D.I.Y FESTIVAl
seTTiNg up YouR owN f e s T i va L So you’ve done the big name festivals. You’ve been pissed off at the rubbish set timings, nearly cried as you desperately queue for a portaloo when your favourite band’s playing, and despaired at the cheese-fest that is the post-gig dance tent. What do you do about it? Well, you moan. Talk about how you’d do a much better job. And sign yourself up for exactly the same thing next year, as you look back on festival memories through rose-tinted glasses. But there is an alternative. ToS editor Sam lassmanWatts has been running his own festival for the last few years. It might sound like a lot of hassle to those of the ‘grinand-bear-it’ school of thought. A lot of organisation. But it can also be the festival experience of a lifetime...
why did you decide to put on your own festival?
We had this space in the garden and a big sound-proofed warehouse-style garage, plus access to an unused wood – it needed to be used. I also had loads of mates in bands and a dodgy bloke who gets booze off the back of a lorry. Charged a fiver to get in and it was drink as much as you can. Messy.
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how did you persuade artists to take part?
Well, it’s a secret festival in a wood, with endless booze. Why wouldn’t they want to play? over the years we’ve had The Joy Formidable, Citadels, Jukebox Collective and othello Woolf (before he was othello) play. last year Videopia turned up and we filmed ET which was pretty awesome.
what was the highlight?
The wall of sound that The Joy Formidable created was immense. But you can’t beat when the DJs get going in the woods. Candles everywhere and pounding music. Some randoms turned up one year, we charged why do people want to come to them a tenner to get in and a small festival in someone’s pointed them in the direction of back garden? the woods. That was it and we See above... plus there’s five didn’t see them again. acres of woods and no twats asking when Radiohead are on. what was the lowest point? It’s really just friends and their The rain is a pain, but it’s not the mates. We don’t put the address end of the world. down anywhere. You have to are you planning a re-run? know us to find it. Maybe. We’ve done it four how easy is it? years running now and each It depends how drunk we get. year is better than the last. I’ve got a mate in lA who wants to did you have a theme? organise it this year. As it gets Ha, yeah. one year when we closer to summer and starts to went to Bestival we thought we warm up it seems like a better should do fancy dress but only and better idea. told about five people. They words Meabh Ritchie turned up dressed as pirates.
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festivals 2011