Goods and Bads at Beautiful Days 2008

[William of Walworth]

Plus!

Music

1. Zion Train, main stage, Sunday -- the best I've ever caught them for years. Back to the original sounds of the Zion and what they do best -- dubbed up to the maximum and dancy as fukk .....

2. Tofu Love Frogs, Big Top, Friday -- OLD SCHOOL folk-punk revival, blew the roof of the Big Top off.

3. 3 Daft Monkeys -- reliably wonderful as ever.

4. Hobo Jones -- in the Prospect in Exeter on Thursday evening especially (that counts as part of the festival considering how may festie folk were there!) but also when busking in front of 'Junk and Disorderly' in the main arena on Friday, and as late replacements for John Cooper Clarke in the Little Big Top on Saturday.

5. 6 Day Riot opening the main stage on Sunday -- conditions were muddy and miserable (tho' not actively raining then) but their singer has a wonderful voice which lifted the whole small audience up! They were even better in the Bimble the night before too.

6. Squeeze, main stage, Friday -- marvellous. Old tunes, classic tunes, emotional tunes. I know all the words, have been a fan for years, and they didn't disappoint.

7. Justin Sullivan, Big Top, Sunday -- blisteringly powerful set. I don't know all the words (not beig an NMA expert at all) but I have huge respect for him after that set. He paid tribute to the anti A30-protesters (based in 3 camps within a mile of Escot in 1996/1997, and gave the magic formula for successful festival coupledom in a 'challenging' year!

8. Joolz Denby, Little Big Top, Sunday -- I'd never seen her and was expecting more in the way of political comedy (a la Atilla the Stockbroker?? who I missed this time) rather than the serious poetry -- but she was excellent.

9. Roots and Dub and Ting in the Leviticus tent, Friday. Great chill out area from parts of the former Exodus Collective (glimpsed Glenn Jenkins ).

Non-music

1. Delicious Otter beers! and plenty of them, fair prices, and no running out this time. Class choice of scrumpy for sale as well.

2. Lightshow from the hill above the Bimble Inn on Saturday night/early hours of Sunday morning -- eye opening when in an 'advanced' state!

3. Low key security. Even low key Police, compared to last time -- their active presence in the car park on arrival on Friday, was far less intense than in the last two years, by the look of things

4. Mutoid Waste Company having a big presence, with the spectacular flary lanterns from Trash City at Glastonbury giving it some after dark at Escot too, and lots of sculptures around.

5. Pete Lovejoy's stall (he was very friendly, but he'd forgotten me ... unsurpsingly ). And double page of artwork for the programme was class.

6. Friday's weather was pretty nice.

7. Toilets generally beautifully clean, with queues even for the cubicles quite rare.

Minuses

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Edited August 19, 2008 by William of Walworth

[catsta]

Good points:

ALABAMA 3, completely blew me away! IMO they were spectacular.

Zion Train. I had never heard of them, and i wasnt planning on seeing them, but I am glad i did. V. impressed.

Toilets. What a pleasure lol.

Otter and bar prices =)

Friday's weather. Bliss.

Bad points:

Bad car park organisation

Personally i didnt think the food was up to much. Altho i did have a good smoothie which cured my hang over.

My tent leaked!!

Very good festie and I shall deffo be back in 09.

Edited August 19, 2008 by catsta2001

[crewealexfan]

Minuses

<to follow in a later edit>

[ellal]

Good points:

pretty much what has been said already..

(and also our wet weather clothing finally got a thorough testing and passed with flying colours.. )

and yes the security was very low key and welcome as usual - I'm a firm believer that you get 'good behaviour' at a festival when people essentially 'self-police' !

bad points:

somehow missing meeting up with people again..

and

exiting the car park...

exiting the car park...

exiting the car park...

[technowomble]

The spoken word stuff on Saturday and Sunday was good, brought a different side to BD. Sorry, kindof like that thing, darling!

Yeah, the bogs were in good nick considering. Would have liked a few more urinals. You went into one, looked at the floor and thought "yup, I really hope that is mud"...

Zion Train excellent as always, Hobo Jones etc wicked, the Levs obviously. Transglobal Underground okay (even refusing to do their "big" hit). I even enjoyed Supergrass. Eat Static were wicked even just down to Merv.

Could the Levs not done something about the weather? Getting back to a flooded tent was no fun, but I'll get over it.

Extra straw would have helped with mopping up some of the mud, but I did not think it was too bad considering.

The biggest bonus was getting off the train at Feniton and finding a free shuttle bus! I could not believe it, freebe all weekend!

Big big bad point, when two people/acts I want to see clash!

That is about it.

[sarah.crosby2]

First time - loved it!

Ok the rain was nasty but it meant we saw stuff we would have missed otherwise!

Mud - oh well!

brilliant fest and will definatly be back next year!

fantastic!

[KAZRIC]

Goods:

Stiff Little Fingers, great set in the rain!

Levs, well aren't they always great at BD

Mad Planet: thanks for the shelter from the rain Iccy

Bads:

Wet weather

Poor security tower person in family camping stuck up the tower in the rain and wind; you guys are legends!!!

Edited August 20, 2008 by KAZRIC