The Big Chill@Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire, August 3-5 2007

review

The first weekend of August and the long awaited summer sun popped up from its hiding place behind the Herefordshire Hills of Great Malvern and shone its smiling face on the friendliest UK festival that is The Big Chill. Those who watched the flood fests of the previous weeks must have been kicking their mud splashed wellies in disgust and disbelief when they discovered the rain stayed mostly on the plain this weekend.  The rest of us took our boots with us…just in case.  Well, you never can trust the English weather.

Almost 30,000 revellers descended on the grounds of Eastnor Castle to enjoy a musically varied, wickedly friendly and, of course, deeply chilled three day festival.  Now in its twelfth year The Big Chill is not just a festival, it’s a way of being.

Newbies who attend with the usual frenzied festival mindset are initially disappointed to find that it’s not all about rushing from one stage to the other to get a glimpse of your favourite band under a three-day-old crusty armpit.  They leave with a casual swagger, new friends and maybe a flower in their hair.

The Big Chill crowd are different.  The people are the pulse of it, the lifeblood that generates the passion in the underbelly.  Chillers get it; that certain level of Nirvana that’s hard to attain in modern society by just forgetting it all and indulging in some serious R&R.

Of course the music is important too; many new acts are discovered at The Chill because of founder Pete Lawrence’s uncanny ability to sniff out good talent – Lily Allen, Lemon Jelly, Royksopp all showcased here.  The eclectic mix on offer, from world music to deep-dirty-bass-lines, means that people inevitably listen to something they wouldn’t normally and therein a new follower is born.  And because the line up isn’t crammed with well known acts the need to run around ticking them all off a scrambled list is eliminated.

At The Big Chill, you meander.  On the way to see your act of choice you might find yourself chatting to a 40-year old in a snail suit or happen upon a jug of potent vodka cocktails but you certainly don’t rush.  Spanish fever sets in – manana, manana.  Hey, you can see them another time, right?

Highlights of this year’s festival included a pumping set from Kruder and Dorfmiester; Crazy P’s Saturday night live set; a more than entertaining Seasick Steve; flamenco influence from Ojos de Brujo; Soul of Man’s killing beats on closing night and of course Mr Norman Jay, for whom the weather was on its best behaviour providing a few sunburnt moments during his legendary Sunday afternoon stint.

As with every year crowds milled about and moaned come the 2am shut down, and although they’re learning to live with this, the word on the camp ground is that no-one likes it.  Maybe one year The Big Chill will deliver some dance tunes late into the night for the revellers that just can’t get enough.  But, maybe that’s their grand plan, for every year Chillers leave the Malvern Hills wanting more.