With big names in beautiful surroundings, festivals don’t come much posher than Cornbury and TIM HUGHES finds out director Hugh Phillimore is proud to say so...

WITH it’s rolling green acres on the edge of the Cotswolds, well-behaved crowd, steady stream of celebrities and constant sound of popping Champagne corks, it’s no wonder Cornbury has acquired a reputation for being posh.

And while the event, now in it’s ninth year, has clung on to its rarefied air as a top-class weekend in the country, it has also proved itself as a premier music festival – with possibly the most eclectic line-up you’ll see all summer.

Elvis Costello, James Morrison, Seasick Steve, Pixie Lott, Jools Holland, Will Young and Oxford-born comedian/ actor turned musician Hugh Laurie are among the acts heading to Great Tew Park, near Charlbury, for Oxfordshire’s first big festival of the season, which gets underway tomorrow.

Also playing the three-day event are Irish country-rockers Waterboys, Essex songstress Alison Moyet, country-rockers Danny & The Champions of the World, singer-songwriters Newton Faulkner, Tom Baxter, Marc Almond and Nerina Pallot, Norwegian instrumentalists Katzenjammer and American singer Macy Gray – who will be making her first UK festival appearance.

With a capacity of 16,000 people and three stages among the woods at Great Tew, Cornbury has both moved on from its origins at nearby Cornbury Park, but also stuck to its ethos of good, clean fun.

And still at the helm is festival director Hugh Phillimore.

Hugh admits he initially bridled at the festival’s now ubiquitous nickname, but now embraces it as a sign that he must be doing something right.

“Poshstock!” he laughs. “I didn’t like it at first, but if posh means clean, tidy, well-organised and safe, well fine. I can live with that.

“It’s a unique festival with a great vibe,” he says. “It’s a country fair with a rock & roll twist; a farmers’ market with a dancefloor; a village fete with some bands.”

And what bands! As well as the big names, the lower echelons of the bill are a music-lovers’ dream, boasting names like Eli Paperboy Read, Juan Zelada, 9 Below Zero, Beth Hart, and Gretchen Peters.

Even the ‘voice of an angel’ choirgirl-turned rocker Charlotte Church will be putting in an appearance as a special guest, along with Steve Winwood, who plays with Stax Soul.

“The bill is one of our strongest yet,” says Hugh. “You have to think really hard about what people want and we think we’ve got it right.”

Despite stellar line-ups, which have included the likes of Paul Simon, Amy Winehouse, Blondie and Robert Plant, and celebrity guests including Jeremy Clarkson, Alex James, Prince Edward and David Cameron, the festival struggled to make a profit for many years, leading to what Hugh admits have been many sleepless nights. But, he says he is more content these days. For one thing the festival has some serious money behind it, being run by concert giants 3A Entertainment, but also, the father-of-one admits he has, well... got a little older and wiser.

“Last year, for the first time, I actually watched quite a lot of it, and really enjoyed it. Perhaps that’s because I wasn’t running every tiny bit of it. And I plan to do the same this year.

“I’ll certainly be spending a lot of time in the kids’ area with my four-year-old, Rose.

“Over the years there have been some great times. I have no regrets and we are still going strong, thank God, but there are lots of things I would have done differently. Next year will be our 10th anniversary, though, which will be a real milestone.

“We are definitely here to stay. For one thing, my daughter calls it ‘Daddy’s Big Party’ and absolutely loves it.”

And she’s not alone. Over the years the festival has evolved to encompass a large kids zone – with everything from pottery workshops and story-telling, to theatre and circus skills. And, of course, there’s that traditional fun fair – it’s helter skelter acting as a perennial festival landmark.

“You’d be surprised at the number of people who come up to me and say their children want to live here!” he laughs.

“The thing about Cornbury is it’s not trying to be too cool,” he says candidly. “It attracts people who normally wouldn’t go to a festival. After all, most people’s image of a music festival is of people covered in mud, but it’s not like that here.

“If you’ve been to Glastonbury you wouldn’t be embarassed to be seen here, but, also, if you’ve never been to a festival before, you wouldn’t be scared to come.”

And that may be why, in a year in which many festivals are suffering due to the effects of the economic downturn and competition from the Jubilee and Olympics, Cornbury’s ticket sales are actually increasing.

So, with the stages up, the bands booked and the bars stocked, Hugh is just waiting for the crowds to turn up...and one other small detail. “We are keeping our fingers crossed for the weather,” he says.

“In the light of the chaos on the Isle of Wight last weekend, people have asked what lessons we have learned, to which I say ‘not hold the festival on an island!”

“I’m very proud of Cornbury,” he adds. “It’s a lovely thing. And this should be a great year.”

* Cornbury Festival starts tomorrow and runs through to Sunday at Great Tew Park. Go to cornburyfestival.com for tickets and more information