On the 8th – 12th September my northern soul ventured into southern hospitality
way deep south (so deep I took my passport just in case for the ferry) as the finale
to a mammoth festival season wrapped up in scintillating style on the Isle of Wight.
Photograph: Andrew Whitton
Arriving on Thursday, the moment my tent was pitched I was giddy to get fully involved
in the fantastic settings; so in to the main site I headed to get my bearings, smoke
& drink on! The first thing that struck me about the venue ‘Robin Hill’ is how it
felt on a large scale yet very accessible, not the sheer size of Glastonbury that
feels like a city, more a vibrant village. Not to compare the two, as throughout
the weekend Bestival gave its own extra special magical essence of which doesn’t
wallow in any others shadow. Uniquely proud to be a fresh forward thinking random
destination that draws similar minded folk from all over to rejoice in the divine
realms of music, rhythm, banter & FULL ON fancy dress!!!! Thursday night saw one
of Brooklyn’s coolest Creators’ Santigold produce an explosive performance to ensure
the festival kicked off with a proper punch
Friday
As Friday dawned and with the sun shining, spirits were very high hopping aboard
the Beardyman show on the main stage. Easily one of the most talented artists on
the planet & beyond, his phenomenal vocal skills & his crowd interaction have to
be witnessed to be believed, he just keeps getting better & better! A quick wonder
& chill on the grass resulted in me seeing a dapper dressed man wearing a top hat
playing a piano he was cycling while serenading the crowd! WTF…! And if that wasn’t
bizarre enough then the next 15 minutes of my life definitely were as I watched
an entertainer juggle ping pong balls in and out of his mouth, off the floor, in
the air & off trays on people’s heads before proceeding to juggle swords while on
a balancing plank as his finale! Class!
After a priceless pocket of time I made my way back to the Main Stage to witness
true Hip Hop royalty - pioneers Public Enemy. Chuck D & Flava Flav rocked the mic
as DJ Lord resorted to mixing n scratchin his vinyl turntables with his back, siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiik
guy! I remained at the Main Stage as the line-up was simply outrageous!!!!
Chromeo just could be the modern day hybrid of Prince & Stevie with a modern slick
groove like no other that's smoother than peanut butter packed with a cool crunch;
guaranteed to get you showing off your fancy footwork! Next up Magnetic Man whose
prolific productions sent the crowd horribly off like last year’s milk!!!!
Photograph: Derek Bremner
Friday saw headliners Pendulum step to the stage with an aggressive approach & crazy
light show that would have fried an epileptic’s eyelids! As the AM hours fast approached
it was time to tackle the Big Top for a man labelled as the scenes next huge star
- Skrillex. What came out of that tent may not pass as music to some, however his
mad distorted tampering of noise that surely would have speakers calling Samaritans
over the audio bash out abuse they were receiving if they weren’t inanimate propelled
punters to skanking shape ecstasy (his” Ruffneck Bass” tune was easily the most
played of the entire festival even being pumped out of ice cream vans) Groove Armada
followed before I switched location to check out Jaguar Skills at Arcadia! The flames
were in full force but the po-po came & made sure the sound was restricted though
it didn't prevent the crowd partying in the rain. Bestival's random spectacle continued
to surprise as afterwards we were treated to a lightning bolt duel between two warriors
stood 10ft apart & 20ft high blasting bolts of electricity back n forth at each
other. To conclude an awesome night I headed back to the Big Top to witness Boys
Noize do what he does best!!!!
Saturday
I propelled into life midday in the Bollywood tent as Bestival curator Rob Da Bank
& friends treated us to an hour & half of Prince anthems like 'Lets go crazy' that
had me playing footy with a watermelon after turning it into a hat 'on my head',
a wicked way to start my birthday (just slip that in there haaa)
I remained in there for the following set which was Wedding Reception classics &
being completely honest, after the dub step beating my ears took the night before
this R'n'R was a nice blend of diverse belters.
As Sat 10th September was also known as Rock Star Pop star & Divas fancy dress it
was a mad dash back to the tent swerving past umpteen Elvis's n Amy's, Freddie's
to Radioheads, Super Furry Animals n Georges n Gaga's amongst an array of other
immense costumes to grab my attire: My Tribute to Hip Hop Ensemble .
As I arrived back at the main stage Paloma Faith was ouzing seductive cool in her
burlesque chic! Part 2 of Jaguar Skills took place in Bollywood & took off in a
big way, then onto Ms Dynamite who wooed us in the Big Top
Saturday headliners The Cure produced a memorable two & half hour set filled with
eerie guitar riffs n haunting vocals that hypnotised a full main stage crowd and
two encores - now that's rock n roll!!!!
If that was rock n roll then low n behold indie soul to it's heartfelt core as the
Big Tops headliners Primal Scream set the place alight! The unified love their music
delivered in that tent was like the second coming & the laser show was out of this
world!
What a way to celebrate my Birthday
Sunday
A rather relaxed delicate approach saw me laid outside the roller disco chillin
to a reggae dub sound system before strolling over to the Main Stage for a mellow
Drums performance followed by Kelis at her sexiest; strutting & gyrating best sounding
magnificent! Then back to the Roller Disco for Goldie Lookin Chain who entertained
with some hysterical lines and lively energy for a memorable performance!
Photograph: Jamie Baker
Sunday headliner Bjork was simply enchanting! Her unique quirky sound & style had
us in the palm of her hand! With a warm chill down the spine her visuals were captivating
Bestival closed the Main Sage with some giant snowmen & a frenzy of fireworks that
illuminated the sky so much it could probably be seen in France
With the end nigh it was left to DJ Shadow & Fatboy Slim to bring proceedings to
a triumphant climax rallying on all reserved energy to be pumped out in an electric
atmosphere that summed up the entire festival!
Photograph: Ian Taylor
Certainly the most eclectic line up I've seen this summer, I'm already rocking with
excitement at who they've got in store for Twenty12 :-)
Early Bird Tickets for Bestival 2012 go on sale tomorrow 23rd September at 9am
For more details visit or call: www.ticketline.co.uk/bestival-tickets / 0844 888
4410 (on sale from 9am Friday 23rd Sept)