General Feeling About This Year

[Kyelo]

The whole sniffer dog thing, well yeah they are trying to up stand the law...those laws which are wildly wrong! FACT!

[Stanton]

Oops, double post

Edited June 16, 2011 by Stanton

[rexclark]

I don't think the atmosphere was any worse this year than it was last year, if anything from personal experience it was better. As for the festival as a whole I think it's going in a direction that won't interest me much longer. The last two years have shown a definate change in direction and this year was by far the worst IMO. Like others have said the festival could have went in a direction like Bestival and it could've worked or it could've failed we may never know. I think there's room for a fest like Bestival. Ideally a mixture of Connect fest but with the dance elements the fest already has. But that's just my personal taste.

What I would say is that before the fest I was thinking this would be my last and although I'm not 100%, I would say there's a better chance of me going back again, especially if we get a good line up.

[bumper31]

I have already posted int the highlights and lowlights thread that my 4th year would probably be my last, I had a good time, but it certainly hasn't lived up expectations, especially as good as Kasabian where, and I really enjoyed them, I have enjoyed FBS, Chems first time round and Prodigy more.

The crowd has definitely been getting progressively worse, less chilled and more paralytic arses bouncing off anyone......I agree with the drug thing, leave out the dogs and tripping balls, stoned and rolling kids would be preferable to pissed up agressive twats.

Either way my point is: We are saying it is getting more popular.......but is it? When I looked at the crowd for Kasabian I can't believe there were more than 10k. Saturday was a bit busier and I thought there was more people in sunday. But if they sold 30-35k where were they? Maybe they stayed in the camp site? Otherwise it might not have sold enough tickets and be dying a death anyway, AEG have to make money!

[Kasabianite]

I have already posted int the highlights and lowlights thread that my 4th year would probably be my last, I had a good time, but it certainly hasn't lived up expectations, especially as good as Kasabian where, and I really enjoyed them, I have enjoyed FBS, Chems first time round and Prodigy more.

The crowd has definitely been getting progressively worse, less chilled and more paralytic arses bouncing off anyone......I agree with the drug thing, leave out the dogs and tripping balls, stoned and rolling kids would be preferable to pissed up agressive twats.

Either way my point is: We are saying it is getting more popular.......but is it? When I looked at the crowd for Kasabian I can't believe there were more than 10k. Saturday was a bit busier and I thought there was more people in sunday. But if they sold 30-35k where were they? Maybe they stayed in the camp site? Otherwise it might not have sold enough tickets and be dying a death anyway, AEG have to make money!

[gordong]

Highlights

-Skrillex opening the Clash on Friday, such a good opener for the festival IMO, really got the crowd going.

-Weather throughout the weekend (minus the rainy spots)

-New layout

-Laidback Luke's set on Saturday.

Lowlights

-Massive police presence + sniffer dogs absolutely everywhere. I understand why they have them but people are always going to take drugs regardless of the dogs and having them in the arena just makes a bad atmosphere imo. Busting people for weed at a music festival is a joke.

-Increase in people being absolutely legless and aggressive.

-Crowd being really bad in some spots, my mate got punched 'by accident' and I got proper taken out at Skrillex as a 'joke'.

-Festival needs another tent like the Annie Mac/Soulwax tent last year.

I think the line-up needs to change because Rockness is never going to compete with Titp and trying to book acts that are not suited to the festival is just a waste.

Edited June 16, 2011 by gordong

[kt034236]

There was too much Dub Step too! I was so excited about Annie Mac and most of her set was bloody dub step!!! I hate dub step!!! Not to mention she looked like she was having a bad day in her Fred Flintstone dress ha!

[_Warriors Dance_]

Busting people for weed at a music festival is a joke.

-Crowd being really bad in some spots, my mate got punched 'by accident' and I got proper taken out at Skrillex as a 'joke'.

-Festival needs another tent like the Annie Mac/Soulwax tent last year.

[Kyelo]

Yeah the whole cannabis being illegal thing is a f***ing joke. It's actually proven to be good for you lol. The government just wants you to think it's bad because they got it wrong in the past. Watch a documentary called "The Union: The Business Behind Getting High" very factual and interesting watch.

I got punched too. The guy who it was meant for dodged it and I took it to the face and my mate got caught from my whiplash lol. I was too drunk to care though.

[_Warriors Dance_]

Don't really understand that graph mate. Cannabis has not caused any deaths as far as I'm aware and can't imagine it causing any harm from smoking it. Ecstacy which is lower in that chart causes deaths. I'm not trying to spark and argument or anything I just don't understand what your graph is showing

[smutchie]

I personally thought this was my favourite year so far. Don't really understand a lot of peoples gripes...but each to their own.

Bad points -

* Magnetic Man MC. - How could anybody enjoy that?! He RUINED I Need Air.

* Nero being cut short halfway through 'Me & You' - OUTRAGEOUS!

* BBC Alba Coverage - Don't need to say much about that. I think everyone knows what I mean. Painful.

* Campsite on the Sunday night - I've always hated it, and it's because by this point I'm grouchy, nothing can be done about it, most people enjoy it!

* The knobs in the car park selling fake programmes - GET LOST.

* Glasvegas - Rubbish. But I don't like them generally.

* Not being able to get upstairs in Bacardi - I'm not a VIP apparently.

* Police searchs - I have no issue in being searched, I have nothing to hide, but they were pretty brutal with my bf demanding that he own up to what he's hiding as it will be 'easier' for him, he had nothing on him. I know they are just doing their jobs, but there was no need.He was let off in the end, although humiliated.

* The toilets - They were pretty grim this year. Especially in the arena. The stench by Sunday was pretty unbearable.

They are some pretty bog standard complaints. Otherwise I had an amazing time!!!

Good points -

* Chemical Bro's, Katy B, Boy Noize (from what I caught), Simian, The Wombats, Funk D'Void and many more I can't remember right now, were all fantastic.

* The Dance off at Dj Yoda. We started with about eight of us, and there must have been at least 100 at the end.

* The Hog Roasts!!!!!!

* Bacardi's Highland Iced Tea slushy! Yum.

* EFest banter.

* Wee Steve's pink pig hat.

* Having a shower and getting my hair dried - yes I am a sad individual.

* The Afterburner. Made my weekend.

* The weather wasn't tooooooo bad.

* WKD's, saved my life. So good for a hangover.

* Real Cider from Howards End.

* Our neighbours we met from Newcastle. Top class banter.

Can't wait for 2012.

[_Warriors Dance_]

To get upstairs at Bacardi all you had to do was get one person in your group to sign in to FB on their Ipads and "like" Bacardi then you and your pals could go upstairs. Was nothing exciting, just a nice view....oh and the Bacardi girls were nice too

[smutchie]

Yeah we did that. We were the first folk to be taken to the entrance on those bacardi buggies too. Amazing not to have to carry my bags.

So we got into the bacardi house we had a drink at the bar...then tried to get upstairs. No chance apparently.

[theampersanddevil]

Don't really understand that graph mate. Cannabis has not caused any deaths as far as I'm aware and can't imagine it causing any harm from smoking it. Ecstacy which is lower in that chart causes deaths. I'm not trying to spark and argument or anything I just don't understand what your graph is showing

[muffins]

I would imagine that harm is used in the wider context to include its effect on a persons mental health & long term physical damage, not just the physical effects of the drug while under the influence. It could also mean harm with regards to their effects on society. Without a source though to check against it means nothing at all though.

[Elbear]

Do they still have the legal high stalls?

I haven't seen any the last two years, but they were always quite a decent substitute for the real Mccoy!

[gordong]

I don't think they have them anymore, they are kinda looked down upon by festivals. To be honest, I've heard nothing but bad things from people who have taken them, apparently the pills can make you really sick and give you horrendous comedowns. If your into that, your probably better off taking the real thing .

[blackg1000]

I don't think they have them anymore, they are kinda looked down upon by festivals. To be honest, I've heard nothing but bad things from people who have taken them, apparently the pills can make you really sick and give you horrendous comedowns. If your into that, your probably better off taking the real thing .

[Kyelo]

Don't really understand that graph mate. Cannabis has not caused any deaths as far as I'm aware and can't imagine it causing any harm from smoking it. Ecstacy which is lower in that chart causes deaths. I'm not trying to spark and argument or anything I just don't understand what your graph is showing

[dbug]

edited

Edited June 18, 2011 by dbug

[_Warriors Dance_]

...so in England and Wales your looking at 33 per year which is a blip on the map(33,000 per year in UK for alcohol, 100,000 for tobacco and 600,000 thousand in total). The whole idea about drugs and ecstasy especially being highly deadly is one big, hairy bollox of a myth created by the UK redtops.

[meltedwellypuss]

I signed up to this two get my two cents in & here it goes. This was my second year at Rockness & I didn’t think it was as good as last year but I can’t quite my finger on exactly why but I have a list of theories. First of all right beside us in the campsite was the biggest group of little expletives I have ever had the good fortune to meet. They were throwing bananas at people, throwing full beer cans at our tents (obviously to make the best of a bad situation I drank their beer!) and generally being annoying young children. We gave them every opportunity to curb their enthusiasm but they declined, one guy in our group went over to have a square go at one stage and all seven of them sat there peeing in their pants. They actually threw two cans of beer at his head, now that’s bad craic. When he challenged them for throwing the beer they said it was an accident, of course Kyle struggled to comprehend how throwing two cans of beer at his head with such velocity. So he threw one back and sconed the boy in the coupon and said it was an accident. By the way I’m actually Irish I just wanted to shoehorn in ‘sconed the boy in the coupon.’ To say they were noisy neighbours would be an understatement. That soured my camping experience slightly. Now the second thing for me, & this had nothing to do with the organisers of Rockness, was a lot of people being on this drug the kids call ‘ket.’ Never touched the stuff myself, dirty drug to be honest. But it seemed pretty clear to me that any of my mates that were on ket at the campsite were no banter whatsoever, none.

As with inside the festival itself I have no real complaints apart from the bar staff and their lethargic attitude. That’s the one thing I think Rockness could borrow from TITP, the ticket system for drinks. One little rotund barman annoyed me so much I was forced to shout a barrage of expletives and I’m usually such a pacifist too! The Arcadia Afterburner was amazing; there are not enough superlatives to describe it. I do enjoy a bit of techno. The Chemical Brothers let me down somewhat; I just expected more from them. Rockness could have done with a bit of 2 Many Djs action in my opinion and Fatboy Slim was brilliant last year. Nutini was good as well, although I only saw his first 3 songs as I was missing the Afterburner. This year’s crowd was strange to be honest, a lot of really young people, which is fine, but a lot of older people too. People in their 40s that clearly looked out of place, oh wait; perhaps that was the drug squad. They amused me no end. ‘Hey mate, know where I can score some ecstasy.’ Ha ha! One of the funniest things I saw was a woman who looked to be in her 60s ecto’d out of her bin at the Afterburner stage. Good on her. The one thing I didn’t like was seeing a guy with his two year old on his shoulders with ear muffs on. No need. Seriously mate your kid is not a fashion accessory.

Now, I’ve only been to TITP once, sad really cos I live in Perth right beside the bloody thing, but I didn’t like it. Far too many minks and people generally seemed on edge. When I goto a festival I like to chat utter nonsense to complete randoms, its part of the fun.

I remember Witness festival back home in Ireland, it was amazing. When it changed to Oxegen it didn’t go downhill straight away but it did nonetheless. Although I made the fatal mistake of bringing my Glaswegian girlfriend over to Oxegen festival & she didn’t like the rain. That was a tough weekend of getting my head nipped. Anyway my lunch break ended 15 minutes ago so I’ll wrap this up; stick to the Arcadia Afterburner and filthy techno and you’ll do ok.

[Window Licker]

As has already been explained, it takes in everything from health to harm on society.

About the deaths...

Linky

...so in England and Wales your looking at 33 per year which is a blip on the map(33,000 per year in UK for alcohol, 100,000 for tobacco and 600,000 thousand in total). The whole idea about drugs and ecstasy especially being highly deadly is one big, hairy bollox of a myth created by the UK redtops.

[parkylad]

[quote name='Window Licker' timestamp='1308822517' post='3643480'

What really riles me about the whole drug affair is the hypocrisy of certain people (and I have friends who fall into this bracket) who treat grass and ecstasy as a social taboo, as a bad thing to be doing, yet happily chug down gallons of alcohol and turn into obnoxious aggressive mongos time after time ruining the party vibe.

[happycamper155]

first timer here

enjoyed it thought it was amazing, more in to Bands etc than dance music although i did enjoy that too

just back Glasto which was good, but all the walking and how busy it drained my quiet badly

just living outside Inverness Rockness is handy for me, and all my mates. And i like the size of it all.

would happily pay money for similar experience next year