Thursday 16th until Sunday 19th July 2009 @ Matterley Bowl, Winchester
Featuring Performances From: Booka Shade, Underworld, Milli Moonstone, Dub Pistols

“Glade Festival: the loudest festival in the UK.” Living up to its name, Glade is a mix of the traditional UK festival and the ever-increasing UK rave-scene.

Arriving Thursday night by bus in the pouring rain, it was hard to stay positive about the weekend ahead. However, after a long hike through the muddy paths it all became clear; Glade Festival, after many weeks of planning and preparation, is an incredible spectacle of visual art and music. Right from the start I was absorbed into their world of pounding beats and strobe lighting; a trance of synthesized riffs and bright neon lights, that left me by Monday morning, not quite believing what I had just experienced.

Each day Glade starts in a similar fashion: people wake up, stumble from the campsite, buy some comfort food and try and recover from the night before. As the days progressed, the unusual mix of a British festival and a rave became clearer. Escaping the mud and pouring rain into a tent filled with glow sticks, bright multicoloured lights and DJs showing off their latest mixes really gives this festival its unique edge. The night though is when Glade really comes to life. As soon as natural light disappears to be replaced by brightly coloured artificial strobes, the atmosphere becomes electric. People, who have spent all day in the Chill Out Tent recovering, emerge again and the festival truly begins!

This year, Glade was filled with the largest electronic musicians around with huge names such as Booka Shade and Underworld gracing the main stage. With so many acts on the bill however, it’s often the ones you didn’t come to see which surprise you. Milli Moonstone delivered a wonderful performance on the Inspiral Stage with her unique soft vocals and rhythmic guitar, and Dub Pistols gave a performance with so much energy on the Main Stage that it completely overwhelmed headlining act Square Pusher.

On my way back from Glade, coming from a festival where you were in the minority if you didn’t have long, multi-coloured dreadlocks, the real world was a shock. There was such an accepting atmosphere at Glade where everything was okay, there were no worries, just an ethos of being happy, that returning to the pressures of regular life was hard! What has been created is a bubble outside of reality where people can come, be themselves and have one incredible party.

www.gladefestival.com

Nathan Workman
Photos by Nathan Workman