Sunday review

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Bestival 2005

Friday 9th to Sunday 11th September 2005
Robin Hill Countryside Adventure Park, Downend, Nr Arreton, Isle of Wight.. PO30 2NU, England MAP
£89 w/e inc. camping, £44.50 under 16, under 5 FREE; days £37.50, under 16 £18.50, under 5 FREE

Sunday was a more chilled day but with plenty still going on and many up for making the most out of the festival. My day started late warming up to random quality sounds in various smaller venues like the JD bar and the ‘bandstand’ before heading down to the mainstage to see The Egg – a band I missed twice at Glastonbury despite my best endeavours, and again this time I was disappointed to find they’d already been on stage for 30 minutes when I arrived and I only saw the last three songs (which were quality).

After a grumpy visit to the press office to pick up the revised Sunday program, it was back to the mainstage for Fat Freddy's Drop who deserve bigging up for being the surprise good turn of the day – soul/reggae/funk/dischordant jazz improv, smooth and all the way from New Zealand, I’ll be looking for their CDs.

No convincing was required to hang around for Emiliana Torrini - I was totally smitten by her set at Summer Sundae Weekender in Leicester last month and I lapped up her show this time as well – completely captivating. The cushions provided by the Schmangle stall proved difficult to get out of for a while so it was there at the far end of the arena from the mainstage that I watched (or rather listened to) Lee Scratch Perry and drifted off into a dub-induced dreamland for a while.

Shnoozing over it was back stage-front for the energetic Go! Team who I thought I didn’t like, but lo I enjoyed them – perhaps it’s a live thing. The Super Furry Animals need no introduction – the final headline act they brought the festival to a close with a polished set of the best from their back catalogue and were quite simply excellent – finishing all too early we were left with rolling spoof credits on the projection-screen backdrop followed by a short movie of the festival crowds, shot over the weekend - just another small but gratifying attention to detail which summed up the whole festival.

The main arena closed soon after the main acts had finished today (12pm) but the Dub Café – a 24hour campsite venue - remained busy into the early hours as the last rays of the festy weekend (and year) ebbed away.

Bestival was certainly a great finale to a great year for festivals and credit to Rob da Bank and everyone involved with putting on such a good quality event. Tickets for next year are already on sale – but will they be able to top this year? If they match it I’ll be happy.

Channel 4 will be showing a 1 hour documentary of Bestival 2005 at 9.00pm, September 24th.