overview

With no Glastonbury this year the event known as mainland Europe’s Glasto boasts a sell out extravaganza. The eight-day slog of camping makes it feel for some like the festival should be over when the music is just beginning. Rumour has it that people camp for two weeks prior to the gates opening to get the best pitch. I arrived on the Monday to find no hope of camping anywhere, but ask and the friendly campers will often move. Just be sure to ask before pitching...

It’s a little cloudy in the run up to the start of the main event, but it’s obvious that people aren’t all here for the music. The variety of things to do is astounding; each area of the campsite has what are known as agoras, communal points where you can cook and partake in different activities. These range from painting, skateboarding, climbing, swimming, etc. The best of these is the fishing, where 100 kr gets you a rod for 3 hours to try and catch your dinner, that can be cooked for you. My advice is to buy the power bait, as I was left hungry! As the tents are crammed in together so closely it is a good idea to have the cooking areas away from so many flammable homes.

The campsites look a real mess after just two days, people there either have money to burn or are continually too drunk to care about belongings. Table football, pigs heads, you name it, it’s sitting on one of the pathways. The best festival cinema I have ever seen sits in the East area of the site, showing various films, including a lot of Japanese horror (the original 'Ring' and 'Dark Water') and others like 'The Wedding Crashers' and 'Road to Quantanamo'. The cinema screen sits in front of real seats, all under the cover of a marquee, with popcorn to buy too! The highlight was the showing of Pearl Jam Live in New York, although it’s three hour running time was shortened to just two. Probably the closest the festival will get to have them playing here again.

As the days seem to crawl up to Thursday, when you have seen and sampled the campsite a few times and want to get in the elusive arena, a few trips into the town of Roskilde split up the day (and present the chance to get more supplies). A temporary train station is set up just at the side of campsite West, which runs all weekend. There you can check out some local museums for free by flashing your wristband. The food is cheap in the festival, so there is no need to buy too much, maybe just stock up with beer from the local Nettos.

Back on site the world cup is displayed over the skate park screen, allowing the two thousand English visitors to watch our defeat, and then hide from the ear bashings!

Everyone is eager to get into the site on the Thursday, and not for Guns N’ Roses, though it looks that way with the size of the crowd in there. The arena is a decent size, boasting six large stages, all undercover expect for the main Orange Stage. The safety procedures put into place after the tragedies in 2000 involve a two way system on either side of a walkway down the middle of the pit, preventing surges and lateral crowd sway. There is plenty to do, with a silent disco, fashion catwalk, a naked run, karaoke and the usual stalls.

Friday arrives with the sun belting down. There is no need to rush into the arena as the acts play until 4am, unlike the UK festival curfews. After watching Prodigy's Leroy in new band Hyper, and strolling over to watch Morrissey on the main stage, it is back to the Metropol (or Dance) Stage to see the Happy Mondays. A lot of English fans are present, as Shaun leaves Bez to work up the crowd. Back to the Orange Stage for the legend that is Bob Dylan, though many of the people I meet are there just for a glimpse of the guy, to say they have seen him (including me!). Playing in amongst the many quality Danish acts are The Streets and The Scissor Sisters with a late set (1am).

The weather really has arrived for the show, as Saturday is another belter. An earlier start today after nursing the headache from Tuborg lager and having to jump out of a hot tent too soon, for Lagwagon are playing their skate punk rock. The Deftones are on the Orange Stage growling for the large crowd, while Aussies Pendulum are shaking the trees surrounding the Metropol Stage (that is set back from everywhere else) with their catchy drum and bass. The main stage is very quiet, even hard to hear at the back of the crowd, but many people have ear plugs as the dance stage is deafening. Primal Scream are on the main stage before the popular Tool. A huge crowd gather to watch Him in the Arena tent, an impossible task for me at 2am.

The last day sun arrives and boots me prematurely out of my tent yet again. A lot of people are packing up and leaving. Not an odd thing to happen but the amount of people leaving prompt me to ask my fellow Danish campers. “You don't want to be here tonight. Pack up and leave you things in the safe lock ups”. A little startled I delve deeper and find that like Leeds festival goers the Roskilde campers like to start fires. And hit tents with bats until they collapse. With my flight booked for the day after and no escape I vowed to return early to the tent, and keep an eye out.

I leave early for the Mad Caddies whos ska punk has the Odeon tent rocking. I contemplated watching Damian Jr Gong Marley, but after a friend told me that Bob was a naughty boy and had lots of Marley children I figured I'd chill out and catch one of them another time. After probably my fifth Texan Chilli Special of the week (there is a good food selection but a lot of it is spicy) I wander over to catch Placebo, then catch a little of Franz Ferdinand. Going to my tent to check it (and collect beer) I return to watch headliner Roger Waters. Surprisingly we just stroll into the front of the stage area, where you would normally have to queue for. The chilli and lager start to take it's toll and after a little of the Dark Side of the Moon I retreat to my tent as promised to try and sleep. The quadraphonic sound of Roger's set up was amazing to hear, even from the camp, and I was pleased to hear 'The Wall' cover the whole site. Unfortunately the fires have already started, so I sit and nurse the same final bottle of lager for three hours.

Dozing I am awoke by the thumps of a bat on my tent, where I proceed to yell a nasty word to make the hitter aware I am in there, and not to destroy my tent. You can imagine the amount of sleep I had that night! All in all a good festival to visit, with plenty to do and some spectacular stages. Just be aware that there are urinals in the arena but none outside, so the hedges and fences after eight days of male (and female) piss is disgusting, and could leave you with a tummy bug like I got (with the dust particles and wee mixed up and landing in your beer). But definitely worth a visit. The Danes know how to party!

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