GRASASINGTON Festival will come to a rousing end on Saturday.

Over the past two weeks, the festival has offered an array of events from all over the world, ranging from magical mayhem to classical concerts.

But it is now entering its final three days, with the headline acts now performing in Festival in the Field marquee at Colvend.

Celebrity poet Pam Ayres will entertain tonight, with Bellowhead taking to the stage tomorrow and Roland Gift, from Fine Young Cannibals, and Heaven 17 performing at the Last Night Party on Saturday.

There are other events too, including a summer exhibition in Grassington Town Hall - which opened on Tuesday and will run until the end of the festival - an outdoor performance of The Sorcerer's Apprentice in the grounds of Bolton Abbey Priory tomorrow, and a workshop with Arncliffe artist Kitty North, also tomorrow.

And, on Saturday, the village square will play host to a full programme of free music, street theatre and craft activities for children from 10.30am.

Festival director Kate Beard said: “Grassington has been well and truly buzzing with colour, crowds, live music and some stunning artists. Every day has created a new highlight, whether it be the live music and performance poetry we’ve had in the square, one of our sellout events, or simply a wonderful comment from a festival goer.

“We are now gearing up for our Festival in the Field programme which sees some of the biggest names from the worlds of comedy, pop and classical music visiting Grassington - topped off on Saturday by our Last Night Party, which never fails to be anything less than a superb night out.”

Snake Davis and the Suspicions

“We’ll get you dancing in the aisles and hanging from the rafters” said Snake Davis as he and his talented band of seven, the Suspicions, kicked off the two-week Grassington Festival of music and arts. They most certainly succeeded!

On a balmy summer’s evening, the top of the little cobbled village high street was buzzing with expectation. Exuberant music lovers were ready for an evening that would utterly delight.

Snake Davis, the nationally acclaimed saxophonist, has accompanied the likes of M-People and The Eurythmics. This eclectic band of trumpet, sax, guitar, drums, keyboard and vocals with tambourine thrown in, produced complex layers of gorgeous sound. Snake and the Suspicions had us enthralled with their mix of Funk, Jazz, Blues, Northern Soul and Motown with a twist of ballad and reggae.

Two powerful female vocalists started the set, accompanied by Snake’s sax with a rich and soulful sound – belting out soul classics like My Baby’s Coming Back to Me (Bobby Patterson), Sweetest Feeling (Jackie Wilson) and How Sweet it is to be Loved by You (Marvin Gaye) to cheers and applause. It was a Freda Payne track and the instrumental Soul Serenade (King Curtis) that demonstrated Snake’s magical, musical saxophone wizardry.

But it was their version of Soft Cell’s Tainted Love that really pulled the packed room to their dancing feet, giving us a heart-achingly powerful rendition of Marc Almond’s 80’s classic. Al Green’s Take Me to the River continued to captivate an enthusiastic and jostling crowd.

These songs are “me as a 16-year-old dancing away being all soulful and happy.” he said. Too right!

What a sensational start to the festival.

Chloë Vereker

Lancashire Hot Pots

A LITTLE bit of Lancashire landed in the Yorkshire Dales when Grassington Festival goers were treated to the wonderfully warm and funny charms of The Lancashire Hot Pots in their trademark flat caps and striped waistcoats.

Right from the off, the audience enjoyed the band’s brilliantly silly songs about everyday nonsense, set to foot-stomping folk music. The tone was decidedly northern and daft, and there was great audience participation.

Songs about chips, Ikea, shop-mobility scooters, going to your Mum’s for tea, and beer – were all performed with real energy and humour. Even for those not concentrating too hard on the (very funny) lyrics, the band were accomplished musicians, even managing to shoehorn some dance tracks into the act! It was all very infectious and slightly barmy.

The warm-up act, Scott Doonican, also deserves a mention for getting the evening off to a flying start with his funny and often deliciously rude versions of well-known songs.

The whole event, which culminated in a well-deserved encore, swept the audience along and left people upbeat and uplifted. For those who had seen the Lancashire Hot Pots before, and they did appear to have a core following, I am sure they have come to expect such revelry and banter.

For the rest of us, it was a very welcome surprise and thoroughly recommended.

Rosemary Pegg

An Audience with Martin Bell

AS a BBC war correspondent, Martin Bell was renown for his integrity and white suits, both of which he brought to this year's festival. His audience was treated to a fascinating evening from the man who famously defeated Neil Hamilton to become an Independent MP in 1997.

No subject was too diverse for Bell, now a Unicef Ambassador, but his main areas of focus were inevitably war, and the changing way it is covered by the media and politics.

Bell only served one term as an MP, enough time to be dismayed by the workings of our democracy. He was highly critical of our political elite, attacking both their lack of life experience and eagerness to take the country to war. This was often done through his own satirical poems.

His own military experience, which shaped his life, began with National Service. He served as a Lance Corporal with the Suffolk regiment, seeing his first experience of military life in the 1950s Cyprus crisis. This has inspired his latest book, The End of Empire, The Cyprus Emergency. A Soldier's Story. His later career as a correspondent took him to some of the world's most dangerous places and he reminded us throughout of the suffering and cost of war.

You couldn't help being struck by his sense of justice, decency and of hope. He has seen the worst of humanity but he was keen to stress he had also seen the best of it. In a final piece of poetry he suggested his own epitaph would resolve "he had made no difference".

I think all left the Festival Hall begging to differ, and reflecting that if there were more Martin Bells in the world it would be a far better place.

John Lovell