Wight-hot

Back after two and a bit days camping, camping up and raving up at Isle of Wight festival Bestival, itchy fingers indicating that a précis of events needs typing up:

Acts/DJs that I did want to see which disappointed: Fabio (generic liquid funk failing to justify the Big Tent’s most packed crowd yet), Ulrich Schnauss – too-quiet ethereal gazetronica and drab untreated female vocals utterly failing to connect on Saturday afternoon. A shame.
Acts/DJs that I didn’t want to see which disappointed: Tom Vek (he stopped one tune, admitting to the band’s failings), 2 Many DJs (too many obvious sonic fissions), Mylo (Drop the Pressure seemingly the omnipresent tune of the weekend), Guilty Pleasures djs (fuck off playing ironic pop classics).
Acts that were clearly out of place as a headline act on the main stage: The Magic Numbers
Acts/DJs that I did want to catch but missed: The Rakes (didn’t turn up, I think), Clor, Jaipur brass band, Soulwax (the Belgian DJs said to be much better in this incarnation by at least two witnesses)
Acts/DJs that were given far too much of a free rein: X-Press 2 – several hours each night for the dadhousers
Things I did which surprised me: almost going with the totalitarian urge to go fancy dress (“not optional” according to the Bestival Bugle). Pink boots, pink hat and some cowboy paraphernalia were my concession to individual uniformity.
Best non-musical aspects of the weekend: The kids’ toboggan; the bloke chalking up the scores on Saturday afternoon (go on City!).
(“Stars” seen milling about: Howard Marks, Cox (with 1FM security), Da Bank d’Organiza, Mark Wall of Sound, Kid Carpet & Mrs Carpet)
Acts/DJs that I didn’t want to see which impressed: Dirty Dukes, VHS or Beta (better dancerock than Vek, even with the Robert Smith-lite vocals), loads of sundry house DJs indulging the crowd with classics or twists (Female diva over Hawtin’s Spastik in one case) or, like Kid Carpet, peddling a funky comic sound that keyed in with many ravers’ mindsets come Saturday lunchtime
Acts/DJs that I did want to catch which impressed: Royksopp, Cameo and Ruff Sqwad (moved venue but rocked it for 100 or so youngstas and me), Bobby & Nihal’s funky arcana in the Bollywood bar and, most of all, VITALIC (album so-so in confined domestic setting but blistering when let loose in a late-night, big top atmosphere).
Conclusion: the post-rave world is clearly benefiting from its augmentation with (mainly 80s-influenced) guitar sounds and the rave spirit is intact. I know this because people were asking us for MDMA at 10am in the morning, still blitzed from last night, because there were loads of lone bugged out dancers caring only about the groove, and that my wife moaned on the way back about being bored with all that “dj music”. A little more adventurous programming could easily be brought in next year but, overall, job done, Bestival.