Boomtown

Final safety checks in Barrio Loco.

Another weekend, another festival.  This has a somewhat intimidating reputation, something like the most hardcore dance areas of Glastonbury expanded to make an entire festival, this and the pretty awful weather forecast means I'm feeling a little doubtful when I turn up.  It's a short ride from my parents anyway, and can't complain about the Oxfam marquee containing a real ale bar.  Still feel like getting out of the site on the Thursday morning though, so I go for a wander as far as Twyford and get a pub lunch.  Pleasant country here on the South Downs, not far from Winchester in fact.  Getting back I am due on shift, which turns out to be guarding exits on the Poco Loco, in the downtown area - all dance music here.  At least in Poco Loco there are live acts, and while it (rap?  hip-hop?) isn't really my cup of tea it is still cool.  In fact the shift goes pretty fast, shame that when I finish at midnight, all the music does too.  Not least I am starting to get the feeling there is some pretty good stuff going on around here...

The Jolly Dodger.  Yaaaar!

Friday, and I have the whole day free, well, except for having to go on shift back in the Poco Loco at midnight, until 8am.  Trying to put that out of my mind I wander the site, and what I find is really rather awesome.  The festival consists of a large number of little themed regions, for instance there is one part where uniformed figures patrol and subject the revellers to searches and authoritative notices warn of dire punishments, though of course it is all a hastily constructed facade - but enough of the drug policy enforcement at the entrance.  There is also a Wild West town, an Aztec temple, Chinatown, a South American barrio, the dystopian future of DSTRKT 5, and many more.  All the areas have a one or more main stages, plus numerous little venues often accessed through quirkily designed fronts, appearing to be anything from a post office or job centre to a saloon, brothel or who knows what.  I spend a lot of time at the pirate ship - the Jolly Dodger - and also the Old Mine, the Town Centre, and the Rusty Spur.  Shame I can't really drink other than a few pints at lunch, and the less said about the all night stewarding shift the better.

An actual band.  Jellycats I think.

After a few hours sleep on Saturday morning I venture out again, there is so much music here it is hard to stay in one place long, so I don't really get a handle on the bands I watch.  A lot of them though... while it is mainly dance music here, of many varieties, there is a lot of live stuff too, plenty of Gypsy, Klezmer, Ska, Punk, anything you can dance to really.  I jump up and down with a big grin on my face, and I do remember a few names, La Pegatina, Jellycats, Flogging Molly, Formidable Vegetable Soundsystem!  To finish the evening I watch the pirate ship circus which is rather excellent, trapeze wenches, a live band accompaniment and a fire, fireworks and cannon show to finish as the pirates fight their way into the old town of Boomtown.  Can't really make this a late one though as I am on shift again at 7.45am on Sunday.

Rather than back at the Poco Loco, my Sunday shift is listed as 'response' - basically means I have to cover if the stewarding team is short in any way.  This turns out to mean I get promoted to supervisor when one of the guys doesn't turn up... OK, I can do this.  In a rather cool combination of festival stewarding and long distance hiking, I actually walk along the South Downs Way to get to my shift location, turns out I'm responsible for a vehicle crossing point and one of the 'forest parties'.  It is nice to be walking around rather than stuck in one place, and I manage to remember all of my team's names and get their breaks in at reasonable times.  It is a little stressful though, dealing with security who seem to have pretty high expectations of us stewards, when after all we're just untrained volunteers.  Still I get through it, sleep deprived though I may be, feel just a bit tired when I finish the shift though.  Only have a little lie down though, there is a festival happening after all.  I watch the pirate circus again, seems it is a bit earlier today.  Gradually feel a bit better thanks to the healing power of wine, and by midnight I'm dancing around to the cowpunk sound of Pronghorn with my big grin back on.  I get to do this every week!

With my supervisor tabard on.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.