Bestival 2008 - Rated!

Robin Hill Country Park, Isle Of Wight. 5-7 September

United Kingdom | 09 September 2008

30,000 underwater freaks came, saw, slipped around and left covered in mud - but did falling on your bum spoil the fun?

Overall - 8/10

Mud, mud, rain and more mud, you’d be forgiven for thinking this year’s Bestival had the makings for the worst festival of the year, but think again. It seems that nothing can stop the good times at Robin Hill and as Rob da Bank confided to VF on the opening day, “It’s the people that make it”. By Saturday you could barely recognise the objects stumbling round in sludge as actual people. Covered in mud, fancy dress or both, all you could see was the white teeth of their smiles. But despite the war-like conditions little was affected in terms of the production. The main stage was closed Friday morning while plastic flooring was laid, meaning the loss of Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong and Bastila, and the BBC Introducing stage was affected sporadically, but it’s a miracle and testament to all involved that there weren’t further major disruptions. Ultimately, no one seemed to care they were plagued by the type of wet and windy conditions you wouldn’t normally go out for a drive in, let alone stumble round dressed as a crayfish, and the attitude shown by all has to be commended, especially the hundreds who face-planted in mud to rounds of applause from delighted onlookers!

Getting There and Back – 7/10

It’s not the easiest festival to get to by any means but there’s something about crossing the Solent that only adds to the anticipation of spending three days in the middle of nowhere. A childhood holiday destination, the Isle Of Wight has a mystique about it which brings out the kid in you again and that’s definitely an attitude required when getting married in the blow-up Chapel Of Love or getting dressed up as a giant shark. Red Funnel ran a very tight ship in keeping all their ferries on time to transport 30,000 people to their destination, and were even decent enough to let us on the next boat after we missed the one we were booked on. That’s proper festival spirit.

The Site – 6/10

Let’s face it, it was a bit messy! For its inaugral four years Bestival has enjoyed being bathed in sunshine so this year’s combination of storms, wind, rain and mud provided organisers with their first real test. Fortunately they passed with flying, if not slightly mud-smudged colours. Once again, Josie Da Bank’s attention to detail was second to none with every stage and area receiving the loving treatment of those who hold Bestival dear to their heart, it’s just a shame you couldn’t really make out any colour by Sunday.

Atmosphere – 9/10

A sell out crowd partied through the conditions to generate one of the best festival atmospheres of the year, a communal spirit of defiance meaning everyone battled through the elements together (apart from those who left early, of course). Saturday’s fancy dress parade saw tens of thousands of ‘freaks’ following the underwater theme, while others were everything from clowns to dogs to microwaves, and the party continued long into Monday morning.

Music – 8/10

Uppers

Ebony Bones
With severe weather warnings taking out most of the afternoon music on Friday, it was down to Ebony Bones to rock a sodden and steaming Big Top. Heavy reggae riddems, calypso beats and costumes as colourful as any fancy dress over the weekend the Brixton youngster kick started Bestival taking it from soaked to superb.

Foals
No strangers to festival glory, Foals finished the season as they started it; head and shoulders above the norm. The rain lashed down harder than any other time during their set, but it quickly turned to steam as thousands jumped around to the likes of ‘Cassius’ and ‘Olympic Airwaves’, while singer Yannis Philippakis aptly changed the words of ‘Two Steps Twice’ to “Bestival learn to swim”. We were already half way there.

The Specials
Where other band reunions have been built up with bells and whistles, the formidable reuniting of ska supremos The Specials was kept a secret until the Saturday afternoon. In suits as sharp as the musicianship, the Coventry 2-Toners energetically conquered the Bestival. ‘Message To You Rudy’ and ‘Too Much Too Young’ remained timeless, though it was the omission of ‘Ghost Town’ that kept the band’s set just short of perfect.

Midnight Juggernauts
Celebrating their last festival show of a long year, the Australian electro rockers put in a performance to rival all before them with a stunning show in the Big Top. Boasting a bag of epic tunes, the highlights being ‘Shadows’ and set closer ‘Into The Galaxy’, the trio rocked and rushed in equal measure - the perfect way in finally get over that Sunday morning hangover.

Rob da Bank
Da Bank’s traditional closing set in Sunday night’s Bollywood Bar made sure the Bestival’s fifth birthday celebrations were wrapped up better than any present. A hit-fuelled medley that included The Gossip’s ‘Standing In The Way Of Control’, Blur’s ‘Song 2’ and DJ Hype’s ‘Super Sharp Shooter’ ensured the mud-plastered masses won’t forget the ’08 edition for some time. Even better though was the site of the Bestival boss getting stuck in with the ‘rescue’ effort on Friday, spade in hand distributing wood chipping around the site to stop people sinking in mud. And that’s a sign of dedication to the cause. Top man.

Downers

Amy Winehouse
So the saga continues. With the ‘will she, won’t she’ argument bubbling around the site all afternoon the Queen of Camden’s eventual appearance was anything but regal. Arriving 45 minutes late, Winehouse mumbled, missed cues and tried to learn guitar onstage rather than singing. Her band adamantly went down with the ship but Grace Jones’ earlier surprise slot made sure there was only one lady of high seas during the weekend.

The mud
Yeah it was fun for a while but by Sunday everyone was feeling the strain. Ultimately it added a new dimension to Bestival and showed that it’s not just Glastonbury that can be conquered in sludge mode, if approached with the right attitude. But the darker reality was that people were getting injured throughout the weekend and having very early ferries home. Not next year please.

Random Stuff

Young mud Sliding
When you've already fallen over in the mud, what else is left to do? That's right throw your son down the steepest hill you can find and then body surf after them on an inflatable lilo.

Or...
Outside the Big Top on Saturday night you may have noticed a group of young lads standing next to a giant star. From this star extended a guy rope which proved, quite literally, many people’s downfall - only all was not what it seemed. At one end stood what they described as a ‘distractor’, a guy armed with a swirling glow stick to capture attention, while at the other end of the trip rope a huddle formed, thus creating a funnel for unsuspecting stumblers to trip head first in the mud. While this may sound cruel it was extremely funny – and I can say so, I was one of their muddiest victims.

30,000 Freaks Under The Sea in fancy dress
Best check our photo gallery for all the best stuff... HERE