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home » festivals » Blissfields » Blissfields Festival 2009
Blissfields makes a welcome return to the festival sceneBlissfields 2009 reviewTuesday 7th July 2009 Blissfields returned in 2009 after missing 2008. This is the eighth festival since it started in 2001 when 70 people arrived at Paul and Mel Bliss' farm for an afternoon party. The intervening years have seen it grow to a capacity of 1,250.
This year's festival was themed the 'United States of Bliss' and competition winner Joanna Rees was elected president. In return for luxury camping and her own private toilet she was required to attend activities over the weekend. Music at the festival is varied, seeing a wide range of musical styles coming together. Although predominately indie and rock there was also dance, reggae, folk and jazz. Friday night started with Nathan 'Flutebox' Lee and his unique take on beatboxing through a flute, supported by Wan Dan. Scarlet Soho then played their 80's inspired pop. Ben Howard, 2009 Red Stripe Music Award winner, was followed by Rebel Control, who got the crowd dancing along to their reggae beats. The crowd were able to relax afterwards to a mix of pop and hip-hop performed by Gideon Conn, whose clever and funny lyrics were well received.
For those feeling more energetic, the second stage offered Live DJs and dance bands, including Subsource, whose energy and stage presence brought to mind the Prodigy at their peak. The traditional Blissfields' open-mike session followed, where festival goers are able to get up and perform for general acclaim and/or ridicule. Saturday morning's grey skies and rain showers passed quickly, and at 11am the music started with a slightly hung-over rendition of the festival's national anthem. Afterwards, SixNationState performed an acoustic set, unfortunately no-one told the band they were playing acoustic and they ripped into a collection of up-tempo rock numbers with gusto. Life in Film, Cherbourg, and Thomas Tantrum all performed solid, if uninspiring sets, and it was left to Barefoot Confessor to bring the crowd back to life with a set full of energy. With so much happening in the main arena it's easy to forget that there is a second stage, and a trip over there rewarded us with one of the better performances of the afternoon, provided by The Ashbies, who made their mark upon the audience by playing some funky rock that got almost everyone in the tent dancing.
One of the stranger choices of the festival followed - Soweto Kinch is a talented saxophonist, but 50 minutes of free-form jazz is not what your average Imperial Leisure fan wants, and so the crowds departed at speed, leaving The Men They Couldn't Hang with a nigh-empty field to play to, which was a shame as I'm sure they would have won more fans otherwise. Those who did stay were given plenty of room to dance about to their energetic folk-punk. Subgiant have been a regular fixture at the festival since 2003, and played an anarchic set mixing dance beats with grungy baselines. Unfortunately their pre-sunset slot meant that the audience weren't able to wave their glowsticks and enjoy the light show, but they still danced along regardless. Headliners, Super Furry Animals seem to have matured - the Power Rangers costumes have gone, and have been replaced with a quiet, assured stage presence, although during 'Golden Retriever' they showed some of the energy that won them fans in the early years. Due to licensing restrictions mainstage closes at 11pm, but the party still continued in the Bradley Bubble with the Ambassadors Ball - a fancy dress party hosted by the Sombrero Sound System. Those wanting to eek out the last drops of the music were treated to Beans on Toast's musings on politics, love and festivals. Afterwards the campsite was dotted with impromptu gigs on acoustic guitars until the small hours, including one group near me obsessed with the 'Home and Away' theme. Is Blissfields a perfect festival? Not quite, it has a few things to sort out (more toilets by the mainstage would be nice, as those that were there were unusable at times), but it is certainly one of the best festivals in the country and certainly deserving of it's reputation amongst festival goers. 
review by Steve Collins / Marie Magowan photos by Steve Collins
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