It’s the first year for Bestival’s little sister, and I’ve never seen so many men in dresses in one place. It’s a grand excuse to strip away the mundane and embrace the insane at this Mad Hatters Tea Party on the Lulthworth Castle Estate in Dorset.
The highlight of weekend was undoubtedly Mr Rock n Roll himself no less - CHUCK BERRY! Is there any other man alive that is more responsible for the way in which we experience music today? No Chuck Berry no Rock n’ Roll no Punk Rock no ArtRock. He was utterly mesmerising, his venerable age only adding greater gravitas to his performance, as he waved his guitar around like a madman during ‘My Ding-a-ling’. Alas, he didn’t manage the duck walk.
BLACK KIDS kept everyone into Saturday afternoon, after which JOE LEAN AND THE JING JANG JONG could be spotted mincing around like prima ballerinas (always a pleasure to see boys mince).
Camp Bestival had been advertised as a family friendly affair, which may have put some people off the idea. Yet there’s some truth in the fact that kids are usually dragged to festivals. Their wellbeing and enjoyment is a top priority here, though to be fair so is the enjoyment of every kind of freak - all ages and all backgrounds going into a proper mix. What’s more the line up across the whole weekend was very impressive… apart from KATE GASH.
Most adventures could be had off the beaten track, where sets around a campfires and the like could be found. I found one such band of Northern Irish oiks going by the name of SMOKEY ANGLE SHADES; think Chaz N’ Dave meets Crosby Stills, Nash & Young.
Further afield there were parties inside Laundretta’s Travel Bureau where a combination of obscure 70’s tunes, ludicrous accompanying costumes, obscure sexy dancing and mind altering role play games could transport your mind on a plane to another dimension.
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