Tab Takes Wadstock

Wadham quad was taken over by an army of tie-dyed and maxi-skirted music lovers for 12 straight hours of live music and poetry on Saturday.

The last gasp music festival, a substitute Coachella for all those who were too busy revising for finals/lamenting their student budget during Easter vac, was the perfect opportunity to soak up some sun and some cider before college noise bans descend.

A variety of acts, including several live poetry performances, took to the stage with the last revellers leaving the college at midnight.

G&D’s supplied cool refreshments, whilst an open bar and cocktail mixers in dubious looking plastic barrels contributed to the relaxed atmosphere.

Fuelled by sweet treats from the cake stall and hearty portions of chips, those with more stamina than The Tab stuck it out from Salty Dog to final act Dot’s Funk Odyssey who closed the show to riotous appreciation – drowning out the sound of animal rights protestors who had competed with Wadstock’s noise levels all afternoon.

The music was acoustic, upbeat and in places improvised, as groups from St Peters and Mansfield got the crowd swinging with renditions as diverse as The Jungle Book and Britney Spears.

Competition for Tab Best Dressed was strong: patterned shirts, retro sunglasses and desert boots were out in abundance.

Despite the blissful heat, top buttons remained firmly fastened. Roaming the quad with a camera, we gave top marks to a lovely lady with dreadlocks and a chap with leopard print hair.

For those who turned up in ‘normal’ clothes (shame on you) help was at hand. An Oxfam tent was host to creative festival-goers industriously crafting floral headbands and flower garlands.

The festival mood was brought home with facepainting, unicycles and juggling.

As the sun set and the sound of the lovely Marvellous Medicine sailed over the dreaming spires, the quad filled out to maximum capacity as festival fever lured the masses from the library.

From Oxford old hands to first-timers who had never sung on stage before (!) Wadstock’s lineup was fantastically good. It’s impossible to pick a Tab Top Fave, but shout-outs for amusement go to Dorothy’s witty lyrics and Zander Sharp’s self-deprecating introductions to his songs about ‘feelings.’

From folk to jazz and blues, Wadstock revived Oxford with some much needed hippy spirit.