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We The People Festival 2011 | ||
3rd - 4th Jun 2011 Bristol Harbour, Bristol, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom |
Unknown |
‘We, The People’ took place in the first weekend of June combining an idyllic backdrop of Bristol harbour and surrounding church towers, with an electronic, dubstep and drum n bass line up.
Having spent the past few years in muddy fields sporting bright wellies and a similarly stylish poncho (and or bin bag) we were definitely out of our depth surrounded by the very glamorous people of Bristol in their maxi dresses, heels, and ray-bans at this brand new urban festival.
Thanks to the Saturday morning sunshine, the crowds had formed early on in the day allowing the masses to enjoy festival openers ‘First Degree Burns’ cover of No Limits. ‘Dub Mafia’ pulled in a huge crowd, the cocktail of musical styles sampled during their set creating the perfect mix to get the festival goers moving. Other highlights included the massive crowd pleasers that were Example and Red Light building up to the evening’s headliners Annie Mac and Chase and Status.
While the torrential downpours of Sunday morning may have kept a few of the late night after party attendees tucked up in bed, the second act of the day ‘Engine Earz’ put on an incredible performance, drawing the audience from the cover of the tent to find out just what live dub step is all about. Other highlights included Yasmin’s hit single ‘On My Own’ and the awe-inspiring one man band that is Beardyman.
One thing we didn’t expect from ‘We, The People’ was the popularity of the over 65’s with both local Bristolian ‘DJ Derek’ (69) and Lee Scratch Perry (75) pulling in busy crowds to loving fans. Other top spots; Big Bird and Banana man, and the seagull’s chip stealing antics.
While the food and drink offering kept in-line with your standard festival set up (the very essential chips, burger, and roast baguettes to accompany your Gaymers or Tubourg) the team of festival workers wearing bright yellow ‘COLD BEER HERE’ t-shirts certainly won us over, saving the masses from any unnecessary exercise or queuing.
As big lovers of all things green, ‘We The People’ gets a gold star for their designated recycle-happy litter pickers and bins based throughout the site.
Though ‘We, The People’ was not without a technical hitch or two, and the weather may not have worked in the event organisers favour, it certainly had all the right ingredients to become a successful festival in the future. The combination of live outdoor music throughout the day and indoor parties throughout the night is a slightly more niche market and one to watch in the future.