Dare 2 Went to Hop Farm and was Blown Away by the Classic Rock Acts

Staying true to the festival’s penchant for bagging legendary acts who still manage punch their weight against a newer generation, this year’s headliner Prince came a close first to other infamous acts including The Eagles, Morrisey, Iggy and the Stooges, Manu Chao, Patti Smith, Brandon Flowers and tons more worth mentioning in their own right.

No branding and no sponsorship, the tag line for Hop Farm Festival- the annual three-day event that takes place down in the green fields of Kent, summarizes the boutique atmosphere at Hop Farm. Getting back to basics, London nightclub legend famous for keeping celebrities swinging (no not that kind) till the wee hours, Vince Power yet again has managed to put on a truly original festival. Stripped of all the modern-day festival shenanigans where its just about getting your ego massaged in return for wads of cash, Hop Farm Festival is about enjoying great rock’n’roll music whether young, ageing or somewhere in between.

Sunny skies welcomed Friday’s first acts, finishing the evening off with a spot-on performance from The Eagles.  Saturday continued the heritage rock line-up. The infectious energy of Iggy and the Stooges even pulled a few shirts off. Morrissey kept things going, but headliner Prince stole the show, pulling out all of the classics with his flamboyant magnetism, epic guitar riffs and, of course, purple glitter.

By Marilyn MacDonald