Never again.

[markqpr2000]

I was at hylands and had no bother. No piss landed on me and yellow camp site was noisy but friendly.

[oneeye]

I was at hylands and had no bother. No piss landed on me and yellow camp site was noisy but friendly.

[CDESSEX]

It's about time V became a 3 day festival like Reading

[Festival Zygon]

It's a real shame that some people have had such bad experiences at V. Whilst V is the only festival I've been to (Hylands for six years running now), I find it difficult to believe that the sort of loutish behaviour referred to is in any way confined to V Chelmsford, or even the V festival in general.

Sadly, that sort of thing happens in any town centre on a Saturday night, throughout the country, so maybe we're a bit naive to think it won't happen at a festival. Maybe not at one of the smaller ones, Hop Farm, Rewind and the like, but certainly at the big ones.

I know it shouldn't happen, but unless the festival becomes teetotal and each stage is patrolled by riot police I don't think there's an easy way of stopping it. Sadly, it's representative of society as a whole, not the V festival.

Personally, I had a great time this year, as I do every year. I saw no trouble whatsoever (apart from the usual cups/bottles being thrown) and the general vibe was much better than last year. Maybe I was just lucky and didn't choose to see the same acts as those favoured by most of the yobs? Maybe it's because I don't go anywhere near the front of the main stages and if I do see any trouble, or feel threatened, I just move somewhere else? Whatever it was, I'm already looking forward to V2013, whatever line-up is announced next year.

What is clear however is that V Festival organisers need to take a step back and cast a critical eye over the way they run the festival and make a real effort to win back the people who've had such a bad time in recent years. I'd suggest they start with the idiot running their twitter feed - their promotion of "that" you tube clip with the caption "so wrong but so funny" simply beggared belief!! What were they thinking??!

Surely they must be concerned that "early bird" tickets for next year are still not sold out - they'd all gone by the end of the first day last year! I know there's a recession, but I'm convinced that it's the increasingly bad reputation of their festival which is the main issue and the sooner they wake up to that the better.

Anyway, before the negative vibe completely consumes this forum, I thought I'd introduce a more positive spin by running through some of the things that I thought were really good this year -

1. Queues

   Yes, I know the bar areas were even busier than ever due to the hot weather and yes, I remember that just 4 or 5 years ago you rarely needed to queue at all for a drink - but the usual queues to get into the park itself were non existent this year. Both days we arrived before 11am, walked straight up the the gate, had our wristbands scanned and walked in. This is a massive improvement on previous years where the doors didn't physically open until closer to 12pm and everyone outside the campsites had to queue until then. We've missed part of the first band before now because of the time taken to get into the park so this was great.

2. Access to the Arena Stage

   Previous years have seen a ridiculous high fence placed between the Arena area and the C4 stage, with one door in and one door out. One year, security even checked people's tickets again before letting them through! Whilst this was clearly done for crowd control reasons, it often caused huge bottlenecks and a lot of frustration. No barrier this year and it worked much much better.

3. Bar Prices

   It's high time the Arena and Undercover bars served proper pints and not warm bottles, but that aside it was good to see tokens priced at £4.20 this year. Hardly cheap, but many music venues will charge you £5.00 or more, so this was encouraging. The ability to pay for vouchers with a credit card, at every window, also meant that there was much less of a queue than usual - and punters didn't have to carry large amounts of cash around.

4. Toilets

   Maybe it was just me, or just the hot weather, but the queues for the toilets seemed much smaller this year. I'd also echo a comment made elsewhere that there were far fewer people openly urinating on the floor this year. Even the women were doing it last year, but I didn't see any of that in Chelmsford this time around.

5. Shuttle Buses to Chelmsford

   Yes, they used to be free, but tickets are still only £5 for unlimited travel all weekend and it's a great service. How many other festivals have such an efficient way of getting in and out of the festival site from the centre of town?

It's only right that we have our moans - and we ought to direct them straight to the festival organisers rather than confine them to this forum - but let's not forget the good stuff as well!

Edited August 24, 2012 by Festival Zygon

[Big Vern]

It is impossible to explain until you have done it, but once you go to Glasto, you will look back at V and think "why the fuck did go there". The beauty of V is the short distance between everywhere, but the general population of V is horrendous, it has turned into a shitty reality show a la TOWIE, at both Hylands and Weston. I went to Weston this year and it was just full of both male and female clones. Tens of thousand of females had ill fitting cut off shorts wedged up their fat, fake tanned, cellulite arses and tens of thousands of males in vests or topless, tanned and showing off their bodies. Less about music, more about getting pissed/off your head asap and possibly taking in some music. Always seems to me to be a very expensive way of getting the same result from a Saturday night out in town.

Will be the last V I go to

[brfcstar]

It is impossible to explain until you have done it, but once you go to Glasto, you will look back at V and think "why the fuck did go there". The beauty of V is the short distance between everywhere, but the general population of V is

horrendous, it has turned into a shitty reality show a la TOWIE, at both Hylands and Weston. I went to Weston this year and it was just full of both male and female clones. Tens of thousand of females had ill fitting cut off shorts wedged up

their fat, fake tanned, cellulite arses and tens of thousands of males in vests or topless, tanned and showing off their bodies. Less about music, more about getting pissed/off your head asap and possibly taking in some music. Always

seems to me to be a very expensive way of getting the same result from a Saturday night out in town.

Will be the last V I go to

Couldn't agree more. My V days are well are truly over now

[AiiShotTheDJ]

It is impossible to explain until you have done it, but once you go to Glasto, you will look back at V and think "why the fuck did go there". The beauty of V is the short distance between everywhere, but the general population of V is horrendous, it has turned into a shitty reality show a la TOWIE, at both Hylands and Weston. I went to Weston this year and it was just full of both male and female clones. Tens of thousand of females had ill fitting cut off shorts wedged up their fat, fake tanned, cellulite arses and tens of thousands of males in vests or topless, tanned and showing off their bodies. Less about music, more about getting pissed/off your head asap and possibly taking in some music. Always seems to me to be a very expensive way of getting the same result from a Saturday night out in town.

Will be the last V I go to

[footix2]

Kendal Calling for me next year I think. A good up and coming festival, closer to home and all about the music/vibe

[TheRedGeneral]

Absolutely spot on comments....Glasto absolutely pisses all over V, there is no comparison.

[Moon Monkey]

V is top of the pops with chavs thrown in.

I went to v as my mate wanted to and I've dragged him to loads of others.

I'm sorry to say it but the biggest difference between Glastonbury and V is the people, it's not the size, late night areas.

I will never go to v again, horrid place

Edited August 27, 2012 by Moon Monkey

[the_hedge]

This was the line up in 2003

V2003

V Stage: Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, David Gray, Ash, Queens of the Stone Age, The Hives, PJ Harvey, The Cardigans, Morcheeba, Reel Big Fish,Inspiral Carpets, Echo & the Bunnymen, Skin, Eisley, Tom McRae

NME Stage: Feeder, Underworld, Turin Brakes, The Coral, Killing Joke, Tim Burgess, Athlete, Evan Dando, Damien Rice, The Distillers, The Bees Shack, The Basement,Spearhead, Martin Grech, Haven, Futureheads, The Stands, Rachel Mari Kimber, The Zutons

JJB Puma Arena: Lemon Jelly, Kosheen, Moloko, Asian Dub Foundation, Goldfrapp, Appleton, David Holmes, Mint Royale, Misteeq, Dirty Vegas, I Am Kloot, Gus Gus,Slovo, Jamie Cullum, Uncut, Amy Winehouse, The Rainband, Just Jack, Bell X-1, Speedway, Mankato

Strongbow Golden Dance Arena: Jon Carter (Hyland Park only), Jacques Lu Cont (Weston Park only), Way Out West, Junior Sanchez, Freq Nasty, West London Deep,Freestylers, Themroc, Barry Ashworth, Will White, Tayo

I'm sure you can work out why the festival is now god awful...

[tjamest]

Aaah 2003, I remember it well - One of the best QOTSA festival sets I have seen, Red Hot Chilli Peppers a hundred times better than their boring Leeds festival jam session a few years later and best of all Killing Joke playing to a middle aged mosh pit of about twenty of us while several thousand bemused Athelete fans looked on in confusion due to some last minute stage time changes!

[mfeltham]

2003 the best V ever for me. QOTSA kicked ass.

[the_hedge]

T'was a great weekend in 2003. I understand why it's evolved into a pop festival as it now stands alone booking those type of acts. It's just not for me and hasn't been for over 5 years.

Nearly 80% of the people I know who go to V are women. The fact it's only 2 days seems to suit the ladies who are into pop music a little more. As someone said years ago (and I disagreed with them at the time!) it's festival light.

Edited August 31, 2012 by the_hedge

[eFestivals]

As someone said years ago (and I disagreed with them at the time!) it's festival light.

That was quite possibly me, it's a description I've been using since I first visited in 2000.

And it's not something that's meant as a slur. I think V has its place in the market, and serves that place well.

You wouldn't catch me there now tho.

[the_hedge]

That was quite possibly me, it's a description I've been using since I first visited in 2000.

And it's not something that's meant as a slur. I think V has its place in the market, and serves that place well.

You wouldn't catch me there now tho.

[eFestivals]

It was you and as usual you were right, it is festival light.

in which case you should be typing it as Festival Lite.

[Essex_George]

T'was a great weekend in 2003. I understand why it's evolved into a pop festival as it now stands alone booking those type of acts. It's just not for me and hasn't been for over 5 years.

Nearly 80% of the people I know who go to V are women. The fact it's only 2 days seems to suit the ladies who are into pop music a little more. As someone said years ago (and I disagreed with them at the time!) it's festival light.

[thetime]

V has been festival light since it started.

[lendan]

It was you and as usual you were right, it is festival light.

Like you said it has it's place. V have been quite clever. They have created a niche market now. No other festival book the bands that V book and although I don't like them there are plenty of people that do and they get away with charging 3 day prices for a 2 day festival.

[luckysalt]

I haven't read through all this, but I first went to V eleven years ago, it was half the capacity it is now, and was aimed at a different audience. Sadly old school V goers know that the V they loved has long been dead. Stone Roses couldn't get me back this year, I really doubt I'll ever go back again.

Sadly Download had its fair share of complete dickheads this year, fourth year in a row and never seen anything other than the old school festi vibe of looking out for each other and everyone out for a good time with each other. This year there was plently of pricks just making sure they had fun no matter how it affected anyone else. I had thought I'd found a new favourite festival but I'm gunna keep on looking! Although I haven't ruled out never returning to Download ever again, I doubt I'll be back in 2013 though.

Wish Staffs was used for another smaller festival instead of just V, I mean in addition to.

[thetime]

I haven't read through all this, but I first went to V eleven years ago, it was half the capacity it is now, and was aimed at a different audience. Sadly old school V goers know that the V they loved has long been dead. Stone Roses couldn't get me back this year, I really doubt I'll ever go back again.

Sadly Download had its fair share of complete dickheads this year, fourth year in a row and never seen anything other than the old school festi vibe of looking out for each other and everyone out for a good time with each other. This year there was plently of pricks just making sure they had fun no matter how it affected anyone else. I had thought I'd found a new favourite festival but I'm gunna keep on looking! Although I haven't ruled out never returning to Download ever again, I doubt I'll be back in 2013 though.

Wish Staffs was used for another smaller festival instead of just V, I mean in addition to.

Edited September 7, 2012 by thetime

[wave]

Just bought Beautiful Days tickets so for sure no more V for me, 12 years and just had enough