2009 Highlights

[beautifulloser]

I think all would agree that this year Richard and the team surpassed themselves yet again ( how much longer can they continue to improve year on year?!) and the weekend was a great success.

So lets have your top five moments from this year. Whether it is top 5 bands, comedians, food stalls, guest ales or overheard quotes, share them with everyone!

I'll try and go first although i reserve the right to change my mind as things come back to me! ( and in no particular order)

1. The airborne Toxic Event - certainly loudest band of the weekend. They would have got the locals complaining in the Mercury if they had been outside!

2. Idlewild - top marks for stepping up to the plate when the Streets dropped out and for also putting on a great show to a certain amount of indiffernce from the crowd.

3. The Joy Formidable - Great Welsh rock channelling Throwing Muses and the 4AD set

4. Wild Beasts - A wonderful late replacement.

5. Overheard on Sunday afternoon ".... people really do have some lovely rugs......" Rock n Roll!

[JakeBoz]

Airborne Toxic Event, Mystey Jets, The Beat, Bombay Bicycle Club and Joy Formidable were all my highlights of this year!

[SweepingTheNation]

- Monotonix, who I suspect might be turning up on a lot of these lists given how much of the rest of the day was spent overhearing people talking about them. The Jump seems to have already passed into legend.

- Wild Beasts. Third year in a row, but they just get better and better.

- David Thomas Broughton. I seem to have been drawn to oddballs this year, and few more odd than his incessant looping, straightfaced twitching and feedback solos.

- Future Of The Left. Really not giving an inch, and some MC mocking to boot.

- The Sonic Manipulator! Whether bodypopping to kids or in the village after dark.

[fakeplasticlung]

Has to be Monotonix on the indoor stage. A spectacle I won't forget in a long time. Managed to get a good few from upstairs. Enjoyed a lengthy conversation with a nice DMH steward lady who was both excited and shocked at the same time! I'd never thought I'd see the day when someone would jump off that balcony.

[JakeBoz]

I'd never thought I'd see the day when someone would jump off that balcony.

[SweepingTheNation]

He (being the singer from Monotonix) did have people to catch him, and it was his own fault as he'd just led most of the crowd up the stairs accompanied by the drumkit.

[JakeBoz]

He (being the singer from Monotonix) did have people to catch him, and it was his own fault as he'd just led most of the crowd up the stairs accompanied by the drumkit.

[Northeast-Corner]

Just an amazing event made better by the weather this year.

Highlights for me:

1. The Beautiful South - Amazing band and so good live; great way to end the event

2. Lightning Seeds - Kudos to Ian Broudie for refusing to pander to the pre-pubescent hecklers and not playing "Football's Coming Home"!

3. The atmosphere in the Musician Stage - always a favourite for me.

4. The wide variety of catering and good service with a smile especially in the middle beer tent

and off course

5. The people - an incredible mix of characters and personalities which always make this event what it is.

Thank you to the organisers for another first class event; definitely the best so far.

[seantizz]

Top five for me has to be:-

(1) Monotonix - That was just an unbelievable set....

(2) New Beautiful South- Dancing with friends - so so happy at that way to end festival..

(3) The Kabeedies - Lovely band, lovely sounds...

(4) Frank Turner - What a songwriter...

and (5) The fact that every single person on site seemed friendly, up for a great time and helped to contribute to one of the 'fantasticest' Summer Sundaes ever...

Sean

xx

[fullcollapse]

1 Monotonix - I've never had to chase a band to watch them, but I did, and it was awesome.

2 Idlewild - Just always amazing.

3 Her Name is Calla - Fantastic music and atmosphere, a good way to start Saturday.

4 Home brew

5 Friends

[seantizz]

The infamous balcony dive.... Wow!!!

[Marshall]

I wasn't even going to see Monotonix but when the compere said they were to play on the floor I thought it might be interesting but what an amazing show it was, completely blown away by all the chaos, superb!

[Ed Leaf]

All this talk of Monotonixs is just getting a bit much. At the same time as the wacky Israelis were jumping off balconies onto young Dec Guiney inside, these guys were pushing the envelope outside....

Looks at those trousers! Check out the tubby lad stage right! Gary Glitter makes comeback in the....hang on, this was the kiddiezone...errr....

Mr Moon & Mr Son made 3 year old Thomas role on the floor for half an hour crying with laughter. That was my highlight this year.

[bunkasthedog]

for what its worth, my personal highlights:

1: Imelda May: absolutely brilliant

2: Skint and Demoralised:

3: Airborne Toxic Event

4: Mr Hudson: didn't, but should have played covergirl.

5: Devon Sproule: even better than cricket to cure a hangover. but even in that daze, they were lovely.

bands who i'd have liked to have seen more of but missed most of:

1: the charlatans

2: The deap people

No real downsides this year due to the fact that i didn't camp: which was the low point of last year. guess drinking all day and being kept awake all night don't go well together.

[jay.v]

1 - Frank Turner. Been waiting ages to see him and he didn't dissapoint

2 - Easy Star Allstars. Didn't stop grinning for ages

3 - The weather

4 - Zutons. Not really my fave and didn't go for them, but I was impressed

5 - Breakfast at the Lansdown

Nothing to complain about, other than missing airborn toxic event. Well done and thanks to all involved

[Marshall]

so many highlights and will list more as I start to return back to normal! but how good was the free bulmers cider? I know you was only supposed to go over once (or once per day) but i visited many times and kept going over to a different person after I'd rubbed the stamp off! even the security on the gate said hello to me and laughed everytime I went through.

[beautifulloser]

so many highlights and will list more as I start to return back to normal! but how good was the free bulmers cider? I know you was only supposed to go over once (or once per day) but i visited many times and kept going over to a different person after I'd rubbed the stamp off! even the security on the gate said hello to me and laughed everytime I went through.

[JakeBoz]

so many highlights and will list more as I start to return back to normal! but how good was the free bulmers cider? I know you was only supposed to go over once (or once per day) but i visited many times and kept going over to a different person after I'd rubbed the stamp off! even the security on the gate said hello to me and laughed everytime I went through.

[Marshall]

I think we all enjoyed that method!

[andyblack]

highlights for me were

minnaars, maybeshewill, baddies, future of the left, airborne toxic event, the new beautiful south and mr hudson.

[Marshall]

the new beautiful south

[Northeast-Corner]

Oh and the bassist was lovely!!!

[DerrenCarlisle]

1. Kid British- dissapointed they couldn't get our house is dadless sorted but oh well

2. Beardyman- pure brilliance, just blew me away

3. Mystery Jets- absolutely blew me away

4. Having my birtday there- was a bit worse for wear by the day (sunday) but got through it well

5. Bulmers Tent- the security had got to know us by the end of the weekend but they didn't care; seemed like they didn't get on well with the staff haha

[Marshall]

the security had got to know us by the end of the weekend but they didn't care;

[onykahonie]

Highlights for me/family were, in no particular order - the weather, airborne toxic event, kabeedies, easy star all stars, zutons and bombay bicycle club, kids activities...also thanks to the organisers, security, toilet people etc for another well run event.

Lowlights were the general conduct of some of the young uns at night (oh it's so funny to go shouting through the quiet/family camping area at night...how we laughed when you failed to wake our children ) and the general lack of recycling by festival goers...how difficult is it to pick up your cans and cups and take them to one of the many recycling bins 10M away? Why use the toilet to dump your rubbish when there are bins right next to them?