PULSE - music and more, with Paul Barry

THE time is approaching when thousands of music fans prepare to wander round muddy fields, get soaked, sunburned or dehydrated, or possibly all three. So I've cleaned off my wellies to give a quick preview of some of the summer's festival highlights.

EVERYONE who goes to a festival comes back with memories.

It might be arguing with shell-suited drug dealers that you really don't want any "black 'ash", spending hours trying to put up a tent you've borrowed, or ruining your best trainers after over-indulging and falling in a ditch.

You might even remember seeing a great band.

But those planning to go to The Phoenix '98 won't be seeing anything. The event, which did not have as strong a line-up as in previous years - and which was rather lacking in atmosphere when I went there a few years ago - has been cancelled.

Organisers blamed the wet weather and the World Cup for lack of interest in the event. One of them, Vince Power said: "I really regret having to cancel the festival this year. We have worked very hard to try to make it a successful event."

The best thing about festivals is the sheer variety of things you can do and the weird and wonderful people you see wandering round. Glastonbury Festival, which is in its 27th year, is probably the best in terms of the range of things you can see and do.

This year you can even pretend you're at home and watch the World Cup if you want to.

I spent the best part of a week there in 1995, thinking I'd seen everything, but when I watched the taped coverage on telly I found there were whole fields I had missed out on. The V98 Festival at Temple Newsham, Leeds, is probably the most accessible for East Lancashire pop-pickers, with Burnley-born anarchists Chumbawamba among the highlights.

Some of the North West's most successful bands, including The Verve, The Charlatans, The Seahorses, James, Space and Ian Brown are on the bill, with funk legend James Brown and pop sensations All Saints heading up the dance stage.

Robbie Williams, who recently drew a sell-out crowd at King George's Hall, Blackburn, is also set to play the unique North-South festival which sees Saturday's bands in Leeds playing Chelmsford on the Sunday, and vice-versa.

Unfortunately my spy at last year's festival, cunningly titled V97, got rather traumatised after losing touch with all her friends and arriving on my doorstep in Leeds at 6am on the Sunday morning, having wandered the streets all night, so she wasn't able to give a very accurate low-down.

Reading Festival, whose roots are firmly set in the rock tradition, has been going since 1971 and offers a better choice of music than it once did, with an increasing number of dance acts.

Those who want to stay local can look forward to Sound '98 in Accrington, where Blackburn dubsters Sasquash are set to star, and the Bands In The Park event in Burnley's Towneley Park on August 2, which is to be headlined by The Milltown Brothers.

The latter helps re-launch the bandstand, last used in 1970.

Both events should be showcasing the cream of local talent.

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