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Somewhere in Dorset there’s a field, where four thousand or so men, women and children had the party of the summer. They’ll spend the next twelve months making their friends envious with tales of late nights and great music, fun and games before they buy a ticket to do it all again. It’s my guess that their mates will all come along too and the party will be much bigger next year!

Seems to me some people know how to put on a good festival and some don’t. Some festivals are hits right from their tiny beginnings, growing year on year ‘til they hit capacity and then carrying on quite merrily into festival legend status. Some have people attend who say they won’t be back for one reason or another and struggle to find the numbers, they’re the ones who have got it wrong. Some are great organic beasts of fun where you have fun whoever you see and some are huge commercial ventures relying on big chart topping names.

Well LGO who put on Endorse-It in Dorset (EID) are of the former variety and did a superb job of organising one of the best small festivals I’ve been to in a very long time. One that both my wife and I and also our daughter will be eagerly awaiting next year!

Our arrival at the site was nothing short of surreal! We drove the car in through the gates and across the fields trying to follow the car in front while we all disappeared in huge plumes of dust, only just able to make out those walking the same track to the site, it was like entering another world. Eventually the stony, bouncy track led us to ticket exchange, looking like a staging post tent for a dessert expedition, but one run by friendly punks with green mohicans!

We drove through the outer cordon and then as tents and flags came into view through the gates and into the car park. Parking up behind the live in vehicles, some of which looked straight out of Mad Max! We could tell it was going to be good as the new Subgiant CD blared from a campervan and there were loads of red and black stripey jumpers everywhere! We met friends old and new before walking just a few yards through disabled camping which nestled at the site entrance and found a spot in camping not far from the entrance, the essentials shop and the facilities and a short walk from the resplendent Tipi Field, Healing Wood, family camping and the open most hours Henry’s Beard Café.

We’d left home late and so we didn’t have long to cool off after erecting the tents in the afternoon heat. Just long enough for a couple of tinnies before walking into the arena. The arena, was lovely and arranged in a large doughnut ring and talking of snacks there were lots of caterers and nice munchie places dotted all over the site, food was lush and cheap for a festival most big meals coming in at under a fiver. Yummy!

In addition to the three big stages there were lots of festival shops and places to part with your cash for bright shiny things. A collection of tents and a big field area near the gate was occupied with the children’s area with lots of stalls, kids’ food at kids’ prices and lots of things to make and do.

Superb acts, great food and drink, a wonderful site, great for families and kids, terrific music programming (enough to make other festival organisers jealous), grand weather and a wonderfully designed main stage! A feast for the senses in every direction! Primarily the music is ska flavoured but dance is catered for too in the Dance Tent, the bars and that crazy ‘Mexican’ place.

Hope it's all brought back next year cos it were amazing! So much so I bought the T-shirt too – ‘Endorse It - Probably the best festival in Dorset!’ () Understated, it were probably the best in the ruddy world! And I also bought a CD of the first festival in 04, well it was a steal at half price! They had a compilation CD of the bands on this year too, but it were too expensive. I’ve since discovered I love the Endorse It Festival 2004 CD so much I’m gonna have to buy the other two years’ too.

Did I mention it was one of the best weekends I've ever spent in a field?! Despite missing Here And Now it was lovely, we could tell it was gonna be something special when we drove into the dust cloud at the edge of the world and entered another place full of delights! Tremendous! Everyone I spoke to loved it! No aggro, no trouble, a great atmosphere and folks who like to dress up funny.

Thanks LGO and Flounder and Co. for one of the best weekends of my life - and you worked so hard to make it so! I thought no one could better Beautiful Days but for a fan of dub, reggae, ska, punk and psychobilly this was bleedin' perfect!!! It even had that there daaaaaaance moosic! Glorious it were, we all lurved it.

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