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Post by jimhxn on Aug 4, 2016 22:20:26 GMT
Methinks jimhxn is being a bit of a devil's advocate  Barely...sometimes it was like concert seating, and a nightmare to get through many crowds. So many dirty looks when unceremoniously moving unoccupied chairs out of the way. I'm sure you all have your correct reasons for using chairsuse them in a responsible manner, but it's a festival not a concert hall - there is a reason they don't provide seats. It surely can't be safe to have big rows/circles of chairs in the middle of a headliner audience (or any other!) in the dark, etc etc etc. And as for the pitiful amount of drugs, I could count the times the air was filled with the flowery pungencies of the herb on one hand, while the acrid stench of tobacco was just as prevalent as ever, including in the tents. And if I saw anyone experiencing any sort of chemically-induced extra-dimensional exploration, they must have kept it well under wraps. For shame. Make WOMAD freaky again. P.S. It was a pleasure to unknowingly experience your presence, Standing Stone, even if we never actually met  |
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Post by deserttraveller on Aug 4, 2016 22:32:14 GMT
Beef this is true of most festivals, EOTR and Larmer Tree are more ££ than Womad.
The problem is that in certain circles 'one must do a festival' . I have a couple of champagne socialists across from me and when I mention Womad they say "oh yes we must do Womad one year"; I seriously hope they never do. Yes the audience is different.
The disgrace of tents etc left behind at Glasto shows the problem, people throw money at it to have a weekend of selfish pleasure. Standing Stone and I experienced 2/3 families getting drunk and partying in Park & camp drowning out the Womad music with their amplified music from the 4WD. Doubt they could name an artist they saw.
Womad has become more corporate, no more informal selling of trinkets by the side of trackways, no more chai chapel type informal places to meet,fewer spaces to chill in the arboretum.
Not sure I have an answer, day tickets to events closer to home?
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Post by standing stone on Aug 5, 2016 8:22:40 GMT
I just missed you at Le Vent du Nord too, Jim; checked back and you were gone - I'll never interrupt your enjoyment of a performance, but would like to say Hi and thanks for all the artist heads up! |
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Post by dorsetsteve on Aug 7, 2016 10:11:42 GMT
Crazy chair moment - someone at the front of the procession waving their picnic chair in air and threatening to write to Peter Gabriel.
Initially thought it was part of the show, but assumed they wanted to stay seated in the middle of the procession. Straight faces but lots of eye rolling from security and stewards!
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Post by nigenet on Aug 7, 2016 12:38:37 GMT
Let me rephrase that......rucksacks with seats attached.........  Seats? The cars? Won't that be a bit heavy and cumbersome?? |
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Post by jax2000 on Aug 7, 2016 13:17:12 GMT
Let me rephrase that......rucksacks with seats attached......... Seats? The cars? Won't that be a bit heavy and cumbersome?? DON'T YOU START NIGENET!  YOU ALL KNOW WHAT I MEANT! RUCKSACKS WITH SMALL THINGS ATTACHED THAT YOU CAN PARK YOUR AR*E ON!!!!!!  |
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Post by beef on Aug 7, 2016 13:24:10 GMT
Beef this is true of most festivals, EOTR and Larmer Tree are more ££ than Womad. The problem is that in certain circles 'one must do a festival' . I have a couple of champagne socialists across from me and when I mention Womad they say "oh yes we must do Womad one year"; I seriously hope they never do. Yes the audience is different. The disgrace of tents etc left behind at Glasto shows the problem, people throw money at it to have a weekend of selfish pleasure. Standing Stone and I experienced 2/3 families getting drunk and partying in Park & camp drowning out the Womad music with their amplified music from the 4WD. Doubt they could name an artist they saw. Womad has become more corporate, no more informal selling of trinkets by the side of trackways, no more chai chapel type informal places to meet,fewer spaces to chill in the arboretum. Not sure I have an answer, day tickets to events closer to home? Thanks DT - day tickets some where nearer could be an alternative. The 4WD sound system experience. . . this is the problem - people with too much money who fancy the idea of "doing a festival" as you say - it's happened more each year since Womad moved to CP. . . and it's part of a general trend. . . commercialisation of everything and therefore catering for those who have the money to hand over. . . more a transaction than an experience. BTW I was just having a sort out of a cupboard and found a receipt for my Womad 2009 tickets - which doesn't seem that long ago. . . guess how much? Just a few pence short of £265 for two tickets (incl Thursday). |
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Post by sc on Aug 7, 2016 14:01:49 GMT
Beef this is true of most festivals, EOTR and Larmer Tree are more ££ than Womad. The problem is that in certain circles 'one must do a festival' . I have a couple of champagne socialists across from me and when I mention Womad they say "oh yes we must do Womad one year"; I seriously hope they never do. Yes the audience is different. The disgrace of tents etc left behind at Glasto shows the problem, people throw money at it to have a weekend of selfish pleasure. Standing Stone and I experienced 2/3 families getting drunk and partying in Park & camp drowning out the Womad music with their amplified music from the 4WD. Doubt they could name an artist they saw. Womad has become more corporate, no more informal selling of trinkets by the side of trackways, no more chai chapel type informal places to meet,fewer spaces to chill in the arboretum. Not sure I have an answer, day tickets to events closer to home? Thanks DT - day tickets some where nearer could be an alternative. The 4WD sound system experience. . . this is the problem - people with too much money who fancy the idea of "doing a festival" as you say - it's happened more each year since Womad moved to CP. . . and it's part of a general trend. . . commercialisation of everything and therefore catering for those who have the money to hand over. . . more a transaction than an experience. BTW I was just having a sort out of a cupboard and found a receipt for my Womad 2009 tickets - which doesn't seem that long ago. . . guess how much? Just a few pence short of £265 for two tickets (incl Thursday). This year I was unable to get to Womad, because of other commitments, we always look forward to the Festival and always considered it the best. But it certainly is changing and becoming far more "Trendy" and "fashionable", however, now the "Missed Womad weekend" is over, I am ashamed to say, I have hardly had a thought about missing it, it would have been great to meet up with others, but I didn't miss the festival itself at the time nor after the weekend. I have wondered why, perhaps, it's time for pastures new? Perhaps, it has become too familiar? (Excluding the music, it's the same old stalls, same old stages, etc etc, I do know they shifted thing about a bit, but I wasn't there) Perhaps, it's the new style of customers and they may seem disrespectful to others and the site, maybe a combination of all of these things and others. But I cannot deny that for some reason I didn't miss it in the end (but I did miss it before I missed it, if you know what I mean) Perhaps it may well be healthy for me to skip it for a year or two, then come back, dunno. But, i do agree that they should shift stages and stalls around if only to try and keep it fresh, I don't like to visit other places where I know where everything is. Womad is fundamentally about discovery and finding something new, be it food, toilets or music (for me anyway), if I want to know where everything is and what I am going to get, I might as well go to McDonald's. |
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Post by calndel on Aug 7, 2016 18:34:08 GMT
SC Cal missed 2 years and in some ways she didn't miss it but when she was there this year she loved it and wished she had been there the years she missed
WOMAD has to make money so it needs to bring in people, it will never be perfect and we like the fact they keep trying to get it right
we would add the year cold play are headliners we may call it a day
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Post by Purpledawn on Aug 7, 2016 20:52:49 GMT
Back on topic, I noticed that there was less seating provided around the site this year. What happened the the hay bales that in past years were placed so folks could sit down? A lot of food venues had no seating either so the chair I took intending to use mainly at the campsite was taken into the arena too.
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Post by sc on Aug 7, 2016 22:11:02 GMT
Seats? The cars? Won't that be a bit heavy and cumbersome?? DON'T YOU START NIGENET! YOU ALL KNOW WHAT I MEANT! RUCKSACKS WITH SMALL THINGS ATTACHED THAT YOU CAN PARK YOUR AR*E ON!!!!!! Jax, Delivery of your AR*E parking equipment |
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Post by sc on Aug 7, 2016 22:16:54 GMT
SC Cal missed 2 years and in some ways she didn't miss it but when she was there this year she loved it and wished she had been there the years she missed WOMAD has to make money so it needs to bring in people, it will never be perfect and we like the fact they keep trying to get it right we would add the year cold play are headliners we may call it a day 1) That's what I'm hoping 2) Absolutely 3) Hey, I liked Coldplay up to X&Y and am still smarting because I missed them at Glastonbury because it was my turn to do "storytelling" (and babysitting) around the campfire back at camp that night, whilst all the other grown ups went off having fun and NOT watching Coldplay |
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Post by standing stone on Aug 8, 2016 8:06:26 GMT
I didn't miss Womad when I stayed away in 2006; I had finished my relationship with it when I left the Rivermead site in 2005 - wasn't ever going to go again; campsite misery had greatly outweighed arena joy and I didn't check the line up or anything. Decided to give it another go when Womad moved to Charlton Park; 40mins away, fell in love again, mud and all and this is now my local festival I wonder whether I would have returned if Womad had moved on elsewhere from Reading; in honesty, I don't think I would; I'd finished with it. Seating - I really liked the new lay out, other than the Open Air being too far forward, sight lines needing to be broadened and more signage in the middle of the new streets (quite easy to find yourself far from where you thought you were, on the wrong street, or the wrong section of the street, and not within sight of a stage to navigate by). The acessibility of loos and waterpoints and Songlines signing tents to the stages worked a treat. The green loos by the Siam / Real Ale were a marvel! The seating at the bars was perfect for people sitting and enjoying a drink by a stage, they were always fully occupied; more would be better, though not sure where they would be best positioned... any ideas? |
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Post by standing stone on Aug 8, 2016 8:11:24 GMT
I think the 4WD thing is more of a basic consideration matter, not a money matter - I don't know how much money they had, but they had no consideration whatsoever - they have done this each of the three years we've been in P&C and have been told to turn off their music by security/marshalls in previous years.
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Post by hotdrummer on Aug 8, 2016 9:31:13 GMT
I'm glad I don't use P&C. I know there's having to lug your stuff across the field, but well worth it to be away from metal boxes which remind one of the outside world for 4 days. I still miss this though:  Where you could wash, clean teeth and do the dishes. The biblical well. Proper camping. Last seen in 2010. But just look how popular it was |
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