IF THE streets of East Lancashire are filled with people sporting wellies and backpacks, and they’re catching the bus instead of the train to get their jollies, then it must be time for Beat-Herder again.

For 2016 the emphasis in the main arenas may have been on the classics, with indie legends James, Todd Terje, A Guy Called Gerald and Donovan all gracing the Ribble Valley stages.

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Hundreds of bands filled out the rest of the arena across the Toil Trees, The Fortress, The Perfumed Garden, and Maison D’Etre arenas, with the latter also hosting comics such as Tom Stade, Che Burnleyand Fern Brady.

No shortage of genres clashed at Trash Manor and new for this year was the Sunrise Stage, with a more psychedelic edge, and The Illustrious Society, tipping a hat to the steam punk phenomenon.

But if it all became a bit too much from the night before, especially for the older end of the audience, there was always the ‘Beat-Herder and District Working Men’s Social Club’.

Though whether the likes of Little Johnny Cash, fairy aerialist Naomi Wood, the Red Hot Frilly Kickers, song and dance man Billy Buttons, keyboard king Mike ‘Snakefingers’ Nicholas and festival drag queen Mysti Valentine promoted feelings of calm serenity on the Sabbath remains to be seen.

Le Moaning Lisa, Precious Cleaver and Les Vegas and the International Playboys, alongside Squinty McGinty’s ‘famous’ meat raffle, also had a go.

For the more sacrilegious there was always the festival’s ‘parish church’, where Sister Superior, an altogether different Sunday Sermon and Brother Chris Massey were in attendance.