I was somewhat nervous and excited to be attending the Secret Garden Party.  All that I had read told me to leave my expectations and inhibitions at the door, and to join my fellow gardeners in four days of absolute freedom, games and spectacles.

The festival for us started in the massive queue to get on site on Thursday evening. We tuned in 87.9 – Secret FM and listened in to the dandies from The Gentleman’s Club (Arthur & Reginald), taking us through the stages of becoming a gentleman, “Gentleman must only smoke the finest cigars and port must not be passed to the left”.

The garden is set in the gorgeous grounds of a Cambridgeshire manor house, centered around a swimming lake. This years theme was Standing on Ceremony, however, this year is an extra special edition, in honor of their 10th birthday.

Walking around this site, even covered in mud, it’s clear to see it’s spell-blindingly beautiful. There are surreal sights to feast your eyes upon everywhere; art installations, bandstands, sideshows and non-stop parties dot the site.  The crowd are already on good form and looking equally bizarre – a knife & fork go by, then a globe globe, unicorns, aliens, geishas, a pack of cards, deep-sea divers and every animal conceivable.

We head further into the site and stumble upon the Collo-silly-um – a hay baled, high walled arena where two punters are getting down and dirty in the mud wrestling pit.  It’s Britain vs. Germany and we actually win (is that a first)? The pants are off, rather than the gloves and this isn’t the first bit of nudity I’ve seen – its in abundance here. I feel my inhibitions loosening just a little bit…..shall I jump in? This festival is decadent, indulgent and hedonistic. It’s an enormous adult playground and you feel under the SPG magic spell as soon as you enter the site.

It’s clear to me by now that this festival is not all about the music – although, they do have some pretty good names on the bill. Friday afternoon saw Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves of Destiny take to the main stage. Beth clad in a hooded leotard, sang favourites ‘Dodecahedron’ and ‘Lilliputt’ to a small but appreciative crowd.

Evening comes and Alabama Shakes get things moving on the main stage with their Southern style grooves and thumbing bass riffs.  Followed by Little Dragon and finally Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Lead singer Alex Ebert with his hippie charisma kicked off his boots and leaped onto the barriers, the audience whip themselves up into frenzy. ‘Man on fire’ was the stand out track for me. The band closed things with the equally brilliant track ‘Home’, and the crowd were once more on their feet, singing along and dancing with their arms in the air.

On the way back to the campsite, we stop on the hill and take in a vista of the scenic site. By night it’s even more impressive, transformed by neon blues and greens illuminating the trees.

The mascara wearing comedian, songwriter and musician Tim Minchin got Saturdays proceedings underway on the main stage.  He joked ‘I’m surprised to see any one up this early’.  He raised the roof (well proverbially, if there was one) to a packed out crowd with his razor sharp satirical ditties on Jesus.

The sun was out in its full glory, which meant lake swimming and more naked liberation.  We caught a boat over to the Lake Stage where rumbling DnB sounds could be heard. From here you can see more people ‘shaking their stuff’ on the Pagoda Stage opposite. T.E.E.D, Jamie Jones and Seth Troxler are DJ’in here, but stage times are not listed, instead clues are hidden around the pagoda – shhh, it’s a secret.

Around the lakeside lies the ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ Stage, its front adorned with knotted and twisted tree branches.  This rather lovely stage is playing host to a good line up of new folk and up-and-coming bands over the four days, starting with Bastille. During the course of the weekend we see Ellen And The Escapades, We Were Evergreen, Lucy Rose, Daughter, Lianne La Havas and King Charles play to packed audiences.

What I am beginning to like more and more about SGP is that there is so much to get involved in, even if the music wasn’t your scene.  The organizers actively encourage that you don’t get hung up on seeing the bands and that you participate rather than be a spectator.  You can go punting, join a literary reading, have dance lessons, go swimming, ride a camel, take a hot tub under the blue skies.  I’m finding it impossible not to fall in love with this festival.

As darkness falls, we ready ourselves for the big birthday burn.  A crescendo of activities that starts with dozens of fire jugglers surrounding the lake, hundreds of neon balloons sent floating skywards, a breathtaking firework display and then the big climax. The Lake Stage is ignited and the flames roar into the blackened sky. It was truly phenomenal. Huge crowds swell the banks as far as your eye could see. SPG know how to put on an awe-inspiring ceremony.

Taking to the stage after the immense sights on the lake were Obital. They needed something epic to follow the pyrotechnics we had just witnessed. Never failing to please, the Hartnoll brothers with trademark headlamp glasses blew the audience away with projections, laser beams and some good old classics ‘Halcyon’ ‘Belfast’ and a 15 minutes version of ‘Chime’ to conclude this blissful set.

Sunday turns out to be a hot one and perfect for hanging out at The Dance-Off stage, a boxing ring where punters challenge each other to dance like an idiot to cheesy mash-ups.  There is some serious partying going on down there.

The merriment continues with the infamous paint fight at the main stage. Organizers hand out bags of powered pigment and before you know it people are multi-coloured from head to toe in garish, blue, yellow, purple and orange and the air is full of colourful dust.

In the evening we get ourselves into the north field in time for another birthday parade. Just when you think SPG couldn’t pull out any more surprises out of the bag, well they did.  From the skies came five parachutists landing on the lake, two planes that created a love heart in smoke trails in the sky, a carnival style procession with a band of foxes, a giant cake, a brass brand, camels trail.

Glastonbury may be taking a sabbatical this year, but there is no chance of festival goers feeling hard done by with this festival. I urge anyone who hasn’t been, to give this one a go.  You might not set foot on Worthy Farm again……but shhhh it’s a secret!

Click here to view photos from The Secret Garden Party

This would be first day festival I have attended this summer, well actually my first one ever, I was unsure on what the atmosphere would be like and how it would differ with the full weekend events.

The morning started well, bright beautiful sunshine and clear blue sky’s which was a change from the last two weeks constant down pours. 15,000 tickets had been sold before the event and with the opportunity to buy tickets that day the sun would defiantly draw in a lot more people.

The future sound of Nottingham  winner “The Afterdark Movement” were the first band to play on the main stage,  the soulful six-piece band fusing hip hop, rhythm and blues with a dash of pop brought the early festival goers to their feet with their enthusiastic show coupled with the engaging presence of the main singer Bru-C.

Along with The Afterdark Movement, Nina Smith, Indinia & Sinners Highway, all future sound of Nottingham finalists played at the festival. The festival was really geared towards local bands and promoting the best of Nottinghamshire music.

Towards the late afternoon and early evening the big names from past and present started making appearances on the Main and Jagermister stages.

Levellers made a huge impact on the Jagermister stage with hundreds of true fans crammed as close to the front as possible singing in sync to every song and every lyric and even getting myself singing to some of their classics such as “What a Beautiful Day”

Katy B was the highlight of the day for me, known for the chart topping singles “Katy on a Mission” and “Lights On”

Dizzee Rascal ended the festival but not until leaving his fans waiting for 20 minutes, the late start was made up for with a high energy and high impact set which sent the crowd into a frenzy with a few mosh pits within the crowd. Pyrotechnics and CO2 cannons added to the whole atmosphere and Dizzee used every available space on stage giving everyone, left, right or centre a good view.

After a long sunny day the festival was at a close with a wide range of musical acts and genres on offer at the festival, from the local unsigned bands, to world music, and big names from the past and present every Nottinghamshire resident should have this marked in their calendar for next year.

Click here to view photos from Splendour Festival 2012

It would be impossible to write about Larmer Tree this year, without mentioning the mud and, in typical British spirit, the weather. So let’s get that out of the way. It’s been a bad year for festival organisers this year. Many outdoor shows and events have been cancelled up and down the country due to horrible weather patterns. A few days before I am meant to set off for Larmer Tree, I am constantly checking for updates, hoping it hasn’t been cancelled too. As it happens, the organisers seem to be doing a great job preparing for any unexpected circumstances, and I pack my things to leave. On the day I am meant to arrive, however, it is me who has the problem. Flooding and storms in my area have closed off my main route to the grounds, and disappointed I am forced to stay at home.

Luckily, the next day the roads are open and back in business and I set off first thing. It rains the whole way there, and when I arrive, it shows no sign of stopping. I am greeted by stewards and staff who are completely un-phased by the elements, and more than happy to help any of the arrivals.

Even against the dark grey sky, and through the sheets of rain, the first thing I notice when I enter the Larmer Tree Festival site, is the colour. Circus style marquees, flags, stalls and eateries are some of the most creative and vibrant I have seen at a festival. Stalls are selling the bizarre and the beautiful, from clothing to trinkets. And it doesn’t take long before a small wander makes my eyes several times larger than my belly and I instantly want to eat at least one of everything going. From fresh baked pizza, curries, Chinese food and pies, to having tea and crumpets served to you by corset-clad girls at Strumpets with Crumpets. All the favourites are here. Over the course of my weekend, I managed to try a fair amount of what is on offer, and it was all delicious.

Larmer Tree consists of five main venues; the Main Lawn hosts both a Main Stage and a Garden Stage, the Garden Stage hosting both live music and DJ’s who entertain during Main Stage changeovers. The Big Top (looks exactly as it sounds) holds both live bands and workshops that vary from Swing Dance to Didgeridoo lessons. The Arc is another circus style tent, it holds both seating and standing room, and is home to more live music and comedy. Club Larmer is home to Theatre and talks for adults, Film screenings and DJ events. The Social has a bohemian pub type feel, and is also home to live performances, and contains its own bar. On a walk through the Lost Wood and the Secret Garden, other smaller stages appear along with craft workshops and activities, including a Healing Zone where you can even get massages. The gardens also contain brilliant works of art and sculptures and I’m left thinking: “Is this a festival, or a cave of wonder?”

Stopping for a lunchtime pizza, and a very necessary cuppa, I am soaking but happy and enjoying myself. As is everyone I can see around me. Larmer Tree seems to attract an incredibly diverse audience; young families with young children, teenagers in groups on their own, middle aged and elderly people (judged by age, and absolutely not by spirit), and twenty-something’s like myself, and every one is more than welcome. I would like to add at this point that, age-wise, this is by far the most diverse festival I have ever been to. Larmer Tree really does seem to offer something for everyone, and it is clear from chatting to many people that I meet here that if you come once, you are most likely to return. Some people I speak with are so fond of this festival (returning 4-5 times), that they encourage me to ignore the relentless rain, hating the thought of me thinking anything negative about their beloved Larmer Tree festival.

–       It’s OK, the rain didn’t ruin anything. Except maybe the inside of my tent.

Thursdays three main headliners are Yes Sir Boss, Tim Minchin and Paloma Faith.

First up are Bristol-based Yes Sir Boss, who do a great job warming up the crowd with an energetic set-list and a small horn section. Oh, and they have Joss Stone do a guest appearance with them too.

Next up on the Main Lawn is the exceptionally multi-talented comedian, singer, songwriter and musician, Tim Minchin. I knew he was talented, but I was not prepared for his brilliant showmanship and abundance of energy throughout the set. As soon as he walks out on stage the whole audience comes to life as they witness him jump around and throw his wellies in the air. By the end of the first song alone, he has jumped up and down on his piano stool while singing, and then continued to play on all fours. At the end of the first song he says one of my favourite things that I heard all weekend in the garden and forest style setting:

“Which one’s the Larmer Tree?”

Paloma Faith is Thursdays’ last main stage act. In all honesty, I knew she was a good singer, but I didn’t expect such a good performance and was very pleasantly surprised. Her vocals were brilliant, as was her showmanship, and the crowd leave the Main Lawn in a great spirits, ready to continue the party elsewhere in the grounds.

On Friday, the weather is thankfully much drier, although the aftermath of Thursdays’ rain is a huge amount of swamp-like mud. It still doesn’t affect anyone’s mood, and everyone seems to have fully embraced the conditions, determined to have a great weekend – even those who forgot to pack their wellies.

First of the three main stage acts of the evening are Dizraeli & The Small Gods. The seven piece folk-come-hiphop band manage to combine the two genres in a genuinely spine tingling way, entwining hiphop vocals from Dizraeli around stunning female vocal leads and harmonies and brilliant music. With such a talented first act of the evening, I know I must be in for a treat for the rest of the night: Dub Pistols, followed by The Levellers.

Dub Pistols are one of the liveliest and most entertaining bands I have seen so far over the last two days. Another genre mixing act, I can only describe them as trumpet fuelled hiphop, come ska punk, which turns out to be a great combination.

The Levellers give a great performance; only they seem to have attracted a different part of the Larmer Tree crowd than the earlier acts. Musically the eclectic use of instruments follows on well from their predecessors, however, attracting a slightly more mature audience there is quite the change over.

After the acts on the Main Lawn have finished for the evening, I explore some of the later events, and decide to head to The Social. While exploring in yesterdays rain, many people found themselves in this tent while sheltering from rain, enjoying the built in bar, some poetry reading and live music. Playing when I walk in, are a three piece band called The Wishbones, who turn out to be one of my favourite acts of the weekend; their line-up includes a banjo, lap steel guitar, double bass and great vocals. Unfortunately, acts in the social don’t feature on the main timetable, so I’m glad that I caught them, and will be keeping an eye on these guys.

When I leave The Social, a fire show is taking place outside. This sums up the festival, always something to do for everyone involved.

Saturday is a hugely diverse mix of sounds and cultures, and is also a fancy dress day where everyone is invited to dress to this years’ theme – All At Sea. Today’s Main Lawn acts feature GIVERS, Amadou & Mariam, and Caravan Palace; starting off with GIVERS, who seem to have quite the following, particularly among younger crowd members. They are among the youngest bands that I’ve seen here so far, clearly each member is incredibly talented and the crowd get behind them completely.

Amadou & Mariam are a duo that came together through their blindness, and they win everyone over with their uplifting musical sound (and brilliant guitar skills, I heard people saying “I can see fine and I’ll never be able to play that well”).

Caravan Palace are a lot of peoples must see act for this festival, and they supersede everyone’s expectations with a really amazing set, and I can’t help but dance while I’m taking photos. The general consensus is that no one has ever seen such beautiful people all in the same band, who each have so much energy and never stop dancing. The crowd danced just as much, and the entire field was jumping.

Still dancing, I head to The Arc, where I’m going to watch my first comedy act of the festival. Up tonight are Swedish comedian Daniel Simonson, Alun Cochrane, and Stephen K Amos, and Comedy Club Compere Tom Craine. This turns out to be a brilliant combination of comedic acts, the whole tent belly laughs and heckles like any good comedy audience should.

It’s late now, but the journey back to my tent is halted by the DJ sounds coming from The Social, and the idea of a late night pizza.

The sun comes out on Sunday, and sheds light on a carnival procession; The United Colours of Larmer Tree! This is a combination of crazy costumes and live music that ranges from Brazilian dance drums to Accordion based shanties, and many children who have made costumes in the Kids Club take part.

From the press area in the afternoon I hear Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends sound-checking while I’m charging up my camera batteries, and a few of us run outside to see them on the main stage giving a rendition of The Drunken Sailor. It’s such a beautiful sound made by the vocal choir, and their set is fantastic. Another great act of the day is Otis Gibbs, who plays in The Arc.

I instantly fall in love with the first of the final main stage Larmer Tree acts, Raghu Dixit, who not only play great Indian folk-rock, but also seem to impart wisdom and wellbeing to the entire crowd.

Imagined Village take to the stage next, and the crowd love them so much that they are called up for an encore.

The last act set for the main lawn this year is Roots Manuva, who has a very different sound to the previous act, and got even the most reluctant dancers dancing.

So, that’s it for the Main Lawn, but as always in Larmer Tree there is still something left to do, tonight I head to The Big Top to see a performance from hiphop Shakespearian, Akala. Having seen Akala a few years ago, I know that he is a brilliant lyricist and master of words, and it’s great to see how his musical sound has developed.  There is just time to run on over to The Arc to catch another comedy act – Milton Jones, who is famed for his one-liner wittiness. The festival eventually ends at around 3am, with the ‘Uplifter’s Reggae Sessions’ that take place in Club Larmer.

To put it simply, this has been a fantastic weekend. Although this is a relatively tiny festival, there is so much to do, for absolutely everyone. What Larmer Tree may lack in the way of big festival names, it more than makes up for with a huge amount of hidden gems and surprises.

Review by Elise Price

Click here to view Larmer Tree Thursday photos
Click here to view Larmer Tree Friday & Saturday photos
Click here to view Larmer Tree Sunday photos