After reading Gobshout’s guide to this summers festivals, it struck me that, despite all the big talk of ‘going to loads of festivals this year’, I haven’t actually booked a single one.



Its not a sudden dislike of all things musical that has prompted this, nor an attack of hitherto unseen financial prudence.  The problem largely has its root in choice.  Or, pertinently, the fact that there is so much blinkin’ choice now.  Line-up after line-up is being announced which, you might think, have the effect of watering down the overall quality.

Oh, for this to be the case! Even the smaller events, the ones never to have crossed this radar before, have a bevy of good acts ,whether up and coming or established.  Even titchy ones like Standon Calling-not even a dot on the horizon before- has such musical luminaries as Femi Kuti, Ladytron and Ed Harcourt, and the Summer Sundae in Leicester had exploded with artists including Bon Iver, The Charlatans, Horace Andy, Future Of The Left and Mystery Jets.  Maybe I’m just ignorant, but where have these festivals come from?

What this is all making very clear is that the festival season has changed, and that is no longer just about your Glastonbury’s, Reading’s, T’s and V’s.  Yes, if you only want to catch the biggest chart-botherers these are still the places to go.  But what you get in multi million selling behemoths, you lose in atmospheric and musical diversity (though maybe not so much at Glasto).

If there’s so many festivals vying for your attention, my attitude is now one of ‘why stick with the big boys?’  I’ve been to them, and, while Glasto does still hold onto an air of the different, with the other biggies you know exactly what you are going to get.  Its like having an around the world ticket and going to Benidorm.  Where’s the fun in that?

So I’ve decided I’m going to give the major festivals a wide berth this year and go for a couple of the smaller events in the hope of discovering something really exciting. Now just comes the tricky bit. Which ones…?

Which festivals are you going to this year? Is there any baby ones we should be paying attention to? Glasto getting old [dodges tomatoes]??

Posted In Comment, Apr 27 2009. Words - Michael