Friday

Beautiful Days continues to grow steadily and for the first time the festival, now in its third year, had a line up of bands starting on the Friday tea time. Which was just as well because the traffic had jammed the roads to Fairmile and for many a short journey to the site took many hours.

Once we’d finally arrived on site the first thing we noticed was how much bigger it had been made. The ‘Big Top Stage’ was now in a much larger tent, the kids area was slightly larger, meaning there were less caterers at that end of the arena now and more toilets had been put in. The entrance to the festival site had been moved and there was now a large field for the family/quiet camping, which also included a storytelling area.

This year campervans had their own dedicated field but it was a fair way from the site and had, so I was told, only four toilets for everyone sleeping there. And there appeared to be much more space dedicated to car parks clearly a lot more people were expected this year than last.

Once we’d passed through the arena, using a pedal taxi to transport all our kit for a reasonable £5, it was obvious that changes had also been made to the campsite. The ‘Little Big Top’ now containing the ‘Pussy Parlour’ had been moved across the valley to the back of the campsite and now had ‘The Tiny Tea Tent’ next to it. The whole site had been carefully decorated with wonderful site art and there were much more flags fluttering overhead this year.

Once the tent was up, the skies looked ominous and we got one short shower that was to be the only rain of the evening. The bar opened and Otter Brewery’s ales began to flow as we chatted, spoke to friends stuck in the traffic queue on their mobiles and read the programme for the line up – realising that we’d have to choose carefully which bands we watched as there were many clashes over the weekend. I’m still not impressed with the programme, it supplied us with a decent (if less thrilling) map and write ups for the bands playing but little else, no pictures of last year or much to make it a souvenir of this glorious weekend.

Eventually six o’clock rolled around and ‘The Big Top’ was packed to see The Levellers’ acoustic alter-ego ‘Drunk In Public’ entertain us and get us all moving. They played a blinder! It was a fantastic spark to set the festival off and as we headed for the main stage and I Am Kloot, the weekend long party was now in full swing. Once again the atmosphere was relaxed, there were lots more people, more fantastic stalls – selling quality wares and even a chai tent! Result!

My only complaint is that the track way through the main site, could seriously do with repairing and the entrance to the main arena could do with being a little wider. Although the location of the toilets and the hidden urinals on that side of the main stage was an improvement for access from last year when people queued beside the stage. As was the fact they were kept clean – please note the organisers of other festivals!

I Am Kloot were fantastic, with their darkly humorous songs and moody music played to great effect and although they are perhaps too eclectic to make them main stream they were perfect on the day and a great warm up for the mighty Dreadzone and Michael Franti and Spearhead double header. Both sets were just awesome full of energy and a superb climax to the opening night. Looking back on it now, for me Friday was the best night of the three, although that could be because we were all so damn pleased to be having to finally be at Beautiful Days.

It was interesting to note that without cameras and screens there, there was no clutter of flags in front of the stage and wherever you were in the arena you had a good view of the stage.

Eat Static were still going by the time I reached the ‘Little Big Top’ after being distracted by glow in the dark – Tron figures, fire poi/staffs, the light display on the white flags behind the bar, (a CD of images borrowed from the Grateful Dead no less!) and the mirrorballs outside the dance tent. ‘Future Sound of Exeter’ ensured the partying continued long into the night, as it did in the campsite with some of us witnessing the dawn of Saturday before turning in for some sleep.

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