Blissfields Festival (The Review)
Arriving at Blissfields was, well bliss. It was a scorching hot day and after driving all the way to Hampshire, we were pleased to get there, along with only 4000 other people. We went through security and pithed up our tents and then met our neighbours for the weekend. There was a mix of people from young ravers to older ravers and all we had in common at the start were matching wristbands and a love for music.
Being a small festival, it didn’t take long for us to get from one end of the arena to the other, about 20 minutes. In a bigger festival it can take hours to have a look around but this was different and made dashing for the best food once the last act had finished a whole lot easier. Even though it was small, the organisers had gone all out with the attention to detail. I looked over to my right and there was huge, fake butterflies on the trees and to my left, a cluster of hammocks for when you’ve worked your feet to hard. All in all, it was a pleasure to go and not just see muddy fields all around.
Luckily, the weather was on our side and all weekend we had glorious hot sun. Headlining on the Friday was The Horrors who performed on the ‘Singularity’ stage. Their indie rock tunes were a hit with everyone present and as they were last to play, the sun had gone down and the atmosphere was chilled. Before them, the beautiful Flo Morrissey sang Pages Of Gold. She has just released her first album and I had not heard her until now and if you haven’t, you should. Right now. DJ Alex Adair played that evening on the smaller ‘Now & Den’ stage which ended the evening perfectly.
On Saturday we had so many options. We could watch films in a tent, go and admire art sculptures in another, or go and visit a man who is starting up his own macaroon business. Word of advice- try the salted caramel one, it’s amazing. Of course my friends and I did everything we could as well as trying all the food on offer, which did not disappoint. If you’re paying to go to a festival, you have to try everything, right? The atmosphere is so laid back and friendly here, it’s perfect for first-time goers of festivals.
Saturday night was my favourite. We saw Beans On Toast, who combines comedy and music and he made the whole crowd cry with laughter. After watching live performers we decided to watch Simian Mobile Disco, who played an amazing set. The lighting was amazing and really set the mood and got the crowd going for their set. It was a perfect way to end the festival for us.
There are so many quirky stages; this is really a festival you have to go to at least once. We also managed to see Mike Brown, Gorgeous George, The Fresh Dixie Project, Eton Messy and so many more. For a small festival, the quality was high and it did not disappoint. I’d love to go next year, fingers crossed.
http://licklist.co.uk/blissfie lds-festival
By Hannah Williams