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2000 Trees ’09
August 18, 2009
Positioned deep in the heart of the Cotswolds, just down the road from sleepy Withington (not Whittington, which ourselves and several other festival goers discovered the hard way!) 2000 Trees is small but perfectly formed ethical festival with a capacity of, you guessed it, 2000 (ish). It’s full of friendly familiar faces, which gives the festival a warm and welcoming spirit… despite the torrential rain!! (more…)
Spotlight on Festivals No3: The Big Chill
July 15, 2009
It’s fair to say that over recent years the festival season has become somewhat oversaturated. So it’s pleasing then that amongst the quagmire we’re lucky to have a true diamond in the mud just down the road.
Big Chill, now in its 15th year, continues to confirm its status as the leading alternative festival.
It’s located just outside Ledbury at Eastnor Castle Deer Park (about 30 mins away).
Combining a stellar music line-up with the best in comedy, film and the arts, The Big Chill is the perfect mix of eccentricity and mayhem and should cater for even the most discerning customer.
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As a veteran of many of the past ‘Chills’, here is why I think this years event should not be missed:
This years music line-up is as eclectic as ever and isn’t as chilled as you might think. It is, yet again, incredible:
Festival stalwarts Oribtal and Basement Jaxx are headliners. There’s world music from Amadou and Mariam, reggae from legend Max Romeo, and house from Metro Area and the awesome Lindstrom. Ragga dancefloor bleepy madness from Toddla T, and even some dubstep from Kode9. The Juan Maclean, Telepathe and Chrome Hoof will satisfy even the slinkiest of hipster hips. Oh, and Aphex Twin!
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But I’m most excited about two very different artists making rare UK festival appearances. Firstly, The Field, whose microsampling techno has become a firm favourite with everyone from flannel wearing indiekids to hardcore ravers. His is sure to be one of the most euphoric sets by any act at any festival this year.
And David Byrne. Byrne’s place in pop history was cemented the day his band, Talking Heads, released their debut album in 1977. Since then they have gone on to become one of the most important alternative pop bands ever with their influence on modern music as evident as it is immeasurable. Byrne himself has been party to dozens of excellent collaborations as well as releasing some fantastic solo material. Not to be missed.
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It’s not just the great music, film, comedy, art and general shenanigans that make Big Chill so great though…
The shape of the site means it’s almost impossible to get lost…perfect in those hazy morning traipses back to the tent or that desperate search for the 24 hour café. Essentially, it’s just a long line, so wherever you are you know all you have to do is walk in a straight line to find your destination. It was here that I first saw the Leave No Trace troops out in force. As the name suggests the purpose of LNT is to clean-up every little bit that rubbish revellers create, with a team of binbag waving cainers on continual patrol, and an emphasis on personal responsibility for ones rubbish. It means that not only do you have beautiful surroundings whilst the festival is on but it’ll also be beautiful when we all leave and the deer return.
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The food is always excellent. They choose the pick of festival fayre with a focus on quality, locally sourced products and specialist foods. The punters always are beautiful, the atmosphere is spot-on and there even seems to be loads of toilets!
This years opening will also be particularly memorable as the creator of Woodstock, Michael Lang will be on hand to cut the ribbon and speak about the legendary festival on its 40th anniversary. Lang will be holding a Q&A session on Friday night.
Add to all this a Victorian fun fair, drive-in, art car boot sale, disco shed and the most beautiful surroundings imaginable and you can see why The Big Chill has become the festival Legend that it is today.
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And finally, this year’s Big Chill Festival are attempting to get into The Guinness Book of Records when Warp Films and Film4 shoot the world’s biggest (and first) audience participation zombie movie on Thursday night of the Festival. Punters are encouraged to dress as zombies to star in ‘I Spit On Your Rave’!
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The Big Chill runs from 6th to 9th August. Weekend tickets are £145 and available here. For further info on The Big Chill visit www.bigchill.net.
Spotlight on Festivals – No2: Two Thousand Trees
June 2, 2009
After what I’m sure everyone will agree was a very successful Wychwood festival last weekend, it’s time to focus on another relative newcomer to the local festival scene – Two Thousand Trees. Taking place between the 17th and 18th of July and now in its third year, this intimate little gathering has gained great popularity and a well deserved reputation, having been nominated for ‘Best Small Festival’ at the UK Festival Awards 2008 amongst others.
With a line up which this year includes British Sea Power, Blood Red Shoes and Red Light Company, this festival is definitely packing some musical heat. It is also just about the best chance you’ll get to see some of the best local talent around all in one weekend, with local favourites such as Ruth Bewsey, the ever emerging Jim Lockey and of course the winner of this year’s battle of the bands competition – Aspen Sails – all performing.
The festival was conceived by six friends as an alternative to the increasingly mainstream summer festivals. Two Thousand Trees’ ethos is based firmly on green and ethical policies and is deliberately intimate – only 2,500 tickets are made available for the weekend. It has also distanced itself from becoming pigeonholed, as others have, as a ‘genre festival’ by offering an incredibly diverse range of live music.
Last year was wet. Quite quite wet. I was there – indeed, the photo in this article is of my own damp wellies. There was also mud. A lot of mud. But I was overwhelmed by the capacity for ‘nham folk to embrace the festival spirit, regardless of the weather. So despite the adverse conditions a fantastic atmosphere remained. If you haven’t planned on attending a festival this year, I would urge you to try Two Thousand Trees as an alternative to the pricey mainstream festivals. At around £50 for a ticket it is about a third of the price of, say, Glastonbury and is a great way to support local music. But hurry because, as mentioned earlier, tickets are limited!
More info can be found at http://www.twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk
Spotlight on Festivals – No.1: Wychwood Music Festival
May 22, 2009
With ‘festival season’ now well and truly approaching, we decided to take a look at what’s going on this summer festival-wise around the ‘nham. It’s a fair bet too that you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the wealth of events our little town is offering over the coming months. So stay tuned over the next few weeks as we profile some of the best festivals taking place, both large and small (or intimate, as they prefer to be known).
And where better to start than with probably the biggest and most high profile of them all – Wychwood Music Festival. Taking place between the 29th and 31st of May (yes, that’s next week – get your skates on!), Wychwood is the ideal way to kick off your festival filled summer. Having been described variously as a ‘bijou Glastonbury’ and a ‘hybrid of the Big Chill, WOMAD and The Cambridge Folk Festival’, this is a proudly unique festival on our very own doorstep. (more…)
SWEET HOME CHELTENHAMSPA: A Brief History Of Music
April 19, 2009
Cheltenham Spa, often vaunted as ‘The Centre Of The Cotswolds’, could also quite reasonably claim to be ‘The Centre Of The Universe’. There are, of course, a couple of conditions to this claim. Your geographical parameters would extend only as far as the shores of Great Britain, and your entire knowledge and understanding of life would consist of the history of bandstands. Next time you are parading through Montpellier Gardens please salute the cast iron balustrades of that funky little hut, for it is the oldest surviving bandstand in the country. Built in 1864, it was the 19th century Pyramid Stage for the well-to-do, a kind of Victorian CBGB’s for well-heeled dandies, down the front checking out the hottest new coronet player in town. Ladies in their finest frocks would have loitered sidestage, hoping to catch the eye of the delightful chap with the big bassoon. This was parklife at it’s most authentic.
To read the article in full pick up issue 1 of nham music magazine from mid-May
