The Big Chill 2007

Open-Air dance and electronica festival, Eastnor Castle Deer Park.

It was quite a long ride up to the Malvern hills, made all the harder by the long tail-backs of stationary traffic but thankfully with a motorbike I could make decent progress and made it to the site by six-thirty. Left the bike in the park, removed our copious camping gear and lumbered up the hill to the campsite to erect our tent as fast as we could. By this time I had one thing on my mind, beer. We made it to the Arena with just enough time to grab a beer and a bite before settling into the the first highlight of the weekend, a four hour set by iconic super-mixers Kruder & Dorfmeister who put in a far more lively performance than their studio work accompanied by mesmerising video graphics. Better than any aerobics session I’d dropped a trouser size by the next morning.

Saturday gave us a little more time to relax and get into the festival atmosphere, wander from stage to stage sampling new bands, catch up with friends and take a look at the art installations. However as evening drew near we found we had a bit of a dilemma, in that following a quiet afternoon most of the artists we wanted to see were performing at the same times at different stages. In retrospect I think we made the right choices highlighted with an amazing set from keyboard wizard Jon Hopkins who gave by far the most refined and inspiring performance of the festival. With his live act far more up-beat and danceable than his studio work he had the small crowd at the Sanctuary Stage worked-up into a blissful frenzy.

Sunday the sun came out in full force ensuring a much more relaxed atmosphere, although I found it a bit too much and had to retire to the shade of a large tree near the Sanctuary Stage to take in a mix of classical and progressive techno-classical vibes until the late afternoon when we ventured down to the Open Air Stage for Ojos de Brujo who put in another memorable performance.

Monday morning as I dismantled the tent and got fixing the gear to the bike Helena got stopped by a local radio DJ for a quick interview on her experiences over the weekend, asking questions like whether it changed her life and what she came away with. Ever the pragmatist she gave him the gushing sound-bites he was looking for but it is true that we had a wonderful time in a beautiful location that we won’t be forgetting for a long time yet.