BESTIVAL 2016: 7 Things We Can’t Stop Talking About

Festival season is over for another year and true to form; Bestival 2016 closed the festivities with another wild line-up of music stars from past and present, including headliners Hot Chip, Major Lazer, The Cure and Whiz Kalifa.

The heavens opened on Saturday morning but Robin Hill was blessed with sunshine for most of the weekend, and everyone embraced this year’s futuristic theme with tonnes of tin foil, glitter, and neon wigs.

Whether you’re a fan of the almighty Wolf Alice, adore the beats of Fat Boy Slim, or simply keen to learn more about ‘The Future Of Spirituality’; there’s a strong chance you found something to set your ears alight at Bestival this weekend. Below are the Gigslutz’ highlights from Josie & Rob Da Bank’s four day feast:

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1. The Invaders Of The Future Stage is where it’s at

Festivals offer the perfect opportunity to see bands you haven’t heard of  just before everyone’s heard of them! Sitting comfortably next to the main arena The Invaders Of The Future stage was the ideal setting for this, and we caught The Japanese House, Milk Teeth, VANT, PUP, and The Wytches. We also tried to catch Asylums and Black Honey, but the clock/bad weather was set against us.

The Big Top was also a great place to spot emerging talent, and accidentally catching Beaty Heart and L.A. Salami turned out to be two of the most memorable sets of the weekend.

2. The W.I Tea Tent still provides an ideal Bestival brunch (even though it’s location has changed)

Previously situated adjacent to the Ambient Forest, festival goers had to walk to the top of a hill to be rewarded with treats at The Women’s Institute’s Tea Tent.

Now, the tent is located a stone’s throw from the entrance to the main arena, and whilst the cakes (and quiche) are still divine; the surroundings and feeling of accomplishment after scaling a minor slope on a major hangover left us with the emotional equivalent of a ‘soggy bottom’.

3. The tribute to Howard Marks at The Amphitheatre was bitter sweet

You may not be familiar with Howard Marks or his connection to Bestival; but you’d have to be made of stone not to be moved by the tribute organised for him at The Amphitheatre on Sunday afternoon.

Marks passed away earlier this year from cancer, and friends and family spoke about the influence the notorious drugs legislation campaigner known as ‘Mr Nice’ had on their lives, before an exclusive documentary trailer was shown to the crowd. After a respectful performance from a choir dressed solely in white, the crowd released balloons with messages of love and remembrance in to the sky.

4. The Cure are “solid gold”

Whilst dance music and DJ sets dominated the majority of stages over the weekend, it was the darkly romantic, idiosyncratic sounds of The Cure that were left ringing in our ears at the end of Bestival.

The band were headliners back in 2011, but they made a triumphant return with another marathon set of singles and lesser known album tracks including live rarity ‘Burn’, taken from the soundtrack of cult 90s film The Crow (which brought a tear to our Associate Editor’s eye).

Highlights from their impressive backlog included ‘Pictures of You’, ‘High’, ‘Fascination Street’ and ‘Wrong Number’; and the younger crowd members were po-going to indie hits ‘Friday I’m In Love’ and ‘Boys Don’t Cry’.

It wasn’t just The Cure who proved the 80s were alive and kicking though; The Human League played to another synth-loving crowd at The Big Top on Sunday night.

5. Skepta is King

Whether you’re a hardcore Grime fan or not, watching Skepta dominate the main stage at festivals this season has definitely been a highlight, and Bestival was no exception.

The BBK star can’t be shifted lyrically or physically (Konnichiwa reached number 2 in the UK charts earlier this year) and his set included singles ‘Shutdown’, ‘Man’ and ‘That’s Not Me’.

6. Vodka, Red Bull & Passion Fruit should be re-named ‘Resurrection Juice’

We all know how tough it is to get continuously drunk and have the time of your life for four days in a row, so when you return to Bestival next year we recommend this magical concoction.

7. Closing your weekend watching The Wytches and eating vegetarian noodles should be NHS recommended

Need we say more?

Thank you Bestival, we’ll see you next year!

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate Crudgington

Kate Crudgington

Assistant Editor for Gigslutz (2015-2017) Now Co-Founder, Co-Host & Features Editor for @getinherears