rseamer
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Posts posted by rseamer
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21 minutes ago, eFestivals said:
here you go, try these for size...
http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/bestival/2004
http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/bestival/2005/lineup.shtml
http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/bestival/2006/lineup.shtml(and remember that some acts are much more significant today than they were at those times)
I've been to all the Bestival's since the first (except 1).
There has always been the comedy / novelty / holiday camp aspect to it from the off. That's what partly appealed to me.
In fact the very first year what sold me was that they had Fatboy Slim and Morris Dancers!
Let's also remember Bestival hasn't always had big headliners: Gogo Bordello, The Bees, My Bloody Valentine (who although might be considered 'big' didn't actually pull a large crowd)
At the end of the day the line up is what it is and you take your choices on going or not.
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Just seen something that suggests it’s Weller (and Friendly Fires added as well).
Relatively reliable source but not always 100%
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8 minutes ago, Homer said:
Shite line up.
Just out of interests what would be a great line up for you? (Based on the festival size)
And why is this shite?
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On the line up poster why is the Friday headliner (mainly) blanked out rather than just saying TBC? Are they trying to give a clue for someone to work out?
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I really like this line up. It very much feels like the Bestival's of old.
And it looks very different to many of the line ups of the bigger festivals.
I mean...Chaka Khan, East 17's Christmas Party and London Grammar. That's pretty all over the place... how I like it!
Good to see Stacey's is back as well...I loved that place last year and sacked off A Tribe Called Quest because of it.
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5 hours ago, gsansom said:
Watching the Grammys last night 2 things occurred to me:
How has Gaga not headlined a UK (or any other to my knowledge) festival? Saw her middle of the day on the other at Glasto in 09. Really surprised no one's bagged her when she was ruling the charts. I think she'd be a be a great fit for Bestival.
There's a tale to be told about Gaga and Bestival.
Apparently when she was just starting out and before she was famous Rob Da Bank was offered her for Bestival but turned the offer down. I seem to remember reading somewhere it was one of his regrets.
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So Lionel Ritchie is touring.
His head has been at Bestival.
There have been DJ sets which bookended with his music at Bestival.
Can we lob him on the possible list?
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I would be very up for Britney doing all the hits on Friday night. After all she did have an album called Circus.
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Orbital have got to be a good chance with the Camp B line up now announced.
Other guesses: Jessie Ware, Billie Eilish, Idles, Pale Waves, Mabel for somewhere on the bill.
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What are the guesses for the other 2 headliners and castle stage?
Do you think they'll follow last year and put something for the young un's as Castle Stage headliners?
An x-factor type or maybe a DJ?
I'm surprised Fatboy Slim hasn't done Victorious yet.
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1 hour ago, Nobody Interesting said:
I don't get the connection to students for moving the dates either - they don't go back til the end of September do they?
A level students usually have to enroll the Thu or Fri of Bestival I believe.
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31 minutes ago, naughtygeorgie said:
Come on all you naysayers, it'll be grand! We'll have a stonking hot summer so absolutely no issues with the ground
we can all do Camp Bestival then straight onto Bestival then straight onto Boomtown 
none of us needs to sleep/recover/work!
It'll all be fabulous
And we can dress as clowns/circus freaks/ jugglers what's not to love
Ha ha. This sounds an amazing idea.
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7 minutes ago, Homer said:
Is it just me or are tickets cheaper? Bit confusing as I gather the refundable part may not be quite as refundable as you would hope.
I think the early birds at £139 are but then there’s the eco bond, booking fees, parking etc.
It looks like Bestival is going to stick at being a mid sized festival rather than trying to compete at the 50k + capacity levels when they had Stevie Wonder etc based on those prices.
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7 minutes ago, eFestivals said:
Nothing to do with hugely shaving the production costs, of course, or even a humongous site fee saving.
He did use the word selfishly in his tweet - and let’s face it one of the reasons Bestival is still going - they’re not afraid to make hard business decisions.
Also here’s what Bestival say in a tweet
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Rob da Bank has tweeted that there was big general / student pressure to change the dates and logistically it’s easier for Bestival.
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At least if they save on costs they’ll have more money to spend on the site for Bestival if gets hammered after Camp B - So far in its history they’ve only had 1 really wet Camp Bestival, so from a risk point of view, the risk of it happening is low, but it’s a big hazard to deal with if it does happen!
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On 19/09/2017 at 10:58 AM, luckysalt said:
These aren't here as families travelling to the festival, these are all the local teenagers all going in huge groups getting pissed up.
To be fair to teenagers I think the majority on site weren't drunk - just excited.
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24 minutes ago, smogo said:
Robin - yes I was in that spot. And Georgie - we must've crossed paths loads too based on what your highlights were!
Ah cool. Well, if you're going next year and I see you I will try and say hello!
42 minutes ago, naughtygeorgie said:I'd love to write of review but I'm still too ruined ...
Highlights: Oh My God Its The Church!,
Oh my god I forgot them. How much fun were they? A proper 'Bestival' type band. I was laughing and smiling so much through their whole set. Sexy religion for the (arse) souls
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1 hour ago, smogo said:
I
While 2017 doesn't join the upper echelons of my favourite ever Bestivals (they're probably 2011, 2012 and controversially 2016), I had an amazing weekend as usual, and really it was only the awful weather that let it down. I already can't wait for my ninth one next year...!
Wow 2016 - that is controversial!!! (Having been to all them bar 1 that was my worst, with 2008, the really muddy year close behind)
I think my favourites were 2005, 2007 and 2012 but 2017 isn't to far behind for me. Oh and 2010 - the year we got 80's pop star Howard Jones to play after a long comedy campaign started by me on the old Bestival forum to get him to play (and that wasafter Rob da Bank had let me do a Howard Jones tribute DJ set a year or two before under the name DJ Hojo Hits in the Hidden Disco)
Smogo - were you near the front for Pet Shop Boys slightly to the right? I think I may have spotted you a few rows in front of me but wasn't 100% sure?
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18 hours ago, Nobody Interesting said:
Heaps of lovely flat camping..... but all reserved for those willing to pay extra for Pitch perfect, Camping plus etc......
Not true. I camped in general camping and had a very flat spot. It wasn't all reserved.
But I do agree that an additional flatter field for general camping would have helped those who really were on a slope.
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Some of my thoughts on this year - compare and contrast with your own.
First and foremost - really sad to hear of the death / murder (?) on site. When I was having such fun to think that something like this was happening near me is horrible. Thoughts to all the girls friends and family. I do wonder if there will be implications for the festivals licence? Will the police object next year? Or will there be much tougher security?
I've been to all but 1 of the 14 Bestivals (I missed 2011) and for me this was one of the more enjoyable....I've also been to a few Camp Bestivals
Traffic - Drove there with no jams at all, traffic management seemed to be working well (arrived about 11am). On leaving site (Sunday about midnight) drove straight out. Got slightly caught by mud, but 1 small push and I was off again.
Queuing on entry - They opened the gates before advertised which was great as it meant there was no real queue to get in. I counted 5 people ahead of me in my security lane. Each of us was given a brief pat down / examination of our bags, but nothing major - I spent less than 10 mins getting through queuing and collecting the wristband. All seemed simple and straightforward.
Camping - I knew the site was hilly from previous Camp Bestival experience although when I'd been to Camp Bestival there seemed more space and not that many people had to camp on the hills. I camped in the quiet camping (Golden Years) which was very pleasant. Mainly older people although there were some younger people as well. Everyone in my area was very friendly and made instant campsite friends. It was also quiet at night time - as it should be when it's quiet camping. The only problem was that the campervan field was next door and there were a couple of people in vans partying in the night, slightly spoiling the full quiet atmosphere - but to be honest it wasn't that bad and I slept through it no problem.
The toilets were fine most of the weekend in Golden Years and never a queue when I used them - there was one morning when they hadn't been emptied and Bestival put out something on their Twitter (and I guess other social channels?) apologising that there had been a delay. However I found ones that were useable in Golden Years.
I do think the site could benefit with 1 additional (flatter) field for camping - those who ended up on the slope must have struggled.
Program and entertainment - I don't really understand people saying there was nothing to do in the day. There was loads to see and do. OK, maybe not big names, but that doesn't necessarily mean poor quality. I was on site from 6pm Thursday, 11am Fri and Saturday and 12.30 Sunday and never went back to my tent until bed time (except for the evacuation)
Personal highlights: Sunday evening with Soulwax and The Pet Shop Boys. I've seen Soulwax before and was a bit meh about them, but they were great - really liked their lab technician / in a studio aesthetic and their treble drummers. Lucy Rose - a moment of quiet introspection that I thought was absolutely beautiful and she seemed really genuine when she talked about how much it meant to her people singing the words as she was a big self-doubter. Stacey's - my new favourite venue. Loved all the soul they played in their and I sacked off seeing a few bands I had intended to see to dance there. The vibe in Stacey's really reminded me of the very early (2004-2007) Bestivals. The Magic Gang - big singalongs in The Invaders of The Future stage. The 2 marriage proposals on the Box stage. I particularly liked Dizney Rascal's marriage proposal - it got a huge cheer. Not sure as a band they were really up to playing such a big stage - as they admitted themselves they normally play pubs and their billing as a ska / punk band doing Disney covers sounded better on paper than it did in practice, but it was worth seeing them just for the marriage proposal and his girlfriends reaction - as a lovely thing.
The 'not so goods': I felt the programming in the Invaders of the Future Stage was relatively week. On Thursday they put a quiet post-folk band (Laucan) on just as all the dance stuff nearby was getting going. The soundclash from the beats was terrible. They would have been better putting them on earlier in a quieter part of the site. Also there were quite a few local and Isle of Wight bands in Invaders of the Future, many of whom were very average. If you're going to call a stage Invaders of the Future I think you need to put on more acts that really have a chance of becoming bigger and are of quality.
Organisation: Generally I felt things were well organised. When the winds were getting up it was the right call to evacuate the site. The organisers would have had the data from the anemometer on the main stage plus the weather forecasts and if the data indicated there was a risk that the speeds would exceed the design wind loadings, they were right to put a temporary halt to things. I know some people were upset that Loyle Carner etc was cancelled, but better this than a major catastrophe. I also thought they dealt well with the mud, putting down lots of hay in the most dangerous areas. Other festivals that have been affected by mud this year have done far less. My only minor quibble was that on exiting the car park at night the exit signs were often positioned away from lighting so you couldn't see them from a distance in the dark. All the stages seemed to run to time, and any line up changes were communicated via the app - unfortunately for a festival of this size you'll always get the odd drop out.
Food and drink: All sorts and good. Standard festival prices.Feast collective was delicious. The WI tent charged a lot more for tea and cake than the old Isle of Wight ladies, but you did get it in a pot, which was great. Personally I'd have liked another coffee stall somewhere near the main stage, but otherwise, a good selection. Good to see the use of the plastic Ecocups like Latitude use.
The crowd: Generally fine. You'll always get a few idiots on alcohol or illegal drugs, and Bestival has always had an element of this, but I felt there were a lot less idiots this year than the previous few years. A better mix of ages as well - last year seemed very young. From my perspective it does seem the more Grime is booked, the nastier / more mainstream crowd it attracts.
The site: The main arena worked well I think. No bottlenecks, reasonably compact. I really liked all the smaller venues (Stacey's being a particular fave) which made it seem like the Bestivals of old. It was quite nice seeing them wheel out all the past Bestival installations like the robot, astronaut, Bestival sign, glitterball and then add to it with Kanye (which was freakishly brilliant). The site was similar to Camp Bestival in terms of main stage and Big Top locations but with more stages on site than Camp B.
Internet: OK, probably not essential, but when the festival is using the app and social media as its main communication channels, it is more important. I had decent coverage (o2) all weekend - for Camp Bestival in the past there has been virtually no signal when I went, but there was a booster mast on site. I had decent coverage in most areas, although it was weaker at the campsite.
Overall, I had a great time and would be back again next year (hoping for better weather) assuming it goes ahead.
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I actually thought the crowd was more pleasant than the last couple of years. A higher % of older people.
The reports of the murder are very sad.
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Just got back will post more later, but I had a very different experience....
Thought it was very well organised overall (especially considering the weather) and there was loads to do. The main stage opened at 11am 2 days and 12.45 on the 3rd and there were so many other small stages to discover new things.
Reminded me of the Bestival's of old with all the smaller venues like Stacey's (my favourite), Club Dada, Reggae area etc
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Damn, looking at the latest forecasts the amount of rain has increased. Oh well, wellies it is...good luck everyone.
Bestival 2018 incoming!
in Camp Bestival
Posted · Edited by rseamer
Maybe that's because of moving the date to immediately after Camp Bestival? It must reduce their infrastructure costs? (Excluding contingency for if it rains heavily at Camp Bestival )