'Meet at the big green star!'

 MARCH 2012

Ollie Campbell was asking around to see if anyone was going to Bestival or if they'd go with him, as his mates hadn't got around to buying their tickets...  and at the time, of course, I said I'd go or at least try to save for a ticket as I hadn't been before and was in desperate need of a festival this year.. 

Post Glastonbury blues still living with me a year on..

JUNE 2012

Told Ollie I wasn't going to be able to afford it. Gutted.

Thought nothing more of it until last Monday night when I recieved a text from Tash (Yes, the Tash I mentioned in the last blog.. The one I met in Edinburger.. That Tash) saying she might have a spare Bestival ticket going, and that if she did, would I want to go.. WHAT!? Uhmm, YES!

What I forgot to mention about Tash was that her brother is the drummer in Friendly Fires.. hence the possible spare ticket.

Thanks to CVenues only paying me 11p an hour, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to afford it... but started looking at cheapest ways of travel nevertheless. £169 TRAIN!? NO!? £70 Ferry!? No!? £80 COACH!?

I was beginning to think there was no way of me being able to afford it... HATE BEING A STUDENT..

The festival started on 6th (we'd be going on 7th)... it was the 4th and we were still unsure whether I'd have a ticket... anticipation.

By this point I had already got my hopes up by scanning through the line-up and planning who to see..

5th JUNE 11pm

I get.... THE PHONE CALL.

Tash says I can have a ticket.

I squeal with excitement.

My mum looks pleased for me.

Tash gets to see me again, which she of course is delighted about.

6th JUNE

One day to :

Book tickets

Pack

Sleep through excitment

7th JUNE!!!!

It's 8:30am.. I'm at the train station..

I'm wearing an aztec print backpack.

I'm holding a sleeping bag, wellies, cider.

I am ready... for BESTIVAL.

I get to Southampton, Tash and her sister pick me up and we get on the ferry to THE ISLE OF WIGHT, after buying some more alcohol of course.

With a boot packed to overflowing with sleeping bags, a tent and a box of wine we were well and truly in the right spirit for three days of fun..

MEANWHILE SOMEWHERE IN A FIELD OR TENT

Ollie is already at Bestival with a group of his mates... waiting for my arrival..

Here's what was so sweet about the whole deal..

Not only did I get a free ticket.. it was an Artist Guest ticket, which meant we got to set up camp (after two hours of looking for where we were camping) in the Artist Camping.. away from all the scummy other tents, away from the constant tripping over guy ropes, away from the constant noise.

We were in a quiet field, just behind main stage, with a 'chill tent' with plug sockets and free sweets and cushions.. and plenty of room to set up without being directly on top of another tent. Perfec'

It was boiling hot and I was on my first Carlsberg to get me on my way..

Walked for ages with all our stuff, asking dumbass stewards where the hell we were camping.

Finally found it.

Set up tent... somehow..

Our wrists were now four wristbands heavier...

FOUR!? 

Like I said, dumbass stewards.. not knowing where to send us and also giving us the wrong wristbands.

One of them had to be the right one.

Tent done.

Wine time...

Box of wine time..

warm..

Warm box of wine time.. 

Rumour had it that the number of people attending this year was 50,000!!
How was I going to find Ollie?
"Meet at the big green star.!"

 And there it is... The big green star, which ended up being the official meeting point if we ever lost each other..

After sending several texts back and forth with Ollie along the lines of :

"Where are you?"

"I'm at green star!? Where are you Daisy?"

"Where is the green star?"

"Behind Bestival sign."

"I'm here!!"

 

After all that cufuffle... we finally saw each other!

Big hug.

Time to get fucked.

 

Friday night = BLUR.

 

 

 

Woke up on saturday morning in Ollie's tent with my head on his mate's arse.. still wearing my wellies... freezing cold... dry mouth... headache....

THOUGT TO SELF : "still drunk, must somehow find own tent, so cold. What happened last night?"

 

The weekend continued...

 

Saturday .. chilled.

plenty of smoke, plenty of drink.. bumped into some loverly peeeeeples.

 

LIST OF WHO I SAW! (epic)

 

Stevie Wonder

Florence

New Order

Sigur Ros

The xx

Friendly Fires

Two Door Cinema Club

Miike Snow

Ben Howard

Michael Kiwanuka

Kate Nash

Rizzle Kicks

King Charles

Little Dragon

The Cuban Brothers

Subtract

Gabrielle Aplin

 

Sunday was incredible.

Saw Stevie W..

Then saw Tash' brother do a dj set at WAGAMAMASAASASASAS... sick.

Headed up to Big Top to watch Friendly Fires after consuming a bottle of gin..

 

me and T gettin' our dance skills out at wagaz///..



So the plan for Monday was to wait till 1am (tuesday) to get our ferry...
so we spent the day wasting time, feeling shit, in the isle of wight..
This included :
Spending over £10 on shit food at Morrisons
Spending over 40 minutes finding a cafe to charge our phones
Going to the cinema to watch Ted and sneaking into another screen to watch Anna Karinina (or something.. whatever, free film)
Sleep in car for two hours

Then the plan was to go to Tash' flat in Southampton after getting off the ferry at 2am...
All was going well...
until...
we got to her flat, got inside and discovered the landlord had changed the lock to her door..
so we ended up sleeping on the landing
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
we kind of had to laugh... right.

Tash and Fran setting up 'the nest' in the landing, while I slept in the corridor with Henry The Hoover staring at me.. creepy.

Bestival was insane.
Same thing next year!