Photo by Matt Farrow

Thursday 31st July

Perhaps I shouldn’t say this publicly (you never know when your Mum is reading), but arriving at the Big Chill really does feel, after four consecutive years attending the festival, like “coming home”. There might not be the warm aroma of “your favourite shepherd’s pie”, or indeed “plenty of clean towels in the airing cupboard” (unless you camp in the Tangerine Fields…I wouldn’t know, I’ve never had the luxury). There are few festival sites, though, as welcoming and wondrous to walk onto as Eastnor and after heaving our luggage through the gates and sweating, grunting and cursing our way up the slight incline to the camping areas, my friends and I paused briefly at the crest of the hill to admire the brilliantly familiar view. “Drink it in”, as Ron Burgundy would say.

Having established our camp and said hello to our temporary neighbours, we took shelter from the Thursday afternoon rain (“it’s customary, don’t you know?”) and tuned into what would prove to be the soundtrack to our tent-based activities for the rest of the weekend – Big Chill FM. A few tunes in proved too much excitement for five grown-up people to handle, so we donned our waterproofs and headed into the main arena to explore (and find a well-earned drink). After all, you only really need to be in your tent when you’re sleeping, don’t you?

After finding a bar, having a pre-emptive boogie with some fellow music lovers and old friends at the BCFM radio shack, ironically cheering a glimpse of July’s final smattering of sunshine, and making initial investigations into Eastnor’s culinary offerings, we made our way up to the Body and Soul area for the BC Forum’s “meet-up”. I don’t know what I expected from this, to be completely honest – but I certainly didn’t expect to see a tent so full of people dancing, laughing, chilling and generally having a great time. Perhaps the perceived success of this soiree was as much to do with its proximity to the Somerset Cider Bus as it was the quality of tunes, the gathering of like-minded, excitable people, the promise of a full weekend of fun still hanging in the air and the knowledge that it’s “still only Thursday!” – but so long as people had a good time, who cares?! After a selection of funk-based beats from the DJs, the wonderful Boomclick Soundsystem took to the intimate stage for a late-night unplugged set, which proved to be a suitably relaxed wind-down to what had been a hectic but satisfying day.

More and more festivals now seem to try and cater for the early-bird punters and have unofficial activities prior to the proper start of proceedings on Friday afternoon, and the Big Chill is no exception. It really does make a lot of difference to arrive at a festival before it all starts, and find that there is plenty to do and see, and that you have access to the “main arena”. As well as raving outside the radio shack or enjoying impromptu DJ sets at random locations around site, you might also have enjoyed a trip to the Media Mix Tent for a film, or indeed to the Moonlight Cinema until the early hours. Instant bonus points to the organisers for this pre-festival attention to detail – they must only know too well that dealing with Thursday punters is much like dealing with a room full of over-excited, sugar-enriched toddlers on Christmas Eve: unless you give them something to do to tire themselves out, they’ll be up all night…

Friday 1st August

Makers of “proper cider” (such as that served at the Cider Bus) often maintain that drinking this potent liquor rarely induces a hangover. On Morning 1, I’d have to be obliged to agree with them. Feeling fresh, enthusiastic and nicely warmed-up by what we had seen and heard the previous night, we eagerly made our way back onto the main site to see in the “opening proper” of the festival.

It’s not very often I manage to catch the first act of a festival on the first day on the main stage, but I’m really glad I saw Spoono. We just happened to be tucking into some Lebanese mezze (plate #1 of countless) when he came on. One man and a guitar, he packed no surprises in what he did, but provided a sublime array of folky, bluesy, acoustic sounds which got us off to the perfect start. A quick visit to the Disco Shed (more about this place later) blessed us with the expert concoction of reggae, hiphop and Brasilian drum and bass proffered by the amiable Andrea. I didn’t really expect to be having a bop so soon after the mezze as I did, but his selection proved irresistible.

Having a couple of Eastnor newbies with us prompted a quick orientation lap of the site to fully explore what would be on offer to us this year. My remit here is to review music, but that’s pretty difficult when talking about a festival like the Big Chill – I’ve got to mention something about the site. Every year I’ve attended there have been some small changes, but this year seemed to see the biggest in the time I’ve known the festival. The former Sanctuary Stage was now the site of the Body and Soul area. Fat Tuesday was no more. There was no 24 Hour Café in the main site. There was a new Rizla Arena. There would be new bars hosting DJs and live acts. The Sunrise Celebration would be hosting a space…it goes on. For all it’s worth, I felt the changes did not detract from the original feel and ethos the Big Chill had put forward previously. The Body and Soul area seemed perfectly at home in the Enchanted Garden, the new bars on site seemed to adequately cater for those Fat Tuesday loyalists left “without a home”, and the Rizla Arena seemed to boast possibly the best “bar” sound system I’ve heard at a festival (and that’s just from the outside). The Village Green field seemed busier than ever this year, and all the better for it. As well as housing additional bars, food stalls and general market stalls, it provided a comfy corner for Big Chill Radio to host its own party whilst still having room for the Club, Media Mix and Underbelly tent masses. Our friend Jen, having toured the site for the first time, admitted “it’s the best, most suitable, most distraction-filled interesting festival site I’ve seen”.

Wandering back across the site, we caught Son Of Dave purely by accident. Moved from the Club Tent to the Open Air Stage, he brought new meaning to the term “one man band” with an impressive command of beat-box, guitar, harmonica and…errr…stomping his feet. He also invited a couple of giant bunnies from the crowd up onto the stage, which always adds to the fun. Particularly as the music seemed a little samey after a while.

Little Dragon were an act I’d been championing for a few months prior to the festival, so I settled down to watch them on Friday evening with an almost nervous anticipation. Opening, as they do on their LP, with “Twice”, my hopes in them delivering a good performance were instantly realised. Parts of the LP had previously struck me as too quirky (and perhaps they are) but in a live setting so much more of Little Dragon’s work began to make sense. Favourites like “Test” seemed bulkier and stronger, and new song “Looking Glass” edged further into their upbeat, electro-tinged side. Perfect sounds for the Castle Stage on Friday evening – let’s hope they pay another visit in future years.

“Popping back to the tent to get changed” can often be fatal. After dithering far too much in doing so, and regrettably only catching the end of Quiet Village as we rushed back onto site, we made our way to the Club Tent to avoid any further disappointments (punishing ourselves with rum en route). Roots Manuva proved a brash but charismatic welcome to the All-New Club Tent™ (less sides, but less visual screens too, unfortunately). Fronting the stage with DJ MK providing the beats, the pair worked well in whipping the crowd up in advance of an all-star Friday night line-up. DJ Vadim followed, and played an unexpected (in my eyes, at least) all-out party set. Vadim knew what he was doing, employing a variety of well-worked crowd-pleasers; “Original Nuttah”, “Terrorist” and Dawn Penn’s “No No No” got huge cheers, alongside some cheeky smile-raisers (just what is that reggae re-rub of “No Diggity”?!).

As a DJ, you wouldn’t want to try and follow that. Well, you wouldn’t unless you were DJ Krush. Alongside having an immense array of production credits to his name, and a record box you’d sell your bell tent for, Krush wields technical DJ skills like few others you’re likely to see. Exploring hiphop, triphop, drum and bass and wonky drum breaks, his DJ sets comprise much of his own work along with a helping of perfectly chosen, perfectly blended classics from other exemplary producers. To drop DJ Shadow’s “Influx”, for example, was enough to get every hand in the tent raised in respect. Krush is more than just a DJ – he plays with soundscapes, almost painting a musical canvas as his sets build. Awesome stuff. Luke Vibert seemed to share the crowd’s appreciation, offering the “we’re not worthy” bow to Krush before embarking upon his own musical journey. I was keen to see and hear what Luke Vibert had to offer, but people had warned me that “he can often stray from being accessible”. Tonight must have been an exception, because he tore it up with a belting array of acid-infused breaks and beats. Opening with his own “I Love Acid”, he cleverly worked his way from squelchy breaks into old favourites – I certainly didn’t expect to hear him play Young MC’s “Know How”, but he did, and it was good. Boy, was it good. Well done Mr Vibert…and goodnight!

Saturday 2nd August

Much of Saturday afternoon was spent lying in wait for Bill Bailey’s 4pm stint in the Underbelly tent. Certainly not the largest arena on site, we knew that seeing Bill would rely on us getting there early. In the end, three hours early. Ah well, it was good to lie outside BCFM for an hour of it, soaking up the sun and the sounds of Shoreline, whose set was being broadcast from the Open Air Stage. I enjoyed their music, although it made me feel glad I hadn’t made a pilgrimage to the stage to see them, as we’d found a nice sunny spot and some cider had found me. In the end, we had decent seats for Bill Bailey, and though we sat sweating, pressed up against fellow Baileyites in a self-induced 90minute lesson in cramp torture, we were eventually rewarded with a fine performance from everyone’s favourite Part-Troll. There was some new material which pleased, but the biggest laughs were almost definitely mustered on old material. Nothing wrong with that – I was ecstatic to witness him perform “Love Song”, for example…but I found myself pining for more BC-specific sections.

I’d seen the Hot 8 Brass Band a couple of months ago on a promotional tour, and they lifted the roof then – so I knew they would be perfect in their allotted afternoon slot at Eastnor. Their infectious, raucous and truly good-times approach has “serve in sunshine with cider and smiles” written all over it, and I think it’s fair to say the assembled crowd (pretty big, no doubt in reflection of the success of their covers of “Sexual Healing” and “What’s My Name?”) lapped it up. We forsook the reportedly excellent Fujiya & Miyagi in order to do that inevitable yomp back to the tent to grab some evening wear, and as we headed back onto site marveled at the huge crowd gathering to watch The Mighty Boosh. Really huge. Maybe I should’ve gone and checked some of it out, but I’d never seen anything more than a couple of episodes from the series, and didn’t want to risk not getting the joke. Or jokes.

Besides, the earlier Tru Thoughts offering, in the form of the Hot 8 boys, had whetted my appetite for more from the label – and luckily more was available on the Castle Stage in the form of TM Juke & The Jack Baker Trio. It’s been a particularly good time for Tru Thoughts in the last couple of years – their roster has grown and with each new release they seem to bolster their reputation for quality music. When TM Juke and Jack Baker release their collaborative album in September, the trend cannot fail to continue. Offering electronically underpinned, bass and brass-heavy funk, soul and jazz, the band performed with incredible precision and enviable cool. As if this wasn’t enough they treated us to a fine offering of guests – the sassy Andreya Triana, Belleruche’s stunningly wonderful Kathrin deBoer, and everyone’s favourite soulstress of the now: Alice Russell. Despite the crowds cheering along to the Boosh, TM Juke & Jack Baker’s little party eventually drew a fair number, and it was great to dance the last of the day’s sunshine away in such style.

Kraak & Smaak were our next port of call. They’ve steadily earned a name for themselves in recent years, and 2008 in particular has seen further light shed on their name. They didn’t offer the most technically-progressive DJ set you would hear this weekend, but their party offering certainly did the trick as the night sky drew in – and hearing them drop recent hit “Squeeze Me” put a big grin on my face. We couldn’t stay for long however, as a short hop over to the Open Air Stage a crowd was gathering to welcome Jon Hopkins back to Eastnor. I’d missed him last year, but heard endless praise – and thus regretted it – since. I’m glad I didn’t make the same mistake twice: his performance (a whirlwind of mind-blowing, genre-bending, feature-packed electronica) was musically sublime. In synch and perfectly suiting the mood, tempo and style led by Jon, the visuals too were staggering. I stood astounded. I don’t think I was alone.

ASkillz was always going to struggle to impress after that, it’s fair to say. I think any DJ would. He had a massive crowd over at the cocktail bar as he dazzled us with a brilliantly-crafted set of unashamed party beats and top-notch remixes. If you’d seen him before (as we had) you knew what to expect, and it was probably this and the sheer brilliance of Jon Hopkins that really limited me in over-enjoying ASkillz’ set…but I cannot fault his technical skill or ability to work a crowd into a frenzy. Consistently great.

Sometimes it’s tough to just admit that an act aren’t for you, and walk away to find something else – but that’s exactly what a couple of us did with Plaid. Despite looking and sounding great, they failed to really make any massive impact on me. I think I was in the “right place”…just maybe not at the “right time”. Never fear – up at the DiscoShed (our new home from home) we were delighted to find the fabulous Hexstatic playing a full A/V set. True to form, it was a blinder – treating us to the “greatest hits” catalogue that the duo are now famous for. I’ll never get tired of that drum and bass re-working of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walking”, that’s for sure.

A quick jaunt over to the Castle Stage saw us catch the end of Big Chill legend Mr Scruff’s DJ set. Scruff rarely disappoints, and seemed to be having a great time behind the decks when we turned up – if the crowd’s reaction was anything to go by, we missed a real treat in not seeing all of his show. Mixing seamlessly and almost always in key, his sets gather the cream of lesser-known musical treats and make them instantly accessible. Mr Scruff’s trademark animated visuals also never fail to raise a smile and, smiling himself, it was nice to see him taking the mic once he’d finished to thank the crowd and praise the festival as a whole. Huge applause saw the night to a close, and as we gritted our teeth for the end of day climb up The Big Hill, I challenged myself to recall an Eastnor Saturday as well programmed and entertaining as this had been. I fell asleep still pondering…

Sunday 3rd August

It’s OK to start feeling ropey on the third morning, isn’t it? As I crawled out of our tent I noticed that the weather pretty much matched the feeling in my head: grey, dreary and lacking in enthusiasm. Drizzle threatened and I wondered if Norman Jay would finally, after all these years, have to admit defeat on his 100% sunshine record? Dark clouds still circled as we found a spot for his Sunday lunchtime set, and the admittedly ambitious pint of cider in my grasp seemed far from appealing. Uh-oh. He works wonders though, Sir Norm. His eclectic sets, drawing a truly enormous percentage of the festival’s crowd, both soothe and revitalise weary Sunday lunchtime bodies and minds. “Good times” is the ethos, and it’s difficult not to have just that. By the end of the set I was on my second cider (now tasting, of course, like pure gold) throwing shapes like it was the first day of the event. And, incredibly – the sun shone. Again. How does he do it?!

John Shuttleworth was another act I’d regretted not seeing last year, after hearing so many reports about his outstanding performance. We managed to get to the Castle Stage in time for the last half of his set, and were really pleased we did – it provided a brilliantly funny contrast, and chance to relax, after the initial excited start that Norman Jay had provided. Shuttleworth entertains both in his superbly written songs and the banter with the crowd in between, and offers a level of musical comedy which definitely matches that of Bill Bailey. Just check out “Can’t Go Back To Savoury Now” if you don’t believe me.

We caught Orchestra Baobab by accident while munching some food at the Open Air Stage. I’d not heard any of their music previously, but everyone in our group were stunned by their hypnotic, bluesy, exotic sound. I love the random contrasts in music at the Big Chill, and the Baobab crew proved to be a big surprise hit for all of us. Fantastic musicians, their tunes boast an impressively mastered array of layers, riffs and vocal harmonies, served with just the right amount of subtlety.

The “record stall under the tree” proved a slight distraction for me on Sunday afternoon, but a treat was in order and I felt pretentiously inspired by the weekend’s musical offerings thus far. After bagging a few bargain slabs of vinyl we headed over to the Club Tent to see what fun we could have at the Friends & Family evening. The familiar bubbly sounds of MC Kwasi greeted us over the system as DJ Si Armstrong played a solid set of bass-heavy hip-hop and funk. Honestly though, we were really there to see Flying Lotus, who eventually took to the stage (why does the Club Tent always seem to run later than its schedule?!) to a rapturous response. I’ve got to admit, I too whooped like an excited little girl – I’d already bought into the rapidly spreading word on this dynamic LA producer. After a couple of minutes of what seemed to be sound problems (or maybe just a clever wonky intro), the biggest bass rumble I’d experienced all weekend kicked in, and the tent went nuts. Flying Lotus took us on a brilliantly unique journey through hip-hop, jazz, dub-step and some of the wonkiest breaks I’ve ever heard, splicing his own productions with other crowd favourites…always maintaining a bass signal powerful enough to make you feel unsteady on your feet. I really do think he’s putting out some of the most forward-thinking electronica at the moment, and he may well have been the most mind-opening act I saw this weekend. Top marks, two gold stars.

Kath and Jen had gone to see Camille (who they both loved) on the Open Air Stage, so we caught up with them and stocked up on beverages in advance of the final evening. While some of our number decided on a stroll to Underbelly to see Adam Buxton, Kath and I wrapped ourselves up in the surplus picnic blankets and awaited the arrival of Leonard Cohen. I’d never listened to any Cohen before, nor do I really know much about him as an artist, but the hushed reverence in the field was enough to tell you a legend was about to take to the stage. Completely to my surprise, I really enjoyed what I heard – Leonard’s voice, though low and gloomy, actually sat well against the melodic backdrop provided by the band. Although the band seemed a little quiet in the mix, it entertained us for a good while, and I was pleased I made the effort to see him perform. Not wanting to miss out on too much party action though, and to warm up in the increasingly bitter weather, we headed over to meet the rest of the group. We timed our walk past the Cocktail Bar perfectly: Benga was in full flow playing to a massive crowd of dubstep aficionados (and no doubt a few intrigued onlookers, like us), and played big hit “Night” while we attempted hopelessly to decide which “bit” of the dubstep rhythm to time our drunken bounce to. Reunited with our mates, we huddled together by the shore of the pond for the Big Warm, and watched as a team of fireflies (or so it appeared) descended down the hill, torching the enormous wooden tower and releasing a load of “ooooh”-inducing fireworks into the night sky.

David Holmes wasn’t the DJ I was expecting him to be, on a big stage, on the closing night of a festival. Perhaps it was wishful thinking on my part to expect such an eclectic producer to focus solely on playing party music to please me, but inebriation can often lead to shameful selfishness, and in hindsight I’ve forgiven him. Looking for something to see us out in style (as much style as you can muster in winter wear, and wrapped in a damp blanket) and eager to dance the actual chill off, we found ourselves drawn yet again to the bright lights of the DiscoShed. I’d intended to catch The Bays with the Heritage Orchestra, I really had, but the Big Chill is filled with distractions and there are none so moreish than joining a couple of hundred other happy ravers to dance outside a DJ booth built into a shed. Which is on wheels. And has speakers. And table football. Still with me?

Every night of the festival, the allure of the DiscoShed and its “Shedonistic” ways prised us away from the main stages and drew us into a ramshackle but loveable celebration of good tunes and unashamed party spirit. On Friday night Del Gazeebo had kept us up much later than we’d intended with his renowned blend of awesome bouncey beats and cleverly constructed mashups. Tonight, closing the festival, Peepshow Paddy provided a truly inspired selection of crowd pleasers, eeking the last of the big shapes out of my cold, weary limbs. As Paddy selected the records, fellow Shedster and co-host Count Skylarkin toasted the assembled crowds, sending hands in the air for the last time that weekend as we desperately wished Monday would never turn up. Massive respect to the DiscoShed crew – they know how to close (and open…and run) a party. Let’s hope they’re back to party again next year.

Back at the tents, our friends sat discussing the Mum performance that had closed the festival for them. “Awesome”, “properly, properly brilliant” and “immense” seemed to be the general conclusion. For all of us, that probably sums up the weekend as a whole. Norman Jay, in toasting the Sunday masses earlier that day, had pronounced the Big Chill as “still the best festival in the UK”. I couldn’t agree more – see you next year…

Marky
Cardiff, August 2008

Tags: crowd, party, seemed, site, stage, tent

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