Field Day 2011

Bad organisation, over-crowding and sound problems marred what was otherwise an enjoyable Field Day in London’s Victoria Park.

Bemused faces all around the entrance gates, and with no visible turnstiles, punters pushed and jostled with each other to get in, developing scenes fully representing a cattle market.

From various reports, security either seemed to be one of two of extremes; overly aggressive or remarkably slipshod. Receiving the latter treatment, one could be forgiven for feeling rather irked at shelling out the price for a can of warm lager, given several could have been purchased for a similar price in a newsagent, but these are familiar festival grumbles.

The disorganisation of the day in general, however, was hard to ignore, particularly given that it was such a challenge to find the appropriate stage for where you wanted to be. One signpost in the middle of the festival, with indecipherable arrows pointing in the vague direction of where the stage you were looking for might be, was far from adequate.

It was also clear that far too many tickets had been sold. Manoeuvring through the crowds to get where you wanted to became a chore as the day wore on. Queues for the toilets, particularly for females, who did not have the advantage of the urinals provided, were reportedly as long as forty minutes.

The food on offer was a high point, with an ample amount of good quality choices, and barely any queues because of this.

It seems strange to only get around to talking about the music at this point, but such was the disorganisation that it made it nearly impossible to see as much as was on offer.

Cloud Control at the Shacklewell Arms stage, entertained the few who managed to get in. A short set of catchy songs that seem determined to stay with you. The stage itself had an unusual side entrance, so those unable to get into the tent itself were left feeling uninvolved, and many gave up on trying to actually watch anything here.

A surprisingly large crowd gathered for Mount Kimbie, given the sort of audiences the two were playing to last summer, and they received an enthusiastic reception.

Later, Kieran Hebden and James Holden, with their pioneering, immaculate understanding of the textures and complexities of electronic music, was a definite highlight, though would have been much better suited to a later slot. It was baffling as to why the organisers felt their 7.00pm appearance appropriate, given they had got it more or less spot on last year, putting Holden on during twilight hours.

Actress similarly suffered. A rare spell of sunshine during his 6pm slot meant few were in the mood to listen to the kind of threatening, near apocalyptic soundscape he was busy building at the Blogger‘s Delight stage.

As daylight fell away, Gruff Rhys and Wild Beasts were enjoyable, but the inexplicably quiet sound level meant that it was possible to have a conversation with the person next to you without raising your voice. Something many chose to do, which rather drew attention away from the acts themselves. The crowd response was decidedly nonplussed. On top of this, you couldn’t help but feel that these headliners would have suited much better during the afternoon.

I’ve never been to a festival as badly organised as Field Day 2011. Fortunately this was just about saved by the determination of people to enjoy themselves, and the fact that the initial line up was actually very strong, meaning it was possible to find some fulfilment throughout the day.