Standon Calling 2012
Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th August 2012Standon, Ware, Hertfordshire, SG11 1PR, England MAP
£99 for a weekend ticket with camping
Daily capacity: 2,000
I'd heard many special things about Standon Calling from friends and so on in the upcoming weeks to this festival, so my hopes were high. As always with high hopes, I was expecting them to be dashed, but oh my how I was proven wrong.
As soon as I walked into the festival site I heard an Indie Beat, reminiscent of the Kaiser Chiefs escaping from the well renowned Cowshed. Walking into an area adorned with chairs and sofas covered in Astro turf, and a colourful array of sitting cushions, I started listing to the indie quartet The Tricks. Although at this time of day the crowd wasn't huge as most of the revellers hadn't arrived yet, the ones that were there certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves. With a bouncy brit pop beat, they sang into the early afternoon sun, accompanied by tight, well rehearsed music; it was certainly a nice vibe for mid Friday afternoon.
After such a serene band I decided to take a wander around the rest of the site, and what a treat it was. Next to the campsite entrance there was Happy Hookahs, A shisha tent filled with tables and cushions, and selling Shisha and Tea, it even had an open mic there so anybody could book a time and play their music to the punters, a wonderful idea!
I decided at this point to take a wander back round to the Cowshed, being early evening the tone had changed somewhat to something a bit more lively. Hawkeye were playing their own brand of screamo which once again, the crowd certainly seemed to be enjoying.
I spent the rest of my evening around the main stage. Vadoinmessico were the first band I saw, playing nostalgic psychedelic freak folk they were another energetic group to be enjoyed. With a wide array of instruments (Including a giant Bongo), and a drummer that stood and played with intensity, their music flowed over the crowd setting the crowd up for a great evening of music.
Next up was Casiokids, with their unique brand of electro pop, they drew in the crowds and had them dancing en-masse. Personally I wasn't a massive fan, but who am I to judge when they were being enjoyed by so many people. One thing I will say is they certainly put on a show, with an array of bizarre instruments (Glockenshpiel included), a huge lightshow, and a resounding Bassline, they set the stage nicely for the one and only Beardyman.
I ended my night witnessing the opening of the secret stage, which this year was a dance stage, disguised as a giant treehouse. Starting with Toddla T the stage opened up as soon as the main stage ended, with an MC setting the vibe and the DJ throwing out instantly recognisable dance tunes the crowd once again started to converge. After spending a while in the DJ booth I decided to venture down into the crowd and enjoy the rest of the DJ's they had playing that night (My favourite of which being Shy FX), and spent the rest of my Friday evening dancing around a tree; certainly the sign of a good festival.
review by: Lawrence Wheeler
photos by: Lawrence Wheeler
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