Hi:Fi Blog: 'The Festival First Timer'

United Kingdom | by Ceri Yates | 30 May 2006

Page 1 Of 3

Slip into a secret supernova. A fantasy land where tunes are played dusk till dawn, drugs are the new oxygen, babies are made, accidents happen, smiles are beaming and just for a few days musical paradise is found. God is DJ.

Over 80 acts grace these fields. 46,000 fans, fans of funky, dirty, filthy, rocky, trancy music, lay in wait for the summer to rock up, and shake them senseless in the form of HI:FI 2006. 

Feel the elation as thousands of the same hungry, cult like public come together.  There’s not a dry eye in the house as the grins turn Cheshire, the hairs stand to marching order attention and the beat takes over…the red blood cells that keep the brain mesmerised and the heart longing for more.

I’ve always wanted to go to a festival, its always been the same old add to the list, the list of things to do before you're 30, the dreams you never quite get round to doing - all good intentions aside.  So sat writing this, my first festival, it’s a clean slate, relatively switched on, totally up for it and without doubt definitely something that should be off the list and experienced for all of you.

The tents up, sleeping haven and all round recovery beacon, we may be pitched in the wrong field, but the smiles growing as I head down into the main arena, and first up on my wish list is Adam Freeland. As Adam comes on stage I can barely see him over the decks with his mass of blonde hair and his weird and wonderful style. He sends the crowds insane with a fantastic mix of breaks and rock. Its so entertaining to look around what can only be described as a circus tent, greeted by a sea of clubbers, ravers, wannabes, a mist of deliriously happy drug fuelled festival antics. Adam plays some stomping tracks such as Soulwax 'It's The E Talking' and the DJ Phully 'Daft Fader' to name just a few. As the waft of weed floats by and energy fills the room, the fluorescent laces of the master before us shine under the decks as Freeland cracks out breakbeat to make your heart stop.

Tearing myself away it's over to the Electric tent for a helping of Nic Fanculli. Gather as the Mad Hatters tea party for all lifts the roof off with a little bit of bump and grind funky style. I stop and listen, all I can hear is the distant sound of a school playground, as though its two doors down at home. The gentle hum of activity and excitement bubbling for the game of tag that you’re about to win, and finally Nic steps up and takes charge of the ever growing numbers - imagine if you will a fairly glamour puss crowd, trucker hats, aviators and a lot cool people. The electro dirty side pulls through after a nice dose of Ibiza tracks twisted up, nicely lining me up as I hop skip and jump over the air breaks arena for the dynamic duo Evil Nine.

Tom and Pat rip up Nellie’s stomping ground with good, bad and down right filthy beats.  From funky to moody, time perfect and out to mess with your mind. With friends on stage almost robotic from the filthy tunes these two are pouring out, the semi erotic beats captivate and thrill the crowd…pleasing to say the least. Finger pointing, glowsticks waving, the masses throb from Evil Nine's ever present repetitive signature beat. The dancing girls and their podium style line up while the livewires on stage continue their quest for electro domination, the welcome audience pulse, their beat matching the masters before them. The music is as wrong as some of the people in the big top; I lose a few hrs to heavenly filth and before I know it, Evil Nine clear the way for Freestylers live!!

Chanting, whistling…the shouts and screams are deafening…the gang skid on stage like the Stig round Brands Hatch, the energy in the arena is almost consuming. The pace picks up and night draws ever closer as the sun descends, the rain continues and the temperature hot's up.  Looking back at the crowd as the acoustic acappella drops, wave of arms and laser disco wheels spin on the tent behind, like the London eye getting lost in playland.