52 replies to this topic

[barrychuckle]

Many times through the weekend, I noticed that the West Holts Jazz stage was nowhere near capacity, indeed Pieminister and the Brothers Bar often seemed a bigger draw in that field. By contrast the John Peel tent was near enough rammed every time I walked past.

Is it not time to switch these 2 stages programming over?

[MrZigster]

Or put screens up outside JP?

Wouldn't they have to keep the JP name with the "new act" type thing though? It's kind of what he was known for.

[twobobcunt]

no

[Mahdnyw]

Definitely not, although I do think JP should be a stage instead of a tent.

[barrychuckle]

So what would you plan for the otherwise dead space in the middle of the whole site?

[Mahdnyw]

Dead space?
You clearly don't get that area then...it's a menagerie of food, drink & music meant for chilling in.
Besides, some JW acts pull massive crowds, far bigger than any JP act could.

I agree that JP in too small, but suggesting they swap the two venues is ludicrous.

[FunkyDenz]

West Holts gets a decent crowd, especially for the headline acts, who are often world class and very difficult to see anywhere else in the UK. The music / vibe works better outdoors than in a tent. John Peel does get rammed, but the bands who play there work well in that kind of environment, it is a little darker and more edgy. I wouldn't like to see them changed round.
Perhaps having screens outside John Peel would work well, or seeing if you can get a bigger tent.

[Ponyegg]

barrychuckle, on 05 July 2010 - 07:25 PM, said:

So what would you plan for the otherwise dead space in the middle of the whole site?

Rename it to the Jazz World and sit down and enjoy it. Agree that something has to be done with JP stage though, v popular now but it's better suited over that side of the festival.

[4AssedMonkey]

Plus if you had the JP as a stage, not a tent, it would sound bleed even worse than currently with some of the Dance venues and maybe even the Pyramid.  The Dance village doesn't really need any more sound clash problems.

[fowls]

I'd love JP to move, it's so out of the way, but I'm not sure taking the West Holts position is what it needs.  I'd like the dance village to be moved up so that it's Other > JP > Dance Village.  That way there's all the dance stages together in the village, all the rock/indie/popular stages together in the middle, and all the more eclectic stages on the east side of the site (and the Park being lovely where it is).  

Now they have all that new land to the west they could even move the dance village north to around where the JP tent is, and then JP over where Bushy Grounds is, with camping filling in the gaps.  That way JP is out of the way of Dance Village traffic, there's less sound leakage in general... although having a main throughway through the camping might be a bit of an issue.  The Park deals fine, but I guess that usually draws smaller crowds than JP or Dance Village :S

Having a bigger area so that JP can be openair would be nice, but I don't see where it would fit.  West Holts belongs with Avalon on that side of the field.  It'd be so out of place in the present JP tent location.

Edited by fowls, 05 July 2010 - 07:54 PM.

[tolywoly]

John Peel does on the whole draw bigger crowds, but West Holts was on occasion also mobbed (Toots). Plus, the kind of bands it hosts are of a more outdoorsy strain. Both could do with big screens.

[Joshuwarr]

West Holts gets some massive crowds at times. Toots had a big crowd, I know that Fun Lovin Criminals got a big one in 2008 and many of the other headline acts do also.

[MrZigster]

Er...Rolf 2009.

[NeilVJ]

I think one of the reasons for the JP Tent being where it is means that people are drawn away from the busy areas of the site so I do think it is in a great spot. The West Holts is more of a chill out place where as the JP Tent feels as though your at a proper gig which suits the acts who play there.

[barrychuckle]

MrZigster, on 05 July 2010 - 08:06 PM, said:

Er...Rolf 2009.

Rolf is hardly in the spirit of the Jazz World stage programming and in a way proves the point that it is not carrying acts big enough for the arena it sits in.

[LostRiot]

Every year I forget that JW doesn't have screens, and every year I wonder why. Some of the crowds there get massive.

The JP would probably be a bit easier to manage if it were a stage, but its a good atmosphere in the tent, and its a great place to go when it inevitably rains.

Its all fun and games after a sunny year "yeah lets put everything outside"

Also, if the JP was a stage, how would it be different to the other stage?

[liquuid_fusion]

Problem with the JP tent is often the "new" bands chosen to play there are quite well established and very popular by the time the festival comes round, and the capacity is just too small.

Funnily enough when we saw Ash there on the Sunday night this year they had one of the smallest crowds i'd seen all festival!

[denwyn]

I did ventue out to the JP stage a few times,its just so packed at times that i gave up in the end,i think it needs sorting and maybe a new outside stage would be better. Even better if it was well away from the Dance area. Its a touchy subject but one which really needs looking into by Eavis and co

[ethereal]

There were shall screens outside last year I thought? Not this year.

Chill 'n Charge looked like it needed expansion too judging by the queues, maybe they could have an Orange Peel Stage?  

[Mahdnyw]

barrychuckle, on 05 July 2010 - 08:39 PM, said:

Rolf is hardly in the spirit of the Jazz World stage programming and in a way proves the point that it is not carrying acts big enough for the arena it sits in.

What is the spirit of JW then?
It's the most eclectic stage onsite, other than the fact that Rolf was far too big for the stage, it was a perfect choice of act (style wise).