BESTIVAL

Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight | September 5th-8th

Voted Best Major Festival last year in the UK Festival Awards, Bestival had a lot to prove. And with huge names in electronic music – some on stages, some hidden within the Ambient Forest – and some of this country’s most talked about live acts playing alongside US hip-hop royalty, they delivered.  

Friday brought with it desperate excitement. Jessie Ware took her rightful place on main stage late afternoon, wearing a sailor outfit and ‘A-hoying’ the crowd frequently. The crowd got down and sassy to Sweet Talk and Never Gonna Move and Ware made a point of saying how much the turnout meant to her. It was the starlet’s last UK show in support of current album Devotion, and the general consensus seemed to be that she went out on a high.

That night, the main stage played host to The Flaming Lips, complete with customary psychedelic visuals and bizarre props. Wayne Coyne and co teased out many a track from their latest studio effort The Terror, which is not the most upbeat record you’ll hear, and that came through quite clearly. There was an overarching sense of darkness about the performance, with classic Do You Realize? slowed down from its usual romantic reverie to something far more sinister, which was furthered as black confetti was released over the audience. Ending on A Spoonful Weighs A Ton, gold confetti was to follow; an attempt to leave the crowd maybe feeling somewhat upbeat after a sombre experience from an act whose live embodiment may have taken on a less celebratory slant, but remains completely thrilling.

It was Bestival’s 10th birthday bash, so Friday night needed a headliner to get everyone in the mood. In the wake of The Flaming Lips, a pick me up was badly needed. In stepped Fatboy Slim (probably because him and Rob Da Bank used to hang out loads) to raise spirits with his opening of Right Here, Right Now. Being his second headline slot at Bestival (having topped the bill way back in 2004) he knew what he was dealing with. Despite a sag in energy halfway through the set, samples of Tina Turner, Daft Punk a his own Praise You soon revived the atmosphere.

This year’s fancy dress theme was HMS Bestival, and the varying degrees of effort on Saturday soon became clear: some folks simply sported a sailor hat, whilse others went the whole hog painting themselves head to toe in green, covering up the appropriate body parts with sea shells. The evening was spent at The Port, a gigantic ship which throughout the weekend played host to many a DJ, as dancers and fire-breathers dangled from boats on cranes above. Cyril Hahn got the girls grooving with those R’n’B reworks that bring Tumblr to its knees, before Julio Bashmore followed with just what the crowd was yearning for, sparking manic dancing despite the drizzle.

After a stirring and hypnotic set from Jon Hopkins, it was time for Snoop Dogg, or is that Snoop Lion? He seemed to stride onstage as both. Emerging to the reggae track Here Comes The King, he gradually made the transition back to his Snoop Dogg persona, dropping an array of his own bangers alongside snippets from Katy Perry’s California Gurls and Calvin Harris’s Feel So Close, which went down a storm with the younger factions of the crowd, though some more seasoned hip-hop heads looked understandably horrified. We then went headed to the Port to watch Hudson Mohawke drag Blood On The Leaves out as much as is sonically possible and drop Higher Ground in perfect time with fireworks and fire. There was loads of fire at the port. So much fire. 

As you’ve probably heard, disco’s been pretty big this summer, and the resurgence of Chic has played a big part in that. Reminding us early on in their Sunday night  performance that “All this shit you hear tonight are songs that I wrote”, Rodgers hit us with the classics which have got all the major festivals getting down: Le Freak, I Want Your Love, and a medley of non-Chic tracks he’s had a hand in. Ending the customary melee of dancers/technicians/crowd members on stage was a perfect end to this joyful performance.

Then came Elton John, leaping into The Bitch is Back in a flamboyant sequined long tailed coat. For his first ever UK festival headline spot, the 66-year-old serenaded the crowd into a frenzy with I’m Still Standing, Candle in The Wind and Home Again – a new track from his forthcoming album The Diving Board which was met with a surprising singalong. We were capping off our Bestival experience in a lovely manner, that is, until we went and got a battered and bruised down the front of Texan garage-rock bros Parquet Courts’ sweaty 1am set.

In its 10 years, Bestival has succeeded in mastering the tricky balancing act between expansion and retaining a community feel, due largely to a following which continues year on year. And thanks to skilful booking, a magical location and Sir Elton John, 2013 saw the institution continue its phenomenal record.

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Words: Holly Matthews

Photo: Dan Dennison