V memories

[Gaaz]

i've just got back from V festival in staffs (the one WITH oasis ) it was my first and i really really loved it. just thought i'd make a post to give people a chance to share their favourite V 09 memories.

[spawn_e_git]

Went to Chelms. I've been every year since 98 and although you get a lots of posts about it getting too Chavvy etc (which there is some truth in), I thought this was one of the better organised V for a good few years.

We had not queues getting into the site even though it was 3 o'clock when we got there. Campsite better organised and less queue's inside the arena. Yeah there will ALWAYS be queue's straight after the band has finished but if people just walked to the far end of the bar's, there is much less of a wait.

We had wristbands for the Hidden Garden thing which whilst nothing special, it was a nice chill out place and a lot less Q for the bar.

Not really that fussed about Oasis. I would have seen them but I've seen them enough before. Maybe if Noel could have done it on his own I would have preferred it more as I think Liam is a cock but they are a band and if he's ill and the band pull out then it happens. Happened with Travis a few years back they put the Chemical Bros there instead....I mean a DJ set as a festival headline? I never get that one but then its a personal opinion.

Packed up this morning and had hardly any wait to get out, again, organised traffic control with a plod on a motorbike making sure the stewards were listened to.

All in all a good weekend and great weather. and I'll be back again.

One really good surprise for me was we were in the Strongbow tent and a band were playing and to the side a young kid with hair like the Everton player Fellani was setting up. He looked like he was shitting himself and he tried to plug everything in genuinly looked like he was crapping himself. The heckling of "Fellani Fellani whats the score" from us lot didn't help one bit but he came on and smashed the place up. He was excellent and by the end was playing up to the crowd and giving out CD's etc. To see someone look so uncomfortable in front of the people and just have such a good time was one of the highlights for me. Benji Boko well done!

[nodgersboots]

i've just got back from V festival in staffs (the one WITH oasis ) it was my first and i really really loved it. just thought i'd make a post to give people a chance to share their favourite V 09 memories.

[plectrumknight]

Arrived at Chelmsford around lunchtime, no queue to get in. Able to set up tent in good time, and was able to save a spot for a friend turning up.

Getting to know our neighbours and having a few cans with them.

Friday night very chilled and relaxed.

Drank bit too much on saturday and passed out for the killers oops.

Relaxing day sunday.

Great time with friends.

Looking for ALan.

One of the highlights though was watching the group of red camp thieves being ejected off site - still makes me smile to think about it now.

[theramm]

Went to Staffs, been to the last 7 V's and this is mostprobably my last. Not because of anyhting particularly bad this year but due to the steady decline & better alternatives.

The weather absolutely saved this year IMO. We were due a good one after the last couple of years.

Traffic was horrendous getting there but as soon as we arrived all was good.

Pitched up in Silver, went to get our food & drink from the car only to be told we couldn't go back until we'd got our wristbands, even though we had our tickets? First time this has happened..bit of an inconvienience but ho-hum (security were complete dicks about though! Why do they feel the need to bus a load of retarded jocks in to work there?).

Ventured to the arena Friday night, qued up for drinks token then went to the indie disco...absolutely jammed but fun all the same.

Acts I saw :

OCS - Always reliable

James Morrisson - Met up with mates on main stage & couldn't be arsed to watch anything else, sooo mundane, If he was any more middle of the road he'd be a cats eye.

Biffy - Put on a blistering set, loving the new tracks too

Snow Patrol - Watched about half an hour, meh

The Enemy - After Snow Patrol had almost whipped the crowd up into a coma we wandered across to see these, wish I'd watched all of their set. Didn't rate them last year at Leeds but were great on Saturday.

Oasis - Looked like a great set & a motivated performance, gutted at the sound quality though.

Mr Hudson - Alright

Red Light Company - Excellent, this years unexpected gem

Taylor Swift - Tiny crowd, watched a couple of tracks out of morbid curiosity, very polished but unltimately w*nk

The Noisettes - Huge crowd, unser if it was because of their popularity or the poor mainstage?

Asher Roth - Really tried hard to get the crowd going & won most people over. I'm a huge hiphop fan & he's a very average MC but did a cracking job of getting a tired Sunday afternoon audience bouncing.

Dizzee Rascal - Awesome as always, good fun & a MASSIVE crowd.

The Specials - Fantastic, much smaller crowd than I expected but got right to the front & got my skank on.

Razorlight - Caught a few tracks from near the back of the mainstage, seemed really good..loved VICE.

Pendulum - Fantastic! Loved their set, thought they were much better than at Download this year.

Pete Doherty - Again, tiny crowd...guess most peeps were at The Killers. Good performance but disappointing when V cut the power off at the end of his set (reached his time??) which was a bit of an anticlimax, cue hundreds of cups & bottles being pelted at the stage.

Loads more chavs there this year too! Everywhere I looked I saw men in grey tracksuit bottoms.

Getting off the car park was a dream this year...really well organised. Our neighbours on the campsite were lovely too.

[princess9785]

Got home from Chelmsford this afternoon and it was my first ever festival and it was fantastic!!

We was in Red camp and our neighbours Hazel, Bear and friends proper made my saturday night when they came and join us for our BBQ and "Stacey" eat all our food , I hope Hazel & Bear found my blanket and hoodie warm

Sunday night was eventful when i heard some girl getting beaten up by her boyfriend behind my tent and there was not a thing i could do about it.

The Script, Lily Allen, Gary Go, Lady Gaga and Pixie Lott was the ones that stick in my mind that i really enjoyed.

Didnt enjoy the toilets but hey thats festivals for you as i have been told LOL.

Will wait to see who may be playing next year before i think about buying my ticket.

[serginhowardinho]

It's a shame to have a moan immediately after a festival but i will anyway:

This was my first ever visit to V, although it was my fourth festival of the year (after Glasto, T in the Park and Lovebox) and i've gotta say that i was completely underwhelmed.

I've got absolutely no complaints about the line-up - i knew it before i arrived and was happy with it then! I felt the scheduling was slightly off kilter i'm aware that things are booked well in advance and their popularity increases/decreases over the passage of time. Contractually i'm sure it's very difficult to alter things, although i do wonder whose idea it is to have bands playing 25 minute sets? It simply isn't long enough at all. A band barely hits their stride before they're making way for someone else.

I thought the provision of toilets was terrible, particualrly in the campsites. I get the impression that the V organisers provide the minimum required by law, which is just not enough. I camped in Gold and although the queue was well marshalled it just took too long to get to the loo. Luckily i'm a bloke, but it's really annoying when the female half of your group are reluctant to drink much because they can't be bothered waiting ages at the portaloos just to have a wee. Things in the arena were slightly better, but it's inexcusable that the organisers are not prepared to pay more to provide more facilities. The toilets at the back of the 4music stage turned into a 'piss swamp' because rather than queuing men were just wanging their cocks out anywhere. Obviously this is not a new phenomenon, but could have been partially resolved by sticking more urinals around the site - and preferably not on the crest of a hill where urine seeps down towards those sat enjoying the acts.

It took us over four hours to get out of our car park too. I've read on here that other people had no problems, which merely serves to confirm my suspicion that the morons marshalling our car park couldn't organise a piss up in a big field.

Poor sound quality on the main stage was also a problem, and there also seemed to be a real lag between the video-screens and the sound. This wasn't a problemon the 4music stage, but i saw it repeatedly on the main stage. Science is not my strong point, but since light travels faster than sound should we not have had a delay on the vocals rather than the visuals?

Now i've had a moan it's only fair to point out the good stuff too:

Elbow were absolutely brilliant - surely they last time they ever play a festival set before it gets dark: they're now too big to be playing so low down the bill. Dizzee was absolutely class and The Specials were special too, despite the relatively small crowd. Terry Hall's pro Manchester United gloating is always amusing too. Song highlights for me included The King Blues cover of Bonkers, Borders by Sunshine Underground and 2manyDJs moving seamlessly from Slayer to Dolly Parton. And obviously the weather was wonderful too.

A really good weekend with some really good people (and i met some cool new folks too) but unless i received cast-iron guarantess that some of my gripes would be resolved i'll not be back at V any time soon.

Onwards and upwards: Leeds festival here i come...

[chilisara]

I had a really great time - I agree with everyone who has been going a long time like myself and it is not the same festival at all... but I knew that and my only complaint on that front is fecking tarty teenage girls (and boys come to think of it) ... I cant bare all the hair straightening and fashion parading that is done - dunno why but I hate it!!! Its not what going to a festival is about.

Anyway, happy memories are of the killers, dancing with my bf and him getting me to the front safely and well just enjoyably.

the wombats

happy mondays

Pendulum.

BIFFY!

James, lady gaga, mgmt.

Im sure theres more but I loved all these (oh and I did see tinchy stryder play number one and love it and cant make any excuse for it - guilty pleasure!)

Carrying "linford" round all weekend... our blow up doll.....

WORST THING EVER THO

2 w*nkers who worked there, on a buggy thing on monday morning in red near tower 16 (where we were camped)..... who were just running over tents - PEOPLE COULD STILL HAVE BEEN IN THEM!!!!!

I can not even begin to describe how I feel about this... I want to email someone at v but do you think there is any point? I still feel soooo sick a the thought and memories of seeing this

[bekimo]

I can not even begin to describe how I feel about this... I want to email someone at v but do you think there is any point? I still feel soooo sick a the thought and memories of seeing this

[percybigun]

Says it all. There is no one to complain to cus no one gives a flying f**k!

[sammy2009]

report it to the HSE or something like that, they'd be duty bound to investigate (we all know how OTT the H&S culture has become, but tits like this feel they are exempt!)

[Carpetburn]

I know from talking to female friends of mine that you could kill an hour-and-a-half queueing for the loo and queueing to buy a drink. That's not on.

On the bars issue though, I have to say though that much depended how quickly you got in to the site. We bought pretty much all our tokens at 12.30-ish Saturday and queued for no more than 2 mins. Also, if you timed it right and avoided the peak times (between sets) I didn't find the queues at the bars too bad. But another bar would not be a bad idea.