Those folks from the South West Scooter Clubs sure know how to put on a good party and a little moisture couldn’t dampen spirits at their Farmyard Party
Sometime in the dim and distant past (June to be precise) we were enjoying a great summer, sadly for yours truly it was also very quiet for rallies. Never mind, July was fully booked and undoubtedly summer would continue… Yeah, well we know how that went don’t we?
Fast forward to the second weekend of July and at least I’m packing waterproofs rather than wearing them. Off I head towards Weston-super-Mare (Banwell to be precise) for the South West Scooter Club’s Farmyard Bash, this is the third time the SWSC has put on this bi-annual rally and it’s a fantastic old school rally, silly games, beer and bands, a perfect combination.
Scenic route
Anyway, I still have to get there and as always my sat-nav is determined to take me on ‘the scenic route’, it does its best ‘You don’t want to go that way, that would have taken you straight to the castle’ (you need to have seen Labyrinth to get that) impression. I finally arrive at the rally. Tent up and a quick catch up with friends and it’s off to do a stint on the gate so I miss Friday’s band, The 45s, but I have it on good authority that they played a great set.
Rude awakening
Somehow, I have a great night’s sleep, however, I’m rudely awakened by the sound of the heavens pummelling my tent, sticking my head out of the flap, I’m greeted with a downpour that Noah would have been proud of. Not good for a rally that’s largely held outdoors.
Never to be beaten, Andy and Stu of SWSC swiftly move things into the bar(n) where the bands play, and although we lose the gymkhana and the custom show, the fun and games still go ahead, albeit with a tarpaulin on the floor.
Flasher in the barn
In the meantime, the first of the Saturday bands, The Delray Rockets fire off a blistering rockabilly set, two in fact, as they step in to fill the gap left by the gymkhana and custom show. There was also an unexpected ‘extra’ to the itinerary, a flasher, who shall remain nameless, but you know who you are!
Fun and games
The fun and games start off with Mr Greedy and end with the Beer Puppeteer and trust me that tarpaulin earned its keep!
More bands
The evening soon arrived and we had even more bands to enjoy, first up was The Dukes of Mumbai, an instrumental surf band, which while surprising to have an instrumental band were great fun.
Next up Funky Husky, who played a great funk set, the lead singer had a great voice, got people up on the dance floor, and helped us all forget about the weather outside.
SkABBA
The headline band was SkABBA. Wait, what? What is this madness? A Ska band playing Abba? An ABBA tribute band playing Ska? I don’t know, but they were BRILLIANT! They had the whole place absolutely bouncing and were so much fun it was a shame when they finally came off the stage, after a number of encores that just got better each time.
Well what can I say, the rally COULD have been a complete washout, but as always SWSC managed to put on a great rally, with the choice of bands absolutely inspired. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next time
Words and photos: Booga
