T in the Park 2016

[sandros555]

Yeah to be fair they have nailed the arena layout this year. Plenty of space and didn't seem to be any sound leak issues like last year. Feels like they could comfortably go back up to 85k capacity with this set up. Been really critical with some aspects and they have been fixed quickly and just seems like they are listening and reacting. Just need a stronger overall line up next year and they could actually turn it round and get a lot of the people back who have drifted elsewhere.

[Stuart1000]

Reading nothing but stellar reviews of the arena and campsite layout. Can't help but think they should've taken last year off to get Strathallan properly set up before coming back this year with a bang.

[Wanderer1995]

2012 broke me, but I went back to T Friday2016 just on a day ticket. Site is much smaller than the festival peak in Balado. 6 stages including BBC Intro and Tbreak. Ash played the TBreak stage in the middle of the afternoon. I guess they didn't have an appropriate stage for them?

I found everything to be well organised. Easy to get there, easy to get in, easy to get around the site and easy to get home. Also didn't see any trouble and the place felt safer than the last few years in Balado. At a festival everyone will have a different experience and different view on how safe the place is. I read there have been incidents in the campsite but the arena seemed fine to me. That might be because there was nobody there! Entire site seems to be nearly empty until Corteeners. Even when the Stone Roses played it was fairly easy to find my way to near the stage. Never known T to be this deserted. Maybe because it was Friday?

 

Its not what it once was but I enjoyed it.

[Stuart1000]

39 minutes ago, Wanderer1995 said:

 That might be because there was nobody there! Entire site seems to be nearly empty until Corteeners. Even when the Stone Roses played it was fairly easy to find my way to near the stage. Never known T to be this deserted. Maybe because it was Friday?

 

Its not what it once was but I enjoyed it.

That's because the music comes second place to the new T crowd who would rather sit in a campsite getting off their face than listen to music. They're happy to stumble through to see a few bands over the course of the weekend but would rather sit around drinking in a wet field.

[Comfy Bean]

2 hours ago, Wanderer1995 said:

2012 broke me, but I went back to T Friday2016 just on a day ticket. Site is much smaller than the festival peak in Balado. 6 stages including BBC Intro and Tbreak. Ash played the TBreak stage in the middle of the afternoon. I guess they didn't have an appropriate stage for them?

I found everything to be well organised. Easy to get there, easy to get in, easy to get around the site and easy to get home. Also didn't see any trouble and the place felt safer than the last few years in Balado. At a festival everyone will have a different experience and different view on how safe the place is. I read there have been incidents in the campsite but the arena seemed fine to me. That might be because there was nobody there! Entire site seems to be nearly empty until Corteeners. Even when the Stone Roses played it was fairly easy to find my way to near the stage. Never known T to be this deserted. Maybe because it was Friday?

 

Its not what it once was but I enjoyed it.

Good summary :-)

Arena is ideal now and we drove straight in at 1pm. Beautiful setting and didnt see any bother. Campsite looked bonkers walking through and not sure how well the whole site would cope with a lot of rain.

King tuts is a bit of a walk but really big crowd for the coral. Was surprised how empty the main stage was in the afternoon until the Courteeners. Sound was huge for the fun luvin criminals but if anything it seemed like it was turned down for the roses. We were in the pit for that. Looked brilliant when I didn't have a flare going off near me :-)

Ash in the tent was a weird one but they sounded great.

Too old to camp in the madness now but will probably do a day or two next year if there's anything I like on the lineup. 

Felt sorry for the campers carrying in all their kit. There's a burn between the Car park and the entrance. So they've built a temp bridge with 5 steps at each side. Wasn't clear to us why they needed the steps? 

 

[Comfy Bean]

1 hour ago, Stuart1000 said:

That's because the music comes second place to the new T crowd who would rather sit in a campsite getting off their face than listen to music. They're happy to stumble through to see a few bands over the course of the weekend but would rather sit around drinking in a wet field.

Agreed. 

It's almost like 2 festivals now. The campsite and the arena.

Walking out last night it looked like more folk were leaving than staying. 

In the afternoon and evening,  the average age was much higher than I was expecting. 

Calvin Harris will get a massive crowd tonight which probably sums things up.

[Comfy Bean]

On 08/07/2016 at 10:49 AM, sandros555 said:

Wellies are a must.

 

Thanks for this. Good call. The arena was fine but pretty messy walking out. 

[sandros555]

6 hours ago, comfortablynumb1910 said:

Thanks for this. Good call. The arena was fine but pretty messy walking out. 

It's a bit worse now, not quite 2012 but getting there, I blame the kaiser chiefs.

[xtrmntr75]

I blame Calvin's USB stick

[looseinthecaboose]

Day 2 of the arena and I am still absolutely out my face. 

Kaiser chiefs and it was absolutely torrential downpouring.

The weather is better but the damage is done. Calvin harris was brilliant. Bits n pieces to finish in proper GBX style haha. 

So hammered and I'm off to bed. Need to make sure I'm good for the chilis as I love them

[crowie]

They have improved the arena layout loads since last year. Definitely well spaced out. Yes it's a hike from Main to Tuts but that's better than them being in each other's pockets. The weather is outwith their control and it looks like they have tried to compensate today by putting hay and wood chip down.

From a few friends comments they have improved the bus parking and transport a lot. 90 mins from getting on bus to getting in house were good going even if it's only West Fife considering the roads roundabout the site.

However part of the reason they have made buses work is by totally penalising cars/taxis. We arrived at PUDO on Friday and were aware it was "about a 30 min walk" to site. What we didn't expect was it was 30 mins along a boggy muddy path. Anyone heading with camping gear was in a world of trouble. 

So 30 mins along a muddy path to site but not that "site" means campsite entrance and then had to go through that and then a further campers security check to actually enter arena. So well over an hour to enter arena from PUDO. I could forgive the extra security given Thursday nights tragic events but it wasn't really that instrusive, just time consuming.

Why there was no separate day ticket/non camping entrance direct into arena without having to go via campsite I have no idea?

Coming out was equally as bad. To start with all non campers again had to head into campsite with a massive influx of campers as well. That was slow due to sheer weight of numbers heading in same direction.

Path back to PUDO was ok Friday evening due to sun and wind drying it out a fair but was still a trek. However PUDO point was a disaster. It just seemed to be a massive tailback. Contrast 8 of us getting a taxi to friends mentioned above on bus. They were home 2 hours after Stone Roses went off stage, we were 3 1/2. That was mainly due to both the hour walk and hour wait for taxi to get into PUDO.

I didn't make it yesterday but from friends who did, the walk back along path at night to PUDO involved wading through 6-10" deep mud, waiting even longer for taxi and getting home 4 hours after last act finished. Needless to say I am typing this from my house today as no one was going back 6 hours after getting in from yesterday's. I saw reports of 2 hour delays at PUDO. Tonight will be even worse as a lot of people traditionally head home via pick up rather than stay the extra night. 

 

So fair play to them for sorting arena and also bus transport problems by sounds of it. But for GE to do a video post yesterday saying ALL transport problems had been alleviated is wrong. I know they want to drive more people to buses but it's not always possible for people to get buses and those unable to shouldn't be penalised as much as this T has done so. 

[Stuart1000]

Interview in the Daily Record with two punters summed it up for me who said their favourite band was "the campsite because we haven't left it all weekend".

[Shanks18]

That crowd for LCD Soundsystem is absolutely terrible

[xtrmntr75]

Do you think Ellis would ever consider resurrecting Connect. That would cater for alternative music fans as quality bands just don't get the crowds they deserve. War On Drugs had one of the albums of the year with their last one yet they had an Albion Rovers crowd when they played T last year.

[Jacko45]

Didn't go myself but looking for opinions on here, at the very least half a dozen videos on Social Media of fights in the campsite, in the queue, in the music tents - Horrible to see at a festival when it's a place to relax and have fun together. 

Anyone witness anything? Not in the festival spirit scrapping. 

[kieranboruc]

I gave it a miss this year after last years shambles. I haven't seen anything to convince me to go back yet. We traditionally camped at Lethangie campsite which was great and meant we didn't need to be involved in the T campsite which is over ran by arseholes. Given there is no alternative campsites ie unofficial ones like the lethangie set up it puts me off.

Did anyone camp in Tangerine Fields (or whatever T call it) how is the crowd there? Also whats the story with Citizen T?

 

[OB1874]

Well I've been here some Thursday morning and I'm now waiting for my coach to arrive

i had real doubts about this (my first T) after reading reviews of last year but I've had an amazing time. The rain has been torrential in places and the campsite is a foot deep in mud in places but who can help that.

we saw a few fights but they were all daft. Also seen a few people been taken away in ambulances but that's the drug takers for you. Overall it's been brilliant, crowds were great, unreal performances. The only downside for me was having to Q for 5 hours from getting off the coach to actually getting into the campsite. 

Will be back next year!

[Copperface]

1 hour ago, kieranboruc said:

I gave it a miss this year after last years shambles. I haven't seen anything to convince me to go back yet. We traditionally camped at Lethangie campsite which was great and meant we didn't need to be involved in the T campsite which is over ran by arseholes. Given there is no alternative campsites ie unofficial ones like the lethangie set up it puts me off.

Did anyone camp in Tangerine Fields (or whatever T call it) how is the crowd there? Also whats the story with Citizen T?

 

Drove back last night having camped all over the weekend.

Decided to leave early because the North car park would have been an unmanageable nightmare at the main set kicking out time (plus my legs were no longer functioning properly after three days of mud). The main exit point was already churned up and we only just got out and we were virtually the only car leaving at that time. God knows what that was like later. Went round a few back rounds trying to get back south bbut got there in the end thanks to Sat Nav - roads would have been a bit overwhelmed a bit later on I suspect.

We stayed in Citizen T. area. This was absolutely brilliant, Zoned off, fenced off, patrolled by security, a few watchtowers around the perimeter, right next to Refresh if you wanted that, water point and taps, plus portaloos that were never overwhelmed by volume of people and still usable. Access was great, but the mud everywhere made the trek to and from the arena or the car parks a bit of a hike. If they retained that Cit T format they will attract a decent crowd not simply there to get off their nut and take whatever they can. I would not have camped in any of those main campsites - having walked through Blue and Green plus seen bits of Yellow I would not have felt safe there. However, that is just for me - for others, that is what they are after and they are welcome to it.

Arena area was great and well laid out, loads of space.

Rain and mud made everything seem worse but Friday showed what it could be if the weather was right so they have got the layout right.

in the arena, plenty of eccied/vallied up neds and stupendously drunk people collapsing in the mud so there was an edge, but nothing unmanageable. Lots of groups, I presume day tickets, of middle aged people absolute beltered on Echo Falls and whatever else which was always fun to watch.

Food was good. never ventured into Slam, but spent some time in T Break and the BBC tents, plus Tuts and the two main stages, Tuts definitely my favourite (and it was dry).

Would I go back? Maybe. I would only ever camp in Cit T and not risk the main ones.

Take out the neds and overhyped groups of hammered look-at-me teenagers it was a good, friendly and funny bunch of people there.

Lineup was OK, a bit something for everyone, but things like Calvin dont do it for me, although daughters loved it.

Overall, a good efort by the organisers, hampered by the weather, but might try a smaller fest next year, Belladrum or some thing similar.

 

[kieranboruc]

We did the Isle og Wight festival this year instead of T.

The lineup was OK but not anywhere near as good as what T is

The pros where the organisation. We stayed in the town of Ryde which was about a 15 minute drive from the arena. Buses left every 15 mins and dropped you right at the entrance. At night you could leave main arena and walk for 1 minute to bus area where buses shuttled people all over the island no more than 15 minute queue to get a bus. If you parked it was a 5 minute walk to arena. if you camped the campsite was literally next to the arena. The campsite was tidy and had plenty of security. Saw the odd person MWI but nothing like you see at T. There was an older crowd there and also a lot of kids. There is no way id take my kid to T.

All in all a far easier experience and far better run than T

 

[harryomatic]

Just got back and showered having done Thu-Mon.

Got the bus from Edinburgh, traffic was much better. Easy getting in, no transport queues. How it should be. Arrived and short walk to security, got through all that in maybe 20 minutes tops, again hassle free and simple. Walked to Green C to camp (probably about 4pm) at this point to find plenty of good camping spots. Set up, popped to BeChilled and enjoyed the glorious sunshine. Went to see Hot Dub Time Machine, which was a brilliant night as always. Thought the walk to Tuts that enter me via yellow campsite was very long, decided not to go that way again.

 

Friday was similarly good weather. Lineup was a wee bit sparse for me that day, so I only saw 3 acts. Augustines who were a little disappointing I thought, better on record I think. Disclosure on the main stage were cracking, and had a decent sized crowd. Then went to see Bloodlines at T Break who were fantastic, before heading back to the tent.

Also chatted with some staff about the lack of a big wheel this year (despite it still being on all the marketing material?) and apparently DF couldn't afford it for 2016. Same with the Bomber ride. Supposedly budgets for security and commodities had all been slashed too (though the toilets were generally ok this year). Also mentioned that apparently T had averaged about 30,000 tickets per day out of the 85,000 capacity. Explains why we were seeing tiny crowds everywhere. A another little sign of the state of affairs was the four flags either side of the main stage. They were from Download festival, T apparently didn't spend the money to make their own so Festival Republic just borrowed some.

 

Saturday had many clashes. Think the line up should have been better distributed. Saw a bit of Jack Garrat, who isn't really my kind of thing but fair play he's talented. Fatherson were fantastic in Tuts, and I followed them up with VANT and Basement. Both played really well, but Basement had a tiny crowd which was a real shame. Then I stuck to the main stage for The Last Shadow Puppets, Bastille, and Calvin Harris, and the rain of biblical proportions. In 2012 it was sort of moderate rain but constantly, this year it was all of the rain in the world in the space of about an hour. But those three acts were all good, Bastille particularly were fantastic and solidified their position as future headliners.

 

Sunday began with Slaves, loved it. FIDLAR also put on a good show in Tuts. Caught the end of Maximo Park, bit dull, saw James Bay play Hold Back The River to a huge crowd, then saw Man of Moon on BBC Introducing. Very good. Walked out to hear the beginning of Insomnia in the distance so rushed over to the main stage and watched a bit of Faithless. Then went back to T Break to see The Lapelles who were superb. They are going places. Watched about 10 minutes of Major Lazer before deciding it was too shit to continue, so went to see Craig David for a laugh. Was also pretty poor but good fun. Then went to LCD Soundsystem who had a shockingly (actually not really) small crowd. Loved them, it was one of my favourite ever T performances. Got a bit teary during New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down. But a bit bittersweet, as my friends and I realised perhaps we've grown out of T. Maybe we should try a festival where LCD Soundystem draw a big crowd. 

 

I think that bittersweetness was the overall impression I took from the weekend. I've always enjoyed T, I enjoyed it this weekend, but I think it is going to die in the next 5 years. Maybe next year if they decide to not continue when the 3 year license at Strathallan runs out. And even if it does continue, perhaps it's time I moved on. T was a huge part of my teenage and early 20s years, but I think I need to pass the baton over to the 16 year olds of today.

[Louis1]

Got in this morning about 9:30 and after a shower and a nap in a proper bed I'm finally starting to feel human again.

I'd never been to Strathallan before, but getting there and coming back on a bus was an absolute breeze, no traffic complaints whatsoever. We camped in blue and the walk to the arena didn't feel that bad when you're bevvied, although a few in our group accidentally took the route leading to yellow and described it as a complete joke. That's their own fault, though. The tuts definitely felt a million miles away from the main stage but as said before it's better than the alternative of folk getting crushed between sets.

The actual walk from the bus station to where we were camping wasn't that long, but a group who'd went the day before by car said it was a complete and utter nightmare. Shite laugh.

The only complaint about the whole weekend was the queue that we had to wait in to get our bags searched, and the complete and utter arsehole steward who went through them. Now, we arrived approximately half 1 on Friday afternoon, the day after 2 teens sadly died. I counted 5 sniffer dogs on the gates actively walking up the queues of folk waiting to get in, and taking everyone from teenagers to a 50ish year old women into the police tent. Fair game, there's clearly a dodgy batch about and they need to cut down on it. I'm not exaggerating though when I say the wait to get your bag checked took longer for us than the whole entire walk. The campers were initially told by stewards to get into the left hand side of the rails, who then changed their mind 10 minutes later and put campers on the right hand side and overall created a bit of a clusterfuck. After finally getting to the front after 40-50 minutes, you got your bag totally ransacked. After spending a good deal packing it, this was pretty annoying, but given what happened the night before you can understand why they're doing it. What I don't understand however is why the lad going through our stuff thought it was necessary to start tossing away folk's cans of deodorant and hairspray. When challenged, he said it was clearly written on the website that there was a 150ml limit. Even though the female on the table opposite him told him it was all fine he remained adamant and kept on chucking things in the bin, almost trying to get a rise out of folk. We eventually gave up though and just let him do his thing to make the kid feel important.I understand they were probably told to have a proper look through people's bags and stop as much stuff getting through, but there's a difference between being thorough and just being an arsehole for the sake of it.  A complete and utter dick of a boy and I'm annoyed I didn't think to note down his number.

Apart from that though I had a great weekend. The weather was obviously for the most part shite but they're the risks you take when you're at one of these things. Great times with great people.

 

[Red Day]

Could the improvements in traffic been partly down to a lot less folks attending ?.  30,000 is a really poor attendance, but probably predictable.

[kieranboruc]

18 minutes ago, Red Day said:

Could the improvements in traffic been partly down to a lot less folks attending ?.  30,000 is a really poor attendance, but probably predictable.

If there was only 30,000 tickets the festival would run at a loss and will not be back next year.

Also going from the videos on T in the park truth fb site and other portals I think it will put a lot of other people off going

[eFestivals]

1 minute ago, kieranboruc said:

Also going from the videos on T in the park truth fb site and other portals I think it will put a lot of other people off going

I don't get why some people seem to take so much joy at running it down.

OK, it might not be perfect, but if a large-scale festival can't sustain itself in Scotland plenty of these acts won't be coming to Scotland at all, and all of Scotland will be the poorer for it. I doubt there'd be a replacement.

[T-Bhoy]

It's no wonder there is trouble happening in the campsite when wee w*nks are doing stuff like this...

 

https://mobile.twitter.com/callumhalpin_/status/752465265150029825

Deserves a boot in the baws for that.