My love for baile funk runs deep. I know it has had an awful lot of coverage in the past few years, more about generic and it only really fell out of the limelight earlier this year – but there’s something about the simplicity of the production, and the feisty vocals that just makes it fantastic club music.
So, arriving in time to see a DJ set, from the guy out of support act Gameboy/Gamegirl, was a bit of treat. I’m not a fan of their own work (bit too Super Super for my taste), but the crowd may have even gone wild for his selections, if it hadn’t of been about boiling point in the packed venue.
As they made their way on stage, I was shocked at how easily i had managed to get right at the front – something I very rarely opt for, usually preferring to stay right at the back (near the bar, with more space). I didn’t last long though, about 4 songs in I thought I was actually going to melt like a witch and the couple next to me seemed to be getting annoyed at me for having a bag that was getting in the way of their dancing, so I ungracefully weaved my way to the back.
Alongside their own releases, they threw in some real classics – much to the delight of the bulging crowd. The reaction to the snippets of ‘Robot Rock’ by daft punk was almost frightening, with sweat now literally dripping off the walls. Another highlight was ‘Summer Nights’ being mixed into ‘Push It’ by Salt-N-Pepa. The risk of the whole thing becoming naff was overshadowed by the fun factor of it all, with so many smiling faces it’s hard to fault them for a little bit of cheesiness.
The opening bars of ‘Solta O Frango’ was greeted by some debaucherous dancing from pretty much everyone within spitting distance of the stage. Not surprisingly really considering the sassy behavior of the two female MCs in the group. Leaping around the stage, throwing water around and making lude gestures with inflatable palm trees it was like they were at Corey Worthington Delaney’s house party.
This frenzy was then whipped into something else by the snippet of ‘I Just Can’t Get Enough’ by Depeche Mode that signaled the end of their set. I can’t honestly say I’ve never heard a bigger groan of disappointment when a band leaves a stage.
Bonde Do Role are perhaps responsible for carrying the torch of their genre after the world music ambassadors Diplo and M.I.A helped introduce baile to the world. They’ve made the genre more accessible to the masses, often (in my opinion) showing themselves to be a far more impressive outfit than the ‘nu rave’ bands they were grouped alongside.
Setting our watches to the Climate Caravan agenda, cheap Amelia and I heard of an event at Liverpool Street Station. Detailing the event on exciting yellow flyers as “Climate and Capitalism, more about ” we thought we’d roll down after a delightful spread of cous cous and see what these dedicated folks were up to. The meeting point, 3.30pm outside the Bishopsgate exit, we stood at attention with our eyes peeled for some dread locked cyclists.
As time ticked by, we began to wonder if the crew had been held up in the hectic roads packed out with numerous buses and cars beeping for their bid at cramming through the tight city roads. With our ears flapping, we began to chat to other eager beavers hanging around. Spotting a few scruffy troops, we followed their footsteps and found ourselves stopping at The Royal Bank of Scotland. Joining in the chit chat, we circled round the bunch at the front of the unsightly glass structure listening to news of the current events. Eavesdropping while Amelia chatted to the activists she knew, I heard words of penguins, umbrellas and suits…
Mel from Platform filling in the group with fellow suited activist… oh and me (lovely flattering shot, thanks Amelia!)
Cue the arrival of activist Mel of climate change experts Platform, clutching onto bags of pennies. Crowding round her, she announced she and her fellow suited and booted associate had acquired these pennies from RBS as a statement about carbon emissions. I must admit now, I may well be manning the earth section, but these Climate Caravan events have been a huge learning curve for me. As Amelia bids farewell to continue her schedule I bite the bullet and ask the dreaded question (quietly to the friendliest looking one), “why RBS?”
It is happily revealed to me that RBS are the UK’s largest financial drivers of climate change. Publicly marketing themselves as “the oil and gas bank,” RBS are in fact one of the world’s largest funders of oil and gas extraction. These fossil fuels investments they are making will trap us into emissions for decades, a low carbon economy will thus become impossible.
The coins jamming the revolving doors
Meanwhile Mel (above) and Olly (below) provided us with some light entertainment with a bike powered sound system and clarinet
Causing quite a stir outside the RBS
Ah ha. I can see clearly why these these bags of coins are being thrown into the set of three revolving doors causing them to jam. As I dart around the guys, eagerly snapping the action I digest this in my mind. The camera goes back in my pocket. I don’t need 10 different angles of the activists, there are real photographers here for that. Gawping a little while at the security stuck in the bank, it occurs to me i quite like all this freedom of speech stuff (I have always been slightly bitter that my parents lived the 60′s, may be more for Woodstock and psychedelia). So as the guys start using the remainder of the coins to spell out slogans “dirty oil money” and “oil bank” I find myself kneeling with them, gathering the pennies and making my statement. Admittedly, my input was more of a continuation of a swirly line (it was supposed to represent the oil) which framed the slogans.
After ten minutes (not too efficient guys) the security decided to join in the coin play
The Climate Caravan crew didn’t stop there, eagerly using the confascated coins to re express their sentiments
The security dealing professionally with the issue shortly before the cops arrived
Just as I was plucking up the courage to use words over images (I’ve just finished an Illustration degree so typography is a little scary to me) activist Penny announced the police were on their way and we had better move along. As cleaners gathered round the doors sweeping up the coins, kicking away our masterpiece the activists gathered the coins and headed to a local pub for a celebratory drink (phew these guys may all be dedicated vegans, but they do like a tipple).
With a slightly brisk step in my walk so as not to get caught up with the law, hurried back to our headquarters and blurted to Amelia and my fellow interns what I had seen. Still curious about why I had heard speak of penguins earlier, Amelia mentioned we had missed a large parade on London Bridge involving fancy dressed homeless penguins and polar bears to make a statement about the causes of global warming. What will they do next time?! (find out and COME TO CLIMATE CAMP!!)
After an exhausting day in the life of Antartic creatures, the crew made tracks to Hackney City Farm where Amelia headed down to join in the celebrations of securing the site in Kingsworth.
If I was between 5 and 10 years old I would have had the time of my life at Camp Bestival, more about and I guess that was the point. The child in me was well jealous that there was no Camp Bestival around when I was a wee nipper – but then there was no way my parents would ever have taken me to such a debauched affair with no obvious cultural import so I might as well end the dream right there. And of course to enjoy Camp Bestival as a child you have to come with some adults; in all likelihood your parents.
Castle family fun
Kids Games
This meant that the festival was jammed to the pink lit Disney towers of Lulworth Castle (it looked so unreal!) with yummy mummies and trendy dads, most of whom were my age or only a little older. Oh how I have fallen out of my social norm! Nothing brings it home like going away with all your offspring-blessed peers to a festival catering to just such families. However I didn’t begrudge it – I actually really enjoyed the presence of the younger age group – it gave the place a light air… and my mates in their early twenties may have been somewhat bemused by the demographic (didn’t they read the site?!) but I think it is safe to say that for a virgin festival just finding its feet, a good time was had by all.
The Incredible Hulks
Kids watching binocular football
I travelled down on Thursday evening with my friends and their 2 year old, who got the weekend off to a flying start (literally) by projectile vomitting in spectacular fashion just, and I mean just, as we pulled up to the gates. And there was me wondering why I was singing Old Macdonald to myself… still it was a suitably dramatic way to enter the grounds, where we immediately met the rest of the band. It seemed so quiet, I could hardly believe that it could fill out, and indeed our graveyard slot on Friday morning was played to an empty field in the Kids’ area. Having said that I enjoyed very much watching the Insect Circus on my own, and we were loving lounging about on the soft grassy manicured lawns of Lulworth. It was like stroking velvet! But my, what a treat to share the same stage with thecocknbullkid, who did a grand job of playing to a crowd of well, me, dancing on my own. I loved her single On My Own Again, and it was great to see her showcase some of her other tunes. I’m really not sure what the ridiculous name is for, because it doesn’t really describe the sound of Anita’s look or music, which is all 80s synths meets 50s doowap dance moves: she was wearing a very nice frock indeed and swinging her tush for all it was worth given the distinctly slim audience. I particularly like the track I’m Not Sorry. Expect big things from this lady’s debut album.
Friday – not really rocking it yet
The Insect Circus
thecocknbullkid
I later caught a bit of Kitty Daisy and Lewis who were of course on the mainstage, being part of the Sunday Best label. Looking glamourous as ever…. another youthhood I can aspire to have lived, playing in a band with my cool parents. George Pringle also played – how disappointing. I put her in the mag a few issues back on the strength of a single but had never seen her live before, but she was dull dull dull.
Kitty Daisy and Lewis
George Pringle
By Friday evening the post work crowds were descending in force and the place was thick with buggies, and a sedate but relaxed atmosphere pervaded the air. Electing to hang out at our campfire we had a drunken night as our posse, both Cutashine and Lost and Found, was about 50 members strong. Lost and Found
have pioneered festival madness at Bestival and Secret Garden Party for several years now – oft imitated but never matched for the sheer ridiculousness of their ideas, they did not disappoint. For Camp Bestival they donned specially-made Blue Coats and coralled the children into activities that could have seemed really quite wrong in any other context. A dog show featured an obstacle course where a willing parent could steer their dog (child) through hoops and over fences, whilst wearing a leash. Needless to say the kids absolutely loved it! A fox hunt had the Lost and Found crew careening all over the festival after a pair of particularly determined young lads made off with said fox. Never underestimate the competitiveness of small boys! A sock fight between children ended in tears but drew a large crowd of (possibly) sadistic adults. I learnt the joy of hulahooping and my mate Kat got so hooked that she bruised her ribs. Oddly, Hularama
appeared to be run by a posse of tubby men…. nothing like shaking up the old stereotypes!
The specially-made Blue Coats
Bluecoats dog show
The fox hunt
Hulahooping
The dog show
The festival was full of make and do tents, from the cute little mushroom haven of Bobby Dazzles, where they were teaching how to make your own animal out of odds and ends, to the Knitting tent, full of cute young girls and their mums (and dads) busy knitting up a storm. We even found a lad on the Bestival staff featuring a specially made Bestival handknit. Granny would be proud (well, not mine, they don’t knit, but you know what I mean) There was also an enchanting woodland which led to a little farm that seemed to specialise in ducks and llamas. I was particularly taken by the Indian Runner ducks, who seem strangely upright compared with ours!
The Bobby Dazzles
The knitting tent
Knitted jumpers
The Indian Runner Ducks
Cutashine had another gig on Friday night, unfortunately this time up against headliner Chuck Berry – needless to say we didn’t stand a chance, although a crowd of youngsters seemed to enjoy it – not our usual audience for sure and I think the band struggled a tad to get any kind of vibe going.
Cutashine attempt to av it
On Saturday Lost and Found held a Mad Hatters Tea Party – the theme of the fancy dress for the day being said concept. A huge table was laid out with fine china and flowers, and it all culminated in the Lost and Found Alice standing on the table and calling all the Alices of the festival to come and join her – amongst all the cuter little Alices there was perhaps inevitably a particularly fetching larger male.
Mad Hatters tea party
Alices table
What I found most mind-boggling about the festival was the fact that there was such a large area given over to Boutique Camping – who pays for this?! It was a mystery to us all, especially when we heard a rumour that to stay in a tipi or dog house or beach hut or double decker bus or yurt or any number of crazy options (each with their own regimented area) cost as much as £500. I can only imagine the kind of money floating about at Bestival if this was true…. as I said, mind boggling. But then a very beautiful programme which I would love to have had cost £7 – illustrated by our very own super talented Jess Wilson (who did a picture for me in issue 6) and Josie Da Bank, it was a work of art I just couldn’t afford…. so as usual I was oblivious to the line-up for much of the weekend.
The Boutique Camping
Instead I had my first go at Singstar in a special booth with my mate and a seven year old, who instantly got in a grump because she felt upstaged – I was asked to come back for the grand finale on stage that night, so we did a duet of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper. My favourite part being watching a gaggle of young teens singing along and then doing the conga….. fab!
The Flaming Lips headlined on Saturday night, to a crowd by now mostly in the fancy dress that Bestival is famed for and in a real party mood – the theatrics went down a treat and they declared the festival their favourite one ever no less! For the evening a whole bunch of my mates decided to paint themselves silver and gold. The idea had been to go almost nude, but most of them were not prepared with gold bikinis and covered up for most of the night, leaving them with strange alien faces. However, a few did end up with their boobs out, and were told on no uncertain terms to cover up or get chucked out of the festival once Folkaoke – karoake to a folk backing band – took to the stage. It seems there are limits to debauchery at a kids’ festival, but surely this was a step too far when it was night time! I, having been sacked from the band (I was a backing singer) was asked to be page-turner. Oh the humiliation. Unfortunately things were running very late and after only a few songs, and just as we were getting into the swing of things, we were booted off stage. With adrenalin riding high it was decided to shack up at the Boutique Camping campfire, where Folkaoke managed to engage a few hundred people in a mass singalong. Overheard was that phrase that every performer lives to hear “that was the best thing I’ve seen at this festival yet.” Hurrah! Even if I am not in the band!
Folkaoke!
Folkaoke Stone Roses
The gold singers
A Gold Girl
Molly silver
Campsie Folkaoke singalong
Early on Sunday morning it was up and onwards to Lovebox… the festival scene is now in full flow!
Monday 4th August
Idea Generation Gallery, page ‘Robert Altman’s Photography from the ‘60s’: 16th July- 29th August
11 Chance St, London E2 7JB
Take a trip down memory lane to the 60s where naked love-ins and anti-war sit ins rule. Altman captures the psychedelic 60s as well as taking some shots of the Rolling Stones.
Madder139 Gallery, ‘Paul Chiappe‘: 10th July- 9th August
137-139 Whitecross Street, London EC1Y 8JL
Chiappe questions the illusion between subject and object in a series of hyperrealist drawings. Taking images from the traditional school photo, books and vintage postcards, Chiappe then recreates the images with pencil drawings to blur and smudge the plots and characters. This emphasises the transitory and fragile nature of memory.
Tuesday 5th August
The Art Vinyl Gallery Shop, ‘The Art of Fac51-The Hacienda’: 31st July-27th August
13 Broadway Market, E8 4PH
Peter Hook from New Order and Joy Division curates the Art Vinyl Gallery with some classic designs from the Factory Record Vaults.
Artprojx, ‘Automamusic’: Aura Satz: 9th July-16th August
Artprokx at Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Place, London WC2H 1LB
A film about mechanical music investigating intricate view of self playing violins, accordions, drums and pianolas offset by scenes in which floating musical instruments are played by invisible hands. This highlights the similarities between the beginnings of musical reproduction in the 19th century and spiritualist invocations of the dead, through sound.
Wednesday 6th August
South London Gallery, ‘Games and Theory’: Jakob Kolding, Nils Norman, Lottie Child etc
65 Peckham Rd, London SE5 8UH
International artists who share interests in play, sports and gaming invite viewers to become active participants in the exhibition and climb, crawl and experience the gallery in new ways. The show explores Situationalist ideologies and the radical potential of play as a form of resistance and expression of freedom.
Thursday 7th August
Sartorial Contemporary Art, ‘4X4′: Chris Tosic
101A Kensington Church St, London W8 7LN
Four Artists are given a four day show each week in august. Each artist has been given free reign of the gallery and a prominent journalist or critic has been asked to write 444 words about them. Tosic’s pieces focus on collage, typography and collage.
Friday 8th August
Nottinghill Artsclub, ‘Gin & curiosities’: Robert Rubbish: 4th July-5th September
21 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3JQ
Robert Rubbish of Le Gun magazine (he is co-editor) keenly celebrates old-fashioned eccentric ways and places in a body of work that brings together his interests in: curiosity and joke shops, facial hair, Victorian Punk revivalism and Gin. A mish-mash of paintings, drawings, posters and typography inspired by glitter and 70s cosmic rock band hawkwind is presented for your viewing pleasure.
Hackney, ‘hackney wicked’: decima gallery, Elevator Gallery, Mother Studios, The Residence, Schwartz Gallery: 8-10th August
Hackney Wicked is Hackney Wick’s first major art festival celebrating contemporary art with open studio and galleries showcasing the best fresh new talent.
Saturday 9th August
Viewfinder photography Gallery, ‘Nearly Nothing’: Mark Bellingham, Gerd Hasler, Kelly Hill and others:12 July-17 August
Linear House, Peyton Place (off Royal hill) London SE10 8RS
A photography group exhibition exploring the aesthetics of ambiguity. Images are often poetic and allusive.
Sunday 10th August
Spacex Gallery, ‘International Film Programmes’: curated by Negar Azimi: 26th July-20th September
45 Preston Street, Exeter EX1 1DF
Presenting films by international artists. The programme includes screenings curated by Negar Azimi for www.tank.tv titled ‘She doesn’t think so but she’s dressed for the h-bmb’. Other short videos are by Siad Antar, Yael bartana, Haris Epaninonda and others. Also featured is ‘Sop. Watch‘ concerned with ecological emergencies. Artists Jordan Baseman, Phil Coy, Manu Luksch et al aim to inform and engage.
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