» Camp Bestival 2008 review
Jody White takes us through the happenings at the Camp Bestival music festival at Lulworth Castle, Dorset (Friday 18th – Saturday 19th – Sunday 20th July). Photos by Faye Perriam.
It’s the end of July, and after what can only be described as a patchy summer so far, the inaugural Camp Bestival signalled the early arrival of the Bestival bubble of joyous frivolity into our lives once again, and not a moment too soon. This then the first year of Rob Da Bank and co’s new offshoot from their award-winning September bash and despite a few organisational hiccups, the relaxed atmosphere, the varied entertainment and no shortage of friendly faces successfully combined to remind us that the world isn’t all bad; there aren’t terrorists lurking around every corner, tea and knitting are hip and Roy Walker still has a place in all our hearts.
The focus for this small scale Dorset invasion was clearly family, although Da Bank has said that next year they will be making more of an effort to attract those unburdened by the charming mini-people. Not to say there wasn’t a fair amount of ‘normal’ festival-goers in attendance; the Bestival name now so firmly established that people will buy tickets to an event bearing their name without even knowing exactly what it entails. The mix was pretty much spot on with an estimated 3,500 children attending what was roughly a 10,000 capacity event.
Despite heavy queues to get down the one tiny lane into the site which, bizarrely, only opened its gates at 9am on Friday morning, the walk from the car park to the camp site was short and sweet. Minimal gate fuss, enthusiastic greeters and gaggles of awestruck little ‘uns wobbling around set the tone. For anyone who has never been to Lulworth Castle, the setting is not far short of stunning. Beautiful aged buildings nestled in a valley surrounded by lush green countryside just a spit from the ocean. Indeed, the aptly named Seaview Inn had a fine view of the the water as it emerged from between the converging hills.
The Castle itself stood proud in the centre of the site, closed to the public but painting proceedings with a quaintly British feel. On a related note, the ‘Camp’ in Camp Bestival was provided by the Bestival bluecoats dotted around the site, the giant yellow Hi De Hi letters in the centre of the Magic Meadow and the highly amusing Tannoy announcements across the campsite. It was hard not to crack a smile at the cheesy holiday camp feel and ley yourself be drawn into the fun and games.
Friday
What is an immediately noticeable effect of the number of children everywhere is that everyone becomes more relaxed and consciously or not, tends to watch themselves and their behaviour just that little bit more. Consequently there seemed to be no reports of trouble, thefts or arrests that we could see and the friendly security presence was spot on.
To the music then, and heading down to the main Castle Stage on the overcast Friday evening after arriving late on site due to the aforementioned queues, we managed to catch the goodtime throwback vibes of Kitty, Daisy and Lewis, lending the proceedings a touch of glamour and sophistication with their teenage virtuosity and confidence plainly apparent. Their music harks back to an innocent age of simple pleasures unburdened by the mushrooming genre-explosion of the last thirty years.
Chuck Berry
The classic rock ‘n’ roll feel continued into the evening as the legendary Chuck Berry took to the stage, barking instructions to the poor sound man between songs and strutting around like only a legend can get away with. It’s clear his playing ability has suffered with the passage of time, and under the lens of the modern age his songs seem dated and repetitive, albeit soaked in a history that makes watching him so intriguing. The man that started rock may not be particularly relevant these days, but he made for an interesting headline act, and definitely one to tell the grandchildren about.
After the main stage closed at 11pm it was time to hit the Laughter Library, which along with the Bollywood tent and the Pink Flamingo bar were draped in billowing hand-stitched fabrics and looked really rather grand. It’s surely a positive that festivals have incorporated such variety into their entertainment; it’s not just about the music. Multifaceted lineups have steadily emerged to become the norm over the last few years with the rise of the Mediamix tent at the Big Chill and the literary and comedy focused tents at Latitude. At Camp Bestival, it’s no different, albeit on a much smaller scale.
Trevor Lock
Inside, the cosy stage is sufficient but at busier moments not everyone who wants to can get into the tent. Trevor Lock put in a rambling yet intelligent performance of surreal quick-fire comedy (“…My fifth wife was an unconventional woman. One big eye and two vaginas. I say two vaginas, I never saw the second one. It ran off one day with the postman…” Encompassing Jesus, brothels, imaginary girlfriends and an interesting spin on the old classics (”…she said ‘Is that gun in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me? I said ‘Both’ and shot her!”) Lock got the whole tent shaking with peals of laughter. His set was followed by previous Bestival hit, Canadian Craig Campbell.
The Billy Connolly look-alike went down a storm with his wryly observed musings on British culture via wealth of hilarious truisms, even dealing superbly with the prolonged interruptions of one ardent, drunken female heckler. You can’t help but warm to the man with his wild mane of hair tempered by the t-shirt tucked neatly into his belted shorts. He even returned the next day for another set, a real gentleman.
Craig Campbell
Over in the Bollywood tent, DJ legend Greg Wilson was in the middle of q set of funky classics, and although people were in the mood, the tunes were just a little too similar for any dancing to really take off. The crowd seemed more interested in the spontaneous limbo competition happening in the centre of the tent which inevitably descended into running fosbury flops and high spirits all round.
Saturday
Saturday morning saw the sun finally make an appearance that was to last the rest of the weekend.
The site looked so much better bathed in sunshine and the atmosphere finally began to approach it’s full potential. Walking to the main stage you might pass the Queen of Hearts, a pair of shifty Mexican banditos, some dancing astronauts, even someone in a full dinosaur costume that snorted fire! Yes, Saturday was official fancy dress day, and despite a lower than expected turn out of ludicrous ideas, those entering into the spirit were rewarded with the laughs and intrigued attention generated by their attire.
The children especially seemed to be noticeably decked out, with Ninja Turtles and Batmen racing about and awestruck babies staring goggle-eyed out of their all-in-one bear suits. Despite blatant cheating at the binocular football match, it was a suitably silly activity. Walking past I was accosted by a prim madame demanding rather forcefully to know if I “had eaten anything green today”. Fortunately for me, I had and was duly released without punishment. I’m still wondering what she might have done had the answer had been ‘No’.
After failing dramatically to learn a new skill at I Knit London’s busy Knitting Tent, there is a mid-afternoon appearance by Fife’s finest Kenny Anderson, aka King Creosote, on the Castle Stage. Refining his sound over many years from acoustic troubadour to his incarnation here as full-on band frontman, the band fuse folky strumming with driving space rock lullabies to create a lively and very enjoyable set, perfect for a sunny festival afternoon.
Running throughout the weekend was one of the Castle’s home-made attractions: medieval jousting. Men dressed in full knight regalia trotted around pretending to hurt each other and win the favour of the audience, accompanied by an awfully unfunny commentator and some ham-fisted acting. It was all good fun though and a nice deviation from the norm. Kids in particular seemed to be loving every moment.
Billy Bragg
Back on the main stage Billy Bragg was as bold and defiant as ever, looking rather dapper in an sharply embroidered shirt. Encouraging rebellion, recognition of the injustice in the world he drew a large crowd eager to hear his thoughts between classics such as ‘Sexuality’ and ‘New England.’
There is only so much Billy one can take before the songs begin to blur into one amorphous whole, so we make for the light relief of the cute little Insect Stage where Emiliana Torrini was busy spellbinding all present with her hushed tales of intimate moments, secret stories only she will ever really know the real meaning of. Delightful as that may be, her style remains identical to the Fisherman’s Woman album. I for one have given up hope of her ever evolving, Bjork-like, to repeat some of the uptempo pop-nous of early singles like the brilliant ‘To Be Free’.
Emiliana Torrini
The Kids Field contained all manner of tents and open-air activities to keep even the Big Kids entertained. A top-hatted women bounced around on super-stilts, while those in the queue for face-painting watched another Punch and Judy performance between musical acts. There was even a Baby Chillout area. It was clear to see that the smaller revellers did not seem bored even for a minute for the duration of the festival. You could see it as an epiphany for those beginning to make something of their world, and if experiences such as this inform how the next generation grows up then we will surely be in safe hands.
That evening the sun hugged the horizon, fighting for a good view of what many had come to see: a psychedelicious set by the enigmatic Flaming Lips. Seasoned festival performers, they are playing across the world this summer and seem at the peak of their powers. When Wayne Coyne emerged in his bubble under a spotlight by the castle doors and proceeded to roll across the crowd to the stage it was clear we were in for an audiovisual treat.
Flaming Lips
A giant video screen, augmented with lasers and canons shot out streamers and confetti. Several smoke machines and the presence onstage of thirty or so lucky fancy-dress competition winners dancing their socks off helped generated a raucous atmosphere, with ‘Yoshimi..’ and ‘The Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Song’ obvious highlights. The only disappointment being that the local council’s strict noise restrictions meant they had to leave the stage just before their grand finale. Fortunately no-one seemed particularly bothered.
In the Bollywood tent after dark DJ Yoda mixed it up in his own inimitable style, never letting one record take over and while undeniably skillful, his set seemed to jump and skip around too much for any real mood to be established. People would begin to cheer and dance with the start of a track, only to stop, mildly confused as it lasted a mere thirty seconds before being scratched into something else.
Sunday
Sunday brought more sunshine and a trip to the Kids Field to sample fresh Dorset bread in the Farmers Market. On the Insect Stage, Emmy the Great’s sixth-form strummery was noticeably thin and her voice failed to make an impact, while Eliza Carthy’s years of experience proved a bold contrast; all unbridled passion and confidence, the whole band really showed them how it’s done.
Beardyman
As the afternoon blazed, up to the mic stepped one of Brighton’s most beloved sons, the one known as Beardyman. Beginning his superb routine of clever and downright mischievous beatbox skills, main ally JFB provided the tight re-edits, scratching the sound back on the fly to great musical and comedic effect.
Inventive, funny and drawing a huge crowd who sat in the palm of his hand for the whole set, Beardyman is the perfect festival performer, a true entertainer and a maverick not to be missed. The fact the pair’s second set was interrupted by an impromptu strip tease by a lady dressed in a space suit did not seem to put them off. What remains a mystery is just what the boys were whispering to each other as her trousers flew off. Hmmm.
Suzanna Vega
They say her time has long gone, but Suzanne Vega proved otherwise, with a consistently excellent greatest hits set. ‘Marlene on the Wall’, ‘The Queen and the Soldier’, ‘Luka’, they were all there, and looking around, everyone was singing along. Despite being backed by a rhythm section straight out of The Sopranos, her return was triumphant and thoroughly deserved.
“It’s Mr. Chips! What’s he doing?!” The people’s favourite, quiz host Roy Walker, returned from the TV graveyard for a resurrection of Catchphrase in the Laughter Lounge. Kudos to Mr Da Bank for this booking for it was seriously inspired and one of the definite highlights.
Roy Walker
The quiz show format, when transposed across a live audience (mostly drunk and/or stoned) is perfect for a festival, especially one such as this. With prizes of sticks of rock and t-shirts bearing Roy’s face underneath the word ‘LEGEND’, hilarity quickly ensued. Some genuinely amusing heckles and onstage antics made for a memorable show that is sure to be repeated.
And it was the comedy tent that closed our festival with Andrew Maxwell’s rambunctious Full Mooners hosting the final hour. Where else can you see a breakdance crew followed by a burlesque dancer and interspersed with some disgustingly funny stand up. You could even howl like a madman if it gets your approval. Fantastic.
And so to some minor gripes. With stage timings on Sunday moved forward and out of synch, the slightly expensive programme was rendered a bit useless and we kept arriving just as people were playing their last two songs. A bit more effort to make this apparent to everyone, as they came down from the campsites for example, would have saved some mild annoyance. There was a clear lack of musical entertainment once the main stages closed down and this did lead to the party atmosphere dying down earlier than perhaps it should have. That and the questionable underestimate on toilets aside, the event was a resounding success, enjoyed by all ages across the board.
As the curator brought the show to a close with a set of his own festival classics in the Bollywood tent, people had begun to leave the site in drips and drabs. The lasting impression though, was a positive one. The festival fostered a real sense of community and togetherness in an age where we need to embrace these things or stand to lose them altogether. For that the organisers can only be applauded. This new addition to the Bestival legacy didn’t feel out of place in our festival diary, and as one youngster commented, “That was the best three days of my life.”
