Categories: uncategorized
Date: 26 September 2012 11:00:38
Festivals are great cultural events and over recent years have become an increasingly important part of many people's summers. However, they are also business enterprises - whether that be on a commercial or not for profit basis. Over recent years the level of competition and the overhead costs have increased for these events. This year many of our festivals faced an exceptional combination of forces which made it more difficult than usual for them - the Olympics, the recession and the wetter than usual summer weather. There have been high profile casualties as the NME, (which is celebrating it's 60th Birthday this week) and others have reported.
The most prominent ones which appear to have gone down are the Benicassim and Hop Farm Festivals (run by Vince Power's Music Festivals company which has suspended trading this month according to this article) and Guilfest (as reported here).
Whilst I haven't been to the festivals mentioned formerly the latter does have a bit of a special place in my heart. This is my 2006 review of the festival - the last time I went, (for various emotional reasons it was one of the festivals which I stopped doing after my mum passed away). I first went to Guilfest in 1997, I remember it clearly because it was my dads way of helping me in the immediate aftermath of my husband leaving me. I was taken out of the situation for a few days and I think it was the only year I went to Guilfest without Third Party (it was a significant part of her early years). Carter USM who were one of my favourite bands were playing that year as were The Levellers. I was able to go and dance to familiar tunes allowing myself to find the familiar again for a few minutes whilst being totally removed from the harsh reality of my life. I can't articulate it fully but I know that within the awful numbness of that time it shines out as something special I enjoyed. It was also the first time I saw the Saw Doctors play live. At some point I'd picked up a copy of their debut album "If This is Rock And Roll I Want My Old Job Back" and had loved it but hearing N17 live that first time (in my mind the perfect festival anthem) was one of those moments in life you just can't repeat.
The thing about Guilfest, though, was it was always so eclectic. Now, I know all festivals are to some extent but Guilfest always took it that one step further. I didn't for some reason go in 2003 but Third Party did and I know that was special for her because she got to see both Atomic Kitten and Madness (remember here she was just coming up for 9 years old at the time).
Apart from '97 I think my most magical Guilfest was probably 2001 when I got to see Pulp do a storming headline set which included most of Different Class as well as being taken back in time by Dead Men Walking which included Mike Peters from the Alarm, Kirk Brandon from Spear of Destiny, Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols and Pete Wylie. This You Tube clip has them covering the Small Faces All or Nothing at the festival that year. To me this really were a super group who it was special to listen to. It was retro and they were doing covers, primarily from the bands they'd been a part of, but it wasn't pantomime - very different from the Sex Pistols who I heard a year later at Chrystal Palace.
It was also the place I was introduced to the emerging church within a secular context and outside of Greenbelt. I experienced their way of being missional which is now much more the norm, but was back then very innovative. Eden People were a group in Guildford who were at the festival every year with a chill out tent. I don't know what year I first encountered them but they were certainly about by early in the millennium. They were interesting because at that time they had a small core who were within the emerging church movement and mindset and then they had a small number of more traditional churchy types who would come and help them, bringing in refreshments and stuff. It's good to see from the website that they're still about and moving forward.
Even if Guilfest does find a new backer it will different. The festival, as with so many, was what it was because of the people behind in and most specifically in this case Tony Scott. So RIP Guilfest and we salute and thank you Tony for the joy you have helped bring to so many over the last twenty years.