The Crap Stage
April 14th, 2009 by sparky
Calling all bands, magicians, contortionists, poets, orators and assorted musicians. The Crap Stage is offering you all the opportunity to perform at The Big Chill this year. Traditional backline and costumes will be provided, but please feel free to bring your ukulele and a sense of humour to join in!
Some background…
The Crap Stage sprouted organically. Nervous were invited to play at the first Phoenix festival in 1993 by it’s director Vince Power. Being a brand new festival, we had little trouble inviting a large group of guests. All of us and our guests travelled to the festival on ‘The Truck’, an ancient Bedford TK Horsebox converted to a showmans wagon. Once settled in the artists campsite, us and our irrepressively creative guests went about setting up camp. As we had arrived a day before the festival started and realising we had all we needed, we decided to set up a small stage for our own entertainment. Harry K had been studying the programme of events on all the various stages during the weekend to come and playfully made and hung a sign saying ” The Crap Stage”. From then on that was it’s name. Later that night after Nervous had played, another few bands made up of our guests played and then other artists from the campsite wanted in on the action….. We were eventually asked by security to wind it up, which we happily did. Vince Power and others on his team had stopped by during the evening and enjoyed themselves so much, the next day they invited us to move into the Guest/VIP hospitality area.
From then on the Crap Stage developed into a small scale stage with a sense of humour. The emphasis naturally shifted to a kind of ‘goon show’ format. As we were small and approachable, many festival goers came up and asked to perform. Our answer was always an enthusiastic YES.! This approach consistently produced an amazing line up of random acts. Bands, musicians, poets ,comedians ,contortionists, dancers and many others have graced the crap stage. Most very talented and some downright dreadful. If the act is no good the crowd are politely encouraged to boo them off, or be ‘crapped off’ as we prefer to call it.
In subsequent years we were moved to the main arena at the Phoenix and Reading festivals. This shifted things up another gear. We had to be more aware of health, safety and security issues but we still kept the same low-key approach and format.
The Truck eventually fell foul of the change in showmans restricted licensing and was deemed no longer roadworthy. It was sold to a couple who were to take it travelling and was last heard from in India… Several Crap Stage events took place in London venues but without ‘the Truck’ it was never the same……
Some notable acts to perform on the Crap Stage include; Vic Reeves, The Wonderstuff, Noel Gallagher, Chris and Rich Robinson (Black Crowes), Jah Wobble, Hyperhead, Incognito, Nervous, Bill Drake and members of the Cardiacs . Not forgetting acts out of the crowd; Juggernaut, Helicopter man, The Pants Band, Sanctum and many others who’s name we have forgotten or never even had.
April 17th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Wow. I remember this crowd at Reading and Phoenix festivals. Best thing at both of them.! They are slightly mental but so much fun.
Where do I sign up.?
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:28 am
way too many Vince Power mentions, Jesus wept.
August 10th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
I stumbled upon the Crap Stage on Saturday and Sunday nights at the Big Chill this year – far from being crap, it was possibly the best thing I went to at the festival. Home of ace breaks music and jokes that better the more you tell them, including the timeless:
Why did the Lion get lost?
Because the jungle is massive!
August 11th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
We came, we saw, we Crap Staged and it was fine!
It wasn’t where it said on the map mind you… but at the end of the night it was a green and purple flashing beacon of funky strangeness and we had a great great time there – THANK YOU!!!
August 11th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
[...] laugh, tell him/her/it your plans. Our plan was to get to the Big Chill and hang out with the Crap Stage – nothing too complicated, you’d think. On reflection, that off-the-cuff remark about the gods [...]
August 13th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
The Crap stage crew do not appear to have aged since they blew my mind at ’93 Phoenix.
Atrophied, slumped,mutated, yes, all of these but not aged.
As ever, the Crap stage was the most fun to be had at this or any festival, and that’s no mean feat; there was a lot of fun to be had at the Big Chill. To any newbies who may have stumbled upon the stage the initial attraction may have been hard to see, you needed persistence of vision and a strong stomach, but Harry K’s djing alone was worth the admission, never mind Justin as the compere. Funny, fucked and well over forty. What’s not to like?
February 26th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
bring back the CRAP STAGE for 2010!!!