All Stories (RSS)
Your Earliest Big Chill Memories
What is your earliest Big Chill memory? We asked The Big Chill community who replied:An Sal: ″My earliest memory was with one of my clubbing mates, Piotr. He said something like... 'Hey Bill, Annabel has heard about this festival called the Big Chill and wants us to go. Apparently it has an ″enchanted garden″...' And the rest is history.″
Barrydark: ″Aside from gazing briefly at unbeknown line-ups over serveral years as an NME- fashioned indie kid, the Big Chill first grabbed my attention when it appeared that it was to be held in a castle; I love castles me. Unfortunately my dreams of boogying down to some electronic beats on the battlements of Lulworth never came into fruition, but a realisation that there is a festival antidote to the hedonistic mess of Glastonbury was extremely welcome.″
Flopsy: ″Standing in one of the little, hidden follys just off the path at Enchanted Garden '99. It was raining, a sort of soft, warm rain, and we'd ducked in to shelter. When our eyes adjusted to the relative dimness, we could make out another figure sitting on the floor. His name was Kai and he was nine years old. He told us that he didn't want to go back to his father as he was trying to make him go back to the tent, and he didn't want to leave. He was hiding and he asked us not to let on. A few minutes later, his father appeared, calling for him. When he came over to the folly, Kai hid behind us as we did a really unconvincing job of pretending to the father that, no, of course we hadn't seen a little boy with dreads hiding anywhere nearby and, no, of course he wasn't really hiding behind us. We told him that if we did see him, we would certainly bring him back to the big green tent by the campervan at the back of the field, and certainly no later than 7pm, for that would be when they would make him his dinner. So the father left us to it. The swiftest short-term adoption ever. When the rain stopped, Fred bought Kai an ice-cream. And that was it. For the rest of the day, we had a loyal little follower (with a huge appetite for ice-creams!). I just remember thinking, wow, this has got to be THE most relaxed place in the world. That's all.″
Tangfastictealady: ″A load of chaps bumping a car around the carpark at Diss, Norfolk, in order to enable the bus we'd just hired to get to the '96 gala to turn round. I knew then I was onto something special...″
Henry: ″Sitting in my car in the car park at Enchanted Garden 2000 with the roof off in the sun waiting for four hours for my mate who had the tickets to arrive, whilst listening on the radio to Michael Atherton and Alec Stewart both score centuries for England vs West indies (I think). It's fair to say I was pretty 'chilled'. That's quite a good memory, I reckon.″
Miss V: ″Walking into the Enchanted Garden 2000 from the campsite for the very first time and being gobsmacked by the beauty of the place. Seeing a peacock spread its tail by the Sanctuary stage. Feeling all the tensions of London and relationship difficulties ebb away in the sunshine. Being amazed by the number of smiling faces.″
Duck: ″After a couple of months on The Forum in preperation, I arrived at Eastnor 2002, to be grabbed by Alex and introduced to a whole bunch of Forum dwellers dressed in evening wear and serving up cheese and lounge jazz. Five minutes later, I got rugby tackled by an overexcited Danish lady in a stripy hat. Within the hour, I was sat on the floor maybe twenty yards from the main stage for Royksopp and Plaid, as the sun went down, furiously thanking my friend Justin for persuading me to go. And swallowing a few preconceptions about a 'Chill' festival...″
Centre Edge: ″ The first memory is from 1999 and I didn't realise it was a Big Chill event until a few years later. A friend I've now lost touch with had helped do the visuals for Lol Hammond's and Roger Eno's Damage set at the Big Chill event at Sadler's Wells that year. We met up in the pub round the back from the theatre where a small group of people were drinking and telling tales led by a some one I now believe was Roger. The merry group went off to the venue, while I and my friend drank some more. This was probably near the end of my years of being able to drink more than three pints, as will be demonstrated soon in the tale. I got into Salders Wells a few pints later, free thanks to my friend explaining I was crew and we sat upstairs, whilst the honest paying public sat in the stalls. Now I pretty sure I was there for the Damage set and Talvin Singh, but then 'tiredness' on an empty-but-for-ale belly set in and we departed for food. My next memories of the Big Chill were in 2000 when Freddie B started his campaign to get me along and someone else I worked with said I'd really like the festival, that it was dead easy to jump the fence and I should do so with his friends. I declined the offer. At end of 2000 I first attended, knowingly and sober, a Big Chill event. It was at the Union Chapel and magic it was.″
Kimberly Clark: ″Enchanted Garden 2002. Lugging all our camping stuff to the spot where we wanted to be, and two lovely smiley stewards offering to help put up the gazebo. Which they did. Brilliant!″
The Finger: ″In the The Eagle on Farringdon Road, on a miserable, dark, rainy evening in February 2002, having a drink and a bite to eat with my bro An Sal, and him saying: 'Sis, I HAVE got you a ticket to the Big Chill, and you ARE coming....' ″
Sam: ″Buying a Ninja Tune t-shirt at a stall at Norfolk '96. I love it because it says 'Yes Mate' in tiny letters across the chest. The thing has now shrunk so many times in the wash it really belongs to a 5 year old. But every year since I've always worn it on arrival at the Chill. Always puts in the mood I think.″
Bongo: ″Dancing in circles like a mentalist in the summer rain during Tom Middleton's set when he dropped The Police, 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic'. I think it was Enchanted Garden '98 or '99.″
Wavey Davey: ″After having my arm twisted to attend this ″secret″ festival/party in the Black Mountains in '95 (that we had to ring a phone number for and get directions to), we turned up and parked the car within sight of THE stage and THE cafe tent. Being used to Glastonbury size events, we asked a steward if this was all there was. No, he replied, there's another field though that hedge, with a stream and some trees in it! A fantastic weekend followed, Morris playing till sunrise, sets that included the Grange Hill theme tune, real ale at The Priory.
Been hooked ever since...″
Mondo: ″A mate dragging me to Union Chapel because there were a bunch of like minded people who liked to sit around on beanbags surrounded by candles and blue smoke, amazing sounds and visuals and not a trace of dayglo or lasers in sight. (ie Megatripolis was a similar chill option in those days). Just like home but with more mates.″
Aqua Fresca: ″Driving through a small Norfolk village in '96 with loads of police and windows boarded up... Parking up and exchanging our paper ticket for a small illuminous pin badge that we were instructed to wear at all times (I lost mine twenty minutes later).″
Teacake: ″On the Friday night of Enchanted Garden '99, sitting patiently in the dark, sheltering from the rain under a tree at the gates to the festival waiting for my girlfriend to turn up.″
Soyo: ″My next door neighbour coming round to our house with a huge smile on her face saying 'I have just had one of the best weekends ever, you have to come to the next one'. The next one was Lulworth Castle. It's changed my life, given me new friends... But I guess that is a different topic!″
Written: 25th Feb, 04
Read: 8833 times
