Melissa, sums up this picture
When I was 16 I was absolutely desperate to go, but my mother, who is a worrier forbade me. In any event, I had nobody to go with. It was not until I was 18 and met Rob that I got my first go on a festival at Reading 2001.
Reading 01 will probably always be the festival I look back at with the most fondness. Probably because it was my first, and also because it was awesome. This picture isn't isnt 01, I think it was probably Reading 2003...I cant find my 01 pics, but Im sure they are similar :)
Times felt simpler then, it was ok to hug anyone you wanted, join a hoedown for no good reason and there was a van that sold as many hats as you wanted for £1. What more could you want :)
We had a few years following at Reading with some epic musical performances, Marylin Mansun on stilts, Green Day's burning set and an accoustic set from Staind (because of technical difficulties) all spring to mind. But there were so many more...
Someone told me that they hated Reading festival as it was like going to a festival in a car park, looking back, it was a bit...but that didn't stop it being the best weekend of the summer :)
In 2006 my best friend (selfishly :) ) chose August bank holiday weekend to get married and so Reading and I had to 'go on a break'. We haven't been back since :(
2006 we headed North to Download festival. I remember three things about Download. 1) There was an actual riot, 2) it was dusty 3) Someone set fire to the toilets when I was in them. Aside from the fact Download felt a little like a war zone, It was messy and we had fun...see I look happy...and tanned...tanned no doubt because of the dust!
After Download, clearly we had a taste for change and it was decided not to go back to Reading the following year so on it was to Rockness. Poles apart from the anger of Download. Rockness on the banks of Loch Ness was a much prettier festival. Well pretty apart from winning the award for the worst festival portaloos I have ever experienced ( Evidenced by the fact I saw a girl open the door of one and be so disgusted that she threw up on sight of what was inside...grim) Fortunately we had paid an extra few quid for 'VIP' tickets, which did not get you much extra other than flushing toilets & a rhubarb vodka bar but in the circumstances it was money well spent! Here I learned that the Scottish can drink an impressive amount of beer constantly for days. Heights of hardcore I will only ever aspire to. Im told that weekend I saw Kelis turn up in a helicopter, the chemical brothers and daft punk. In all honesty I mainly remember meeting a man called Lauren...
not sure which one Lauren was... :)
In 2009 we did camp bestival, which I have written about in a previous blog. In essence its a family festival which is great if you have kids, but not my usual choice. I wont bore you with that again anyway and I'll move on.
In 2008 we got confident and decided to venture abroad for our festival fun. Lowlands in the Netherlands is a brilliant, well organised festival, the weather even held out for us and again in 2010 when we popped back. I don't speak dutch but but festivals are supposed to be mad so the fact that everybody is speaking another language just adds to the charm. In any event, when drunk everyone understands each other fine :) Setting aside my love of the 'Reading' years Lowlands is probably the best festival I have attended.
One of the best 'last night' parties Ive been to. Kees Van Hondt's DJ set on the final night is a mad mix of people dancing with bits of tree or random inflatables. I don't know why, as I say, I don't speak dutch. I'm not actually sure if the dutch know either.. All I know, is that it is sheer brilliance! :)
So after the fabulousness of Lowlands I'm unsure if I have spoiled myself for the festival that I was so desperate to go to when I was a young un. The cleanliness of the Netherlands is to be swapped with what is almost guaranteed to be a mud bath. Im excited, Im scared and to be honest for £200 Im expecting great things. So come on Glastonbury...show me what you've got....
