Clannad and Midnight Oil to play Greenbelt '94

MAINSTREAM music giants Clannad and Midnight Oil have both verbally agreed to appear at Greenbelt '94, it was announced from the Mainstage at this year's Greenbelt Festival. The 1993 Greenbelt 'Field Of Dreams', held at a new temporary site at Deene Park, was deemed "a great success" by the organisers though the attendance of 17,000 was considerably less than the one hoped for, particularly with megastar Cliff Richard (pictured) making a Mainstage appearance in what was Greenbelt's 20th Anniversary.

The weather for the event was excellent with the predicted rain holding off though there was considerable disappointment that several artists advertised as appearing, including Out Of The Grey, Inner Circle, Peter Case, Pray For Rain and Victoria Williams (the latter being ill with MS), did not make it to the Festival.

Among the highlights of the Festival were America's DC Talk, a late addition to the bill; roots rockers Eden Burning, who attracted a huge crowd to their Mainstage performance; veteran heavy rockers Rez; and Julie Miller, who captivated a Mainstage audience helped by husband Buddy and an ad hoc rhythm section supplied by Celtic team the Electrics.

Some of the surprises at this year's event was an impromptu telephone interview by U2's lighting man Pete Williams with Bono where the surprised superstar told the audience listening in that "all that you believe is right" and a radical alternative worship experiment at the Sunday morning Communion Service, where a choir of Greenbelters organised by The Late Late Service's Andy Thornton sang 'beat box' percussion over which the congregation were taught to sing worship material.

The Monday Mainstage entertainment headlined by Don Downing was in aid of the homelessness charity Putting Our House In Order and was broadcast live by Kiss FM.