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Friends Of Mine Festival In Financial Trouble After First Year
Friday, 25 November 2011 Written by Steven James
Friends Of Mine Festival In Financial Trouble After First Year

FOMFest Ltd, the company behind the Friends of Mine Festival, went into voluntary liquidation last month after failing to pay debts that are believed to be in the range of £200,000. FOM Festival took place back in May on the fields surrounding Capesthorne Hall in Cheshire and despite these debts, organisers Sam Gardner and Andrew Dollamur are keen for the festival to return in 2012. The money is owed right across the board, with amounts ranging from around £100 owed to artists and individuals to much larger sums that are owed to suppliers. The liquidation, including these debts, is now being dealt with by a South-Manchester insolvency firm.

Walk-in ticket sales were a lot less than anticipated which could account for the profits being less than predicted. In fairness to the organisers this was due to factors that were out of their control; the final day of the festival was plagued with bad weather, with heavy rain reducing crowds and even causing the closure of the Big Top and the Bowl Stage. Closing an entire tent due to rain did seem like overkill, as surely the purpose of a tent is to protect a stage from rain? Even so, the Big Top was deemed unsafe and I'm sure the organisers only closed it as a necessary, albeit disappointing, precaution. This closure led to several bands having their sets shortened, moved or cancelled altogether. Cancellations included big names such as The Whip, which was bound to cause widespread disappointment.

Although the organisers themselves were not completely bereft of blame, the festival did have it's fair share of organisational issues which were evident to anyone who spent much time in or around the main office. Also, the expansive grounds of Capesthorne Hall could have been utilised more effectively with a more well thought out festival layout. The stages, particularly the main stage and the lake stage, which were facing each other, were not well placed and sound from one often interfered with sound from the other. As well as this there were large, unused expanses of grass between the grouped together stages, which gave the festival an emptier feel, which did nothing to help an already literally dampened atmosphere.

Damon Gough, aka Badly Drawn Boy, was particularly displeased with the surplus noise caused by the ineffective stage layouts, throwing down his harmonica and stopping midway through 'A Minor Incident' before proclaiming he couldn't even hear his own f-ing guitar over the sound of Wakefield band, The Cribs.

The festival was perhaps a little ambitious for it's first attempt, a certain number of issues are inevitable and any hiccups or creases can be ironed out in future. Despite these issues, which were relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, as well as the technical difficulties on the Sunday, the festival was definitely an enjoyable weekend if you stuck it out through the rain.

The line-up sported some legendary names such as The Charlatans, Buzzcocks and The Fall, as well as some younger and more local talent on the smaller stages. As well as the impressive line-up of bands there was also a good range of DJs including local legend, Mr. Scruff. Aside from the music there was a large array of stalls and bars and even a large family area which was aimed at small children. This was a very nice idea and did actually seem pretty full during dry parts of the day.

The question that now remains is will the company manage to overcome their monetary difficulties and hold the event again next year? Will bands and suppliers be happy to make agreements with a festival that have failed to cough up the cash in the past? Let's hope they do, as although this years event was in no way near perfect, the music was hugely enjoyable and the festival was brimming with potential.
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