Journey into Steampunk music festival at Llanfyllin off

Steampunks celebrate Victorian science fiction and fashion

A music festival due to take place in Powys this weekend has been cancelled, causing disappointment for ticket holders and bands booked to perform.

Journey into Steampunk was scheduled to take place this Friday and Saturday at the Workhouse in Llanfyllin.

Organisers cancelled with two days notice, citing various factors, such as bad weather and poor ticket sales.

Some of the bands booked to play the event have pledged to take part in replacement indoor gigs at the venue.

Steampunk is a cultural genre which celebrates Victorian era science fiction, fashion and fantasy.

The festival was due to take place under a large marquee at the venue, a former Victorian workhouse and old people's home which is now an arts centre.

Food and clothes stalls, bars, film shows and camping facilities were being offered in addition to a programme of live music and DJs.

One thousand tickets at £45 for the weekend were on sale from the mid Wales-based Live Sound Promotion company.

The cancellation was announced in a message on the event's Facebook page on Wednesday.

Apologies

A statement on the company's website read: "Please accept our apologies for the cancellation of our Steampunk festival for this weekend.

"We thank you for the support you have given us and we deeply regret having to come to this decision."

Several ticket holders and bands left messages on the event's Facebook page expressing their disappointment.

Dale Rowles of steampunk band BB BlackDog said bands had rallied round to stage replacement gigs

But Dale Rowles, a member of Derbyshire steampunk band BB BlackDog, said they and a number of bands had decided to stage indoor gigs at the venue on Friday and Saturday in place of the festival.

He told BBC Wales that everyone had rallied round to offer some entertainment.

"There's a lot of people staying in hotels, including some who've come from America and Sweden," he said.

"We called the venue and they were very helpful, letting us have the room for free.

"We just thought it was a shame for all the people who had planned to come if there was nothing to see.

"If the organisers had contacted us sooner we could have done more to help."

Admission to the gigs will be free, with a bucket collection for the performers.

A previous music festival at the Workhouse in 2010 unconnected with the steampunk event was cancelled due to financial problems.