GuilFest from a teenager's perspective

A three day long festival situated in the heart of Guildford, GuilFest took place from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th of July.

This year was the first time I'd been to GuilFest, and what a brilliant weekend I had. Friday afternoon was of to a good start as more people began to arrive, and by the time Orbital had begun everyone was truly in that festival mood.

The first day I arrived (Friday) the evening started off with a relatively good performance from Hadouken!. They may be good at what they do, but what they do is very common. The atmosphere that swept the Main Stage during Orbital really made the first night the best, the tremble of bass throughout the whole festival got everyone dancing. As night fell and the older crowd began to disperse, and the youth of the festival took over. Once Orbital had ended and the crowd was still buzzing, The Funky End Dance Tent was the perfect setting for pumped up teenagers to tire themselves out. By 1.00 am the music had died and everyone headed bleary eyed back to the camp site. The first night had set the bar high for the coming days.

Saturday was kick started by an interesting performance from the Rock Choir, whose gospel take on today's pop had everyone swaying to the beat. As the set went on they covered massive hits such as Michael Jackson's 'Man In The Mirror' and The Zutons' 'Valerie'. The sun shone down on the grounds as cheerful festival goers bumbled around the various stalls and stands. As lunchtime approached food outlets began to swarm with hungry crowds, with food ranging from hot dogs to Mexican cuisine. N-Dubz played a very poor set, the singing was weak and Tulisa's poor attempts to get the crowd involved only made things worse.

Later that night the Main Stage cleared of youth, masses of parents descended to re-live their younger days with the sinfully 80's band The Human League. Their performance still sounded fantastic even twenty years after their prime. A quick dash to the Funky End Dance Tent to see Tinie Tempah, revealed the hundreds adolescents dying to catch a glimpse of the UK Grime superstar. Crowd control was utilized as star struck teens spilled out of the tent exhausted from going wild to some of Tinie Tempah's biggest hits such as 'Pass Out' and 'Frisky'. As Saturday was the last full night everyone really went for it. All in all it was an incredible send off for anyone leaving on Sunday.

The decision to pack up the tent early in the morning was a good one, as it allowed me to enjoy the last few hours of the festival before it was all over. The atmosphere on Sunday was a welcome change; people seemed tired out from the previous days and ready to relax on their last day. Tents began to be pulled down and the state of the toilets reached their peak. The Blockheads were the perfect band to sit back and relax in the sun to, every one really enjoyed the set despite the absence of Ian Dury. My Passion gave a passionate, lively set despite the sweltering heat. They're a band I'd seen previously so I knew I was in for a treat.

A sore neck and aching legs were a clear sign that Guilfest was wonderful and I look forward to next year. One thing that I believe may benefit the festival, are more water points. As this year the weather left everyone needing a drink. This is completely overlooked by the fact that I had an excellent time at Guilfest 2010.

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