Shangri-la – before Heaven and Hell

[basingstokejames]

Was loads better, we used to love the alleyways and the random doors.

Hell now just feels like another dance stage (an awesome one though).

Heaven was a colossal waste of time.

[Aragorn]

i quite liked heaven - I am sure it was inside there we saw naked girls pole dancing and all sorts and coming right to the edge of the stage and doing high kicks so you could see the whole shebang ha ha

[Brave Sir Robin]

Was loads better, we used to love the alleyways and the random doors.

Hell now just feels like another dance stage (an awesome one though).

Heaven was a colossal waste of time.

[whateverman]

I completely agree. Oh well.

[Thatmax]

They have stated that this year they are going back to focusing more on the alleyways and micro venues. They also mentioned there would be no more queuing for venues like there was last year. Hopefully this year will be a return to form.

[Sonoinglese]

It was brilliant when there were more micro venues to explore. I still thought the snake pit was great though, I saw a great ragtime band called Blackberry Wood when it was nearly empty.

[AStormInHeaven]

not many times you could ever use the line

"i went to heaven and danced off my tits right in front of thom yorke djing"

[siblin]

There were still some alleyways, and to be honest, the hell stage was awesome so i hope that stays. The saturday night with Hypnotic Brass Ensamble and Sam and the Womp was one of the highlights of my festival last year.

[monkey1989]

our drugs seemed to drop during that Sam and the womp song there main one that was fun.

However last year being my first I had got really excited with the experiences you guys had had during previous shangra las alot of the alley ways didn't live up to the hype and I found the common and block 9 my fave.

But jeez compared to after hours stuff you find at download and leeds shangra was Fucking awesome

Edited May 10, 2014 by monkey1989

[formed a band]

There was somewhere in all of that I saw the close up of the inside of a fanny that wasn't my wife .... Bit jazzy

[Mr.Tease]

Was loads better, we used to love the alleyways and the random doors.

Hell now just feels like another dance stage (an awesome one though).

Heaven was a colossal waste of time.

[thenavyone]

So is it heaven and hell again this year of something new!?

[DJL]

I Iked the hell stage and i'm hoping for some decent acts on there at the same time as the headliners.

I am also glad to hear about the more micro venues and less queueing - if they can get the balance right it can be more exciting again. Hoping the park with arcadia gives a real alternative to spread the crowds a little too.

[Mr.Tease]

So is it heaven and hell again this year of something new!?

[Sawdusty surfer]

. Don't know if you remember Lost Vagueness, but that's kind of a cautionary tale for what happens when you do the same thing every year.

[frostypaw]

Bit jazzy

[soulkitchen]

Last time I went was 2010 and my mind was blown! Will be slightly pissed off if the alleys and micro venues are missing. Does anyone know if these are set to return?

[monkey1989]

Rumour is no alleyways this year wasn't really much of the way of alleyways last year just a few wooden walls leading to the hell stage

[kellly]

The alleyways were amazing! but you never know what little treasures shangri la will have to offer

[JBarbour]

Shangri-La's latest tweet

still alleyways my dear, just more confusion

[halfpint]

They tweeted a star wars thing last night http://starwars.com/play/online-activities/crawl-creator/?cs=eshykn4zuh which seemed to explain the story a bit more

My favorite has always been the snakepit and there doesnt appear to be any mention of it this year....they havent tweeted since Jan

[sparkythetortoise]

It's important it keeps changing- sometimes it'll be for the better sometimes for the worse, but if they'd kept the old blade runner alleyways it would have eventually gotten tired. Don't know if you remember Lost Vagueness, but that's kind of a cautionary tale for what happens when you do the same thing every year.

[halfpint]

Lost Vagueness was the only part of Glastonbury I didn't like. There seemed to be a mean spirit to the place. Shangri La, for all its faults and foibles, is so much better. It's just a shame that last year they just got it wrong, though.

I was one of the people that has been called a "tourist", in that I walked in, walked through, and then out, but it wasn't for want of getting involved. I just found the sight of young folk patiently standing in endless queues a tad depressing.

Never queue at a festival is a rule that has served me well. I queue for buses and cashpoints in the real world, at a festival I'd rather just move on.

I'd be interested to hear, though - what was in Heaven if you had the patience to find out, and did folk hang around longer than they should have, simply because it took so damn long to get in?

[sparkythetortoise]

I was a little disappointed with Heaven...though was quite nice been able to wander round without boots on. I never stayed too long for the simple fact that once I have had a beer need the loo loads and the que was stupid - they attempted to clean after each use just made the whole things take ages so would always have to leave to find a long drop!

Edited May 20, 2014 by sparkythetortoise

[JBarbour]

Keep your eye on Glastonbury Festival (official) for the latest on theShangri-La theme tomorrow. We will be letting you know more over the coming month, with some exclusives right here. The picture below is fromDan Hillier, one of the contributing artists to the field this year.