children and parents are united by music at Endorse it in Dorset
Endorse-It In-Dorset 2011 review
Wednesday 17th August 2011
Is punk the music that helps to narrow the generation gap between children and adults? To a certain degree the Endorse It festival provided a weekend of nostalgia for the forty plus festival goer, and a lesson in musical history for their offspring. Children and parents united by music.
Tickets for the festival were a very affordable £78 for an adult's weekend ticket and the amount of entertainment on offer was very varied. There was a very popular children's area, with circus skills including tight rope walking and uni-cycling plus arts and crafts, as well as the adult relaxing area Pixie Chill. There was a dance tent that went on until 6a.m. and burlesque performances on Friday and Saturday night. The LOL comedy tent was popular, but some performances could’ve done with having a parental guidance rating.
Friday is about easing yourself into a festival frame of mind wandering around the site, poking your head around marquees and having a cuppa in the Tea Stop (if you're teetotal, underage or a reformed alcoholic) Otherwise head for the bar and sup some yokel Dorset ales, scrumpys, or perrys. Whilst UK Subs and Pronghorn, both played on the Desmond Dekker (main) Stage, deservedly drawing large crowds, it was noticeable that the main microphone sometimes cut out, this still wasn't rectified on Saturday which resulted in one artist throwing the microphone on the stage, much to the annoyance of the sound engineer, the responsibility for this rests with the PA company who should've rectified the problem long before then. You could also discover bands like Deferred Sucess [sic] on one of the smaller stages playing a mix of originals and deconstructed covers. It would be nice to see them on a larger stage in the future. Friday night's headliner on the Bus Bar Stage, Peter and the Test Tube Babies were very popular, playing their classic material such as Moped Lads and Banned from the Pubs. They provoked a viciously good natured mosh pit, however why do they now drink Scrumpy Jack instead of Merrydown Cider?
Saturday and it's as much a social occasion as it is about the music. The Rezillos and The Members provided a trip down memory lane. Random Hand's relentless touring schedule has reaped rewards, pulling a good sized crowd on the main stage with a polished performance. But best performance of the day went to the special guests on the Bus Bar stage, Vice Squad, old school punks who were followed by Dub Pistols who were very popular and played some cool tunes.
One nice little concept is the Purple Purge stage which is run and curated by teenagers, however, it seemed that the PA system wasn't up to scratch, and this caused some of the bands not sound as good as they possibly could be, which was a shame. But that aside it was well attended and great experience for all involved.
Sunday, as always was Ladies Day where everyone is encouraged to wear a dress. This event has always proved to be very popular with plenty of men walking around in dresses, some wearing wigs, and others wearing a full face of slap including false eyelashes! It's also the last chance to party, but not to worry because Karl Phillips & The Midnight Ramblers threw one on the Wildcat Stage with their couldn't give a toss attitude and a near the knuckle Lady Gaga parody earning them an encore. Heathward who preceded them delivered some of the heaviest bass experienced in a long time during their electro dance set. Whilst later in the day Radical Dance Faction (RDF) looked at ease on the DD stage, and duly obliged with the encore that the crowd demanded. A quick nod at The Wurzels on the Bus Bar Stage proved that they were a very popular act, perhaps due to their novelty, or maybe that it was Scrumpy Sunday and people were hoping for the chance to hear I am a Cider Drinker? Heading back to see Alabama 3 on the Main Stage perform an acoustic set which delighted their fans. Subgiant headlined and the festival ended on a high of dance music & techno.
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