A WIDE range of musical tastes were catered for as a new festival rolled on to a working farm.

From world-renowned DJs such as Dave Pearce and Brandon Block to up to 50 live bands and reggae acts, there was something for everyone at the inaugural Scoop Music Festival, held at Wheelbirks, in Stocksfield.

There was no disputing that iconic DJ Dave Pearce was the most popular addition to the line-up of music as he packed out the DJ tent for his two-hour slot of club classics.

Away from the dance tent, there was plenty of live music to keep the crowds entertained and Madness tribute band Beyond Madness, Thieves of Liberty and rock band cover band V12 all justified their billing as headline acts, while Stipe, a tribute band covering REM’s biggest hits, also proved popular.

There were a range of activities and funfair rides available for younger festival-goers.

There were some teething problems experienced by event organisers Events 85, and an issue with providing sound on the second stage after the opening night threatened to cause all sorts of problems until the music was relocated to the nearby beer tent. While attendance figures would have been way below what the organisers would have hoped for, they were still upbeat about how the first event had gone and were optimistic the festival would grow in years to come.

Tris Raine said: “Overall, it’s been a success and we hope to grow it year on year. There’s been some problems we will have to address, but it was our first year and we expected some difficulties.”