When the Mighty Boosh first started to gain momentum, word spread so quickly that I couldn’t be introduced to someone without them spitting a diatribe of Boosh greatness. So when it came time to sit down and watch the first season I was inevitably disappointed (later seasons went on to inject the same enthusiasm that I in turn had been subject to). Splendour in the Grass, like the Mighty Boosh, had always come with a five star rating, and I was worried that my experience was not going to live up to such hype.
As we drove to the site I saw streets lined with every kind of person. Skater punks grabbing onto the backs of buses, groups of young girls dressed in matching neon outfits, old hippies clinging to their fading youth and locals squeezing through the crowds to pick up their quart of milk. The atmosphere bred excitement.
In the hustle and bustle of meeting, greeting and getting some kind of bearings I didn’t have time to make my way to the stage to see if there was a crowd congregating. All I knew was that we were playing on the main stage in what seemed the world’s largest tent. After the usual “can you please get on stage now” yelled at us at every festival by the stage hands, we walked out to a full tent. A sigh of relief and all round smiles.
Backstage we were introduced to Seymour Stein, CEO of Sire Records. Known for signing bands like The Ramones and The Smiths, you may have seen him on the End Of The Century DVD. Meeting him was a trip. He has the voice of a record executive and his enthusiasm for music has clearly not waned.
It’s easy at a festival to become sidetracked by rendezvous, alcohol and forced conversations. However eventually I was able to venture into the site to visit a surreal tepee village, markets and meet up with long lost friends and occasionally see some bands. I jumped side of stage to watch Vampire Weekend play a smashing set that prompted some of the biggest sing-a-longs I have ever heard at a music festival.
The Presets impressed me greatly. The audience was putty in their hands. Whether you like dance music or not it’s impossible to deny the universal power of their hit songs. “Are you the one?” and “I’m here with all of my people” are lyrics that appeal to ultra cool kids at the trendiest discos, to the twenty-something country lads who go to their local equivalent, and everyone in-between. And it was this reason that everyone in that tent had their hands up bouncing to the beat.
To be honest, the rest of the night was a bit of a blur, but eventually every party has to end. And as we left the after-party, walking back across the dark fields of the Splendour site, I felt that all expectations had been surpassed. People dressed in fluoro jackets raked up the mess, while tents where stripped in complete silence. Seven of us crammed into a car and drove away from our first Splendour experience.
By William Drummond. I play bass in British India.
