Big Chill 2011'

[eFestivals]

Blimey! How unlucky are you? I managed to stay there all weekend without finding any!

i've gotta say that there were fewer of them than I might have expected from the comments about last year. But perhaps that's the result of the fest not doing the same cheap locals tickets as happened last year.

I think it's pretty easy to see where BC has gone wrong this year. How many people are there who like all of: Empire of the Sun; Chemical Bros; Jessie J; Kanye West; Rodrigo y Gabriela; and Robert Plant? It's a very odd mix of major acts for a fest, and not too likely to attract people on the basis of (just) that line-up.

[amfy]

I liked that I didn't like all of the music, that I wasn't stressing about major clashes, and that I didn't have to be somewhere all the time. I love "bimbling" at Glastonbury but for the last few years I haven't had time to do any because there is always something I need to see, and even when I do get a space in my "schedule", I find that everywhere is packed solid or at least the route to any genuine sense of tranquility is packed enough to make it impossible to get there without being twice as stressed as you were to start with.

Don't get me wrong, I do still love Glastonbury, but I found Big Chill genuinely offered me something different that I enjoyed. Long relaxing days and party hard nights. I did genuinely "chill" in the day, and my head really got some much needed space after a really difficult few months at work. At night, I was just as happy to bounce up and down to The Chemical Brothers, Example, Calvin Harris. Funnily enough, there is only Robert Plant on the list you gave that I wouldn't watch, no judgement on him, just not my cup of tea.

I was equally happy here to watch bands I had never heard of without thinking there was someone bigger I should be seeing elsewhere. My taste in music has never realy met the approval of these bords, but festivals for me have always been about being yourself, and myself likes enjoying the simplicity of Jessie J with a bunch of kids, as much as marvelling at the dynamism of someone like Janelle Monae, or being reminded of my own youth with Neneh Cherry. In fact, the reason Glastonbury is the festival for me is that it does a bit of everything - something that I thought the Big Chill did on a much smaller scale.

I am only sad that I realise that much of what I loved about this festival came because it was far from sold out, and it can't be like that every time, but I wish it could. I hope it survives because it is a lovely setting and an easy journey for us. It has certainly given me the urge to explore more smaller festivals.

[5co77ie]

I spoke to Melvin Benn at the weekend and they are considering moving the Big Chill to a weekend which doesn't clash with the Olympics next year.