Festival line ups

[The Admiral]

Glastonbury have just added Motörhead to the bill, along with the Foo Fighters, Paloma Faith and Lionel Richie, amongst others.

http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/line-up/

I had a spell of going to Cornbury (a.k.a 'Poshstock'), but the line up has been sh*te the last few years and the tickets are crazy money now : £182 for adults, no camping, for three days, to see Tom Junes , Razorlight and Blue (plus Chas and Dave, who would be worth seeing), so that's another one to miss. Am I alone in finding it increasingly hard to find a bill and ticket price which are both worth it?

The Shrewsbury Folk Festival was my birthday treat from Mrs A last year, and that was superbly run : great beer, friendly, top value catering, great sound, and some sublime artists, all for £125.

http://shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk/line-up/

Maybe I've just got old and curmudgeonly?

[blue]

[quote name='The Admiral' timestamp='1429139069' post='2748535']
Glastonbury have just added Motörhead to the bill, along with the Foo Fighters, Paloma Faith and Lionel Richie, amongst others.

[url="http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/line-up/"]http://www.glastonbu....co.uk/line-up/[/url]

I had a spell of going to Cornbury (a.k.a 'Poshstock'), but the line up has been sh*te the last few years and the tickets are crazy money now : £182 for adults, no camping, for three days, to see Tom Junes , Razorlight and Blue (plus Chas and Dave, who would be worth seeing), so that's another one to miss. Am I alone in finding it increasingly hard to find a bill and ticket price which are both worth it?

The Shrewsbury Folk Festival was my birthday treat from Mrs A last year, and that was superbly run : great beer, friendly, top value catering, great sound, and some sublime artists, all for £125.

[url="http://shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk/line-up/"]http://shrewsburyfol....co.uk/line-up/[/url]

Maybe I've just got old and curmudgeonly?
[/quote]

Nice!

At Summerfest we start with The Stones and go to Black Berry Smoke and everything in between for 2 week.

http://summerfest.com/2015-lineup/

Blue

[Pinball]

If you break it down, Glastonbury is amazing value but I have no desire to go to something like that and musically it has lost its way...its just too big My first big festival was Knebworth in 1979, which was the last with Led Zep's original line up. :

http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/79-Kneb-festival-recording.html

I went to both weekends and was younger and wilder then and so out of it that I don't remember the first concert after about 4.00pm but can recall the 2nd

In retrospect the musical experience wasn't that good and my best experiences have been at smaller festivals and gigs.

I really enjoyed going to Global Gathering in 2011 and 2012 but thats big enough for me.

[phil.c60]

Cropredy has always worked for me - only one bar so anyone playing who wants a drink has to mix with the crowd, which is nice. Usually plenty of acts I want to see and some that are a pleasant surprise, not overly expensive, toilets that are regularly cleaned and have bogroll, etc., but weirdly I don't like Fairport that much and go to the pub on Saturday at about 8.00 and skip their finale (all three hours of it)! That' probably going to make me persona non grate next time I go.

[Muppet]

I've stopped going to bigger festivals as they're all much of a muchness now and even Glastonbury has succumbed to the commercialism and middle-of-the-road lineups that you see at V festival, T in the Park, Isle of Wight etc.

There are so many smaller excellent well run festivals now that are not over run with hen and stag parties, and offer superb choices of music so I stick to these now. I do fear for my local one - Secret Garden Party, however, that it will end being a victim of its own success.

[Number6]

At least Glasto has GOAT on the lineup this year

[oggiesnr]

My rule of thumb for judging festivals.

1) - divide the bill into several equal parts starting at the top and working down.

2) - Now divide each segment of the bill by the number of stages and discard all but one of the resultant parts for each segment. OK a bit of scope for fiddling here, if there are ten stages but only three main ones then split the headliners into three and discard two.

3) - Go through again and knock out every other name.

What you are left with is the pretty well the maximum number of acts on the bill you're likely to be able to see. That £150+ doesn't usually look quite as good value.

I have a soft spot for festivals like Cropredy which are essentially single stage. If an act is on the bill you can get to see it.

Steve

[pfretrock]

[quote name='phil.c60' timestamp='1429167361' post='2748606']
Cropredy has always worked for me - only one bar so anyone playing who wants a drink has to mix with the crowd, which is nice. Usually plenty of acts I want to see and some that are a pleasant surprise, not overly expensive, toilets that are regularly cleaned and have bogroll, etc., but weirdly I don't like Fairport that much and go to the pub on Saturday at about 8.00 and skip their finale (all three hours of it)! That' probably going to make me persona non grate next time I go.
[/quote]

Cropredy alway worked well for me, went about a dozen times. You're not alone, I always gave the Fairports a miss. Always something sublime in the line up I'd never heard before. Would spend a small fortune on food and beer.

[CamdenRob]

Mrs C is insisting we go to Latte-tude this year... camping and everything.

... the things I put up with

Then again she puts up with our living room looking like a guitar shop so I guess watching bands I have no interest in with a bunch of posh people in wellies is a small price to pay.

Edited April 16, 2015 by CamdenRob

[Beer of the Bass]

I found Cropredy didn't work for me at all, and I won't be going again!
I like festivals with more than one thing happening, where you can wander around and find something interesting. Being stuck in that one field with one stage, one bar and terrible food stalls round the edge was no fun at all for me. It all felt a bit enforced, as though there was only one "correct" way to enjoy a festival.
I like several of the smaller festivals up here in Scotland, like Doune the Rabbit Hole and Knockengorroch.

[pfretrock]

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1429172141' post='2748668']
one bar and terrible food stalls round the edge was no fun at all for me.
[/quote]

Leon's Feast and 6X, what's not to like?

[Lw.]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1429169938' post='2748639']
Mrs C is insisting we go to Latte-tude this year... camping and everything.

... the things I put up with

Then again she puts up with our living room looking like a guitar shop so I guess watching bands I have no interest in with a bunch of posh people in wellies is a small price to pay.
[/quote]

Latitude is actually quite fun once you stop thinking about it as a music festival & see it more as a relaxing weekend away with a few bands thrown in. For me it was all about the getting up late, eating nice food I wouldn't normally get, checking out a few comedians & plays during the day then seeing a couple of bands in the evening - all whilst drinking cider in the sun! There's a lot going on there that isn't music & it's set in a lovely environment (probably the nicest setting I've been to for a festival), it's also under the radar enough to not attract all of the Glasto twats or the hordes of school leavers that many of the other festivals get.

I'm going to Reading Festival this year for no other reason than it's walkable from my house so I can sleep in a bed & use a real toilet every day. I'll probably also check out Marlborough Jazz Festival too as there's usually some really interesting bands playing & the pubs all do great ales.

[icastle]

[quote name='The Admiral' timestamp='1429139069' post='2748535']
Maybe I've just got old and curmudgeonly?
[/quote]

I've been going to folk festivals as either a performer or spectator since my late teens and have never been tempted by Glastonbury or any of the other 'big' festivals.

Curmudgeonism isn't related to age.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

I'm not one for festivals, but I did enjoy Donington a couple of times on the '80s. ( and the Germany equivalent ).
Not in my 20's anymore .
However, if I did go to anything outdoors , it would have to be for a day . Pretty much a metal lineup if I'm lucky.
Having said that , an ambient all dayer would be cool. Something like jarre& orbital royksopp etc

[FinnDave]

I've never been to a festival you have to pay to get into. Last time I went to Glastonbury, it was a still a free festival, everyone moved to there from Stonehenge after the solstice..

[CHW]

I've been to several of the smaller folk festivals, Beverley, Whitby, Ely, Festival on the Moor, and I have to say I enjoy the ones that are based on a single site (rather than dotted around the town) The best thing about these type of festivals is that I've probably heard of the main headliner (egs, the Levellers, Bellowhead, E2K,) but no idea about anyone else- The result has been I've seen some absolutely superb bands, individuals, and the atmosphere of these is great.

I did the Phoenix festival back in my late teens, which is the biggest I've done. The Mrs and I debated trying to get glastonbury tickets alongside hiring a camper for this year but in the end decided that it was a few hundred quid too far. It remains something on the bucket list though

[Joeyfivebags]

I think the most enjoyable festival is one where you don't have the whole time filled with bands you "must go and see" and discover some new bands. Did YNot last year only wanting to see 3 people and enjoyed it so much we are going back this year (helps that its less than £100 for three day camping). Some great bands on the unsigned stage and some of the best festival food i've ever had. Good ale and cider selection too. Not that i would be saying all this to try and sell the spare tickets i have in the "sell anything" section at all

[spectoremg]

Just checked that line-up link... Florence and the Machine - have they got an utterly overrated sh%te stage now (sharing with Paloma Faith)?

[spongebob]

You'll find me playing at 'Glastonferry' in September - 3 days of music in the middle of the Kent countryside.

Who needs the real Glasto?!!

Never actually been to a festival, and TBH, never want to. I'm not really a communal person - I'd be like the Manics in their 'toiletgate' controversy!

[tauzero]

[quote name='Number6' timestamp='1429168462' post='2748620']
At least Glasto has GOAT on the lineup this year
[/quote]

No, Valentino Rossi's at the Goodwood Festival.

[el borracho]

[quote name='phil.c60' timestamp='1429167361' post='2748606']
but weirdly I don't like Fairport that much and go to the pub on Saturday at about 8.00 and skip their finale (all three hours of it)!
[/quote]

Haven't been for a year a two but that's what we used to do. I've probably seen you in the pub on Saturday night!
I bet the avid fans think the pubs are empty on Saturday, not full of people avoiding Fairport. To be fair I did like them in the days of Martin Allcock & Dave Mattacks but they seem a bit pedestrian to me these days.

Edited April 16, 2015 by el borracho

[phil.c60]

Yes, The Brasenose is always heaving throughout the three days and they often have some great acts on the trailer in the garden - we saw King King on a Thursday afternoon one year. Spent a lively Saturday night in there another year with a couple of local guys - drinking, laughing and generally taking the p***. Sadly my wife can't take annual leave these days during the school holidays so we haven't been for a while.

[The Admiral]

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1429186848' post='2748904']
Just checked that line-up link... Florence and the Machine - have they got an utterly overrated sh%te stage now (sharing with Paloma Faith)?
[/quote]

It's the same with Cornbury, although, to be fair, it's a case of who they can afford I think, and of course, who isn't already tied into a contract with another festival, with a clause which stipulates no other festival appearances within so many days wither side of their appearance. There has definitely been a drop off in the quality of bands though - last year's headliners were Scouting for girls FFS, when in previous years they had Joe Bonnamassa, Crowded House, KT Tunstall, Tom Baxter, Buddy Guy, Dr John, Squeeze, 10 cc etc, etc.

That said, I've been a number of times, and the last time we went with friends, and paid for VIP tickets, which gets you into the fenced off marquee area, and close parking. It certainly wasn't worth the money, and all it did was reinforce my utter contempt for the sort of Sunday supplement c***s you see on holiday in Rock and Abersoch, as the audience is heavily populated with the pink shorts crowd. The VIP section has sofas, which are of course supposed to be a temporary resting point, before moving off - unless of course you are with friends dahhhhling. Then you go as three families, each with a garden trolley, and enough kit to make a team of Sherpas wince, pull two sofas together, and take in turns to protect them, whilst the other two families go off to look for a jesters hat for Tarquin, and a clean, organic loo, with hand woven hemp toilet rolls for mummy.

The sense of entitlement from these twats comes off them like the glow of a Ready Brek kid, and they are selfish beyond imagination, with blankets, sun shade tents, picnic baskets, umbrellas and camping chairs laid out 10 yards from the stage, like Panzer Grenadiers annexing Poland. It kills the enjoyment for a lot of the crowd, but it's not about the music, it's about catching up with the girls from the PTA sub Committee, whilst some oiks strum their guitars.

It's also become very cliquey, with a lot of self satisfied w***ers feeling they are in with the gang by going every year. The festival has never made a profit as far as I know, despite the backing of Gordins Gin and Waitrose.

It seems to me that if you want what I would call a 'real' festival experience, the only way to get that is to avoid the Poshstock and Latte-tude end of the market, and go local. As has been said, there are some awesome unsigned/unknown bands about, and it's always good to see someone before they really made it.

Edited April 16, 2015 by The Admiral

[bassace]

Spot on, Admiral. I live three miles away and have enjoyed some of the acts, not the headliners necessarily but some of the surprises - well to me anyway. Wilko with NW-R, Alison Moyet superb, Buffy St Marie at 70 with just bass and drums, Waterboys and lots more. We are spared Jules Holland this year.

But although I can, ahem, afford a VIP ticket I haven't the slightest inclination to join the braying hordes. You only have to walk past the area outside the tent - sorry Marqueeeeee - to know that you wouldn't like to join the denizens within.

[Jazzneck]

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1429177212' post='2748728']
I've never been to a festival you have to pay to get into. Last time I went to Glastonbury, it was a still a free festival, everyone moved to there from Stonehenge after the solstice..
[/quote]

Me too, but I have played (and been paid) the Colne and Burnley Blues fests (more than once) which were great fun and got to meet some interesting folk.

Edited April 17, 2015 by Jazzneck