcase their material to larger crowds on a professional platform.

“This is a local success story that is now really maturing into a serious festival.”

And what do the more conservative older club members make of hip-hop stars – and their fans – descending on their cricket club?

“Some people here have been playing since I was in a pram,” laughs Thad. “They may not be fans of Wretch 32, but they know we are just trying to make the club better, and support us.

“The whole point is to raise money for the club, and Astonbury is one of the reasons we have such a strong youth section. It means we have good pitches and nets and lots of people want to play for us.

“We also have The Feeling playing, so they have something to enjoy, before we get to rave the night away on Saturday!”

Wretch 32 – real name Jermaine Scott Sinclair – is a leading light of the East London ‘grime’ scene, scoring three top-five singles, from debut album Black and White and picking up a million sales.

He has recorded with fellow urban stars Chipmunk, The Streets, Wiley, Professor Green and Tinie Tempah, and comes armed with this year’s album Growing Over Life.

His appearance at Astonbury comes four days before he takes to the stage at the Royal Albert Hall for the Urban Classic ‘Grime’ Prom.

Oxford Mail:

  • Grime icon: Wretch 32

The Feeling are also no strangers to the charts – their albums Join With Us and Twelve Stops and Home reaching number one and two, respectively.

They have also scored four top 10 singles – in Sewn, Fill My Little World, Never Be Lonely, and I thought It Was Over.

Their third long-player Together We Were Made reached number 22 in the album charts.

Dance, hip-hop and dubstep DJ Jaguar Skills is a cult artist who keeps his identity a secret, but is known for his deft turntable techniques in mixing samples. He performs in a Ninja mask to maintain his anonymity.

Oxford Mail:

  • Pop: The Feeling will appeal to younger music lovers as well as veteran members of the cricket club 

 

And how did Thad and his team of volunteers manage to assemble such an impressive line-up? “We do have good contacts,” he smiles. “But it’s no great mystery. You’ve just got to go through a booking agency and be prepared to pay.”

The Feeling’s Kevin Jeremiah said he was excited to be performing new material with his brother as the Jeremiah Brothers – as well as appearing on the main stage with the rest of his band.

“We’d both been writing lots in our spare time, but didn’t really have an outlet for it while we were working flat out with The Feeling,” he said.

“Once we had a bit of breathing space, it was a very natural thing for us to work together and bring our songs to life.”

The music will appeal to fans of The Feeling – as well as classic singer-songwriters.

“The folk music that our parents played when we were young influenced us a lot,” says Kevin.

“They were into a lot of Irish music, along with the 60s folk revival stuff. Simon and Garfunkel are also a definite influence, given the format of what we do. Paul Simon’s one of the greatest songwriters ever.”

And do they have any style tips for attending what must be the nation’s most ambitious cricket club social? “We’re sure there must be all kinds of rules about attire within a cricket club,” says Kevin. “We’ll probably need some tips ourselves before the festival.”

And will they be getting involved with any cricket?

“No,” he laughs. “We were always fairly bad with games involving small balls!”

Where & When
Astonbury, Kingston Estate, tomorrow and Saturday.
Weekend tickets £32 (£28 under 18s/ free to under 12s) £20 for day from astonbury.net