This time Michael Fish got it right; the moustachioed meteorologist promised rain, and rain it did.
As we soaked ourselves trying to remove bulges of water from the sagging sides of an assortment of marquees, our otherwise fantastic sound engineer thought he would emphasise our plight and blare out Prince's 'Purple Rain' as loud as he could.
The wettest day of the summer fell as it would, on bank holiday Monday and our annual music festival 'GunFest', in it's fourth successive year, was destined to be damp.
Local hero Dave Benson Phillips provided entertainment that was not only enjoyed by the children of Findon but also the younger adults too, who remember his hi-jinks from Get Your Own Back!. A much-needed warming start to the day was provided as Mr. Benson-Phillips well and truly lived up to his reputation.
After DBP memorably and graciously assisted a staff member with their own 'Ice Bucket Challenge', and thus helped him achieve his most popular Facebook post to-date, Mark Newnham hummed his way into his repertoire and, with the backing of his guitar and a man playing a box, produced a opening set of great quality, revealing a voice far larger than the man himself.
Third on the bill were 'Eel Fish Parsley' who surprised us with the upgraded version of 'Eel Fish Partly' who performed at GunFest the previous year minus a few band members. With moist sideburns and damp suede the group expertly powered though some of rock and roll's hits into the late afternoon. The villagers of Findon did themselves proud as they lindy-hopped their way across the puddled patio.
The penultimate act came in the form of 'The Rapports' who swapped the bars of Brighton for our pub garden and provided a laid back set of indie rock that was reminiscent of 'The Strokes.' Onlooker and fan Claire Beviss said: 'They're always good and I like their music!'.
Last up were 'The Daunts' who with their strong local following not only brought about a change in the size of the crowd but also a vast improvement in the weather! A superb set closed with an apt rendition of the Rolling Stones' 'Gimme Shelter' and GunFest was brought to a fitting close.
Team Gun would like to thank all those who turned out to watch and support the event on such a wet day - as a free event that we only advertise locally it was very satisfying to see so many present. A big hand to the bands and sound engineers who were not put off by Mr. Fish's announcement and provided an excellent soundtrack to GunFest 2014.
Please take a browse of a selection of the photos below, taken on the day by a hypothermic Timothy Sax.
“Two words ‘Fantastic’ went for one stayed for many. I was meant to be meeting a lady but she never showed, so I drank 7 and half pints in the rain. It was a great day with some great music. DBP is right up my street! Not literally I live miles away. Thanks from Barry. ”
