Bestival Blog: Day One

Day One (Friday)

Arriving on the delightful Isle of Wight rather late on Thursday after queuing all day for ferries, taxis and chip butties, The Fly sadly misses the chance to catch the second UK live show from the heavily hyped but wonderful Janelle Monae, whose smooth-as-silk debut album ‘The ArchAndroid’ has been a permanent fixture on my iPod playlist of late. I am assured by those who make it that she delivered a polished and “tear-jerking” (sic) performance.

Bestival is surely the best-looking UK festival, with its dazzling display of twee fairy lights, oversized models of inanimate objects and of course the colourful costumes worn by the friendly, glamorous crowd. The Fly is roughing it in the regular campsite but there are deluxe yurts, teepees and all manner of additional “glamping” accessories at this festival to help posh people feel bohemian but stay clean. Despite my clear bitterness, as the weather deteriorates and my clothes get muddier and damper I almost begin to regret not having forked out a small fortune for a semblance of comfort.

After being woken up at midday on Friday by some chirpy middle-aged types blasting out Stereophonics, (grr) I head to the main stage for London rapper Example. His live set is like listening to forty minutes of bad stag-do karaoke. However, I seem to be alone in my disdain. To Example’s credit the remainder of the crowd appear to be loving his tunes, and I must admit the irritatingly catchy chorus to ‘Last Ones Standing’ stays in my head for the rest of the day. Afterwards, mild relief comes from the eclectic electronic stylings of Kieran Hebden aka Four Tet. The rubbish sound in the Big Top tent (too much bass!) fails to spoil his hypnotic set, complete with trippy green and blue strobes and a mesmerising hula dancer.

As ever, Kendal’s Wild Beasts put on a fantastic show and get everyone dancing like madmen but unfortunately Hayden Thorpe’s vocals are a bit muffled in the eternally bass-heavy Big Top. I miss the end to dash over to the main stage and see a bit of Dan le Sac and Scroobius Pip. I have a bit of a thing for le Sac’s own brand of bolshy South London charm and really enjoy his streetwise, prophetic flow – always a pleasure, particularly in the open air. At the risk of sounding sacreligious it’s a bit akin to a modern-day Moses or similar, but with better trainers.  Afterwards Gil Scott Heron proves why he is one of the coolest men of his generation with a magical Main Stage show, uniting both old and young in universal appreciation. 

Joy Orbison play a blistering set in the Big Top, but it’s far too hot. My friend and I make the fatal mistake of popping outside for some air, and get stuck. Suddenly, there are people everywhere – there is no way of getting back into the full-to-capacity tent, not when The xx are just about to play their first triumphant (rightly so in my opinion) post-Mercury set. It is testament to their talent that even standing outside the tent and watching them on a big screen they still make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Always modest but magical, the trio mix things up a bit, adding a dubsteppy twist at the end of ‘Basic Space’, and seguing from ‘Shelter’ into an instrumental version of ATB’s Eurohouse classic ‘9pm (Til I Come)’. Oliver Sim thanks the crowd for their rapture, and says they won’t be coming back for a while – they are going on tour in the States. I wonder if they will be embraced there, but one thing is for sure – they have cemented their status as national treasures at home.

Dizzee Rascal finishes up the night to a vast audience on the main stage. I love Dizzee and he is always a treat live, but my usual gripe about him not playing enough stuff from his debut still stands. None-the-less he and his super band run through all the big hits with their usual energy, charm and passion, and the crowd go absolutely mental. A perfect end to a fantastic day of music. I am looking forward to tomorrow’s lineup, which includes Hurts, Roxy Music and Oklahoma’s finest The Flaming Lips, but for now it is time to sleep!