Feeling the Bestival Blues?

With the passing of the sunshine days slipping through the British weather,‘Bestival Blues’ are in full pelt motion. A festival which many may not know brought the world’s biggest eccentric fancy dressed crowd of 80,000 people for a total of four nights; full of musical surprises and picturesque scenes against Lulworth Castle, located in the renowned Jurassic Coast of Dorset, is not yet forgotten.

From a plethora of artistic talents across a multitude of 22 stages, you’ll be sure to note getting immersed inside breathtaking colours and labyrinth of tents is a rhythm world of its own. With no set plan, I found myself getting lost inside ‘Stacey’s Tent’ throwback set list of 90’s old school jams. From singing my heart out to L.Boogie – Lauryn Hill, to creating burn holes in the dusty gravel of the dance floor whilst Hip-Hop classic anthems played by the legendaries that are Tupac and Biggie, I felt like I was in a lucid dream.

Vibes upon vibes is all that could be mirrored as you wondered through the hills and greenery Bestival created for us festival goers. The constant sunshine was the biggest and greatest embrace we all felt, greeting strangers with smiles and welcoming dance moves, everyone shared the same belief that societal norms did not matter here – recharging at the ‘Power Tree’ all that could be heard were compliments of outfits, to rooting one another along when getting the lyrics of a song perfectly well.

It was only fitting that we were graced with a satirical live performance of ‘Beans on a Toast’ a man who does not hold back or filter his views on the current political situation or government state. Laughter could be echoed throughout the stage, as the audience roared at his honesty and awed at the announcement of his new born child.

Needing an energetic boast, a DJ set I did not want to miss was ‘Jamz Supernova’ BBC Radio 1xtra Resident, who if you don’t know, you need to get to know! She performed at the majestic stage that is ‘Temple’.  From the choice of tunes, to the calculated mixes and synchronisation of melodies, Jamz quite literally got the sunbathing crowd onto their feet and raving!

Knowing it was time for food, I ventured down to ‘Castle’s’ backstage, this shout out goes to Nando’s who were fuelling the festivals incredible line up and were also our amazing host throughout the event.. If you’re only just aware, Nando’s + GUAP are partners in music. Yep. You read that right ‘m-u-s-i-c’ + Nando’s = Music  exchange (you can read more about this by clicking on the link)

Casually seeing the likes of L.A. Salami ordering a tasty Nando’s, to hanging out on egg shaped swings with the tour manager of Ezra Collective, I yet again found myself, in a whole other world. Over the course of the weekend the A –List artists that were snapped on scene were; Not3s, Kurupt FM, Kojey Radical, Thundercat, Lotto Boyz and Plastic Mermaids.

All fuelled and ready for the Headliners at ‘Castle Stage’ the one which stood out the most on the Sunday were without a doubt; Chaka Khan who had everyone and I mean everyone; children, women and men, echoing her lyrics back to back as the sunset colours cloaked the surroundings, to Plan B upping the energy gear for M.I.A, who confidently welcomed the night and took the stage by encompassing her artistic direction to project every inch of what music means to her.

It was by this point that I realised my return home would have to be suspended, because who in their right mind thinks of going to a festival, let alone ‘Bestival’,  for one day alone and not stay the night? *Holds hand up in guilt* As spontaneous as all festival goers are, I was ready to experience the night come to life with the soar of lights and explosive display of fireworks.

From seeing the closing live performance of Rudimental at ‘Temple Stage’, I couldn’t believe the transformation of how different the stage looked during the day and to how it looked at night – it’s these surprises that Bestival will have you remembering and talking about. Knowing there was more to see, the rest became a blur of loud heartfelt bass music, to gang signs in the air as we were surprised with a set from Mike Skinner, then ending the night with bumper car rides at 3am.

If you ever feel tempted to explore a diverse range of music, have your soul come to life with the fantastic colour wave seen everywhere, to the collective aura of incredible vibes – Bestival is a festival not to be missed.