Glasgowbury 2012 - Massive but Massive

“Small But Massive” has been the tag line of Glasgowbury for many years now, but if it expands any further they are going to have to change it to just plain massive.  By 12 pm on Saturday 21^st July 2012 we had tents pitched, beers opened and were merrily dancing along to a carnival style multi-coloured drum circle.  As the drummers marched away, the crowd followed them as if they were the Pied Pipers of Hamelin only instead of leading rats out of town they led the people from the campsite to the Glasgowbury arena.

With a tweeked layout this year allowing them to accommodate six different stages the festival really did look bigger than ever.  As ever the main stage was flanked in the background by the scenic Sperrins.  The addition this year of the Red Bull Generator Stage - helmed by DJs throughout the day - gave relief to anyone seeking escape from live music.  Judging by the size of the crowds that danced around the DJ booth/bar it was a massive success.  The weather stayed dry throughout with the sun even making a few regular appearances. 

This year the G Session stage was moved to a giant circus style tent.  This allowed for much improved acoustics and an end to the sound bleeding which the winds on the site had contributed to the year before.  It was on this stage that we saw The Wonder Villains play for the second year running.  Ripping through their catalogue of sing-a-long favourites and trying out some new material. The year has been kind to The Wonder Villains and much improvement could be seen from this time last year.  The extensive touring and gig paying has certainly helped them hone their craft. 

It's recently been announced that Triggerman are supporting Sepultura later this year, and rightly so. They roared through their unique brand of heavy rock with the ease of a bulldozer thorugh a mountain of butter.  the were the bulldozer we were the butter. A sizable crowd had gathered and so the moshing and head banging was inevitable.  A great band to see live and definately a high light for me.

Silhouette was up next and as Shauna Tohill’s haunting voice filled our ears the crowd was captivated.  A genuine rising star whose unique sound is catchy and memorable - definitely one to watch.

As the afternoon well and truly set in,  Pocket Billiards hit the stage in order to wake us up, and as usual the crowd was on their feet. The nine-piece ska kings did what they do best and tore through their set of punchy classics, even being joined by Eimear Coyle from The Wonder Villains at one point.

We took a wander round the site and eventually found ourselves in the middle of another drum circle.  Just one of the many sideshows that could be found in and around the festival arena.  As we left the drum circle and headed towards the main stage we were accosted by seven-foot high silver faced devils.  Luckily we made it out in time to see the tail end of Axis Of. The sound was good, the pace frantic and we're sure we saw  Pocket Billiards join in the final track so this is definatley a band we'd like to catch a whole set of in the coming months.

 I’m not usually a huge fan of dance music but I defy anyone not to be swept along by the amazing stage show and the bombastic tunes that The Japanese Popstars produce.  As we looked around there wasn’t a single person standing still and Northern Ireland’s answer to the Chemical Brothers were a welcome support act for the headliners.

At about 11.05pm Paddy Glasgow, the legend himself appeared before us. The crowd roared as Paddy introduced the headlining act, Therapy?

Therapy? are without a doubt one of the most  anticipated Glasgowbury headliners ever and despite this year being one of the quietest - crowd-wise - the amount of people left standing for the final act was impressive.  Therapy? looked the part in well-fitted suits and they certainly quashed all rumours that they’re too old for this game as they played for well over an hour, rocking the Sperrins to its very core.

Andy Cairns was on fire, he kept the crowds’ spirits up as the rain set in and was constantly talking to the audience (a trait I love to see in a band, it males you feel a part of something and not just a spectator). Unfortunately drummer Neil Cooper couldn’t be at Glasgowbury this year as his wife had just given birth to a baby, but seeing as Andy recorded a message for him on his phone, he would still get a glimpse of the ‘Small But Massive’ madness. Luckily the drummer from LaFaro was on hand to cover and he didn’t miss a beat. As a massive fan of Troublegum, Knives and Screamager were personal highlights and the entire crowd, both young and old, was singing every word – proving once and for all that Northern Ireland was definitely in need of some Therapy?

I've been saying it for a few years now, but as Glasgowbury grows and grows the next step is definately to split this into a 2 day festival. With many more going on the first night, even without entertainment, we need that final push to put this up there amongst the Latitude festivals and the Download festivals of the world.  A niche festival but on a massive scale, it just so happens that the niche of this festival is local music.

Until next year Paddy Glasgow, Keep her lit and Keep her "Small but massive"

Glasgowbury 2012 preview

I went to my first Glasgowbury in 2008. That year the event was headlined by ASH.  It was the first small festival I’d been to, upto that point I’d only been to larger fests, Leeds weekender and Download.  I was blown away by the intimacy, the atmosphere and the commitment to local music. 

Since that time Glasgowbury has grown every year, but their commitment has remained the same, the atmosphere has stayed the same and it’s still a heck of a day out. To get to Glasgowbury you have to drive out of the city, into the countryside, to the foot of a mountain, get on a bus, drive further up the mountain and then hop into a field. But it’s worth the effort. You get to see the cream of Irish music in an amazing setting, mountains in the background, sun shining (hopefully) beer in hand with the volume turned all the way up.  So here’s our wee preview of the bands to see, what to bring, useful links and some sage advice that I’ve garnered over the years.

At a glance

Website: http://www.glasgowbury.com/

Ticket: £45

Parking: £5

Bus: £3

Pint: £3.50

Food: £4-5
Postcode for the Sat-Nav: BT45 7EN

What to pack

How it goes

As you get near to Draperstown you'll start seeing signs directing you to the site, the first one usually appears at the roundabout in Draperstown. Follow these and you can't go far wrong.  You'll eventually see some guys in fluorescent jackets directing you to the car park.  It costs £5 to park the car and I've never heard of anyone having issues with security in the car park, but make sure to hide any valuables out of plain site and lock the car.  You 'll then walk over to the ticketing area, where you collect your tickets, or if you already have them show them to the staff. They'll give you a wrist band. Do not lose this! It's your proof that you've paid to be there.  After tickets there's a security check.  They're mostly checking for glass and cooking or fire making stuff and should only take a minute or 2.  After this there's a wee hut where you pay £3 for a return coach ticket.  The walk to the campsite takes about 25-30 mins and it's all uphill, with all your stuff. So this really is the best option. The coaches come about every 10 mins and one is never far away.  The bus then takes you and your stuff up the hill and leaves you at the campsite.  There's usually 2 main ones: family and camper-vans and there's loads of staff around to direct you to the right one.  Once in, set up your tent and get your sleeping bag out. Basically take 15 mins to set your area up first.  You'll be thankful later!

Next open a beer and have a well deserved drink!  Take a look around and note where your tent is, this will come in handy when you're staggering back later that night.  When you head over the Arena you'll be checked for booze and have your wrist band checked.  You can nip back and forth to the campsite as much as you like but make sure to keep any valuables on you.  Have a walk around and note where the stages are, so you know where to go to see the bands you want.  Be sure once you're there that you soak it all in, join in a drum circle, make a poster, get your face painted, check out some new bands! Make sure and eat and drink some water through out the day, it's a good 12 hours and you want to make sure you see it all. 

Trying to decide what bands to see and when, use the clash finder.
Put in your choices, colour code them and then print it out!

Clashfinder

Glasgowbury sent out this wee notice of information. A must read if you're going.

Checklist link

Our Recommendations

Intermission


A 3 piece Alt-Rock group from Derry who have been around making noise (in one band or another) for quite a wee while now.  The noise is starting to be heard and it's getting louder. Great anthemic choruses and crunchy guitars makes us look forward to finally seeing these guys live.

Silhouette

You know the song off that NI 2012 Our Time, Our Place ads? Well that's Sillhouette; catchy huh? Fronted by Shauna Tohill it's "high energy alternative pop laced with flavours of darkness, hope and desire."  Having finally seen them live at Pigstock we're pretty excited about catching them again.

Pocket Billiards


9 Piece Ska bastards from Belfast.  Coming with a new album under one arm and a ready made party under the other.  The most fun you can have with your clothes on.


Triggerman


If you like your riffs chunky and your rock hard, then these are the guys for you. Bringing a sound thats familiar, catchy but strangley unique.  Rock up on the day, let your hair down and perhaps even join in a mosh pit.

Tucan
Beautiful music played beautifully.  Known for thier amazing instrumental re-workings of modern pop songs, These guys play the most amazing and precise guitars you'll hear all day.

We'll be heading up early on saturday morning and have a full write up ASAP.  We hope to see you up the mountain! #smallbutmassive

Pigstock '12

                    

The sun is shining, the beers are flowing and Pigstock 2012 is finally here! It's the official start of the summer and a chance to catch some of Northern Ireland's finest bands whilst getting drunk in a field, then crashing out in a cramped, freezing tent. 

So PastieBap headed out to Killinchy on Friday 1st June with a few friends, a few tents and a lot of alcohol, and arrived relatively safely (a minor sick stop had to be made as a few of us were nursing hangovers) at around 3.50pm. Campsite opened at 4pm, so we had to wait a little while before the gates were opened and then once we got parked up and gathered our things, we had another 10 minute wait until they finally released us into the campsite itself. We were amongst the first there so secured a primo spot all to ourselves and built a little cul-de-sac of tents. 

The atmosphere was electric as we slapped on the sun cream and started drinking and the campsite quickly filled up with tents and the sound of soundcheck. The main arena opened about 7pm and we went for a dander to see were we'd be spending the next 38 hours or so. The main arena consisted of three stages: The Gem Saloon, The Engine Room and the Main Stage; five vans selling food: pizza, thai food, crepes, burgers and an ice cream van, and a stall selling tie-dye goods and face painting. There was also a bar, tons of portaloos, a bmx ramp, an empty board for art and a stand selling limited edition tshirts and posters (only 25 of each design). On the Friday night, bands started at 7.50pm and Jamie Nelsh, Colly Strings, More Than Conquerors, Jogging and Fighting With Wire all played on the main stage. The real party however, was in the campsite where everyone seemed to congregate and many campers stayed awake all night. 

We were a bit disappointed that there was no midnight cinema in the campsite this year, as personally this has always been somewhat of a highlight for me and usually unites all the campers in a sense of nostalgia (they usually play cult classics such as The Goonies) and helps to reduce the amount of mischief created around the campsite. Also it has to be noted that there was no pig at Pigstock this year which was a massive, massive disappointment as the delicious suckling pig is definitely something that everyone looks forward to. There were a few angry campers after we discovered this and they need to get this sorted for next year's festival!

The next morning everyone got up quite early and got breakfast at the cornish pasty van which was cheap (£2 for a sausage roll and a drink) and absolutely delicious. Soon after the drinking began again and the main arena opened at 12pm, with the first band starting at 1pm in the Gem Saloon. The first band we made it to see was Gacy's Threads in The Engine Room. Now, I don't claim to know a lot about metal, but I do know a good band when I see one, and Gacy's Threads were excellent.

For being one of the first bands playing on the Saturday, they had a great turn out and really gave it their all. I for one was thoroughly impressed. Other bands playing in The Engine Room throughout the day were Annapurna, Fragments (who also sounded good), Hornets, Gascan Ruckus, The Rupture Dogs and Lafaro. The Gem Saloon had a relatively poor turnout all day, with a few exceptions and Chris Campbell, Team Horse, Ryan Vall, Tieranniesaur, Kowalski, Rarely Seen Above Ground and Not Squares all played on this stage. On the main stage was In Elegance, Eatenbybears, Farriers, Run Away Go, Silhouette, In Case of Fire, Pocket Billiards, Squarehead, Mmoths and Mojo Fury.

Highlights of the day included Silhouette and Pocket Billiards, both of which played to good crowds. Pocket Billiards especially, they really stole the show and had everyone on their feet dancing whereas most of the other crowds just sat and watched the bands perform on the main stage. Another highlight was the Ramprage ramp which featured BMX, skateboard and in-line skate tricks all day along with a DJ and competitions and prizes.

The weather on the Saturday was changeable to say the least with sun one minute and wind and rain the next, but for the most part the weather was dry and relatively warm, if a little cloudy. There was also local artist group Firsty! on hand to brighten up the afternoon and they painted murals live all day long. As the weather changed the crowds dwindled and the campsite livened up, with the usual drunken antics that we all expect to see at a festival.

By this stage the portaloos were a no-go area and they really were some of the worst I've ever seen(or smelt) - the less said about that though, the better.

By the time Mojo Fury came around, they had a relatively good crowd (probably the largest of the day), but compared to previous years the place was empty. The crowd really went for it though as the rain lashed down and the darkness set in and as the party raged on in the campsite it was a good end to the weekend.

To summarise, Pigstock '12 was a festival worth going to, the weather was pretty good considering, the bands gave it stacks and the atmosphere was good considering there weren't as many people as usual. Money's tight I guess, and people aren't splashing out on festivals, especially local ones. Tips for next year: bring back the pig and the midnight cinema for sure!

By Laura Caldwell