Castles come in many shapes and forms. Some are just a way of enjoying how cash rich you are. Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria is a prime example of the latter. Its romantic spires, theatrical decorations and fairyland features, are completely unsuitable for defence. If he thought anyone might throw boiling tar from his castle window, Ludwig II would have cried himself to sleep. “Not the façade, not the façade!”
While Neuschwanstein was built as a retreat for a reclusive fantasist, Lulworth Castle has always been a centre for moneyed leisure. Yes, while it imitates medieval designs, and – perhaps at first glance – seems more like a Norman stronghold than Neuschwanstein, Lulworth is a 17th Century hunting lodge. Mock medieval tents, a jousting display, and middle classes family fun, are true to Lulworth’s roots.
Delivered with warmth, and in full awareness of what it is, fake can be sweetly enchanting. Drawing inspiration from the Glastonbury Kidz Fields (Green and otherwise), historical re-enactments and village fêtes, Camp Bestival is a magical family festival. If the line-up wasn’t aimed at 40-something parents, suffering from 15 years of music neglect, the festival would be perfect.
Or would it? Would you want to miss seeing fabulous bands, with minimal chance of EVER seeing them again, just because your five year old desperately wants to go to the dressing-up tent? Uninspiring line-up; family friction resolved! Perhaps it’s perfect after all. We had a ball: me, the parents and hundreds of children growing up on hummus and a yearly dose of festival juice.
Okay, I didn’t leave the site as high as a kite on live music and festival atmospherics, but I left happy. Camp Bestival provided a magnificent collection of intergenerational memories. The legacy of The Cuban Brothers performance could resonate for years amongst my kin.
Rating system (from very best to very worst):
Fucking Awesome, Ear Candy, Thumbs Up, Not for Me Thanks, Hideously Awful
*** Friday 29th July, 2011 ***
Two Wounded Birds
Castle Stage
Ear Candy (7/10)
Two Wounded Birds had the look, the moves and the sound. Drawing on traditional rock n roll and injecting it with an indie twist, this act offered a dose of bounce, combined with gloomy guitar riffs.
Yaaks
Big Top
Thumbs Up (5/10)
Offering pleasant, melodic, jangly indie and an energetically impressive standing (second) drummer, Yaaks gave this performance their all. Unfortunately, the vocals were placid, lacking in grit and strength. Better vocals could make this a band to watch out for.
Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer
Bollywood
Fucking Awesome (10/10)
Three festivals in a row and 100% wonderful. The shorter set suited Mr B, separating the wheat from the chaff. With new weaker numbers dropped, only pure brilliance remained. The cheeky chap was brave enough to sing his little number about crack cocaine and how to get celebrity status. Yes, just days after her passing, the Amy Winehouse comedic reference was made. An old song with new pertinence... The audience loved it.
James Vincent McMorrow
Big Top
Thumbs Up (6/10)
A set half wonderful and half verging on terrible MOR soft rock. Post festival, I opted against buying a ticket to see this chap in Brighton.
Laura Marling
Big Top
Ear Candy (8/10)
Some people are placed on this earth with extraordinary talent. It is something you can piss up the wall, but it’s not something you can grow into. Laura, I doff my imaginary cap to you. It was lovely to see you back in a tent offering your intimate delights. Even the medley was endearing rather than cheesy. Laura was born in 1990, and yet her songs, especially the newer numbers, indicate she has been around for centuries, and perhaps longer than Lulworth Castle itself.
*** Saturday 30th July, 2011 ***
The Gruffalo
Castle Stage
Hideously Awful (0/10)
I was really looking forward to this. It was so awful we all walked away. A condescending poorly scripted and terribly performed, hideous musical version of a beautiful book. Yuck.
The Crayonettes
Little Big Top Variety Show
Hideously Awful (1/10)
Two women, once in real bands, try their hand at the children’s market. Why? To offer some pep to the children’s music scene. If this set lacked anything, it was pep. It was weak and embarrassing.
Eliza Doolittle
Castle Stage
Thumbs Up (6/10)
Walking through the perfume counters of Boots the Chemist, with Eliza singing in the background seemed like a perfect combination this week. I don’t wear perfume, but I appreciate the smell. I will never rant and rave about Eliza, but her bright and breezy tunes make me smile. The performance lacked the lustre I expected, but we had a little sing-along.
House of Pain
Castle Stage
Ear Candy (8/10)
It was highly unfortunate that a. House of Pain clashed with The Cuban Brothers. b. Parents seemed somewhat aghast when the performance was preceded with electronic alerts about bad language. The bad language is buried in the songs and within a definite context. The teenagers camped next to us firing off laughing gas cylinders all night weren’t censored, nor were songs about sex or getting higher than the sun. We caught the first few numbers, which were fantastically bouncy. The five-year-old on my shoulders loved it. Reformed bands generally suck, but bouncy fun overrides all. I didn’t want to walk away.
The Cuban Brothers
Big Top
Fucking Awesome (10/10)
Swearing alert! The Cuban Brothers were Fucking ACE. Who is cold hearted enough not to love their leotard suits, acrobatic dance moves and disco magic. I may have given myself a face a permanent wrinkle from smiling so much.
Breakage
Big Top
Ear Candy (8/10)
This set was brilliant, offering heavy bass, dark dub and an enchanting drawl, but WHAT was the MC-ing all about? The decision to give a guy, with no musical ability, a microphone to shout all over the tracks was a terrible annoyance. Yes, I know he was there to rouse the crowd, and, yes, I know he had some success, but really? Aaargh, what were you thinking?
Silent Disco: Rob da Bank and Rev Milo Speedwagon Vs Sombrero Sound System
Big Top
Ear Candy (7/10)
The last time I saw the Rev was at a Reclaim the Streets event in Trafalgar Square, where he gave me a very big hug. I was charmed by seeing his unobtrusive, but joyful attempts to work a crowd.
*** Sunday 30th July, 2011 ***
The Selecter
Castle Stage
Thumbs Up (5/10)
It was kind of quaint to see this reformed act. They were never very big in the first place. Watching an act like this reminds me of the free Council led festivals they used to put on in East London. You’re not expecting much, and you make the most of it. Ska like this is easy to dance to.
Opera Up Close
Dingly Dell
Ear Candy (7/10)
Learning about Opera had the kids enthralled, so it must have been pretty good.
The Nextmen
Big Top
Not for Me Thanks (4/10)
I wanted to hear tracks from their fine album ‘Join the Dots’, not a DJ set. It was a bit of a letdown.
Benjamin Francis Leftwich
Big Top
Thumbs Up (6/10)
This set was 100% endearing: a young man, all alone on stage, offering an acoustic set and referring to when he used to be in a band. It felt warmly inclusive. Come to think of it, Camp Bestival lacks those shared moments where audience and band connect. Benjamin was a good as it got. It was nice but not heart tickling.
Primal Scream Presents Screamadelica
Castle Stage
Not for Me Thanks (4/10)
Well there was nothing else to do, so I went along with a positive attitude. I enjoyed the first few tracks, and then I got bored. I got to thinking how I would rather been watching Spiritualized, who I guess Primal Scream robbed a little for this album.
Fireworks
Castle Stage
Ear Candy (7/10)
Fireworks in the sky and animations displayed on, and incorporating, Lulworth Castle; what would a review big without saying that it was pretty cool? It was.
Del Rio Ramblers
Black Dahlia
Not for Me Thanks (4/10)
I stayed for two songs only. It wasn’t the knees up I expected.
Sound of Rum
Big Top
Thumbs Up (6/10)
As much as I want to like them, Sound of Rum are terrible. Kate Tempest is a brilliant poet, and having missed her poetry sets, I was please to hear her rattle off some prose, without musical accompaniment. She is extremely impressive.
So that’s it for Camp Bestival! I hope to find time to review Reading Festival soon. I also have notes from Latitude 2010, which I never got round to typing in. And so many local gigs I’ve failed to appraise; some with no notes and a now hazy memory! May be one day I will catch up. This takes more time that one might imagine and I’m a busy girl. But I DO want to catch up! If only I didn’t have to work...
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Some Sunday tunes...
Download MP3: Fatty Gets A Stylist - The Devil's In The Details (courtesy of recordoftheday.com)
Download MP3: Digitalism - Just Gazin' (courtesy of mediafire.com)
Download MP3: Gold Panda – You (courtesy of djnodj.com)
Download MP3: Cults - You Know What I Mean (courtesy of citizeninsanemedia.com)
Download MP3: Cat's Eyes - Not A Friend (courtesy of mediafire.com)
