Now entering it's 4^th year what hedonistic delights could be offered for the increased 12,000 capacity bass thumping, ear gracing house loving festival? With the “Great North Road” lined with righteous ravers armed with the smart RFID wristbands we entered the security lined, iron gated entrance to the grounds.

Photo: Gemma Parker

With the pleasant walk up to festival entrance it was clear that organisers and security had nailed the minimal queue syndrome we normally experience. Whether standard, VIP entry or those collecting their tickets as they hadn’t met the 4pm registration from the day before, the transition was seamless to enter the festival.

Photo: Gemma Parker

Due to this being a cashless event the first stop was the “TOP Up Tent” which was immediately ahead. The RFID wristbands seemed to be a god send, to minimise queues. Ice cream, Bar or Food it was all paid for by your wristband “Magic”, again minimal queues and no waiting for till runs or change to be exchanged…

With the intemperance event spread over 8 unique stages that included –

One of Ibiza’s favourite “Sankeys” that had chart topping Sidney Charles who is a regular at Vista Club, Ibiza for “Do Not Sleep” sharing his expert house/techno. Outcross records boss Miguel Campbell with an exuberant bassline set and the legendry British house music producer Steve Lawler who proved to be an asset to the festival as dance lovers squeezed into the tent to witness another masterpiece. 

The Eastern Electrics household “Switchyard” with its roofless creation of shipping containers just hosted a full day of movement with DJ’s that included, Australia's Bella Saris, Fuse – London residents, Seb Zito and Rossco plus a live techno performance from the very talented Jichael Mackson.“Star of EE Pub” with Matt Jam Lamont spinning his garage vibes for all to hear, well know Mike Skinner with his fully charged DJ skills and BBC Radio 1’s Jaymo and George among over pertinent artists. 

“The Big Top” that was permanently heaving  due to the electronic fizz created by artists such as Midland, Skream and the festival would not of been the same without one of the biggest names in House music today, Richy Ahmed. To miss his set would have been sacrilege with a build-up of a firm bass line with techno elements, the ground shook with the bounce of the crowd. 

Photo: Khris Cowley

Unfortunately it was mission impossible to see the legendary Garage DJ EZ due to play on The Forest stage but designated to a smaller area and the volume of people meant his set was sadly cut short. 

For those wanting a little less carnage of the larger stages there was also the “XOYO”, the more chilled” Kubicle” for the VIP guests, which leaves just 2 stages. 'The Forest' was a cool addition to the festival and the vibe of dance music could be experienced before even hitting the first turn into the forefront of the stage and finally the “Main Stage” which hosted some of the liveliest mix masters of House and Techno that included Dutch beat master Joris Voorn, a regular at EE, Cassy and German techno spin doctor Nick Curly to mention just a few but the sun would never have gone down as sweet as it did without the epic performance of Jamie Jones who if there would have been a roof over the grounds would have been sent into orbit. Most wanting the well known ‘Hungry For The Power’ got a whole lot more for their money witnessing a work rate of bangers that had even the fairground staff bouncing.

Photo: Khris Cowley 

To sum it up, Eastern Electrics is the Funky, Michelin Star Festival. See you next year……

Reviewed by: Wayne Monaghan