FESTIVAL REVIEW: Benicassim, Spain (19/7/09)

A Fire, A Wind Storm and A Helluva Mess
Wednesday 15th – Monday 20th July 2009
Benicassim Festival, Benicassim, Spain

DAY 5: Sunday: It’s All In The Timing

This morning I opted for the beach rather than the pool and strolled down to the opposite end of Oropresa to find it full of Spanish families. It’s a bizarre reality coupling 100’s of everyday Spaniards holidaying at their favourite beachside resort alongside a few thousand mainly British drunken and debaucherous tourists. I’m sure they love it when we arrive. After a relaxing stint on the sand I strolled back to the homestead and prepared for the last night’s festivities, which included The Killers and TV On The Radio. It was bitterly disappointing upon arrival to find the nights set times had changed once again and we had in fact missed TV On The Radio.

For some reason - of which we didn’t follow up as the information tent was more crowded than main stage – all stages were running at least 1 hour early. Defeated and deflated we head to main stage to wait for The Killers and scored a great spot due to the arena being empty. Obviously not all had caught on as quickly as we did. By the time they snap, crackled and popped onto stage the place was packed, but we maintained a good view throughout their safe and sound set. I do like The Killers – and I don’t deny, oh Brandon – but they’re hardly cutting edge. The songs are solid pop tracks with catchy melodies and good beats and a charismatic front man to sing them. No amazing riffs, guitar solos or epic moments, just purely poptastic. The exact opposite of what came up next – the awesome Rhinoceros.

I don’t know a lot about this band but I know what I like, and I sure as hell liked them. With their space-aged futuristic ABBA-esque get up and eclectic stylings they served as the perfect closer for those who had the stamina. They were rock, they were funky, they had beats, they were dancey – all while oozing effortless style and ferver. One cameo featured a skinny-legged big Afro’d gentleman who sounded not unlike Elmo shimmying his way across stage and wreaking all sorts of havoc with his mic. An awesome end to an awesome week.

Benicassim was obviously not without its faults, but regardless the week was enjoyed by all. The line up was fantastic and the Spanish Summer setting helped ease the pain of long queues, no-show acts and Mother Nature’s wrath. I can only hope that future Benicassim’s are better organised and restructured to cope with its rising popularity and punter demand. If not I fear its current cool-as reputation will soon be blowing in the wind. Or wind storm, as it were.

FESTIVAL REVIEW: Benicassim, Spain (18/7/09)

A Fire, A Wind Storm and A Helluva Mess
Wednesday 15th – Monday 20th July 2009
Benicassim Festival, Benicassim, Spain

DAY 4: Saturday: 2MuchFun

Needless to say our Saturday was fairly quiet. Not waking until afternoon we rolled out of bed, met friends at the beach, nursed our hangovers with food and swimming then set about doing it all over again. Regardless of the night befores proceedings Saturday was to be our night to let loose. With an amazing line up of dance and rock we left Friday’s fiasco behind and head off with high spirits. There were varied acts to see meaning our group of around 20 kept splitting up, but having decided on our meeting place of ‘The G Spot’ (a giant tartan cube selling amazing cocktails) we were never far from one another.

As we arrived I was especially happy to find Maximo Park had taken Lilly Allen’s place due to her being ill. They put on an energetic and amazing set as always, heightened by the fact everyone thought they were goners after last night’s disasters. Next up were Elbow who certainly didn’t disappoint, drawing a huge crowd who came readied to sing their hearts out to the bands solid flowing rock sound, and I can’t tell you how elating ‘Beautiful Day’ was to watch. It may sound cliché but I love that song, and watching thousands of people sing it at the top if their lungs on a balmy Spanish evening makes you feel so good to be alive. It most certainly was a beautiful day.

Franz Ferdinand then joined us at the perfect time – not too late in the evening to rock out but just early enough for everyone to be happy, trashy and jump around. Their stylish rock musings and do-do-do’s got the most tired of us up on our feet and dancing for a solid hours set and even prompted an encore. The lads from Scotland were on form as usual and were a perfect precursor for the nights headliners, 2ManyDJs.

With a small hiatus between the two acts we loaded up on drinks and the like until the Belgians were ready to go. Unfortunately one of our friends had perhaps one too many drinks, resulting in her having a little 2 hour or so snooze just as 2ManyDJs came on. We carried her with us to a suitable clear area and proceeded to dance around her lifeless body until she returned from the land of slumber. I don’t need to tell you this made for some hilarious photos. Just like their show at Brixton 2 weeks previous 2ManyDJs provided the ultimate get up and shake your thang party selection. They posses the ability to mix anything – from Dolly Parton to Sepultura, MGMT to Justice. They banged out the hits with no time to waste and ended with a well-appreciated version of The Prodigy’s ‘Out of Space’. A great set to end a great night.

Once back at The G Spot our weary friend had awoken and was inhaling some chips and a kebab – breakfast of champions. The rest of us however, whilst dancing to 2ManyDJs, had inhaled a breathtaking amount of dust due to the dry ground so it was coughs and blocked noses all round. While some decided to call it a night us girls stayed, having been sucked in by The Orb.

The Orb was bright, sparkly and not easy to ignore - a dance stage tucked in a corner of the site, and in the wee hours of a Sunday morning it provided a refreshing change as the crowd in attendance were actually Spanish! With the headliners being from the UK and USA the majority of the crowd had usually been of British origin – only here or there did you hear a Spanish or French accent. It was nice to finally find a genuine Spanish representation at The Orb even if it was 4am on a Sunday morning. We faced a sea of smiling faces greeting ‘Hola!’ all the way and even leaning in for the 2-cheek European kiss now and then. It just goes to show who has the stamina and who knows how to party properly. Everyone was friendly, fun and ready to dance the night away. Everyone but our sleepy friend who was now wide-awake but had lost her shoes in the earlier commotions. Taking pity on her poor feet we decided to call it a night – or morning, as it were.

FESTIVAL REVIEW: Benicassim, Spain (17/7/09)

A Fire, A Wind Storm and A Helluva Mess
Wednesday 15th – Monday 20th July 2009
Benicassim Festival, Benicassim, Spain

DAY 3: Friday: Who’s On First?

Our first night being relatively sensible we were up at a reasonable hour the next day. Our daytime ritual soon become set in stone: supermercado for food and booze – the latter which we were going through at an astonishing rate due to strapping it under our skirts in water bottles and sneaking it into the festival – then the beach for a sleep and a tan. Good friends were staying in various blocks nearby so our biggest decision to make each day was where to go and lie down. It’s a hard life. Once on the shuttle to the festival excitement began to peak as tonight offered up Kings of Leon and Paul Weller amongst others. Little did we know Mother Nature had other plans.

Entering was a breeze due to already having our wristbands and even the bar queues weren’t that long. The worrying sight was the tall flames licking at the fence bordering main stage as we made our way to Paul Weller. Everyone could see them and they were very close, so normally some heed of warning and mass evacuation would follow. However we were in Spain on holiday at a festival so our carefree attitude had somewhat overtaken and we all decided to ignore the impending doom and carry on watching. It was then the wind started it pick up, forcing an early set finish from Mr Weller and prompting organisers to take down the fabric screens that hung either side of the stage. Kings of Leon were up next so we began the mad mission to the front, ducking and weaving, eventually making it almost to the barrier. And it was there we stood in a cramped and swaying mass mob for the next hour and a half. At first there was nothing – no movement on stage, no information, no nothing. As time drew on and Kings of Leon’s start time came and went the crowd grew restless and began numerous chants, songs and booing. We then started to receive messages about technical difficulties which were endlessly repeated as Kings of Leon’s end of set time grew nearer and the next acts start time – Maximo Park – grew closer.

At last a timid voice announced over the PA that the next band would now be taking to the stage, however our definitions of ‘next’ seemed to differ. The last act the crowd had seen was Paul Weller, meaning the next act should have been Kings of Leon. The promoter’s definition of next turned out to be Australian act Tom Tom Club, the band due to play after Maximo Park. A barrage of booing and flying objects ensued followed by a mass exodus. Not only had we stood there for an hour and a half sans music, but the 2 acts we’d come to see were not presented. No explanation was given and the poor Tom Tom Club were led out like lambs to the slaughter.

It was as we wandered aimlessly through the restless crowd wondering what to do that the winds came. Thankfully the fire had been contained as what followed was nothing short of a tornado. Dust, sand and rubbish flew everywhere as the campsite was swept away and people scattered hurriedly to return to the safety of Oropresa. A general air of disbelief was present on the ride home with disappointed faces all around. There was nothing left to do but go home and make our own party. The remainder of the night is a blur of beer, sangria, dancing in our abode, walks to the beach, other house parties, stops at a few kids playgrounds - finally ending in the daylight hours with 6 girls, 6 headaches, a long lie in and one god damn messy apartment.

FESTIVAL REVIEW: Benicassim, Spain (16/7/09)

A Fire, A Wind Storm and A Helluva Mess
Wednesday 15th – Monday 20th July 2009
Benicassim Festival, Benicassim, Spain

DAY 2: Thursday: An Oasis

We awoke to banana pancakes then set about planning our day. Festivals are never a relaxing holiday: provisions are needed, shuttle bus tickets and wristbands need to be collected, and sunbaking was also high on the agenda. We set off to the supermarket with every other festival-goer and proceeded to fleece them of every essential item they had – bread, milk, alcohol, mixers, sweets, and of course chorizo. Once home with our wares safely stored we hit the pool situated at the entrance to our apartments.

We were residing in Marina D’Or – a mini-city of characterless apartments lining the beachfront of Oropresa, akin to a smaller more condensed Surfers Paradise. We spotted a few Spanish families here and there but the bulk of people appeared to be there for Benicassim. I did feel sorry for them, having their Spanish family holidays loudly interrupted by a large pack of mainly English tourists. Once we’d caught some rays we set off to collect our shuttle bus passes from the same office we’d spent most of our time at the night previous.

At the office we were met with scenes of tears and sadness as hundreds of people had been left stranded. Danesfib – the company we’d booked our apartment and bus tickets through – had run out of apartments, owing to what reason no one had been told. The owner was refusing refunds even though many people had paid in advance, and was telling people to simply ‘sleep on the beach’. Police were at the scene as understandably things had become a little heated, and some of the surrounding neighbours were emerging offering rooms in their homes for inflated prices. Not an ideal start to any festival experience. Counting our blessings we returned to our digs to feast and prepare for the nights musical proceedings, thankful to have a roof over our heads.

It had occurred to me that we should have gone to the festival site early to avoid queuing for our wristbands but the urge to eat, drink and swim overtook so we didn’t arrive on site till 8pm. Once there I wish logic had prevailed. The queue before us was mammoth, a sea of people stretching for an age with an entrance tent about 3 metres wide. Taking our place once again at the back of a long line we feared it was to be a long night – several cigarettes, a few pints and 3 hours later we were right.

The opening night was by no means our big one – Franz Ferdinand and 2ManyDJs on the Saturday were what we were waiting for. I would have liked to have seen Mystery Jets but alas we were waiting in line. Oasis were then the headliner at 11pm. Once through the 3 metre mini-tent we hit a maze of crowd barriers, navigated through them to the wristbanding tents and finally made our way over the threshold 15 minutes after Oasis had started. But our mission did not end there – we then had to buy drink tokens, as none of the bars accepted cash, grab a beverage and weave our way through the huge crowd amassed for Oasis. Securing a position near the back we settled in to watch, and I can tell you a drink had never tasted so good.

The stars were shining, it was a balmy night and what ensued was the worlds biggest British sing-a-long. While they didn’t play my favourite (She’s Electric) they did deliver a non-stop array of all their hits. Stellar renditions of Morning Glory, Roll With It and more were somewhat overshadowed at times by the teetering tower of scaffolding stood behind us which was now covered with drunken daredevils who’d scaled it’s 10+ metre high frame for what was undoubtedly the best seat in the house. Eventually heavyset security guards laden with climbing gear ascended the frame to coax everyone down, but not without several arguments, vertical chases, kicks and punches to the face.

The rest of the night is a myriad of adventures including strawberry daiquiris, finding and losing friends, being sucked into The Orb, exploring the campsite and outskirts of the festival site. All which ended rather abruptly with me popping a plug on my 4 year old black Havianas (they served me well - sniff) and calling it a night. A friend and I then returned to the bus stop, now a chaotic mess of people drunkenly trying to board any shuttle in sight.

The fact our shuttle guide from Danesfib bolted past us at one point screaming ‘Did you see where that bus went?!!’ didn’t fill us with confidence, but upon finding our bus we scrambled to get on in the malaise. Until, that is, one chivalrous soul peeled open the back doors to let his girlfriend on; bypassing the frenzied pack at the front, to which we followed suit. God bless that man! We were home within the hour eating cheese, tomato and chorizo crackers and resting our heads for the next instalment of what was to be the most bizarre festival experience I’ve had yet.

FESTIVAL REVIEW: Benicassim, Spain (15/7/09)

A Fire, A Wind Storm and A Helluva Mess
Wednesday 15th – Monday 20th July 2009
Benicassim Festival, Benicassim, Spain

　

DAY 1: Wednesday: Get In Line

The day had finally come – my first overseas festival and European jaunt travelling with friends! In the past all my journeys had been solo so I boarded the Gatwick Express not knowing what to expect. Benicassim is a music festival that takes place on the coast of Spain. It features some Spanish and mainland European acts but the bulk of the line-up are internationals from the UK and US. This year boasted a sterling timetable including Kings of Leon, Maximo Park, Paul Weller, TV On The Radio, Oasis and more.

I was landing in Alicante then hopping a 4 hour train ride one stop after Benicassim to the beachside resort town of Oropresa. 5 friends and I had rented an apartment there, which included festival bus transfers so we were set. Though you can camp at the festival it seemed easier to rent an apartment as the festival takes place at night due to extreme 30+ degree temperatures during the day, and we didn’t like our chances of finding comfort or sleep in a packed campground in those conditions. However I had taken the cheaper option of flying into Alicante and training it to Oropresa rather than flying into Valencia as my friends had done. I was to arrive first, grab the keys to our new home and be ready and waiting with drinks and nibbles when they arrived at 10:30pm – but not all went to plan…

Landing in Alicante and catching the train were a breeze but once I hit Oropresa with every man and his dog things got ugly. I waited in line for a taxi from the station to our apartment offices for over an hour, mainly as none of the obviously unseasoned travellers before me going to the same place as me would share cabs. An Irish couple behind me also found this odd so we ended up splitting the fare together. I then arrived at the offices to find a 50+ strong queue of people waiting for their keys and linen. I had no choice but to tack myself on the end and wait, as did my friends when they arrived around half an hour after I did. And there we sat. On the pavement. With our backpacks and the rest. For 5 hours.

It’s still unclear as to why it took 5 hours to collect our keys and linen – once inside the office it took only 20 minutes to acquire both. At first sitting outside was a novelty as we got drinks and food and cavorted with fellow festival-goers, swapping stories and taking bets on how long it would take for the next person to come out alive. But after 5 hours it does wear thin and we were mighty glad when the goods were finally received and we made it to our apartment. So after 18 hours of travelling I finally lay my head to rest and dreamt of what was to come: Benicassim – music and fun in the sun.