by Lorraine Gibson
Buzzcocks frontman Steve Diggle has revealed that he was inspired by Thomas Hardy’s tale of Jude The Obscure.
The legendary punk rocker was speaking after headlining this year’s Barnstomper Festival in Cerne Abbas.
After a spirited and energetic set that rolled back the years to when Buzzcocks first hit the music scene in the late 1970s, the Mancunian said that it was a joy to drive through the Wessex countryside that he’d imagined when reading Hardy as a teenager.
“I read Thomas Hardy as a youngster and imagined the countryside as he described it, so it was a pleasure to visit Dorset again.
Diggle, now 67 added: “I was inspired by Jude The Obscure because he was an outsider looking in – like I was.
“He could see the glow of what was Oxford and had ambition to go there.
“I also loved Hardy’s poems and my song Mad, Mad Judy was inspired by Hardy’s poem Mad Judy – I added an extra ‘mad’!”
The two-day Barnstomper Festival, held on the first weekend of September at the Cerne Abbas Brewery, has gained a cult following.
More than 20 bands played across two stages with local outfit Black Water County showing why they’re tipped for commercial success.
“It was a barnstomping festival and a barnstomping crowd,” says Diggle.
“We’ve a new album out called Sonics In The Soul and the crowd really enjoyed the new songs as well as the old ones.”
One of the new songs, Manchester Rain, was selected by Elton John to play on his Apple Music Show.
Phil Hoyle, who runs Ringwood’s London Tavern and is one of the Barnstomper organisers, said: “It was another hugely successful festival with every band a hit.
“Planning is already under way for next year and we look forward to seeing everyone again.”
www.barnstomper.co.uk