Now that the festival season’s over for another year, it’s time to reminisce about the fantastic summer of music that has just flown by. What are some of your memories? I’m going to assume they’re something along the lines of loud music on multiple stages surrounded by large crowds with ‘Topshop inspired’ outfits and neon paint. Oh, and not forgetting plenty of mud and a surplus amount of fast food stalls. That’s the standard set up of a British festival, right? Well, Wilderness Festival breaks all the festival stereotypes.
Deep in the wilderness of Oxfordshire’s Cornbury park, an array of eccentricities enjoyed the uniqueness of this small festival; ‘a celebration of the Arts and Outdoors in the wilds of England.’ Individuals dressed as Bugsy Malone extras and wild animals could be seen partying to the sounds of tribal beats and circling around a band stand; just a few insights into what happened on one sunny weekend in mid-August. Wilderness is only two years old, but the running of the entire festival was completely smooth and without flaw. With the help of the Old Vic Tunnels, The Secret Garden Party and Michelin star chefs, the best organised festival, although a ‘party in the woods’ may be a more fitting title, graced the UK with its presence.
Over the course of three days, the main stage saw performances from up and coming superstars. King Charles, Lianne La Havas and Crystal Fighters are a few of Friday’s acts that really stood out with their confident, energetic and enthusiastic performances. Jake Bugg, 18-year-old musical genius, surprised everyone with his unassuming and humble character. Jake shared the stage on Saturday with The Temper Trap; a band that you can never get tired of. The entire crowd chorusing ‘sweet disposition’ in the festival sunshine is a moment to be remembered. Sunday saw singer/songwriter Benjamin Frances Leftwich take to the stage with his beautifully written songs, performed equally beautifully with his soft and charming voice.
The Bandstand and the Folk Guild stages saw many more performances from up and coming bands. The Folk Guild stage was any folk lover’s dream; a marquee complete with hay barrels and bunting that hosted incredible bands throughout the day and night. A band that caught mine and many others’ attention was We Were Evergreen. The band, originally from France, played all three stages throughout the festival. They were completely overwhelmed as the crowd danced in true hippie style to their unbelievably catchy tunes; so much so that they even joined in at one point and performed within the crowd!
The natural setting of Wilderness is one of the many things that made it such a special festival. You could be mistaken for believing that you had fallen down the rabbit whole and ended up in one of Florence Welch’s dreams. After a walk in the wilderness, a skinny dipping session or a ride in one of the boats on the beautiful lake, the festival goers could take a walk up to the campfire at the busking stage, hosted by friends of the earth who, while dressed as cute bees, were raising awareness of the importance of bumble bees. If you didn’t think it could get anymore ‘hippie,’ think again. There were various tents hosting talks and debates from naturists, scientists, actors, artists, and even Made in Chelsea’s Frances Boulle. If you didn’t fancy any of that, then you could have taken a stroll into ‘vintage village,’ tried your hand at arts and crafts or taken a visit to the onsite spa. Forget greasy chips and burgers, wilderness festival goers treated themselves to ‘Annie Mac and cheese’ and various types of food from campervan stalls and cups of tea from a double decker bus. If that wasn’t enough, long table banquets were held by Michelin star chefs.
The festival certainly didn’t end after the headline act on the main stage! Late night parties were held each night in conjunction with various other organisers. Future Cinema hosted a live performance of Bugsy Malone on the first night. The actors stayed in character all day and the night ended in a huge splurge fight as part of Fat Sam’s Grand Slam. Old Vic Tunnels hosted a masquerade ball and the Secret Garden party hosted a tribal party. Both nights were surreal as the décor of the festival surroundings and the outlandish costumes came together with alternative live music to create unforgettable evenings.
So much was packed into one weekend that I could easily go on writing forever. Wilderness festival 2013 is an absolute must! Sebastian Pringle, lead singer of Crystal Fighters summed it up perfectly; “you guys are lucky, because this shit is gonna get massive.”
Published version on DYC here; give it a like!
