10 things we learnt at Festival No.6
- By Craig Jones -
- Sep 19, 2012
Festival No.6 the first time festival based in quaint Welsh village of Portmeiron served up a fair few treats and delights over the weekend. Here are 10 things we learnt:
10. Porthmadog is actually pronounced ‘Porthmadoch’:
Be prepared to feel the full brunt of the usually friendly locals if you drop the almighty faux pas of giving the nearby town which homes the haven of a Spar and The Station, a pub on a platform which screened footballing feasts such as Norwich v West Ham, the wrong pronunciation. A public relations nightmare ensued.
9. Pay with the finger:
Blood cell payment is seemingly the way forward and when the offer of taking some in exchange for £20 worth of drinks vouchers, in that situation, it is of course an all too simple matter of bye, bye red. Although, it can become all too easy after the odd drink or three to lose track of how frugal you should be with the finger payment system and eat substantially into your bank balance.
8. Mr Scruff is more than good enough:
Macclesfield DJ Mr Scruff whipped the crowd into a suitable frenzy when he played the dance tent on Saturday evening getting the revellers moving and grooving to his electric mix of dance, hip hop and soul.
7. Portmeirion is a beautiful place:
Home to jaunty staircases, vibrant colour and now a thriving festival Portmeirion is some place to behold. Proving an ideal location to welcome thousands of people with a love of music and something a little out of the ordinary. One note of warning though be careful not to stumble over any dead jelly fish when walking on the beach.
6. You know when a tent is a keeper:
After years of festival despair which has included tents blowing away, leaking in heavily and just generally being something of a liability I’ve finally found a tent which has lasted two festivals back to back. On the surface a very minor achievement but when you take into account it was put up and taken down in no more than ten minutes then that is something to cherish.
5. Primal Scream have still got it:
Bobby Gillespie and the boys took the stage by storm when they headlined on Saturday evening still sounding as fresh as ever after 30 years in the business they are still well verse in getting the crowd’s rocks off.
4. Main stages in a tent could be the way forward:
After being a little sceptical about the idea of the festival’s headliners playing in a tent the performances by New Order, Primal Scream and Spiritualized put any doubts to bed. The atmosphere was electric, echoing under the covers and also proving a handy tool for the indifferent weather.
3. Carl Barat seems like an all-round good guy:
On the first night of the festival The Libertines man attended a screening of 'There Are No Innocent Bystanders', an eye-opening documentary about the trials and tribulations of the band. Then he wittily batted the public’s questions on stage in the tent before playing a selection of The Libertines’ tracks which were requested by the audience. Afterwards in the bar he even talked to adoring fans long into the night.
2. Life is better in wellies:
For some, wellies go hand in hand with rain, dung and looking like a drowned rat and in many ways that can typify the festival experience. But for anyone who has ever explored life in the great outdoors listening to wonderful music they’ll understand what a pleasure it can be and Festival No.6 was no exception especially when you are wearing (fake) snakeskin wellies.
1. Meeting your heroes doesn’t have to be a disappointment:
The old saying goes something along the lines of meeting your heroes will often lead to disappointment but I’m more than happy to report meeting New Order front man Bernard Sumner was a great treat which left me feeling like a child on Christmas morning. He was charming, charismatic and even got me a beer. It was quite an honour to sit with the Joy Division legend and hear some of the old war stories from Madchester’s glory years.
Image from Ted and Jen on Flickr
By Craig Jones. Tweets at @cjjournalist
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