Glade Festival 2012: Review
The electronic music paradise is one of the parties of the year
Thursday 14th – Sunday 17th June 2012: Glade Festival @ Houghton Hall, Norfolk *Words: Patrick Davies* Glade has perhaps endured more reincarnations than any other UK festival since its first outing in 2004. What started as a guerrilla sound-system in a tiny corner of Glastonbury, evolved into an official stage that can still be found at Worthy Farm. Then stage organisers saw the potential to develop the stage into an event of its own and the result was a brand new paradise for electronic music fans, away from the commercialised, hustle and bustle of the likes of Creamfields and Global Gathering. Over the last eight years, however, it has been by no means plain sailing for Glade. After hosting 16,500 revellers in 2007, council restrictions, and market saturation meant stages had to be cut, and capacity was reduced. Then in 2010 disaster struck, when the event (held at Matterley Bowl, Winchester) was cancelled due to policing costs. Undeterred, newly instilled organisers Secret Productions, the promotional team behind Cambridgeshire festival Secret Garden Party, successfully rebranded and resurrected the festival in 2011. It landed in the remote Norfolk countryside at Houghton Hall, fourteen miles from King’s Lynn. The new home proved a complete success meaning that in 2012 the party would continue- and this time it would be bigger, longer, and most importantly, louder! As I pass through the gates for the first time on Thursday evening, my first impression is that Glade is a festival that refuses to waver from its humble roots. Despite 2011’s attendance of 5,500 nearly doubling this year, the festival’s guerrilla spirit seems very much intact. Lazier punters cheekily stand on the back of crew buggies to hitch lifts from the entrance to the campsite. The bass of various sound-systems can be heard congealing not from the distant arenas of the main site, but from personal stereos that campers have installed inside their tents. But with expansion it seems certain sacrifices must be put in place. The ‘free party’ atmosphere is slightly diluted by the enormous security presence on site. And the news that there are alcohol restrictions of three cans per-person per-day, and a complete ban on spirits (unlike last year I am told) leaves some frustrated as they trudge towards the amnesty bins. Once through this barrier between the real world and the magic of Glade, though, I cannot help but be enchanted. There are a number of features that immediately draw comparisons to Glastonbury- shisha bars, circus performers, and a host of outdoor dance stages cause me to reminisce about Worthy farm. But unlike Glastonbury’s 900-achre site, a huge advantage is that nothing is ever more than five minutes away. As I narrowly avoid a jousting from a pirate on a segway, holding a plastic sword, I discover what must be seen as Glade’s most prominent ode to its parent festival. The Pyromid stage (it will later become clear why this pun is so fitting) is not what would be considered Glade’s main stage, but can only be described as the ‘bassier’, more rebellious offspring of Glastonbury’s Pyramid. Over the weekend the stage plays host to explosive sets from infectious house producer EATS EVERYTHING, and the dark techno of FUNCTION. In terms of an overall ‘main stage’, Glade organisers claim such a thing does not exist, but a glance at this year’s line-up reveals it is the indoor Glade Stage, where some of the dance world’s biggest names, are appearing. ! FRIDAY Friday night plays host to an eclectic line-up that caters for all tastes. The evening kicks off with a tutorial in audience participation courtesy of drop-heavy rap group FOREIGN BEGGARS. With the help of backing tracks from the likes of SKRILLEX and NOISIA, and a ‘wall of death’ style mosh-pit, the crowd are riled up for one hell of a party. Next comes a more varied selection of tracks from KRAFTY KUTS and A SKILLZ, aka TRICKA TECHNOLOGY. The rap theme continues as they blast out their take on JAY-Z and KANYE WEST hit ‘Nias in Paris’, but progresses to something completely different exploring break-beat, electro, and dubstep in the process. !Before returning for co-headliners PRETTY LIGHTS and VITALIC, though, there’s a chance to delve into the woodland area at the far end of the site. This is where Glade’s best kept secrets can be found. After noticing a futuristic structure nestled within the forest the previous night, I soon realise that this is the Meteor stage. It is located inside a huge crater, almost invisible due to the surrounding trees. Despite my 6ft 5inch frame, it is a struggle down the precarious flight of stairs that leads to the bottom of the crater. The DJ booth is an enormous space-ship suspended high in the air. The sounds I am treated to range from a dub-infused remix of gansta-rap classic ‘Still Dre’, to a galactic version of NIRVANA single ‘Heart-shaped Box’- and those with the stamina can expect this to continue until 8am! Across the way from the Meteor stage the space-age feel is also present in the glistening maze of the Polyphant. The area has no music of its own, but the psy-trance of the nearby Liquid stage filters through. Those in need of a sit down can rest on the Polyphant’s benches, in the solace of the foil streams that hang from the roof-beams. After this moment of down-time it’s back to the Glade stage where Colorado-based producer PRETTY LIGHTS mesmerizes fans. His peaks and troughs of hip-hop beats, retro soul samples, and powerful electro turn the Glade stage into a cauldron of elation. ‘I Can See It In Your Face’ and ‘Finally Moving’ have everyone’s hands aloft as the early hours approach. But for thrill-seekers in the audience who are akin to a more unadulterated helping of electro, co-headliner VITALIC is the perfect remedy. Less experimental, and more an exercise of pure electronic horsepower, the Frenchman blasts his way through a one-and-a-quarter hour set. Standouts from debut album ‘Ok Cowboy’, including ‘My Friend Dario’ and ‘La Rock 01’ tear the roof off the tent, and are expertly combined with the slightly more layered sounds of 2009 release ‘Flashmob’. ! SATURDAY Following an exhilarating night’s partying it is a comfort to see that Glade also goes the extra mile to tend to the morning’s sore heads. Adjacent to the campsite there is a spa area with saunas, Jacuzzis, masseurs, and whatever else is needed to sooth those aches and pains. And in the main festival site, those who are in need of a ‘safe zone’ can head to the Kosmicare tent. Carefully laid mattresses and soothing soundtracks are a permanent fixture here (although I should stress that I saw a man wielding an axe outside the entrance at one point). !Returning to the music though, and there’s evidence that the festival is not purely fixated on DJs. Ska-tinged outfit DUB PISTOLS boast SPECIALS front-man, Terry Hall, as a collaborator. They have the whole of the Glade stage dancing, and there is not a single face without a smile as they perform ‘Gangsters’. The live sets continue to be a breath of fresh air. SUBMOTION ORCHESTRA’s moody jazz-soul soars into the Norfolk sky as they bring something completely different to the Glade stage. Without doubt the greatest discovery of the weekend. A trip to the psychedelic village provides a relaxed interlude before the high-octane drum ‘n’ bass of Saturday night. Experimental dub group ZUBZUB play to a modest audience at the Inspiral stage, many of whom stay sat, but they do not seem disheartened and pull off an accomplished performance. Sticking with the psychedelic village it is time to sample the psy-trance of the Origin stage. DJ LAUGHING BUDDHA looks to be enjoying himself. He meanders through his collection of psychedelic beats on what is the largest outdoor psy-trance system in the UK. The audience too are hypnotised, but I start to wonder whether one or two are a little carried away as I hear a bedraggled twenty-something cry: “This is a thousand year-old tribal experience man!” It is an as yet unexplored stage that hosts my choice of \Saturday headliner. After the wistful trance of the psychedelic village, rather than commit to all of SVEN VÄTH’s three-hour set of the same genre, it’s off to the Overkill tent. I arrive just in time to see drum ‘n’ bass veteran DILLINJA take to the stage. As the first real taste of the genre that Glade 2012 offers this is a baptism of fire. The stage is packed to the rafters and the audience goes wild for standout track ‘Twist em’ out’. DILLINJA has been now been at the top of his game for two decades. I soon realise it was naïve to assume that the set would be no more than a warm-up for Sunday headliner, ANDY C. ! SUNDAY As revellers begin to surface on Sunday there is disappointing news as the 10,000 campers discover that Yorkshire-based dubstep behemoth, RUSKO, has cancelled due to illness. But the dancing shoes are soon back on as the county’s second biggest export of recent years, TODDLA T, arrives on stage. Aided capably (with a little distortion) by MC SEROCEE, the Sheffield-based producer gives the audience a catchy ragga set, incorporating hits ‘Rice and Peas’ and ROOTS MANUVA collaboration ‘Watch Me Dance’. The sun is out and the set culminates perfectly with a mass sing-along of BOB MARLEY’s ‘Jammin’. !Even with the omission of RUSKO, the Glade stage boasts a stellar line-up over the final evening that ensures the festival goes out with a bang. Break-beat masters STANTON WARRIORS pack the tent and do not disappoint. Infectious opener ‘Get Up’ persuades the thousands in the crowd to do just that. The commands of standout single ‘Shoot Me Down’ are somewhat more metaphorical, but closing remix of PRODIGY classic ‘Voodoo People’ is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser as the duo leave the stage to a rapturous reception. Following DILLINJA’s almighty set from last night it is then time for another powerful shot of drum ‘n’ bass, served up by a group who have also been at it since the 1990s. Hailing from Derby, DRUMSOUND & BASSLINE SMITH were not exactly spawned from the epicentre of the drum ‘n’ bass scene, but they still have the capabilities to provoke riotous scenes as the Glade stage nears its climax. UTAH SAINTS collaboration ‘What Can You Do For Me’ and DJ FRESH’s ‘Louder’ are particular highlights and there is a slight flash of deja vu they again spin PENDULUM’s remix of ‘Voodoo People’. There is a feeling of slight disillusion during the penultimate set, but the novelty dubstep of HIGH RANKIN was always going to fight a losing battle when hastily drafted in to replace RUSKO. Admirably, though, he just about pulls it off. Final headliner, ANDY C **comes out to an imposing stage set-up, and by some distance the most elaborate of the weekend. A huge LED arch surrounds the DJ booth, and his visceral mutation of drumstep and hardcore drum ‘n’ bass provides an electrifying sonic barrage. It becomes clear that there really should have been more collusion between the final night’s DJs as ‘Voodoo People’ rears its familiar head for the third time of the evening. But this fails to ruin a barn-storming apogee as ‘Recharge’ and ‘Body Rock’ bring the Glade stage to a euphoric close. But there is still one last extravaganza to enjoy. The earlier reference to the aptly named Pyromid stage comes to fruition through a spectacular fire-show. A breath-taking firework display covers the Norfolk skyline, and the stage that acts as a reminder of Glade’s humble beginnings, quite literally bows out in a blaze of glory.
