Curiouser and curiouser I became as I arrived at a lovely Rural location not far from Poole on the south coast. Two fields behind the rather charming Cross Keys pub had been transformed into an alternative dimension, a dimension that might just exist down the right sort of rabbit hole. Within the camping area, a carnival atmosphere is already building due to the arrival of the colourful and eclectic attendees.

Across a small bridge, through the ‘rabbit hole’ archway is a second area containing two well appointed stages, a chill out area and a few stalls for Alice and her entourage of artists and punters to investigate. Thus begins the first edition of Alice’s Wicked Tea Party, a small, strange and precious two day festival unlike any other.

The music is the main attraction, but not by any means the only attraction, so this here reviewer/interviewer will try his best to capture some of his glimpses in to this wicked wonderland. I cannot really talk about Friday’s opening act in any detail as they are my act, a version of the Flesh Eating Foundation that confused and befuddled the assembled with an improvised soundscape to accompany a spoken version of the beginning of the Alice in Wonderland book. Moving swiftly forward, it is soon apparent that the sonic delights are going to be both varied and entertaining. Now this busy roving wordsmith was not fortunate enough to catch every act on offer, so humble apologies for those bands I am unjustly unable to pass comment on, another time my friends.

Meanwhile, A Noise invaded the outdoor stage and subjected the crowd to quite an acid trip of brash beats, heavily delayed vocals and a generally chaotic, masked and colourful aural display from their own kind of bat cave. Riot in Paradise claimed the same stage as their own later the same evening with an assured delivery of post punk alternative with echoes of The Creatures to these ears. Both the compelling voice and seductive gyrations of front woman Michi Sin ensured that the band left an impression on the assembled. Something for the electroheads next, as The Department delivered a masterful display of synth driven music in the vein of Fad Gadget and mid era Depeche mode. Catchy as hell and more than enough to make feet and buttocks slaves to the rhythm. The final act of Friday night sees the welcome return of Doghouse to the stage. Formerly of oddball faves Sicknote, Doghouse now has new friends to play with, and they are surely having rather a lot of fun. This performance sees the birth of a new collaboration which I am later told goes under the name of Gobshite, and they are here to party like weirdos. Infectious and raucous, is there any better way to end a first day of a festival?

Early morning campsite parties and shenanigans did little to deter the festival from getting lively from the word go on Saturday. The crowd needed little encouragement from the DJs to get shuffling and weaving patterns in the air which set the scene perfectly for the arrival of Pure Mischief on the tent stage. A mix of trance and EBM with female vocals was a very pleasant way to be eased into the rest of the day. Doghouse and co make a surprise return to the stage later in the afternoon to pick up some slack, with some help from guest Chris the Poet and his very young son. The snappy spoken word (more like snarled vitriol) worked well set to the crooning Doghouse and the fattest of beats from the Gobshite camp, and some outburst of ‘truth’ from infant in arms added an unexpected ‘Ahhhh’ factor. Back over in the tent Tunnelmental Experimental Assembly were looking orange and sounding fab. This Anglo American due mixed up some 80s pop, electro industrial and even a touch of the ‘wob wob’ in a very entertaining fashion while the image paid homage to the hi-viz working man ethic, traffic cone and all. Splendid. The next act to command my attention were Johnny Normal, and act I have seen before and even shared the stage with. It is a wonder to have Johnny and co back on stage after dicing with death for pretty much a whole year. They have returned stronger, funkier and more well rounded than ever before, with a magic set of strong ‘pop’ songs delivered through the medium of proper synths and driving guitars. ‘Tick Tock’ the time just flew by. The last act of the day I was able to catch was the surprise late addition to the line up, Inertia. I’ve seen (and shared the stage with) Inertia enough times to know that quality is assured and again I was not disappointed. As always, their commanding delivery of intelligently written and enthusiastically delivered electro industrial / EBM commanded the attention of the attentive ears and eyes of the crowd. For those who haven’t seen this act live, where have you been? They have been delivering high quality output for a not quite believable 20 years plus.

At this juncture, I slipped into interviewer mode and sloped off to the pub to probe some artistic minds over a quality pint or two, another advantage of sharing the festival site with a pub. That and proper pub food and a real toilet made of porcelain, running water and everything! While I missed Poison Electric Head close the festivals live music down, I did pause for thought and absorb everything that I have seen and heard over the weekend, the people I’ve met, the tents I’ve tripped over, the banter I’ve shared and the sense of belonging with the gathered wicked tea party tribe. The first Alice’s Wicked Tea Party was a triumph of quality music, creative minds and a great atmosphere. Hopefully the festival will return in some form next year, or I will stamp my feet in a fit of pique.