The Age Of The Train - Indietracks 2016

Indietracks is a festival like no other, an intimate gathering with a capacity of just 2000, held in the heart of the Derbyshire countryside, run by a team of volunteers with the annual profits ploughed back into maintaining the Midland Railway Museum where the festival takes place. The bands are signed to independent labels, the traders & food stalls all indie businesses and the bar serves locally produced cask ales and ciders. There's a craft tent where you can learn screen printing or decoupage, daily pop quizzes and, when the main act finishes, an old-fashioned Indie-pop disco which closes at midnight allowing the revellers to catch the last train home (there's no camping on-site). Even the festival guide is hand-printed by a worker's co-operative, looking more like an old fashioned 'zine than a glossy programme.

Unlike other festivals we trade at there's a distinct lack of selfie-taking, littering or outrageous behaviour and no sign of the micro fashion trends you'll see on revellers elsewhere - no Adidas tops, glitter tattoos, twin buns, 1990s stretch chokers, black lipstick, bum bags or spandex leggings. Vintage is the favoured attire, worn the way we like to, not to capture a bygone era but as an alternative to the homogeneity of mainstream fashion.

Festival goers tell us that a vintage purchase from Kinky Melon's stall is as much a part of Indietracks as buying a programme or quaffing a pint of fruit cider. We've got a steady stream of regulars and, after four years, know their tastes pretty well, collecting Indietracks specific clothing over the months.

Turnbull & Asser shirt, Diesel waistcoat, black skinnies (all charity shopped)

Vintage gingham maxi (99p, charity shop, 2012) and pom-pom trimmed mirror work waistcoat (Colaba Causeway, Mumbai)

We arrived on site on Friday at 10am, set up and were ready and waiting for the gates to open to the Indie kids at 5pm

Within minutes we sold this fantastic 1960s cotton shift. Doesn't she look amazing?

On Saturday and Sunday Indietracks doesn't get going until 12pm, allowing plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast and to explore the festival site.

Vintage Levi's Panatella shorts (Flea market, Goa), Canadian-made cowboy shirt (vintage stall, this year's Cornbury Festival)

Thomas made an appearance on Saturday but got covered with more and more layers as the day wore on and the sunshine was replaced by chilly grey skies.

Dress made by me 

Indietracks - probably the only place in the world where I'll meet another girl wearing a dress she'd made from a vintage curtain printed with trains. ('Scuse my demented face.)

Talk about a bird's eye view of the stage! I didn't even need to move from my chair to catch the headliners.

Simon Love & The Old Romantics and Nervous Twitch

Dirty Girl, Vacaciones and St Etienne.

The shop may be positioned right next to the railway line but we never get tired of looking at old trains. On Sunday morning we whiled away an hour or so in the West Shed Experience, marvelling at the huge collection of vintage engines and railway memorabilia on display.

After a rather civilised late breakfast we opened for business.

 

Although the shorts and sleeveless dress were soon replaced by warmer attire.

My Sharon's World maxi was my American friend Sandra's prom dress in 1976

Sunday at Indietracks last year was a wash-out but thankfully this year it stayed dry - except for a shower at sunset, producing a magical double rainbow.

Although tempted by the disco, by the time the main stage closed and the stragglers had made their last minute purchases we called it a day, downed the last of the cans of G&T and packed away what was left of our seriously depleted stock....there's always next year.

No rest for the wicked - we're off to Wales tomorrow. Jon's 50th birthday on Friday will be spent working but try not to feel too sorry for him, he'll have a prime spot for watching Asian Dub Foundation from our festival trade pitch at Kaya.

See you soon!

Linking to Patti & the gang for Visible Monday.