Ramblin' Man 2018: all the fun of the Fair, in pictures

Features
By ( Classic Rock ) published

As the sun set on another Ramblin' Man, our photographers were there to capture the festival highlights

Ramblin' Man 2018
(Image credit: Brad Merrett)

Unlike some festivals, there were no queues for the bar at Ramblin' Man Fair. 

While punters elsewhere reported waits of over an hour to get a drink, life at Mote Park was considerably more relaxed. In the time it took some fans to obtain a pint at Finsbury Park, a Ramblin' Man attendee could grab an ostrich burger, wash it down with a measure of pale ale, and still have time to set up a camping chair and watch The Dust Coda play a full set.

In other words, it was chilled. The sun shone, the site was accessible, the rain didn't show, and a good time was had by all. 

Highlights? Halestorm, exploding with a ferocious degree of intensity onto the main stage, before Lzzy - still in her stage clothes - made her way out front to watch The Cult , chatting to fans and accommodating every selfie; Fish, reducing a tent full of grown men to tears with a set that relied heavily on Marillion's Clutching At Straws; The Cadillac Three, reminding everyone that they draw just as much inspiration from Metallica as they do from Nashville; Steve Earle, playing a stunning set based around the classic Copperhead Road album as the sun set; And Myles Kennedy, playing an unexpected cover of Iron Maiden's The Trooper on an acoustic guitar. 

We could go on, but you get the gist: Ramblin Man 2018 was a pleasure, from start to finish. Instead, here's a gallery of images. And if a picture paints 1000 words, here's 32,0000 words-worth.  

   

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Photo Brad Merrett

Lzzy Hale

Fraser Lewry
Fraser Lewry
Online Editor, Classic Rock

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.