AS a member of hit rock group Blur, Alex James has seen it all.
The charismatic bass player has toured the world, enjoying the excesses of fame, fortune and good honest fun.
Now a gentleman farmer and celebrity cheesemaker, he combines his musical lifestyle with a more rustic existence on his beautiful farm at Kingham, near Chipping Norton – emerging from the rolling Cotswold acres for forays on stage at Wembley Stadium with his reformed band.
It’s all tremendously exciting. But, he admits, nothing makes him happier than throwing open the gates to his farm once a year for his homegrown festival celebrating music, food and family.
Now in its 13th year, The Big Feastival is a highlight of the summer – and one of the biggest events in Oxfordshire’s cultural year.
And it springs into life this weekend, with a packed programme of music, comedy, cooking demonstrations, dining, kids fun and much more running from Friday to Sunday, August 23-25.
“I have never felt better or happier,” he says, talking to me amid a buzz of activity on the farm as the festival takes shape.
“There are 2,000 people here building a temporary town the size of Witney,” he laughs.
“The sun has been shining and we are in for the biggest and best Feastival ever.”
The line-up is impressive. It features headliners Becky Hill, Ministry of Sound Classical and Snow Patrol, along with a range of other acts including Cat Burns, Cian Ducrot, Natasha Bedingfield, Ella Henderson, Kate Nash, Johnny Marr and Ash.
The crowd will also be treated to performances from Circa Waves, Jax Jones, CMAT, Hak Baker, Jalen Ngonda, Scouting for Girls, 86TVs, Nell Mescal, Panic Shack, Ernie, The Florentinas, Joel Corry and - in keeping with Feastival tradition - the hilarious Cuban Brothers.
Singer-songwriter Becky Hill will kick things off on Friday, the 30-piece orchestra of Ministry Of Sound Classical will top the bill on Saturday and veteran indie rockers Snow Patrol will close the festival on Sunday night.
Culinary stars include Romy Gill on Friday, Sally Abe, Max La Manna and Andi and Miquita Oliver on Saturday and Simon Rogan on Sunday.
“Sunday tickets have gone quickly but there are still tickets for Friday and Saturday,” Alex says. "So people in Oxford can jump on the train and come up for a great day."
Along with the main stage, there is a bewildering range of other performance spaces gracing the stunning site. They include Alex’s Cheese Hub - a barn which is transformed into a bar and club in which the host and his friends take to the decks to entertain revelers.
Previous DJs have included Alex’s kids and children’s television icons Dick & Dom.
Talent due to grace the farm's fabulous fromage-focused festival facility this weekend include superstar DJ Judge Jules, Lisa Loud, DJ BBQ, mix-master Jeremy Healy, Arielle Free, DJ Spoony, Fatboy Slim's son Woody Cook, and film star and director Simon Pegg of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead fame.
“We have got a really strong line-up... and that includes the Cheese Hub,” says Alex.
“This is the bit that takes all the effort though – the preparation. And we have got some surprises - like a high-wire going across the arena!”
And he is proud of what he has helped create.
“There are so many festivals up and down the UK, and some are very good too.
“The bar is rising. It just used to be just Glastonbury and Reading Festival - where the food was horrible and the toilets were a nightmare. Now there are some phenomenal events.
“So what we realised is we’ve got to try new stuff... and keep trying. So we have got a world-beating line-up of bands, DJs and culinary stars – and this year even a woodland spa because we’ve been able to open up the wooded area.
“And, after all, who doesn’t love a hot tub?"
He goes on: “The food will be amazing too, from Michelin-starred ‘geekery’ and fine dining to street food.”
The farm has found itself in illustrious company, close to the rarefied acres of Daylesford Organic (which gets involved in the fun) and Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm (which doesn’t... yet).
“We are like a big family here and we want to spread that feeling on our nice farm,” Alex beams.
“It’s like a kind of pre-Industrial revolution landscape here, but it’s only an hour-and-a-half from London and really close to Oxford on the train.
“And we are proud to be here. We are a festival which is all about the best of local produce.”
He talks of choosing the farm with his wife Claire while the pair were on their honeymoon in 2003.
They fell in love with the place, but the clincher, he says, was its proximity to Kingham Station, with its fast trains to Oxford and London. And the idea of a festival with a railway station practically en suite is much loved by Feastival goers too - especially day trippers who can leap on the last train and return to their own beds at night.
“This is my happy place," says Alex.
"It’s the perfect place to come back to, especially after touring with Blur and living out of a suitcase. It has transformed me.”
And he invited lovers of music and food to come and see the place for themselves.
“This festival brings people together,” he says. “It’s a magical, happy place.
“Come and enjoy the last hurrah of the summer!”
The Big Feastival takes place at Alex James' farm at Kingham, near Chipping Norton this weekend, August 23-25. For tickets and full line-up go to thebigfeastival.com
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