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Body & Soul 2012
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Surprised there's no thread on this.
Any of ye f**kers going?
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-- hydra
22/06/12 at 15:17
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 From :
tornaxx
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Posted : 22/06/12 at 15:32 |
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| I'm boycotting it because of their policy on ring-tailed lemurs.
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From :
tricky
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Posted : 22/06/12 at 15:43 |
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| can't get my shit together to combine getting a baby sitter with getting a weekend away. Sounds like lots of fun though.
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From :
fran.martin
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Posted : 22/06/12 at 17:48 |
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| I am
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From :
tornaxx
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Posted : 22/06/12 at 18:48 |
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| I never really considered it. The friend that I usually go to gigs with is going to Body & Soul instead of the Electric Picnic this year. Maybe I just didn't want to go to Westmeath...
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From :
number10
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Posted : 22/06/12 at 19:55 |
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| I'll be there. I might have to sneak the baby in!
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From :
tricky
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Posted : 25/06/12 at 13:25 |
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| by all accounts twas great.
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From :
hydra
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Posted : 26/06/12 at 10:51 |
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My first Body and Soul, a few thoughts:
I arrived up there at 2.30 on the Saturday, we were trying to drive in Gate A when we were told head up to Gate B. There was a massive backup and we basically ended up driving around in a circle back to Gate A over the next 1hr15mins. Very annoying and just bad planning. I know of people who drove into the artist coach's entrance without anyone batting an eyelid. Or local farmers giving people a shortcut. A couple of handdrawn signs on a lamppost was our only way of finding our way there, they could do better.
By the time we got set up (bit of a hike from the carpark down, the ground was already pretty torn up too) we were missing The Herbaliser, who were apparently brilliant.
Thought the Saturday was very weak music-wise, at least for me anyway. Caught Gold Panda (wasn't impressed), went down to Villagers on the main stage and the sound was brutal - a little lesson in how having a good sound engineer is essential - Lee Fields played an hour later and his sound was impeccable. Kind of hung around after that. He was my highlight of the weekend, class act.
Sunday was good, weather made a massive difference, and it was HOT. Music highlights were St. Vincent, Little Dragon and especially Kormac's Big Band - got everyone bouncing around 6pm. Didn't think much of M83, don't get the hype. Caught a bit of Jacques Greene, Fish Go Deep were very impressive. Didn't think John Talabot was all that.
Overall, it's a great little festival. Couple of stupid issues like one-way systems into the campsites, layout wasn't great in parts. Selection of food was great and not insanely priced. More bars needed. More toilets needed.
I don't buy into the hippy-dippy holistic stuff that comes with it, putting a few papier maché flags into the trees doesn't suddenly transport me into a wonderland, I'm there for the music. It all seems a bit 'home-made craft' and cheap-looking - I'd imagine they're trying to go for a Burning Man/Glastonbury look but don't quite pull it off as they don't have the budget. I think they'd be better off letting the natural scenery provided (what a setting for a festival) do the work and putting more money towards acts but that's just me. Other friends of mine loved it so each to their own.
The vibe I got from my friends that have been to the other two was it's lost a little of its charm as its gotten a lot bigger. The Saturday in particular seemed like a proper drug-fest. I saw three people being carried in one of them first aid hammocks. After 7pm was no place for having children around with the heads on people and some of the music on offer, and yet I saw them out until the small hours. The Sunday was fantastic though.
I'd go back - line-up permitting - it's a cheaper (and friendlier) alternative to Electric Picnic.
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From :
fran.martin
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Posted : 26/06/12 at 11:25 |
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| Same thing happened to us being directed around in a circle for an hour and a half.Thought they could have organised the traffic and carpark alot better.Also thought there was a lack of toilets.Really liked the area around Casa Habana.Liked the way the stages are small too even the main stage.It was a really chilled out and relaxed atmosphere and I saw no trouble at it.At the time I thought everybody at it was my age or older(with exception of the kids) but looking at the hotpress pics there seems to have been alot of late teens,early 20s too.Missed alot of acts I wanted to see because I was bollixing around in Casa Habana.Thought Django Django the first night were good and got me in the mood for the rest of the night because they were the first band I saw.I liked Gold Panda and didn`t venture down to Villagers because I thought his whining would have sucked the life out of me.I can`t remember who else I saw on Saturday night.The weather did make a huge difference on the sunday and I went around with a sunburned face for most of it.Kormac`s big band was a good start to the day.St Vincent kind of sucked the life out of it for me to be honest and I left.Thought Little Dragon were excellent.Missed M83 and WhoMadeWho,the two bands I really wanted to see.But did manage to be at the entire set of John Talabot.His set started around 1 and finished at 3.40 in the morning.It was a great way to end the night and the festival.It is a festival though that appears to be an easy one to just walk straight in.We were camped up near the golf course and there was alot of knackers coming through late on Saturday night via the golf course and then going into the festival from there.But like I said I didn`t see any trouble at it.
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From :
number10
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Posted : 26/06/12 at 14:39 |
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Hydra, why does everyone complain when things get a bit bigger? I know it was your mates not you – but it's a bit like that old "I love their earlier stuff" up your own hole condescending elitist attitude. "Other people coming spoiled it for me."
This is still a very small festival! I enjoyed it.
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From :
hydra
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Posted : 26/06/12 at 14:48 |
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Intimacy.
I gather the main stage last year was where the upstage is this year. I can see their point.
You walk down towards the main stage this year and there's a couple of fields behind it in view. Having a blanket of trees wrapped around the main stage last year probably made for a better venue.
Same goes for the car park - the lads said last year they could walk to their cars in 5 mins last year, it was a good 15-20 mins this year.
It's still a small festival, like you said, but I'm only going on what my mates say, they've been to it since it started and found this year to be a big jump.
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From :
willabur
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Posted : 26/06/12 at 16:27 |
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I had a good weekend despite a few hiccups.
Deal with the bad first:
Too many people for the size of festival it is trying to be.
Not enough toilets - I dunno if I would bother with festivals if I was a girl. The queues were far too long for something that is pretty easy to get right. Same complaint about the food - the queues were crazy long especially on sunday morning when the only food options available were in the campsite and the vegan tent just outside. I also thought the lineup was pretty weak but given the size of the festival I guess that is to be expected.
positives: Loved the vibe around the woods. I liked all the hippy esque extras, some worked, some didn't. Sunday the weather was fantastic and the place looked great. Thought m83 were excellent, heard sound was bad down the back but up front it was great. St Vincent and Spiritualised were other sets I enjoyed.
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