Thursday 7 July 2011

Fester-val

Today I'm going to a 4 day music festival. I got my ticket at the very last minute. I am not travelling with anyone, and I am not meeting anyone there. I am effectively going on my own, purely for the fantastic line-up. Surely this wouldn't be something I'd ever want to repeat? Well, the thing is, I'm getting a heavy dose of deja-vu. Because I did the exact same thing for a music festival last year. And out of a field of thousands of people, I  coincidentally met someone I knew. And I got on pretty well with a bunch of strangers too. I'm a little doubtful I'll have the same luck this year, but I'm just going to put my optimistic face (which very rarely comes out) and wear my newly purchased Wellington boots, which looked a lot less gay in the shop.

This is quickly going to be a familiar sight with all that
poorly cooked, over priced festival cuisine
If you've never been to a music festival, it's hard to sum up with one word. If you pick the right one, it can mean seeing a fuck load of bands you really like, live (which I'm not going to go on about, I made a post about it before). And part of the excitement is seeing a band you've never really listened to and being really impressed (probably my favourite way of discovering new music). However, 50% of the goings on has nothing to do with the music. The campsite itself cannot really be described as such. The word campsite reminds me middle aged couples enjoying salmon sandwiches and flushing toilets as they gaze onto a lake in their £500 waterproof jackets. It would more accurate to say it is a world outside reality. With little in the way of police, there's a lot of drug taking and peeing everywhere. The madness is hardly a utopia, but it's an amazing social experience nonetheless, if you can avoid certain groups of people. The forecast is set to be rain all weekend, so hygiene levels are going to be particularly low (the only time I showered last year was to get piss out of my hair that had been thrown in a bottle during Rage Against the Machine's set). And just before I leave, I can see that it's beginning to rain already, which can only be a good omen.

Sorry if this was a lazy post, I'm rushing to type this just as I head out the door. The festival is T in the Park by the way, it's got less hard rock acts than I'd like, but I'm pretty excited about seeing a lot of the bands. Have a nice weekend, and thanks for reading!

6 comments:

  1. We can only go to the V-festival (Chelmsford) as it is within Driving distance for spending the night in a warm dry bed.

    Mrs B refuses to camp without half decent facilities and her bodily functions shut down whenever she sees a porter loo – I suspect 4 days of that and she would be dead….

    ReplyDelete
  2. oh boy! doing your business in a port-o-potty! lol. one of the many joys of going to a music festival! but it will be worth it in the end I am sure! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Have fun. They are so much fun, but they are so rare around here. The only big music fest we have is the Juggalo-Fest :(

    ReplyDelete
  4. Those are some serious boots you've got there.

    I've never been to a good music festival. They all end up too hot, and you just get to spend 4 days feeling like you're homeless--no showers, lots of body odor, and sleeping on the ground. I hope yours turns out better.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Have fun at the music festival! Those toilets look nasty.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well, not TOO nasty. Since I live in China, the average bathroom here is a hole in the ground sooooo. I can't judge.

    ReplyDelete