Glade kicks off on first day with a tangible buzz

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Glade Festival 2009

Thursday 16th to Sunday 19th July 2009
Matterley Bowl near Winchester, Hants, England MAP
£125 for the weekend, student £100 - SOLD OUT

Daily capacity: 12,500

Now in it's 6th year, and my first, The Glade Festival has moved house this year, to the massive natural amphitheatre that is Matterley Bowl, near Winchester. The site looked great with a valley leading up to the bowl.

The main stage looked impressive, with a huge canopy extending forward over the crowd. Marquees dotted the floor of the bowl, with the imposing Arcadia structure dominating the centre of the arena. At least, with all the tent-age there's plenty of shelter should the weather take a turn for the worst. This year was also a first for Solent University as they were to attempt a live web feed from the site. They also had their own Stage too which was showcasing the talent from the Uni.

Promising to be able to be louder for later there was a tangible buzz surrounding the event. With 24 hr bars and food outlets there was little danger of going hungry or thirsty. The bars were charging around £3.70 a pint, I got charged that for a tin of Tetley which I thought a tad excessive... Breakfasts were about £6.00 a go. There was plenty of choice, from flat cow burgers to organic vegan fayre. Not being much of a shopper of things, I didn't notice an obvious merchandising stall for the festival, surely a nice Glade Festival 2009 T shirt would be a thing to cherish? But then again, there were plenty of nice shiny things to be bought elsewhere.
The music on offer covered lots of bases (should that be basses?) from dubstep drum'n'bass to trance, live bands, techno to chill, there really is something for all tastes. The Inspiral Chill out area catered for those times when it all got a bit too hectic. The Healing Area also provided a perfect place to be soothed and revived, with various therapies including holistic massage, reiki, shiatsu, reflexology and head massages amongst many others on offer to be experienced.

Kicking things off in the Liquid tent on the Friday were ZubZub whose mix of electronica, techno and drum'n'bass eased us into the day nicely. Although missing flautist Jon, they weaved a soundscape around us that was lavish. Next to be seen was Peter Didjital on the Origin outdoor stage where a good time seemed to be had by all. Next to take my fancy was Mystery whose laid back big beats hit the spot, I enjoyed his style and delivery. Every tent I passed all afternoon was busy with folk dancing around with abandon, it was a joy to see.

Later in the afternoon, body painter Nicky, from Relatively Real painted a fantastic picture on my back whilst in the Cabaret tent, Interstella played. Have a google search on them and see what they've been up to this past 8 years.

It's a convenient site layout where everything is just around the corner, if the music in the next tent isn't to your liking then the next one hopefully will be and it's a mere hop and step away. Wander we did until the Mutant Clan featuring Timo Mass and Santos arrived on the Vapour Stage. What a treat that was. Divine beats and a packed crowd made for much fun.