overview

Guilfest will be remembered once more for one thing, the heat. Wow, what a scorching hot weekend! Well it’ll also be remembered for lots of happy sunburnt people and for once again garnering the line up with a few surprise gems.

For a few energetic souls it’ll be remembered for Saturday’s charity run, where people ran alongside a few celebrities including Janice Long, our exuberant host on the main stage for most of the weekend.

Due to bad planning I managed to miss most of the musical highlights, we arrived too late for Nizlopi, but I caught both Kosheen and Sandi Thom in equal measures both surprisingly good. I missed Gary Numan due to Guilfest’s very own Flaming Lips – The Boy Least Likely To and their giant animals, but he sounded terrific at times.

I watched the rather pleasant A-Ha but fortunately left for the more passionate Blue Oyster Cult, my personal highlight of the weekend! Donovan was better than I expected and rather excellent in the frazzling heat. Stereo MCs rocked the place and drew in the crowds. Simon Friend was passionate but having seen him so often I really should have opted for Sparks as what I saw of them was tremendous.

Overall, despite a line up with some repetition from last year Guilfest managed to pull some rabbits out of hats with a selection of acts which were a cut above the rest and not usual festival fare, a feat they achieve every year!

The Stranglers v Hugh Cornwall battle had me fall on Hugh's side it's the voice of the Stranglers more than the sound of the band for me. And Billy Idol was on form but him having played his hit for me ‘White Wedding’ early meant I could watch the band I’ve missed too many times The Waterboys. A decision I didn’t regret but it tore at my heart strings to leave the festival afterwards. It was an all too perfect finale.

I thought it was nice to see that kids were given a bit more free reign by their parents this year - and clearly felt it was safe to do so. I actually felt the Ents24 stage felt more like a festival crowd with it’s motley crue of festival regulars more prominent and the main stage with all it’s fold up chairs and picnics rather more like a party in the park for South East.

The main food market area thoroughfare with the Funky End tent in its centre 'felt' like a classic festival. The stage got everyone dancing and walking from the Unison bar at the top to the Comedy stage at the bottom I felt I was at the core of the festival and it was great to wander through at anytime of day. The other atrium with the Unison zone, kids area, Pimms bus (they go to all the best festivals, or is there more than one?) and Nintendo Comedy Café had a similar vibe but it fell slightly short of legendary!

At the top of this area another real ale and cider bar like the Ballard’s Brewery but at Ents24 would have been nice rather than a broken margarita bar, which had their equipment making slush puppy margaritas melt in the heat! The crowds were such over the weekend, as the festival was hugely well attended, that going to the bar along the drag beside the info tent took a lot more time, although the queues for the bar were mercifully short as the bar is so huge!

It was too hot for our daughter though, who at 10 got rapidly (well within hours) bored of the kids area, and run out of pocket money to pay for the rides quickly – she would have happily stayed in the Nintendo Tent - but we didn't feel playing computer games and watching lads make fools of themselves was suitable after her second hour refusing to move from there. So she found shade, and refused to move preferring to read a book and tap her feet along to the main stage.

The heat and the crowds at the main stages (are there no fast routes from stage to stage with sometimes less than a 10 minute gap in start time?) were the main obstacles for me, I found it impossible to cover the festival as much as I wanted and I pretty much wrote off the 'youth' festival happening around the Rocksound Stage. Hats off to the organisers who had a whole separate 'youth' festival going on down there and they were all having a wonderful time, texting their mates who swelled the numbers more and more. Although I did manage to see the rather excellent Mohair but the heat in the star covered tent was bordering on instant whitey!

Food (and beer) prices were for me no way cheap, but then I live in a part of the country where beer still costs under £2 – so in order to budget I had to skip at least one meal a day. Although portions of most things were big enough to share, there seemed less familiar food caterers on site this year.

The Unison area was a good idea but not enough acts on it, pity Simon Friend never showed up, just think if he had I wouldn’t have missed any of Sparks. But they were giving away free helium balloons, bonus! The vox pop with kids and what do unions mean to them had my interest but started at 11am we couldn't get on site in time.

Why was this? Well, because we were having to walk from the disabled/family camping all the way around (in the wrong direction) the copse of trees and then back to the Spectrum (for a swim) and then past the 'Fire Exit' (this access was open last year!!!) only passing within feet of our tent, and a grinning steward who had watched us go all round the houses) . We then carried out the same journey back with wet swimming kit - which meant we missed the dancers, some of the Ukeleles and the vox pop. But we did have a relaxing, cooling swim.

There was a nice addition of a big screen this year, although the adverts between the bands sucked!! The speakers and sound were great on Main stage but the second stage needed more welly. possibly a couple borrowed from Funky End.

The comedy tent was heaving, the silent disco was fun and the theatre sent my cidered mind a wandering. The Kids field was expensive - we paid same money for more turns on rides at a festival the week earlier and both have a free kids ticket policy - which I do understand means stuff must be paid for, but at least we got in there this year! Horray!

But there no cheap squash for kids - in that heat, criminal really as some parents were more adjusted to the heat but amazingly didn't realise their kids weren't! There were many kids crashing in the sun - and their parents had to be explained to what was wrong! Unbelievable and at least more water/juice could have stopped this happening so much, that and better education for some parents who clearly had no idea!

The late licence was nice, but some stuff to watch while enjoying it would have been nice, either a light show (illuminate those trees organisers - most festivals are doing this now - it's cheap and it creates a wonderful impression), performance art, fire displays or some random stuff happening outdoors where we can enjoy the cool at last.

I’m hoping for a slightly stronger line up next year and more sleep - the revellers beside us were arses who wouldn't shut up all night - so much for family (quiet camping) - although they were the other side of the walkway from us and therefore exempt.

My other gripe is campervans, paying full price of a ticket and £70 over too - a rip off - especially as the £70 paid for nothing extra.

With so many numbers and such lovely weather Guilfest has changed - it’s now a hugely popular regional event I feel. The organisers have little need to provide a wider variation to be a festival with far a field appeal and it can continue (most successfully) to cater for the immediate vicinity as a fun day out/weekend for the locals and teens of the area. But there’s always that extra act and rarity to draw those of us on journeys over three hours and we get tempted every year.

I hope they continue to expand the acts on offer, offering more unique acts not appearing at plenty of other festivals while still retaining regulars like The Ukulele Orchestra who are nice familiar favourites.

Latest Updates