Almost two weeks ago now, I attended my first real festival. Goodness knows how that’s the case, but it was certainly one to remember. Set in a small farmland just outside Tonbridge, Kent, Hop Farm is one of the best kept secrets of the summer on the British festival circuit. This is the fourth year the event has run, and it has yet to present an average line up so far. It claims no corporate sponsorship and no V.I.P’s — nice to see that rare event in modern music.
It was an early start on Friday. Finding the venue is a challenge if you’re not local. You drive through country lanes in Kent and the site suddenly appears from nowhere in a gap in a hedge. There were three stages: the “main stage” (the biggest stage with a large outdoor open space); the “big tent” (suggestively, a smaller indoor area); and the “bread and roses stage,” a big marquee type thing, and the smallest of the stages.
Friday was very much about getting to know the place. Three fields linked together, crossing a music festival with a fun fair and also a market of bizarre substance. It was the sort of thing you’d find in the lanes in Brighton, with lines of stools selling things from charm bracelets to cash helmets and Indian head dresses. Very odd, but intriguing to look at. The three funfair rides only looked like a good idea after a few drinks, and was something to avoid after eating. Something I saw on Friday was the friendliness of the crowd. You’d find yourself speaking with total strangers. It was a very nice, very social atmosphere.
Despite not knowing any of the bands that were on until the late afternoon, it was very pleasant to simply sit around. The first glitch of the weekend was 10cc taking to the stage to a modest reception and a failure of power. That held proceedings up for around half an hour or so.
Brandon Flowers of The Killers was on the main stage — something I held little hope for, though not in a harsh way. I just didn’t expect him to be quite the same without The Killers behind him. I think he may have known that too as his decision to close with some Killers songs made him better than expected. Nonetheless, his voice suits the outdoor festival well. He was still a welcome edition to the line up judging by the number of Killers shirts that could be seen on display. In fact, hundreds of bands were represented in the form of T-shirts amongst the crowd.
Article comments