That was my first Bearded Theory and I absolutely loved it. What a great weekend.
My previous festival experiences have been tiny events (Indietracks or local events) or big corporate ones (V Fest), so wasn't sure what to expect from BT, but the quality of the line up and the Indietracks hole I've been trying to fill meant I had to try it.
The organisers have done a magnificent job with the site and layout - plenty space for everyone (although I was scraping around for a Family Camping space at 10am on Friday. but got one), loads of shops, bars, food stalls and an impressive number of stages and a genuinely impressive stage set up. Woodland looks amazing. Most of the bands I wanted to see were in the Meadow, which I was a bit gutted about as sitting in the sun, listening to music would have been great, but probably just as well I had to go inside or I'd have fried!
The staff were all great - from the guys in the car park or the crossing, to the steward who pointed me towards Woodland stage, everyone I spoke to was a credit to the festival.
The sound quality from the stages was excellent, everything seemed to be on time, the crowd were lovely (I didn't see one cup of piss being thrown all weekend...must have been the £2 for the cups!!)
The Bug Club, The Beths, The Lovely Eggs & Panic Shack were the bands that tempted me to buy the tickets and they didn't disappoint (Bug Club being the highlight). When I had a bit of down time in my itinerary, I went wandering and saw High Horses and Blackthorn (both in Maui Waui)...wow to both of them. What perfect bands to have on at a festival in the middle of the day. No need to have known who they were because their songs and crowd interaction got everyone involved and everyone dancing. I walked past people from both those bands later in the day and I had to stop them to say how awesome I thought they both were. Need to go and check them out properly.
I have a habit of getting in to great things too late when they're on their way out, I really hope I've not jinxed BT and I hope it is around for many years to come
