Saturday

Saturday morning began with the “jovial bespectacled pensioner surrounded by adoring young women” (Big Chill 2005 Official Programme, pg.19) that is DJ Derek, playing the finest reggae and soul tunes for the early afternoon audience. DJ Derek is not only a septuagenarian white reggae selector but also a musical raconteur; often making as much of a performance of his lyrical preambles to the songs he plays as the songs themselves.

The audience who sat sunning themselves on the grass at the Open Air Stage seemed in the right kind of carnival mood for today’s of Trojan Records reggae afternoon, and Mad Professor and Horace Andy arrived onstage to huge cheers and applause. The reggae legend and Massive Attack collaborator was soulful as ever, while Mad Professor’s live dubby grooves wound through the dancing crowds.

The sun was shining once again and more cocktails were on the menu as we wandered back to Fat Tuesday bar to catch the Nextmen’s eclectic super-charged party set. The terrace was packed with people dancing on picnic tables, chairs and in every available space during this hiphop, funk, soul, disco and even rock-packed set from the last 40 years. Fronted by guest MC Wrec of London Elektricity, who was probably still on a high from the band’s triumphant Open Air Stage performance the night before, Nextmen kept Fat Tuesday moving to great applause and two insistent demands for encores from the dancers.

Andy Smith was up next with more funk and soul, this time of the more old school variety. A DJ who is (perhaps unfairly) better known for his connection to Portishead than for his own Document mix projects, Smith delivered a set of sweet soul grooves and heavy funk that seemed (again?) the perfect soundtrack to my good mood, beautiful weather and surroundings. It must be said that this afternoon at the Fat Tuesday bar with Nextmen and Andy Smith was a highlight of 2005’s Big Chill for my friends and I as we danced the afternoon away beside the croquet lawns in the bright sunshine.

After some rest and recreation taking in the view of The Big Chill site from the hills, we trundled down to the Chill Stage for a beautiful set from New Zealanders Fat Freddy’s Drop. A seven-piece band that grew up playing together in Wellington, the band played a set of soulful jams that showcased their colourful range of influences (in previous incarnations the band have been involved in a wide range of musical styles, from Jazz to Detroit techno) to a rapturous reception from the mesmerised crowds. From here we travelled to the Club Tent where the Ninja Tune Solid Steel Special was getting into full swing.

DJ Food & DK were on the decks as we arrived, before Hexstatic took to the stage to deliver an audio-visual feast that brought the house down. Moving through Ninja Tune standards into party tunes from House of Pain and Kriss Kross, and the unashamed pop mash up of Bootylicious and Groove Is In The Heart, before the dancing cancan girls live onstage brought the set to its triumphant close, Hexstatic absolutely rocked the Club Tent.

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