Imagine a relaxing festival where you can combine lying in a hammock listening to a band playing in the background with making floral headbands and dreamcatcher jewellery. The atmosphere is chilled and there’s even a campfire to sit around while watching undiscovered talent.
That’s exactly how it is at the Strummer of Love festival, which I attended earlier this month in Somerset. The festival was held as a celebration of 10 years of Joe Strummer’s death. The lead singer of The Clash had a passion for unsigned artists and, in his lifetime, was a pioneer of new talent. It is his daughter, Jazz Domino Holly, who is now carrying on his legacy, by holding this festival in his memory, a festival that had a stage entirely devoted to emerging musicians.
The campfire stage was a platform for lesser-known performers
But it’s not only unsigned artists who got to perform. Personal highlights included Seasick Steve, Frank Turner, King Charles and The Pogues. What was special about Strummer of Love though, was that all of the artists performing on the main stage had a personal connection or had been inspired by Joe.
Performers on the Clash City Rockers stage had a personal connection, or had been inspired by Joe Strummer
Jazz is not simply enthusiastic about carrying on her Dad’s legacy in music though. She is also passionate about crafts. The author of Queen of Crafts: The Modern Girls’ Guide to Knitting, Sewing, Quilting, Baking, Preserving & Kitchen Gardening, combined her two loves for the festival, with crafting at an equal measure to music.
This made the perfect festival in my opinion and I loved making lots of crafty items to wear while listening to bands.
Enjoying the hammocks at the Strummer of Love festival
The variety of different areas, such as the Handmade Hangout, which was where we spent most of our time, or the Strummer School, made the festival a really chilled and wonderful experience for a newbie like me.
The Handmade Hangout area
A typewriter fire in the Strummer School tent
So what better festival to attend for a craft enthusiast to go to than Strummer of Love, and what better reason to hold one than to celebrate the life and legacy of someone who always advocated new music?
Strummer of Love, you were the best!
