WE CAME...WE SAW...WE CROMLECHED

we're now recovering from out 6th annual festival in Cardigan, which featured a return visit by the legendary and far-too-modest-for-his-own-good Nick Saloman and The Bevis Frond, along with a rare-as-hen's-teeth live set by The Chemistry Set in the UK, plus Ken Pustelnik's Groundhogs and a guest appearance by Curved Air's Paul Sax!

Add in first visits by Moon Goose and Three Dimensional Tanx, the back-by-popular-demand Alain Pire Experience, Mark Mcdowell and Elfin Bow ........oh, and of course FdM regulars' favourite band Sendelica playing at a festival that they've really made their own (mainly because they organise it all).

It all went bloody brilliantly - and we'll be back next year - make a note in your diary - August 7-9, in the Cellar Bar in Cardigan.

THIS WAS THE 2019 FULL RUNNING ORDER

FRIDAY DOORS OPEN 6.30
WALLY STAGGS DJ SET 11.15
FELLOWSHIP OF HALLUCINATORY VOYAGERS + SPECIAL GUEST PAUL SAX (CURVED AIR) 10.15-11.00
ELFIN BOW 8.45-9.45
THE LOST TUESDAY SOCIETY (ACOUSTIC SET) 7.30-8.30

SATURDAY DOORS OPEN 12.30
GROUNDHOGS 10.45
SENDELICA 8.45-10.00
CHEMISTRY SET 7.00-8.00
ALAIN PIRE EXPERIENCE 5.15-6.15
MOON GOOSE 3.15-4.15
FDM RAFFLE 2.30-2.40
SPURIOUS TRANSIENTS 1.45-2.30

SUNDAY DOORS OPEN 12.30
THE BEVIS FROND 9.00
3D TANX 7.00-8.15
MARK MCDOWELL 5.15-6.30
SARAH BIRCH 3.30-4.30
I AM VOYAGER ONE 2.00-3.00

There was the traditional free Fruits de Mer Records goodie-bag for everyone attending, lots of exclusive stuff for sale from us and the bands, Mantle Brewery's special edition festival best bitter and one or two other things, including Liz's super-limited 'vinyl-widows goodie-bags'.

so what was in the 'normal' FdM goodie-bag this year?
A very special edition of a Fruits de Mer 7" single, along with a whole bunch of CDs - a barely-believable THIRTEEN of them in fact - including:

1. Todd Dillingham 'Collaborations 1990-2016' - A compilation of track's from Todd's incredible back-catalogue that he put together for us especially for the festival goodie-bag just a couple of months before his untimely death; Todd's wife Pam has very kindly agreed to let me go ahead with the CD - one small way of us remembering a lovely bloke

2. 'The Popsike Tryps Of Ex Norwegian' - an exclusive compilation of 60s and 70s covers from the US band responsible for 'Winter' (originally by Family) on our 'Three Seasons' set in 2018

3. 'Welt am Draht' by Das Blaue Palais (the complete album on CD - you got a remixed track from it on our 'A Gathering Of The Fish' members club CD)

4. a CD selected from the long-running US electronica label Spotted Peccary's back-catalogue

5. A new and exclusive CD from the US band Fraktal Phantom

6. A new and exclusive CD from Australian band, Fast Cars

7. 'Fungoid' - a new and exclusive compilation from Rob Gould - check out the sample track over to the far left

8. one of three CD albums from The Brainiac 5 back-catalogue

9. 'Mercy And The Sea' - an exclusive version of this album, with previously unreleased demos

10. 'CQD' by Eisberg - work-in-progress from Jochen Oberlack's next album

11. 'Flypast' by SoulBird - a new compilation of pop-psych from a new band

12. 'Kosmic Friends Vol.1' - an exclusive compilation of tracks from bands on the US label Kosmic City (Kosmic City is a collection of artists that venture into psych-pop, prog, krautrock, music kosmiche, 60's rock and post-punk. the Kosmic City label is founded by Dedric Moore)

13. 'Mark McDowell - a retrospective' - a selection of tracks from all of Mark's albums, plus two from his next project



There were also two exclusive FdM 7" lathe-cuts for sale during the festival - in very limited numbers, so they naturally both sold out...the first being a split single featuring The Ego Ritual and Three Dimensional Tanx


...and an equally-exclusive lathe-cut from the mighty Bevis Frond!


...as for the free 7" for everyone...
it was an exclusive white vinyl version of Elfin Bow and Gary Lloyd’s ‘Who Know Where The Time Goes’ 7”. Elizabeth Kearney (aka Elfin Bow) had drawn about 70 different label designs for it – here are just a few of them (a bit of a sod for obsessive collectors – you’ll only get one) and she very kindly signed most of them (AND there were a few of her original drawings mixed in with the laser copies - luck of the draw on who got those).

and there were some rather special late arrivals for the Fruits de Mer Records 17th Dream festival goodie-bag - courtesy of Psychotron Records....
...150 of their fantastic 'Spirit Of The Sixties' posters - repros of classic posters featuring The Doors, Stones and more. They usually retail at £10 a time but Pete and Linda Bonner at Psychotron kindly gave everyone at the festival a sample poster for free.
Read all about them HERE