Ok, so Coachella Festival 2007 was off the hook! Two properly massive outdoor stages, three impressive tents, two mad high tech dome structures and a couple of mini music playing booths with sun shelters to kickback and relax in. The band action was siiiiick: Bjork, Rage Against the Machine, DJ Shadow, Peaches, Felix Da Housecat, Justice, Digitalism, LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Arcade Fire, Explosions in the sky, The Roots, Ratatat, CSS, Soulwax, Teddybears, Manu Chao, MSTRKFT and Kid Sister (to name a few).

Imagine taking in all that unfathomable goodness in the space of three days. The jaw-dropping element however, was not the clearly kickass line up, but the atmosphere: Unreal. I didn’t bear witness to a single dispute or scuffle; there was not a touch of disorderly conduct.

The overall vibe was that every single person was, for all three days, exactly where they wanted to be; doing exactly what they wanted to do. I was heavily under the influence for the most part, however it seemed to me that it was a world- wide congregation of good looking, cool people - and not the too cool for school variety either. Everyone was ultra nice and smiley, a refreshing break from London, where nearly everyone on public transport looks like their favorite pet has just been put down. Yes, everyone was: happy. There’s nothing like the sensation of being surrounded by thousands of like- minded people in a beautiful sunny location to kick start you out of an existential funk!

I’m compelled to keep gushing and don’t mind sounding like an idiot: the whole ordeal was …enlightening. I mean, in terms of my identity. I’ve been calling London my home for the past five years, now. The break down is: it was a relief to come to this festival totally hyped for a great party and then get thrown in the mix with a bunch of seriously aware, on- the- pulse individuals. The realization that there is a big chunk of empowered youths who are socially conscious is so, so refreshing. I met students, teachers, artists, political activists all doing their thing and keeping it real with an eagerness to exchange ideas about the world, how it works and solutions for the problems which plague our lovely planet.

The festival provided much food for thought whilst simultaneously I raved harder and longer than I’ve ever done. Yes, pure unadulterated excellence, I tell thee!

Coachella 2008---be there or be square! Peeeeeace!