1995
In 1995, the festival launched a partnership with Christian Aid, aiming “to get Greenbelters fighting for a fairer world.” Frank Chikane visited from South Africa and Gustavo Parajon was back, from Nicaragua. There was a bigger investment in the family area and all-age events, and, most significantly, the birth of the Greenbelt Festival Angels. This new supporters’ scheme, launched under the tag ‘Be an Angel’, would turn out to keep the festival flying until the present day.
The classical programme featured cellist Harry Napier and a group of percussionists called Ensemble Bash. Theatre featured The Seven Demons of Magdala, The Visitation and The Birth of the Jongleur, written by Justin Butcher for Greenbelt. And the festival hosted its first opera, The Perfect Wife.
Greenbelt’s giving went, among others, to Mustard Seed communities in the West Indies, The Matthew Trust (mental health reform in the UK), Toy Box in Guatemala City, and Isaiah 58, a project working with street kids in South Africa and led by Tom Hewitt, son of Garth. The film programme focussed on Quentin Tarrantino and you could also catch Forrest Gump and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.
The enigmatic and eclectic Moby made his Greenbelt debut playing a mixture of house and guitar punk to a gobsmacked mainstage – and later collecting a set of John Bell tapes from the GB shop. Acid jazz band Corduroy funked up the Amos Dance Tent, along with Credit to the Nation. Northern Ireland’s Disraeli Gears were there, too, along with crusty didgery-doo-playing Doo the Moog. Other bands included Pray For Rain from the States and the Newsboys and the Quick and the Dead from way down under.
Dave Tomlinson launched The Post Evangelical which set the festival chattering, and women speakers contributed in increasing numbers – including Lavinia Byrne, Jo Ind and Joy Carroll, the ‘original’ Vicar of Dibley, to name a few. Radio Five Live’s Rhian Roberts hosted ‘The Great Debate’, and the argument got heated each day in the Hothouse and went late into the night at Holy Joes’ ‘Insomniacs Anonymous’.
1995 might well be remembered as the first year Moby played. In fact, the really big deal was the birth of Greenbelt’s Angels. For lots of reasons, festival numbers were in decline in the mid 90s, and while there were thousands gathering each year to get their dry bones dancing again, for the festival organisers it was getting increasingly difficult to balance the books. Miraculously, the growing ranks of Angels, supporting the festival with a regular monthly gift, meant Greenbelt could learn that small(er) could also be beautiful. And not necessarily bankrupt.
Only at Greenbelt
Malcom Doney remembers: “I saw two Franciscan monks hurrying towards me in full habit around the edge of the Big Top. One broke into a run and called back to the other, ‘Come on, Reservoir Dogs is about to start!’”
Gotcha
Norm, chief Greenbelt Fire Officer for years now, was called to a ‘shout’ where a lad had frozen in fear after stepping out on his rope from the top of the abseiling tower. When Norm and his crew got there, the lad was petrified and literally foaming at the mouth. With hundreds watching and his fellow fire officers egging him on, Norm scaled the tower and began to try and coax the poor lad back onto the platform at the top with a degree of tact and gentleness he’s not usually noted for. After what seemed like minutes (but was probably only seconds), the lad’s face melted into a big grin and then a belly laugh and all the fire officers on the ground shouted: “Gotcha”. Well, you’d expect the fire crews to keep themselves on their toes, wouldn’t you?
Page last updated 19 Apr 2012
