Issue 31 / September 2011 V FESTIVAL
www.vfestival.com
FESTIVAL
www.guestlist.net
THE RISE AND FALL OF
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THE BRITISH FESTIVAL Could UK festivals be losing out to the sun, sea and sound that tempts from overseas?
20th-21st august @ Hylands park, Chelmsford and Weston park, staffordshire
Over the V Festival weekend Hylands Park and Weston Park were invaded by masses of party people ready to rave hard. Headlining artists including the sexy Barbadian R&B star Rihanna and the singer-songwriter Eminem who blew the crowd away performing a mix of his old school hits and commercial bangers, treating his fans
by bringing D12 and Royce da 5’9 on stage. The Guestlist Network caught up with Chase and Status and Professor Green before they hit the stage; both of their sets had the crowd going absolutely nuts and judging by our video footage everybody was having a wicked time. Check out our exclusive video at
www.guestlist.net
It was a surprise to us all when festival veteran and respected organiser Michael Eavis claimed that he felt this year’s Glastonbury could be our last. After the overwhelming success of the sellout event with golden headliner Beyoncé and full BBC coverage, his musings seemed baffling to us all, but as the summer went on more and more international festivals emerged. We were presented with Melt, a house festival in Berlin, and Burning Man, an extremist affair in the depths of the USA, to name but a few.
And so it dawned on us exactly where Eavis’ words of wisdom had found justification in the sad realisation that many of us are beginning to choose the combination of the highlights of festival experiences, such as live music and hedonistic daytime behavior, with a tropical backdrop and cheaper beers. Wonderful as this discovery is, it is a crying shame to see the wellington boots go unused or to opt for an apartment over a tatty old tent. “Perhaps it is because people feel that they have seen it all before,” Eavis muses. Maybe he is right.
Maybe the economy is to blame with young people sinking deeper and deeper into debts and finding it harder than ever to land work, and when we do have the chance to spend some hard earned cash on a weekend break it is all the more tempting to spend the same amount on a festival combined with holiday. Either way, The British Festival is where it all began for most of us. And that sort of nostalgia should not go unnoticed.
BOOMTOWN FAIR
www.boomtownfair.couk
11th-14th August 2011@ Matterley Bowl, Winchester
Last weekend, the west country was transformed by the creativity of the Boomtown council into a bubbling cauldron of reggae, ska, jungle, dubstep and more. Our senses were baffled, the good kind of baffled, with intriguing beats from the Gentleman’s Club (where they kindly suited and booted their customers), the Dancehall and the Body Shop.
The three largest stages played host to all the biggest acts we would all been so hyped to see. The Lion’s Den held the righteous music of some of the best artists in reggae, dub and jungle, the Bassline Circus gave exactly what the name suggests, and the Main Stage posed as ‘town centre’ showcasing the top acts including hugely influential ska band The Selecter.
Bassline Circus could not have rounded up the festival better for us. As the final main act of the weekend, Scandinavian dark and heavy drum and bass duo Black Sun Empire played an intense set that couldn’t have flowed better after the penultimate performance from Ratpack. Stay tuned on
www.boomtownfair.co.uk for more info on next year’s event!
peRfeCt LIne Up What would be your perfect festival line-up?
At Guestlist Network HQ, we were thinking about what the best festival line-up would be. There are only a few rules: 1 stage, 2 days, 10 bands. This is what we came up with! see if you can do better! ...
Jay Z & Kanye West • JULIO BasHMORe • RIVa staRR • FABIO
LUCIanO • eMIneM • andy C • tHe LIBeRtInes • CaRL CRaIG WU tanG • sKReaM • snOOp dOGG • MOOdyMann • setH
THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS tHe stROKes • CaRL COx
tROxLeR • MICHaeL JaCKsOn MAYA JANE COLES
Go to
facebook.com/guestlistnetwork to tell us who your choice would have been.
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