Bearded Theory 2015

[Gnomicide]

Well that was bloody splendid.

Lots of highlights. From The Mission (though I thought the sound was poor for them) to Sarah signing for the Doonigans and all points in between. Overall highlight was The Buzzcocks, they absolutely smashed it. The very definition of all killer, no filler.

[pilton digger]

Agreed (as Mike99 would put it). Good weekend and the weather held brilliantly. Buzzcocks, British Sea Power, Abdoujacarov and Sarah the signer highlights. Lots of good stuff in the dance as well. Serious contender for a repeat visit next year.

[sparkythetortoise]

Agreed (as Mike99 would put it). Good weekend and the weather held brilliantly. Buzzcocks, British Sea Power, Abdoujacarov and Sarah the signer highlights. Lots of good stuff in the dance as well. Serious contender for a repeat visit next year.

All of the above, but may I add...

Pigbag were brilliant and deserved to be on the main stage

New Model Army followed by Afro Celt Sound system ridiculously good double bill

British Sea Power's inexplicable but pretty good cover of Silver Machine

The Beat seemingly having a new lease of life

Banco de Gaia simply outstanding

and previously unknown to me but pretty impressive were

Groundbeater Soundsystem

Green Nuns of the Revolution

Babajack

Superfast Girlie Show

I kept thinking "why have I never come here before?"

[malthusiangreen]

Great festival, shame about the lapses in organisational skill by the 'organisers' closing the drop off point on Friday once all the camping next to the entry was full so people, inc families and old folk had to trudge for a mile, often making several trips, to pitch up. Bit slack there, not a great start. The wooldland stage was ace and the kids area a winner, but layout was a bit poor. Masses of festy tat shops, though often lovely, there were just way too many and out of proportion for the size of the event. Instead it would have been great to have some workshops, spoken word tents, more cafe tents or even some new age healing gubbins.It felt like the organiser had decided not to delegate any responsibility, was maybe overwhelmed by the job and just hadn't developed some areas of the festival.

On the food, we generally made our own. The one time we bought food was unfortunately some really really crap noodles, but there seemed to be some other lovely food. It would be fantastic if festival organisers could actually taste the food from the potential stalls. The noodles were pre-cooked re heated and prepared with no care whatsoever, the server just sqirted on some foul brown sauce, that they called teryaki. I am pretty much able to eat any thing but i had to bin them. The desiccated mealworms from the Cowley's jerky stall however were delicious. I also cannot stop thinking about their thai green beef jerky wow!!! Taste bud tastic. Look up www.Cowleysfinefoods.com. though I cannot find the some of the more narcotically named festy desiccates lambphetamine, cowcaine or mostly desiccated mixed animal (MDMA) on their website I am definitely hooked! The fruit leathers and the dried Marmite tofu were also scrumtious!

The fairground rides in the middle were a bit incongruous to the rest of the event, felt a bit tacky really and the noise competing with the bands created a bit of a cacophany wall.

I also got conned by the phone charging people. Desperately needed a phone charge, so I could arrange for the kids to be picked up saturday. Used the charging tent in the campsite. First they lied and said they were cheepest, fair enough I was prepared to pay their price as it was an emergency. £5 for 2 hrs charge, I said I only need one hr for a full charge, but fair enough. When I came back 3.5 hrs later they said the would have to charge me double and would retain my phone if I didn't pay. No warning, no sign up,nothing. I hit the canvas roof and had a fairly measured, though forcefull, go at them. They were already making a killing. Appauling criminal extortion!

The kids entertainment was brill! Fantastic entertainers bubble blowing, the pirate show, loads of great stuff. Couldn't fault it. Toilets were cleaned regularly and hot showers were free...if you chose to use them! Significant police dog presence seemed a bit OTT.

All this said overall, we really enjoyed the festival, great bands nice nix of folk etc. If only the organisers could have invested a little more time actually selecting a well balanced mix of stalls and planning the event logistics ingoing and outgoing, as well as creating a few more nooks, crannies and intrigue to discover. The music was great, people were lovely, bars were well priced, but put a bit more effort in to planning, selecting and vetting stallholders and making it easy to get too and from the carpark next year!!

Edited May 25, 2015 by malthusiangreen

[Paul ™]

I think your being a bit harsh on the organisers. These guys all do it for the love and have full time jobs elsewhere and don't make a penny out of it.

Anyway what a brilliant weekend, best Bearded yet.

Sorry I never made the meet but after a messy Thursday night I was in bed for most of Friday afternoon.

[timespeedsup]

One of the best BTs ever. Quickly forgot the disorganised entry system, possibly a good idea but poorly executed. Toilets back to the good standard. Great selection of bands, NMA and Afro Celts fantastic, forgot how good A3 are, Skinny Lister a revelation of fun and folkier tunes, Mission epic, Electric River delivering rock for breakfast, and so on......

Went to the meet half hour late, couldn't find those I knew, nor any obvious meeters, wondered if I'd got the wrong venue, then something else caught my eye no doubt. Good to meet you in the bar another day though Pinhead. Great bar again.

Sniffer dogs was to trace tent thieves. Not sure how that would work to catch the scent but could be very effective from thereon. I heard 4 reported thefts, well down on last year, so the festival is hopefully winning that one.

Anyone use the festival school? I heard 150+ kids enrolled and knew of a few hard-working 'teachers'.

[Gummi]

Great festival, shame about the lapses in organisational skill by the 'organisers' ...etc

Whilst the organisers of Bearded appreciate feedback, all of the suggestions you make cost money, they work tireless to keep the ticket prices including camping down to make it affordable to ticket buyers.

As far as the catering outlets are concerned if you think that the organisers have time to go all over the country and in fact abroad to taste the food, you really don't get the ethos of this festival. We listen to all the feedback on ALL the stalls and take suggestions from festival goers about traders (food and general) they think would "fit" the Bearded "vibe". (We get it wrong from time to time and are the first to admit it!) But remember the organisers are unsalaried, have full time jobs, families and friends as well as their work for bearded, which in itself is a full time job and no one is making money out of it. everything is put back into the festival and to charities that we support.

[maninkilt]

I agree, a bit harsh but glad you enjoyed it in general. For me there two things that I would like to mention:

The steps OMG the steps. Im sure that there wasnt an easy alternative but please guys have a rethink

The location and noise bleed from the dance tent. I love this venue and would miss it but the location this year meant that it was all you could hear in a lot of the festival.

I dont mean these as critisisms just points to mention in the best festival I know.

[A Guy Called Matt]

My first BT

Was everything perfect - well no but nothing ever is.

Was there anything that caused me personally problems - no

Did I love it - Yes

Would I go again - Hell yes

[Perks]

Wow, what a great party, had so much fun, perfect weather, awesome line up. Really buzzed of it. As Time says above, quickly forgot about the drop off fiasco as soon as I was set up. The only time I noticed a problem with the fair rides was Thursday night, was in the SE Tea tent waiting for Barstewards and couldn't hear anything but the shit music from that buffalo ride thing. But again, that was forgot about when they started. Thought Chadwick was brilliant too and had a great dance to 3DM.

Thought the Woodland area was stunning, Captain Hotknives had us all in stiches on the Friday, was a great way to start the day.

Did try and make the meet, but couldn’t see anyone there at all. But then again we didn’t know who we were looking for. Shame really, as would’ve been nice to meet you guys. Saying that, I probably spoke to most of you there, met so many nice people again.

Got the post festival blues today, wish I could do it all again this weekend. One thing I wont be doing next year, is letting me dad give me poitcin to take – that blew heads off. I also wont be putting it in my cakes – bloody lethal they were.

Only 4 weeks till Glastonbury, that’s keeping me going at the moment.

[Pinhead]

I agree, a bit harsh but glad you enjoyed it in general. For me there two things that I would like to mention:

The steps OMG the steps. Im sure that there wasnt an easy alternative but please guys have a rethink

The location and noise bleed from the dance tent. I love this venue and would miss it but the location this year meant that it was all you could hear in a lot of the festival.

I dont mean these as critisisms just points to mention in the best festival I know.

There was meant to be a ramp to the road completed in time for the festival as an alternative to these and for those with heavy trolleys but unfortunately the deadline for implementing this was missed. On the plus side they were manned by stewards who had instructions to help anyone with difficult trolleys or baggage. I was posted there for a while on Sunday and we seemed to be able to keep it flowing smoothly. Also Festaxi were eventually stationed across the road on Sunday to help with the trip to Blue car park, though this was a chargeable service.

An attempt to dampen the noise bleed was made at Magical Sounds by placing hay bales outside the tent (how anyone thought that this might help is beyond me), however they eventually had to be moved as they encouraged kids to swing on the tent lines which caused the whole thing to wobble precariously at times....

Car / Camper van parking was a first for the Oxfam stewarding operation this year, who are not typically involved in such operations (normally third parties deal with this at the other festivals that they cover). Clearly there is much for the teams to learn and take away from this years experience. The lack of a drop off point was really a by product of issues relating to camper van / caravan parking logistics and I would think that efforts will be made to prevent this facility from being lost next year.

[Gummi]

Yep the ramp is already being discussed.

The straw bales were actually making a difference as they take out some of the heavy bass, but as pinhead says they had to be removed as kids were swinging on the lines, and people were sitting on them and pick straw out and scatter it. The straw will kill the grass and the poor sheep that live on that field woul have nothing to eat

[Niblet]

First bearded for my group of mates.

4 of us went down together, bumped in to quite a few folk we knew, made friends with our camp site neighbour's who then joined us for the Saturday and Sunday.

Great, interesting music. (More Andy Faze please, he should have had a later slot!)

Brilliant bar - said neighbours were from Windsor, they were chuffed at paying less at a festi than back at home.

Excellent vibe, didn't see anything all weekend apart from happy, fun, lovely people, all having a good time.

Everyone agreed that they will be back next year!

Here's my two cents..

It's a pity the woodland stage isn't open later, I guess it's a licensing thing, wandered in there on the Friday night when the music in Magical Sounds got a little to hard, would have been a lovely place for some alternative night time dance music, it was a lovely setting.

I had to head home on the Sunday night, stayed sober on the Sunday (and enjoyed it far, far more than I expected to!) then went to the car at midnight. The last bit of walk before you get to the car park was pitch black and I couldn't see where I was going at all, then finding the car was a challenge - I'll make sure I have a torch if I have to do this next time and find a landmark that I can use at night to help - but a little lighting near that end bit of path would have been a god send!

Apart from that, carry on what you are doing it, I'd give you 10 out of 10!

[timespeedsup]

Hindsight suggests digging out the old efests t-shirt for next year's meet. Lovely to see so many bods at least trying in advance to get together.

Thanks for explaining the hay bales and their subsequent disappearance.

Later licence for woodland would be nice, great that the Flying Lotus (right name?) chill-out area provided some after-hours too.

[A Guy Called Matt]

Hindsight suggests digging out the old efests t-shirt for next year's meet. Lovely to see so many bods at least trying in advance to get together.

Thursday would be better for a meet as well I think.

[Perks]

Did anyone see Captain Hotknives in the Woodland on Friday? man, that killed me. so funny.

[Gnomicide]

Great festival, shame about the lapses in organisational skill by the 'organisers' ........

This reads like something off Trip Advisor.

I'm interested to know what other festivals you attend. For me, BT is one of the best organised and put together festivals I've ever been to. Any mistakes are rectified asap, if not as they occur, you can guarantee they'll be fixed the next year.

To be honest, I can't help but feel this is a well disguised advert for Cowley's Fine Foods.

[A Guy Called Matt]

Did anyone see Captain Hotknives in the Woodland on Friday? man, that killed me. so funny.

Funny as feck

Saw about 20/30 mins as wanted to see Dizraeli and the Small Gods

Will see the Captain again somewhere sometime though as I really do hate babies.

[deebeedoobee]

Did anyone see Captain Hotknives in the Woodland on Friday? man, that killed me. so funny.

Saw him around the site and had a chat. He was bereft having run out of Special Brew - we pointed him towards the Jaipor X 10% ale - he ran off grinning

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Sorry I didn't make it in the end - 4 days partying in a castle near killed me. Maybe I'll get there next year.

[Perks]

Funny as feck

Saw about 20/30 mins as wanted to see Dizraeli and the Small Gods

Will see the Captain again somewhere sometime though as I really do hate babies.

Yeah that babies song was ace. Me pal recommended him, from seeing him at Beautiful Days. It was so funny. He's rumored to be at Glastonbury this year, on the Thursday

Saw him around the site and had a chat. He was bereft having run out of Special Brew - we pointed him towards the Jaipor X 10% ale - he ran off grinning

ha ha, the special brew. As if you put him onto the Jaipur, brilliant. Bloody strong that was. Only had 1, was nice.

I'm really struggling at work now. 4.30 cant come quick enough.

[Pinhead]

I think its exceptional value for a festival with the line up that it typically assembles.

The campervan / caravan situation will need sorting out next time I think as the police and council were not happy with the backed up traffic and stewards were struggling to deal with the space restrictions that we were instructed to impose on customers. These vehicles will always need additional space for awnings / marquees, and 3-4m each side just isn't going to wash with people. If that is sorted out, we can spend less time debating the space issues with people and more time getting them in off the roads and parking them up.

[random_man]

What a great weekend! Cheers for being part of it guys! I had a brilliant time!

Regarding the organisation - a few little tweaks here and there maybe needed, but its a fairly new site for the organisers, but it wasn't far off perfect!

[pilton digger]

I asked the Captain and he said that he will be playing twice a day through Glastonbury, in conjunction with Tourettes Hero. He couldn't remember which stage as he was pretty fecked at the time.

[Osama Jim Laden]

That was a great weekend, that was my 4th BT and it's getting better every time. Personal highlights were The Mission, Hotknives, Zetans, Cosmosis, Kilnaboy, Banco, the killer set for me though was Buzzcocks! Damn they were so up for it, harmony is still ringing in my head!!!! Made it to the tea tent for a natter but soon realised I had no idea what any if you looked like and didn't fancy shouting 'can anyone see timespeedup or yoghurt on a stick etc', next time though.

The gripes from that long list in a previous post are harsh. For a festival run entirely by volunteers it's bloody brilliant! And beardy..

Only thing I'd mention has been said previously, the getting in & out system was annoying, no doubt you'll work on it like everything else though (unless it can't be helped of course) but once again, cheers .. All being well, see you's next year (can we have Ruts DC back?)