Shambala

The festival site, seen from over the lake.

Another weekend, what shall I do.  Oh yeah, joy, yet another festival.  Not really feeling it after last week's fiasco, but I turn up nonetheless at the 'secret location', which turns out to be Kelmarsh Hall near Market Harborough.  Of course, while I have to be there on Wednesday, my first shift is not 'til Friday afternoon, ho hum.  At least I find a pub for some beer and fish and chips, then on Thursday I bugger off to Birmingham for pizza and pub with Austin.  Nice to be somewhere with normal people who live in houses and cut their hair...

But I have to go back and work of course, still, it goes pretty smoothly, manning fire towers, info points and so forth.  Seems like a nice vibe here, lots of hippies, lots of families, all having fun.  Before long it is midnight, I can have a beer or two, and find some music in the 'Social Club' - a band plays disco tunes, all decked out in huge afros.  Oh, festivals, I can't stay mad at you.

Stage, in a tree.

Same shift on Saturday, well I'm free until 4 then, time for a wander around site.  Seems pretty cool, lots of little stages, Chai Wallahs is here and seems to be stage 3.  I watch some bands that seem familiar from the green fields at Glastonbury, then check out the 'Enchanted Forest', where there is a stage in a tree, and kids run around dressed as foxes, trying to steal rubber chickens while other kids with red coats chase them.  Back to work, mostly involves watching the festival go by, wow there are a lot of costumes here, people have gone to town with the Space theme, I feel rather umderdressed.  Again my shift goes quickly enough, and as I don't have to work tomorrow I may as well party - dancing until the early hours in the Social Club ensues.

Return of festival mojo.

Sunday, and it rains a bit, but no matter, plenty of indoor venues here.  A girl playing at Chai Wallahs can make the sound of a trumpet with her mouth... a wander through the forest where a keyboard and violin duo are playing up the tree... to the rather cool Sankofa's, basically a bunch of huge tipis stuck together, to hide from the rain, where I sit through an hour of self-help twaddle / eastern mythology, there is talk of chakras and the third eye.  Poverty is desire apparently, or not as a paper aeroplane landing near me says.  I hang around Sankofa's most of the day, they have a South American theme going on, some rather excellent bands from Colombia and Venezuela, then three part harmonies from Voices.  Watch the fireworks over the lake, shame that there is no set time for them so me and the rest of the crowd have to listen to a pretty terrible DJ first.  Then off to spend my last meal token, I get a tasty pizza and eat it in the People's Front Room, probably the smallest music venue here.  Then a last look into the Social Club before bed - work at 7.45 tomorrow.  The less said about the Monday morning shift, during which the rain does not let up at all and I need all my layers on a typical British 'summer' Bank Holiday, the better.

The People's Front Room.