Snowbombing 2010: Rated!

Various - Mayrhofen, Austria - 5-7 April

Austria | by Daniel Fahey | 12 April 2010

Overall - 9/10

The wildest and most intriguing Austrian discovery since the neighbours noticed Josef was spending an awfully long time in that basement of his; the 11th edition of Snowbombing should be the one that chairlifts Europe’s most magically unforgettable party from a week of rich kids' après-ski to a muso’s dream spring escape.

Not for the timorous, Snowbombing is the festival that never sleeps - it doesn’t even touch the pillow. It’s a wink-free week of reddening sunrays, thigh-aching ice sports and unimaginably impressive venues frothed up with as much Jagermeister and fancy dress that they’ll let you get through customs. And that’s without mentioning the nonchalant deftness in which the line-up sways from the daft to the darn right delicious.
 
Getting there and back – 7/10

The majority of Snowbombers are from the UK and the only locals around seem to be the bemused parents steering their children away from the sea of Schnapps-stained superheroes. Flights are the most direct route with two-and-a-half or one-and-a-half-hour transfers from Munich and Innsbruck respectively. For those who have a little more time to spare, there are coaches and trains direct to Mayrhofen but the most adventurous and exuberant ticket holders join a convoy of cars direct to the town as part of the Snowbombing Road Trip, which includes a stop-off for a boogie at Frankfurt’s Cocoon Club and plenty of random tasks to complete en route.

Site – 8/10

From indoor tennis courts to faux-traditional bars, the festival snowballs across the town completely taking over venues like a certain native dictator took over countries in the 1940s. The most breathtaking of bars is the Arctic Disco, an awe-inspiring gem of an igloo carved into the mountain halfway up to heaven with DJs, a bar and a view that Constable could only dream of. The Back Country Party, a venue only accessible by coach, is a traditional Austrian barn that welcomes revellers with the sound of the owner’s son playing the accordion. Elsewhere, the Arena and Schlussel are more modern adaptations of the drawn-out Alpine theme, while the Mixmag Terrace is an Ice-biza version of Café Mambo - well, almost. Hotels and hostels sit shoulder-to-shoulder with bars and eateries as the town covers the event in one encompassing yeti hug.  

Atmosphere – 8/10

They say atmosphere is infectious and no more so than here at Snowbombing. If you’re not dressed up as Jesus in a beard or you have forgotten to pack your gingerbread man suit to hit the slopes, then you will stick out like a fallen skier in deep snow. Those that know, do and love the festival are the ones that are involved from landing until leaving, whirlpooling revellers in their excitable wake as they go.

At times, the Alpine air is mixed with Faliraki immaturity (“Get your tits out for the lads”, “Do you remember getting your knob out on the dancefloor last night?”), but at others there is a sense of sonic seriousness, which is clearly what you get when you mix tongue-in-cheek entertainment (Mr Motivator, the Loose Cannons…) with more astute beat pleasures (Adam Beyer, James Zabiela…).  

Music
    
Uppers

Greg Wilson - 8/10
Mr Wilson, as the ladies down the Post Office probably know him, may be moving towards 60 but his sets still have more groove in them than the collection of unwanted LPS in your local Red Cross charity shop. The acid funk DJ doesn’t stick with old disco favourites all night, instead introducing spaced out and damn right smooth newbies, with even the Ting Tings becoming funkier than James Brown’s sock drawer.

Cool Kids Crew – 7/10
Bouncing behind the decks of the Scotland Yard Pub, the CKC look to be starting their party themselves, even if the dancefloor is way ahead of them. Chopping drum and bass, hip hop and dubstep, there only seems to be one of them doing all the work, but everyone needs three or four Bez’s, right?

Adam Beyer – 7/10
Far from making a racket in the town’s tennis club, Sweden’s finest techno DJ served up some thumping beats early in the week. With tight mixing and heavy grinding tracks, what more could you ask for on a Tuesday night?

Loose Cannons – 6/10
At the Mixmag terrace, the Loose Cannons make the wait for Mr Motivator much more bearable with a spattering of classic tunes and a selection of open-bassed dubstep. Add to this a sound effects machine that could have come directly from the Acme store and Snowbombers have a honk-honking piste party.

Downers

Disco Bloodbath – 4/10
With several shows over the week and many a London night to boot, you would expect Disco Bloodbath to be an act that warrants the attention but the nearest thing to gore and murder is the life being sucked out of their disco-inspired sets. Hollow basslines and pedestrian melodies backed by a disco beat just aren’t enough to hold our attention.

Matt Horne – 3/10
Yup, that’s right, Gav-la from ‘Gavin And Stacey’ fancies himself as a bit of a ‘DJ’, too. There’s no stench of “Do you fancy playing for two hours in return for a free holiday?” here – erm, honestly - as he unbashfully beat-gallops his way across the dance spectrum of commercial radio: ‘Bonkers’, ‘Around the World’, etc. – you get the idea.

Random events

Mr Motivator
The fitness guru, famed for his brightly coloured garb and having far too much energy before 9am on a weekday, is back on the slopes pumping up the Snowbombers. In his own words, as he weirdly grinds his bum: “Not bad for a 57 year old, eh?”

Narnia
Hidden to the back of the Racket Club, the organisers’ attempt to recreate C.S. Lewis’ ‘The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe’ is amiable, if a little amateur. But many festival fans still clamber through the jackets in the cupboard and past the row of Christmas trees to discover a whole new bar. It’s like we’re 12 again. Lovely.

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