Secret Garden Party
Abbots Ripton, Cambridgeshire
22-24/07/2011

Set amidst lush, rolling Cambridgeshire fields, The Secret Garden Party is a thing of beauty. Lovingly crafted stages undulate in and out of sight and, drenched in sunshine, as Abbots Ripton is once and for all by the Saturday, the festival has the look of a Teletubbies set crossed with some kind of parallel celestial haven. To complete such a perfect sight, all that’s needed is a perfect soundtrack. And it must be out there somewhere. Obviously, this is no Leeds or Reading – this is an event that sells itself on spirit rather than big names and corporate sponsors – but that seems to be the magic of it.

So, the goal of the weekend becomes to discover new artists and future music hidden in some of the many nooks and crannies just crying out to be explored. And here and there it is possible to come across bands with real potential playing under trees or in small tents. Life In Film certainly make the most of the surroundings. Like a Beatrix Potter version of Kings Of Leon, they offer the same sense of celebratory verve inherent in ‘Only By The Night’, only minus the fireworks and expensive decorations. Lovely. Elsewhere, though, there is equal proof of a depressing dance scene. So, skipping the likes of Chew Lips, I Am Kloot, and Slow Club because it makes sense to check out the sounds of artists that don’t cross our path so often actually proves to be a mistake. Yasmin does offer a glimmer of hope – she has an immaculate voice and, if someone writes her a ‘hit’, her performance here could be something people still talk about in five years’ time.

Otherwise, the landscape over these three days is too often filled by DJs playing a grimy mix of dubstep and drum ‘n’ bass that feels out of place in this whispery oil painting of a place. However, regardless of the state of dance music in 2011 (and despite the worrying fact that Leftfield’s headline set feels more inspiring than anything the newer artists are trying), there’s still no denying that trekking through The Secret Garden Party is a pleasure. It’s just funny that out of all the people trying to tap into the mood of a festival defined by the fairylights twinkling in the trees, the moon reflected in the lake, the audience spread out in heaps across the glades, it’s a band from the CBGB-based New Wave scene in seventies Manhattan that really shows everyone how it’s done. Blondie inject some much-needed melody into proceedings. ‘Maria’ gets everyone singing along, ‘The Tide Is High’ still retains loads of the sexiness that must have oozed from every note when first being performed, and the exhilarating ‘Atomic’ is the song of the weekend. No, Secret Garden Party isn’t a Reading or Leeds – it’s something totally different, something completely adorable and breathtaking in so many ways – but still Blondie prove that every festival benefits from bands that can unify a crowd just like they do.

Johnny K