Friendly Fires sizzle at Big Chill
Monday 10th August 2009, 9:51AM BST.
The Big Chill
Eastnor Castle
words and pictures by Andy Richardson
Friendly Fires put the sizzle into a music festival in Eastnor that guarantees revellers a stress-free weekend.
The Big Chill, at Eastnor, is now in its 15th year and providers festival goers a decidely relaxing experience.
The beery antics of other events are banished in favour of quieter, easier-going thrills amid the bucolic surrounds of rolling north Herefordshire countryside.
This year’s three day event began in fine style on Friday with a set of acoustic electronica and finished late last night with a barn storming exhibition of art rock from Talking Heads frontman David Byrne.
There was much to enjoy between times. High class laughs from the likes of Mock The Week star Russell Howard enlivened a cavernous comedy tent.
There was accessible classical music from Italian composer-pianist Ludovico Einaudi, punky electro pop from Friendly Fires, dub from the Dennis Bovell Band, acoustic pop from Emiliana Torrini, hedonistic dance from headliners Basement Jaxx and Orbital, space rock from Spiritualised plus more besides.
Other highlights included the arch drum and bass of Lamb, the stunning acoustic strumming of Fink, the tex-mex mash up of Calexico and the sensational soul of Alice Russell.
There were heavy hearts as 30,000 fans left the showground late last night and early this morning. Oh well, only 363 days to go….
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Great festival, great atmosphere.
Shame you never get anything what so ever similar in shropshire.
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After 10 years of the v festival I thought i`d give the chill a go. It was fantastic !. Clean , accessible, beautiful, freindly, sunny, just about everything V isn`t.
And it didn`t shut down at 11pm, in fact it was just warming up. See you next year.
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