Waters Edge Festival, Castlefield, Manchester (24/7/99)
Witness featured high up on the bill of the second annual "free admittance" Waters Edge festival, taking place in Castlefield (i.e, the *posh* area of Manchester).
The stage itself was set, not surprisingly at the erm, waters edge. The surroundings however were strikingly contrasting. The left hand side of the stage was the Manchester Ship Canal, which ran along the old, huge Victorian Railway bridge. Opposite the stage was the spectators area; which comprised of a grass hill leading up to the remains of a Roman Fort. The right side of the stage was the not-so-picturesque view of Manchesters city buildings.
Although just a short set of around 30 minutes, they managed to squeeze in the best tracks from the album, along with debut single, Quarantine. Due to the strange setting of the festival, the acoustics weren't as good as they needed to be to appreciate the music fully, although I'm informed that the sound was much better on ground level close to the stage...
Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable evening out, and the night was finished by two good sets by Clint Boon (ex. Inspiral Carpets) and headliners, Pureessence.
Dylan Harris