The Big Chill 2008 - Rated!

United Kingdom | | 06 August 2008

Overall  - 8/10

With 2008 marking the 20th anniversary of acid house, The Big Chill is the festival where old skool ravers bring their kids.  And why not?  Families who rave together, stay together!  There’s hope for the next generation when you see hoards of under-10s enjoying a festival as much as you are.  The eclectic mix of music, comedy and spoken word acts means there really is something for everyone and it’s a weekend of discoveries just waiting to happen.  The range of food and drink available is quite possibly the best of any festival but such luxury that comes at a price.  A meal with a drink can easily set you back £10-£12.  You can’t bring alcohol from your tent into the music arena, so after day one the less fortunate festival goers end up drinking the cheapest lager instead of sampling the amazing cocktail bars on offer.

Getting There and Back - 7/10

Train to Great Malvern Station with a free return shuttle bus service dropping you at the main gate.  Quick and easy.  There is also a taxi rank in the South Car Park with plenty of cabs available.  You do need to haggle on the price as the cab drivers in Herefordshire and Worcestershire seem quite happy to rip you off by doubling their normal fares.

The Site - 9/10

The festival is set Eastnor Castle Deer Park, located in the picturesque hills of Herefordshire.  The main stages and tents of the site are very easy to move between and most of the camping areas are quiet.  If it wasn’t for the incredibly steep hills separating the music from the camping areas – which feel like Mt Everest after a full day of wild abandon – the site would have received a 10/10!

Atmosphere - 8/10

They don’t call it The Big Chill for nothing.  This is one of the most relaxed and friendly festivals going, which is why it attracts so many families.  There are two outdoor stages, a comedy tent, a spoken word tent, a media mix tent plus a music/club tent that must fit 10,000 people.  There was also an Enchanted Garden with organic food as well as an Art Trail at night.  No area felt over crowded (except during Bill Bailey!).  If you want to get stuck in, it’s easy.  If you want to kick back and relax, there were plenty of areas for that. 

Music - 7/10

It’s not all about the music at The Big Chill, although the music is very eclectic.  From Leonard Cohen to Trentmoller to Norman Jay to the Peatbog Faeries, you really can’t a more diverse line up. There is a lot of folk and musical comedy from old and new.  The big name DJs play the main stages as well as in the cocktail bars.  They have movies in the media tent.  Even the kids have their own tent.

Uppers

Bill Bailey - Bailey’s superior mix of music and comedy can’t be beaten.  While discussing the intellectually challenged, Bailey likened them to Daily Mail readers and said, “By the way, if the Daily Mail are here, you are despicable scare-mongering scum fucks…and you can quote me on that.”  With one of the largest crowds of the weekend, his set had to be broadcast on the Big Chill Radio Station to the 10,000 or so people in the field outside tent who couldn’t get in.

Johnny Flynn & The Sussex – In his ripped jeans and Dead Kennedys t-shirt, Flynn looks like a young Kurt Cobain (without the drug problem) but plays alternative folk that is as far from the hippy camp fire as you could possibly get. Tracks like 'Tickled Pink' and 'The Box' get better with every listen.

Alabama 3 – covering Johnny Cash’s ‘Folsom Prison’ and mixing it with ‘Sound Of Da Police’ by KRS One was a touch of sheer genius, one of those festival moments that send you slightly nuts and something only Brixton's wild card finest could ever get away with.

John Metcalfe - performing drum n bass with a full live band including grand piano, double bass, violin and theramin was truly spellbinding. He definitely picked up a few fans with this performance.

Lykke Li - the young Swede plays catching thinking man’s pop and  even covered Vampire Weekend’s next single ‘Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa’ to great effect.

Martha Wainwright – The moody American proves she isn’t so moody after all with a dazzling performance.  “I’d like to thank my brother for teaching me sing this song. Thank you Rufus.  I miss you,” says Wainwright as she kicks into a passionate rendition of ‘Stormy Weather,’ showing her depth as an artist.

Downers

The Mighty Boosh – Sacrilege, I hear you say!  They win the award for most costume changes, but these didn’t go smoothly and left big gaps in their set.  Still, this is The Boosh so when they did get it going, it was highly amusing.  There is something very surreal about standing in a field with 15,000 people at sunset, collectively shouting “Eels! Eels!”

BFI’s BUG with Adam Buxton – Sadly, the entire set had to be scrapped in the end as they couldn’t seem to get the visuals to working even after several attempts. 

The rain - It never rains at The Big Chill, err, only this year it did. Fortunately it was only the odd shower which forced punters to run for cover but, c'mon, this ain't how it's supposed to be here.

What else..

Randomly catching a fantastic solo acoustic set from Nigel Clark of Dodgy in the Sauza Tequila tent Friday afternoon drinking margaritas while the sun was beating down.

The effort made on imaginative fancy dress among punters is fantastic.  There was a group of ten airline pilots and stewardesses, in heels, who looked like they had stolen their outfits from a major airline.  Another large group came in an Ancient Greece theme were in very impressive togas.  There was even a large group of men dressed from the Bjorn Berg/John McEnroe era of tennis:  all white shorts, socks, t-shirts, complete with sweatbands, moustaches and tennis rackets.

by Alison Kerry