Lulworth Castle, 24 – 27 July 2009
“Remember this is Dorset where the sun shines on the godly” – Camp Bestival town crier
Tucked away in the Purbeck hills of quaint rural Dorset is a quaint rural castle which once a year plays host to a quaint garden party. Not just any party though, this is Bestival’s warm up party, so along with the many tea stands there’s also the huge band and DJ line up.
Separated from the camping area by a fast moving wristband check, the main arena was awash with all the wonderfully eccentric things you come to expect from Bestival – a full size jousting arena for one example. Enjoying the perfect weather, the packed music schedule kicked off early with Mumford & Sons, VV Brown and Gilles Peterson all playing afternoon sets. American band Hayseed Dixie came equipped with the standard folk issue of acoustic guitars, banjos and a big beard. Mixing original tunes with countrified covers of everything from Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long”, Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” and Scissor Sisters’ “Don’t Feel Like Dancing”, the band certainly had the crowd’s attention. Next up was current belle of the airwaves Florence and the Machine, who, in wearing a flowing white dress and flowers in her hair looked very much the part dancing around the Castle Stage. Her amazing voice sweetened the dark lyrics of “My Boy Builds Coffins”, “Are you hurting the one you love?” and “Kiss with a Fist” to the point where most of the families gathered probably considered them pretty songs about nice things.
Along with the Castle and Big Top stages there were two large marquees dedicated to DJs. N-TYPE kicked off the dubstep roster, taking to the mic to hype up the crowd and big up the tunes that he was dropping. The festival was so family oriented that it was common to see kids having it to dubstep and drum’n’bass. Though slightly bizarre for a seasoned clubber it was an excellent way to introduce people to the scene early and hopefully breed some future producers.
While most DJs played a slightly more accessible set than normal, High Contrast’s own huge catalogue of originals and remixes were no strangers to the crowd. Chase & Status have also received considerable radio play and the reception that “Pieces” received could be heard all across the campsite. Friday evening was played out in the Big Top tent to the selective sounds of the Silent Disco. Given a pair of headphones on entry the crowd had the choice of listening to ether DJ Dan or Disco Bloodbath, both on a mission to out crowd-please the other. The biggest amusement came from taking off the headphones and listening to half the crowd murder tunes such as “Sweet Home Alabama” while the other half tunelessly belted out ‘”Bohemian Rhapsody”, brilliant!
Other festival highlights included the layered sounds and floaty harmonies of Bon Iver. The crescendo of “Blood Bank” allowed drummer Sean Carey to make use of his second drum kit consisting of little more than a huge tom-tom and massive cymbal. Goldie Looking Chain were a delightful example of family un-friendly, playing tunes as “Your Mother’s Got A Penis” to a packed afternoon crowd. Playing a stripped down solo set PJ Harvey was the only artist on the bill that required photographers to have special accreditation, therefore if she wants a review she can write to me for consideration.
The Scratch Perverts three way/ six deck + show is never a bad thing but could have contained more scratching and completely done away with Tony Vegas’ solo house mix featuring a rather bizarre kazoo tune. DJ Yoda’s silent set was a quick fire spin through everything imaginable with tunes rarely being on for more than 30 seconds. “Sound of the Police”, Groove Armada’s “Superstyling”, dubstep versions of “Mad World”, the Lloyds TSB music and a drum’n’bass “Tetris” all following in quick succession. One random discovery was Introducing, a band of nine musicians who play DJ Shadow’s “Entroducing” album live (it’s recognised as the first ever completely sampled album) and play it live they do perfectly. Also booked to play at Bestival they come recommended when you want to chill to some amazing tunes.
It’s easy to see why Camp Bestival got voted Best New Festival last year. Being the most family friendly festival around meant the dedicated kids field was also packed with huge international stars such as SpongeBob Squarepants and Mr Tumble. Catering perfectly for families and individuals there is plenty to keep the kids amused without compromising on the music policy. A brilliant warm up for the main, not-as-family-friendly event in September.
Words by Chris Leggett
Photography by Gee
campbestival.co.uk
