Thursday provided the festival with an opening night that was more of a fizzle than a bang. Transport problems, computer issues meaning waiting around two hours to get a wristband, and rain all contributed to that festival nightmare that every festivalgoer has to experience. Although you could hear people chatting away and having a good time if you ever left the tent all you would find was a deserted mound of tents surrounded by mud. Friday however definitely made up for anything that may have gone wrong the night before.
Jumping on the bus with a load of hung-over, tired students for the 20 minute journey into town where a 10 minute walk was waiting for us to get to Fistral beach. It was most definitely worth it when you talk those last few steps before you see the stage and the view that surrounds it, you start to hear the beat of the drums and you know it’s going to be a good day. The weather however teased us into thinking it was going to be terrible but the moment Gentleman’s Dub Club jumped on stage the sun came out and it no longer felt like you were just on a beach in Cornwall.
Stand out act of the day had to be Cuban Brothers, recommended for those who like to have a good laugh. The first thing the lead singer did was jump straight out into the crowd; the sea of people parted to form a perfect circle around him as he continued with the song. He danced with as many people as he could, people were jumping on his back, and I believe he got hit in the head with several beach balls and yet never missed a beat. If you search them up and read the bio of their website the first thing you read are the words “They will make you laugh, sing along, cry with joy, shit your pants and shake your booty” and I don’t think I could sum them up any better.
Following on from the Cuban Brothers were Foreign Beggars who weren’t really my cup of tea but they definitely put on a show; providing beats and an overall vibe that their fan base would love. Bouncing around on stage making sure all of the crowd were involved, getting people to put their hands up, sing along and even managed to chuck in a couple of jokes now and then. After Foreign Beggars was Devlin. His grime collective teased the crowd as they came on one by one over a long period of time; I’m not sure whether this is their usual plan of action but it definitely frustrated the crowd. Once they were all on they did put on a good show; much to the relief of the security guards who really didn’t want to have to control a crowd of hundreds of people. Shock of the day came last; the entirety of the press pit was shocked as the man we all thought was getting the stage ready was actually David Rodigan himself. On came the remixes of original reggae which was an incredibly way to end the night at Fistral beach; they were pieces of music that everyone could admire and have a casual groove to. The crowd that was still standing, even though the sun had gone away and the weather had started to take a turn for the worst, definitely enjoyed David Rodigan and left leaving positive and still dancing.
The overall vibe of the day was perfect, you had people walking around in their swim wear with flip flops on as they paraded on the beach section of the festival. There were people dressed up as clowns, pirates, and many other strange combinations of costumes who all provided a source of energy and fun when no one was on stage. To sum up the day in general I would have to say it was a day to remember, and if the rest of the weekend is like this I recommend buying a ticket for 2014.
