The 'Festivals I don't get' Thread (1 Viewer)

[hermie]

fixed that for you

who was it used to have the sig "Ireland is a small, shit country"?!

 

[rettucs]

who was it used to have the sig "Ireland is a small, shit country"?!

@lala ;

if I recall she was quoting Franco

 

[Jill Hives]

That's pretty cynical, how come most sets are packed out then? Of course there'll always be a few half-interested people in to loiter around the main stage and soak up some atmosphere - locals, families etc. Nothing wrong with that either.

Perhaps it's cynical but it never fails that when ever I am at a festival (especially in Ireland) and I make a point to get close to the stage, I'm surrounded by people talking at full volume, spilling drink or texting friends. (Actually the same could be said for Whelans too) Add that to cold weather, grey sky, shit expensive drink, shit expensive food, and camping around piles of sick. I am not paying for that experience. I'll go if it's free and VIP but I'm not parting cash for huge ticket prices for a 90% chance of a shit time.

I find Primavera much different. Rent an apartment, cook your own food, beach down the road, sun, decent drink, decent prices, and the crowd (although sometimes packed) is in good spirits and don't ruin it for those around them. I assume it's because lots of people travel for it and look forward to it, so respect the atmosphere of those around them? Maybe not. Maybe it's just the warm sun that makes it more bearable? Although, I'd say I'd probably hate Cochella from the footage I've seen and California is sunny and warm.

 

[ilovehoovering]

Field Day, Victoria Park, Hackney, East London. If you want to hate humanity a bit more go to that one.

I think I'm going to that one even though I've only heard of a handful of the bands. Sure £55 is only loose change to us Londoners!

 

[Unknown Convict]

Electric Picnic is a great festival. If you don't like it I'd question whether you 'get' festivals at all.

i don't. i haven't been to one since feile '94 when i sold my wristband on the saturday morning to pay for a train ticket back to civilisation. good memories of spiritualized in the drizzle and pet lamb in the tent ("i am an asshole" t-shirts, two for a tenner) though

 

[therealjohnny]

Ah Spiritualized...I was at that too

Now there's a one for the " Bands I don't get "thread

 

[Unknown Convict]

Ah Spiritualized...I was at that too

Now there's a one for the " Bands I don't get "thread

never liked them before or since but that show was great and right for the moment. just like e.g. james at the neil young slane or aswad at the r.d.s.

 

[therealjohnny]

I think it was just after Iggy? Which was a jarring change in pace.

 

[hermie]

Perhaps it's cynical but it never fails that when ever I am at a festival (especially in Ireland) and I make a point to get close to the stage, I'm surrounded by people talking at full volume, spilling drink or texting friends. (Actually the same could be said for Whelans too) Add that to cold weather, grey sky, shit expensive drink, shit expensive food, and camping around piles of sick. I am not paying for that experience. I'll go if it's free and VIP but I'm not parting cash for huge ticket prices for a 90% chance of a shit time.

I find Primavera much different. Rent an apartment, cook your own food, beach down the road, sun, decent drink, decent prices, and the crowd (although sometimes packed) is in good spirits and don't ruin it for those around them. I assume it's because lots of people travel for it and look forward to it, so respect the atmosphere of those around them? Maybe not. Maybe it's just the warm sun that makes it more bearable? Although, I'd say I'd probably hate Cochella from the footage I've seen and California is sunny and warm.

EP food is not shit and you bring your drink so your own fault if it is. It's expensive of course but hey that's Ireland, not the organisers fault. Some of the best gigs I've ever been to have been there and I find the audiences usually quite respectful.

Primavera, obviously is great. But it's far from your typical festival. It's as much a holiday as it is a festival. As you say yourself apartment, cooking, maybe even going out for dinner in a restaurant(!), beach, city living. As savage as all that is, you still go watch the music then go home. So much of it is external. Even if you stay til the bitter end and then venture to the beach afterward it's still less of a communal experience than you'd expect from summer festival.

 

[Jill Hives]

EP food is not shit and you bring your drink so your own fault if it is.

I beg to differ but perhaps that's because I can't eat 90% of it. As for drink, it's my fault for not smuggling in my own drink? I don't want to have to hide it in my boots like a teenager so it's not nabbed by security.

I find the audiences usually quite respectful.

Then you've had better luck than I have. The only good crowd experiences with audiences I've had are at the early times when people are still sleeping off last night.

Primavera, obviously is great. But it's far from your typical festival.

That's why I 'get it'... and it seems most others do too.

It's still less of a communal experience than you'd expect from summer festival.

I've experienced otherwise. I've had many more lovely random conversations with strangers there than at any Irish festival. Most of the time I see someone I kinda know and I get a nod or a wave but nothing more. I talked to some German dude for ages after we sang along and danced to Built To Spill. I find people are generally more friendly there than here. Maybe because it's, "Oh you speak English too" but what ever it is, I love it. The first year I went I spent an entire day more or less alone talking to strangers and had a ball.

 

[washingcattle]

EP food is not shit

It's not great and it's unbelievably expensive

and you bring your drink so your own fault if it is

Which you can't enjoy while actually watching a band because they search you at the enterence to the venue.

.

It's expensive of course but hey that's Ireland, not the organisers fault.

It is.

Some of the best gigs I've ever been to have been there and I find the audiences usually quite respectful.

Festival audiences can be hit or miss, as most audiences can to be fair. I've seen some great bands play great sets at festivals, but I nearly always wish I'd seen them at their own show and that I felt better, cleaner and more well rested when seeing them.

 

[Theseus Mock]

I agree with Jill. EP (and any other big Irish festival) is due to the Irish notion of LET'S GET WASTED! Went to my first Primavera the same year I went to my first (and last) EP. Couldn't get over the difference in the crowd between the two, I much prefer respectful Spaniards/Europeans over drunk Irish people. I think the deal with EP is that a lot of people are going with the mind of seeing one or two big bands at the main stages and just hang around them all day killing time talking/texting/boozing.

I saw Bjork play in a circus tent in February as part of the Biophilia tour. Seriously one of the best productions I've ever seen. Don't think the full effect will come across from a festival stage, especially the telsa coil that is lowered from the ceiling for a couple of songs.

 

[ann post]

i think smaller festivals have a lot more to offer if thats the kind of environment you are looking for.

 

[hermie]

That's why I 'get it'... and it seems most others do too.

Well that's precisely my point. You and several others on this thread clearly don't 'get' what generally passes for a music festival these days. So to single out EP and call it shit when, in it's field (no pun), it's actually a first-rate is unfair I think.

Don't have time to deal with all your points individually but (in my opinion) the food at EP is really good, certainly better than at Primavera and more varied. They're just as fastidious checking for booze in Barcelona as well. Maybe we've gone to different sets but just to reiterate I have found the audiences pretty respectful. And I've met way more and way more friendly people at EP. Odd that we've had such divergent experiences.

Having said all that if I had to choose one or the other I'd take Primavera every day of the week and twice on Sundays. But I just think you're being unfair; if there's a 90% chance that you'd have a shit time at it then we can probably surmise that you just don't like festivals - with the odd extraordinary exception.

 

[nlgbbbblth]

I find Primavera much different. Rent an apartment.

DEAD MONEY

 

[nlgbbbblth]

What festival serves pints in proper glasses rather than plastic ones?

 

[therealjohnny]

 

[rettucs]

aswad at the r.d.s.

who did they support again? I was at that gig whoeever it was. Radiohead maybe?

 

[Anthony]

 

[CinnamonBoy]

Who the fuck goes to eat at festivals? I was at EP in 2005 and the only thing I ate was the fruit and sambos I had packed (my mum told me to bring them - good call), some class of a horrible sausage/rasher combo the next morning, a small tray of chips and a load of beer with some E. The best thing about the kip in the intervening 8 years seems to be Pieminister. Fuck that.