Thanks to everyone who came to Jackdaw's Birthday 2009! If you weren't one of the elite, here's what you missed... Saturday It was sunny and hot. To kick-off procedings we had Cloaca, the progressive/industrial outfit from Ipswich treated us to a solid 40 minutes of non-stop womb doom madness - marvellous! Next up was the post punk/rock of Fooled By Chance.  A very energetic set of numbers from this hard gigging band. Following on from them was indie duo TheMillionStars.  Malcolm played guitar (the Wurlitzer broke down during their first number) and Rose sang and played hand bells & melodica.  Haunting stuff! Maggie Sand and Sandragon came on as it started to get dark.  People finally came away from their tents and gathered near the front of the stage (at last!).  A unique combination of mediaeval tunes and modern beats got the audience dancing, particularly the younger members of the crowd. Penultimate act for day one was Cling.  This dynamic duo from Epping played a great set of ambient electronica.  Hard to believe they're unsigned! What can I say about Saturday's headliners?  An absolute revelation: Barbarins Fourchus astounded the audience with their spectacular set.  2 hours of brilliance from these French maestros, a real treat for us at this: their first UK concert.  Those of us who witnessed it will never forget it.  Unlike anything we've ever seen or heard before.  They flew in from grenoble just for us, and had to play using borrowed instruments (thanks to Essex Music Services for the double bass) so their sheer professionalism and exhuberance was a delight to behold.  Do yourself a favour and buy their latest CD now. We had a visit from the environmental health department, who insisted we turn-off the amplifiers at eleven o'clock.  The Barbarins then treated us all to an impromptu "unplugged" song on the grass infront of the stage.  Formidable! Sunday More glorious weather - unlike most festivals you've been to! First up was Crow: with a name like that they just HAD to play at Jackdaw's Birthday.  This three-piece from Whitstable treated us to a great set of psychedelic rock numbers to start the afternoon. Following on was the groovy Smaller Than You.  Coming down from Norwich, this ska/punk sextet played a tight and very original set of numbers that everyone enjoyed. The next band were unable to play because of trouble with their equipment, which was a shame. As the sun sank, Aliceband came onto the stage.  According to their website, this five-piece from Thaxted play alternative/melodramatic/folk rock, but it was the sheer catchiness of their songs, together with the cheeky on-stage persona of Alice, that caught everyone's attention.  Great stuff! And then it was the moment most people had been waiting for... Space Ritual were our headline band for Sunday night.  This space rock phenomenon came out with all guns blazing.  A real assault on the senses with Mighty Thunder Rider and his crew blasting out a battery of favourite space anthems, while lampy John provided the amazing lights and the fabulous Miss Angel interpreted it all into 3 dimensional movement.  Sonic Savages! Then it was back to our tents... See you all next year?