The Big Feastival has feast of new music from Alfie Templeman and more

The cheery Blur bassist throws open the gates to his impossibly beautiful farm at Kingham, near Chipping Norton, today, heralding the start of three days of shows by some true giants of music and gastronomy. They include headliners The Human League tonight, Anne-Marie on Saturday and Stereophonics on Sunday.

Read more: Rock star-turned farmer Alex James says Big Feastival is 'best thing I've ever done'

But the best thing about the family-friendly, yet still decidedly rock & roll, gathering is its tantalising menu of up-and-coming talent. And among the most exciting is 19-year-old singer-songwriter Alfie Templeman who has proved to be one of the year’s most thrilling breakthrough acts.

His show at Alex’s farm follows sensational sets at Glastonbury and Oxfordshire’s own Truck Festival this summer, and sees him riding high on the back of debut album Mellow Moon.

Alfie Templeman

“I’m excited to share these songs,” says the Bedfordshire multi-instrumentalist and producer, who cut his debut single Orange Juice four years-ago.

“It’s definitely my most full sounding record. In the last couple years I’ve become a tad bit of a perfectionist and really enjoy making the most sugary pop music. The idea I had with this record was to make something a little more substantial, while also being a bit more personal too. I sing a lot about my life experiences up to this point, such as leaving school and travelling the world before the pandemic.”

And the tunes are irresistable. His 2020 single Forever Isn’t Long Enough was modestly declared “hottest record in the world” by BBC Radio 1 guru Annie Mac – his third award of the accolade.

“I first fell in love with music when I was in lower school after picking up one of my dad’s guitars and teaching myself how to play it,” he says, recalling how he got into songwriting.

“I soon became interested in bands like Rush, King Crimson, CAN, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles. I wanted to find out how they made these wonderful albums, the background to recording and overdubbing and eventually started producing when I was 13, releasing my music onto bandcamp and spotify.”

Alex James

Youthful he may be, but his songs betray a wisdom beyond his years – shaped by the loneliness and isolation of the pandemic’s lockdowns.

“I spent that time making even more tunes,” he says. “Although it’s been a much slower writing and recording process for me, the upside of this is that the songs feel really full-bodied and meaningful.

“I think some people might consider me as ‘just’ an indie artist, but my music is a broad mix,” he goes on.

“There are modern influences, but also a lot of prog, classic jazz, funk… I like to play things that people don’t expect, that hit you right in the feels.”

And while it is far from a rock hotbed, he cites his upbringing in rural Bedfordshire as formative. When not listening to his dad and his friends’ classic rock records, he honed his own talents in cello lessons, while the other kids were playing football.

“It was kind of boring,” he recalls. “I’m from a nice place where everyone was friendly and supportive, so I’m lucky. But there was not a lot to do, so that’s one of the reasons I got into songwriting.”

Dylan

Alfie shares a bill with stars Sugababes, Jake Bugg, Basement Jaxx, Gabrielle, The Futureheads, The Sherlocks, Duke and DJs Seb Fontaine, Freestylers, Jeremy Healey, Jaguar Skills and... err... TV’s Dick and Dom.

Fresh faces include Eurovision star Sam Ryder, young singer Lola Young, Dylan (fresh from supporting Ed Sheeran) and BRIT-nominated 220 Kid-collaborating Don’t Need Love singer Gracey. There is more new music on a BBC Introducing Stage.

Gracey

Then there is the foodie line-up, which features Clare Smyth, the first British woman to be awarded three Michelin stars; pastry chef, author and Junior Bake Off judge Ravneet Gill; Thomasina Miers of Wahaca; Great British Menu winner James Cochran; Romy Gill; Tom Barnes; Robin Gill and Ching He Huang.

The third element of The Big Feastival is ‘family’, with young revellers set to be entertained by kids TV star Justin Fletcher, Emmy-award winning puppy siblings Bluey and Bingo and Julia Donaldson’s accident-prone dragon Zog.

“We are really happy with this year’s line-up,” says Alex James, while joining his crew putting the finishing touches to the site, near Chipping Norton. “We are keen to make new music a big thing. And there’s something for everyone.”

He adds: “I love what we are doing here in this beautiful place. England is a pretty country and the Cotswolds is the prettiest part of it. And it is so close to Oxford; you really can’t go wrong!”

*The Big Feastival is at Alex James’s farm at Kingham, near Chipping Norton from now until Sunday. thebigfeastival.com