Wilderness, set in the beautiful Oxfordshire hills just outside Charlbury, is renowned as the most middle class music festival you can find. With glamping tents stretching as far as the eye can see and feasting tents emblazoned with the likes of Hix, Petersham Nurseries and Raymond Blanc, it certainly feels that way when you're there.
But with the festival boasting some of the most varied and unique forms of entertainment and pitched in the most charming of locations, this stands out as the elegant queen of all UK festivals. From attending various yoga classes, to broadening your mind with topical talks and from taking part in interactive theatre, to learning how to basket weave, Wilderness has got it all.
Wilderness' musical line up this year was a little thin on the ground. There were only a handful of artists that were on my “to do” list, but thankfully what they lacked in headliners, they made up for in lesser known acts, and I came away with a whole raft of new music to add to my music library.
FRIDAY
The vast majority of festival goers started their day by taking a dive in the beautiful freshwater lake, in a scene which looked like something out of a Constable painting. If you'd booked ahead, you may have been lucky enough to enjoy the wood-burning Swedish hot tubs in the Wilderness Spa complete with a bottle of champers, whist enjoying the sunshine. The day progressed with wonderment and, with a Kaleidoscope theme encouraging vibrant and colorful attire all around, the Wilderness crowd glittered in the sunshine as it started to set beautifully over the Oxford hills.
Rosie Lowe warmed up the main stage crowd with an intimate performance driven by experimental music. Her fresh and sincere vocals captivated the crowd and drew them into her personal world. It was a beautiful, harmonious performance that filled the hearts of the audience.
Parov Stelar kicked things into gear on the main stage with their thumping electro-swing which got the whole crowd going. The band's on-stage presence put everyone in the mood and the audience jumped in unison to the likes of 'Booty Swing' and 'Clap Your Hands'. These guys were the first to produce electro-swing back in the 90s – before Caravan Palace followed their path – and their soulful mix of electronic, funk, jazz and breakbeat presented on stage with live trumpet, saxophone and vocals made for a rousing performance that had everyone dancing.
Everyone was on such a high after Parov Stelar's performance that it was hard to see how Led Zepplin's Robert Plant was going to trump it. His performance, however, had been cleverly calculated to encapsulate all music tastes, playing something for everyone – cherry picking some of the best tunes from his 40-year career. As the sun set over Wilderness, the audience were taken through a time-travelling feast of rock, folk, blues and African beats, from 'Little Maggie', to 'Black Dog'.
Plant owned the stage and played things on his own terms; when the Zepplin classics started to drift from the stage, they were instantly recognisable, yet also strangely different – Plant ensured that each had his own stamp on them. His renditions of 'Black Dog' and 'Whole Lotta Love' made the crowd instantly feel like they were witnessing something special – and they were. This is Plant's only UK performance this year and as the show drew to a close, it was clear that the crowd were grateful and impressed by the 60-year-old's performance.
As the main stage wrapped up for the evening, the hordes drifted directly towards the Valley – the late night, hedonistic dance area, hidden in woodland, where the music progressively becomes darker and dirtier as lasers punctuate the midnight air. It's an impressive setup – where the costumed revellers peek between the trees, hide in dark spaces and dance out the rest of the night until the sun comes up. With the likes of DJ Derrick Carter and Jackmaster twisting the decks, Friday night was all about losing yourself in the beats as the pixies played around you.
SATURDAY
As the revellers woke up and dusted off their hangovers with a cloud of glitter, Saturday looked to be the hottest day yet. Whilst those with a bit of energy left found themselves joining in the morning woodland run or taking part in paddle-board yoga on the lake, the more bruised and battered brains found themselves drawn to the Club House outdoor games where brutal oneupmanship is encouraged. Children and adults alike compete in sock wrestling championships, running races, volleyball and group aerobics – this area is a hive of activity where you can join in, sit back and watch or simply streak naked across the field if you so desire. The sunshine soon got everyone back into party mode and the games, overseen by DJ's and commentated on by a collection of comedy tennis coaches, frenchmen, lifeguards and cheerleaders, all with a penchant for foreign accents, soon had everyone joining in and laughing at the craziness of the event.
On the main stage Goldie and the Heritage Orchestra took to the floor. This was an impressive production and one that didn't disappoint. With full orchestra, vocalists, mixing desks, choir and band bursting at the stages' seams, the complexity of putting this production together was plain for all to see. The combination of all of the above kept the crowd on their toes, not knowing what to expect next. Goldie took centre stage, shouting his trademark expletives at the audience whilst jumping around on stage, conducting the orchestra with the moves of a frantic wizard on a dance-floor. Revellers from afar were called to the stage by the unique mix of sound and performance – and the crowd was putty in Goldie's hands. It was a landmark performance and one that everyone will be talking about for years to come.
As the sun fell lower in the sky, The Crystal Fighters took to the main stage with an audience shimmering in gold. Their rousing performance of electronic folk, paired with giant bouncing beach balls thrown into the crowd meant the audience was on their feet and feeling the love for the band through the entirety of their set. The female vocalists were notably impressive and the band's sterling performances of ‘Love Is All I Got’ and ‘You and I’ had the crowd jumping and singing along to their energetic beat. It was an electric conclusion for the main stage, but the night was only going to get better.
The Saturday Night Spectacle is the highlight of the Wilderness schedule. For the first time Wilderness moved this event back to the Club House Area cricket pitch where an audience in its thousands crowded below a high-wire and wondered silently what delights they were about to see as dancers, armed with illuminated umbrellas, entertained the crowd. This event is tailored for Wilderness audiences only – it's a once in a lifetime event, this year provided by the spectacular Cirque Bijou with their high-wire, pyrotechnic display – the first time ever that a high-wire, fire-walk was performed in the UK. Whilst it lacked the scale of the previous year’s spectacular, this was by no means any less impressive. Delicate music added to the suspense of watching the acrobats balance, float, cycle and run across an enflamed high-wire. The audience of children and adults collectively held their breath as they watched the spectacle unfold. It was an impressive and memorable feat that sent the audience away with a galactic twinkle in their toes.
As the late night party animals made their way to the Valley once again, it was time to check out some of the alternative dance venues. An honourable mention must go out to the energetic performance from Palestinian group 47 Soul who played in the Club House Tent, introducing us all to a new genre of music Shamstep. The group that unites Palestinian artists, “spanning the divides from Amman to the Galilee, the Golan Heights to Ramallah”, certainly brought a unique flavour to the dance floor and drew in intrigued revellers from outside. There was an amazing energy in the tent as the band used synthesizers, guitar riffs, drum solos and urban vocals to bring an exotic flavour to the Oxford hills.
The Patty & Bun Tent DJ's put on a brilliant array of mixes on Saturday night, which included age old disco merging seamlessly into funk, soul and even hip hop. The crowd gathered quickly, balancing precariously on hay bales as tune after tune got their feet jumping. It was easy to lose hours to that DJ mix – everyone there had a smile on their face.
Moving into the Valley for the late night beats, Maxxi Sound System put on a brutally beat-heavy set which might have been too intense for some. He concluded his set with Phil Collins’ 'In The Air Tonight' which could be heard throughout the Valley, festival and campsite, as all those, near and far, joined in to sing along to the surprising conclusion of what was an epic set, and an epic night.
SUNDAY
Sedate Sunday is sometimes the most enjoyable day at Wilderness – frazzled brains and sore feet mean that everyone's happy to take things a bit easier – leaving a delectable lazy and relaxed mood to eb and flow throughout the fields.
Now is the day to make the most of the festival feasts – for us it was time to stuff our faces at HIX and drink prosecco like it was going out of fashion. The taste of freshly made and handpicked cuisine is a cool reminder that you are not badgers doomed to dance in the valley for the rest of time but a reminder that life does have some decorum. The Hix food was delicious, heartwarming, refreshing and energising and couldn't have come at a better moment.
The Wilderness Orchestra is also a highlight of Sunday at the festival and this year they did not disappoint. A large crowd gathered as the orchestra played Disney Karaoke at The Atrium Stage. Young and old alike sang their hearts out to rousing renditions of Frozen, Little Mermaid and The Lion King. It was an emotional and beautifully composed event that filled everyone's hearts with love.
Later that evening the Orchestra performed again at The Atrium as they presented their Tribute to David Bowie with Special Guests. The opening was marred slightly by the terrible sound levels, that were only partially fixed after the crowd chanted “Turn it up!”. The orchestra and choir needed more microphones in order to be heard above the billowing, and rather bland vocals provided by Kate Nash which only partially improved in the latter half by Charlotte Church. It was an emotional performance if only because it reminded everyone of the greatness of Bowie and the huge talent that we have lost. One that will not be forgotten.
In the Club House it was time for some alternative / weird cabaret provided by Shesus and the Sistas. This hilarious all-girl performance of soul cleansing and group prayer, led by a drag Jesus and her two horny nuns, was not one to miss. The audience was in hysterics and, whilst I'm sure they weren't cleansed entirely of the sins they'd collectively accumulated over the weekend they certainly showed their support for the holy trinity who owned the stage and received a resounding applause at the end of their set.
As the evening pulled in, Glass Animals appeared on the main stage and roused the audience with energetic renditions of crowd favorite ‘Gooey’ and their new song ‘Youth’. They stood out as a competent crowd pleaser with a very tight performance. They clearly loved being there and that was reciprocated by the crowd who supported them and cheered throughout.
The Flaming Lips were to close the show on the Main Stage in what was a rather sedate performance and with strange, colourful scenery that I can only describe as something akin to peering inside a unicorn's brain. The light show was spectacular – the weird costumed animals that appeared were somewhat strange, with little to do on stage except bop to the music. Seeing Wayne Coyne sing from the shoulders of Chewbacca's overweight, distant cousin was a highlight but the music itself never really kicked into gear, and the crowd were left waiting for a big finale that never came. When the band bowed and left the stage, the audience hung around and chanted for an encore, clearly expecting something a little more special from the closing act, but all they received was another final bow from the frontman. Perhaps such a low key performance was what some of us might have needed after a full weekend of bouncing – for those that wanted more however, it was time for a final trip to the Valley.
Goldie was back on the decks playing some of his most iconic tracks and getting the Valley bouncing on their feet for his full set. More expletives followed from the frontman – it was a very vocal performance, explaining some of his choices of music and taking them through a verbal history of his musical tastes. The result was what felt like a very personal set from Goldie, as if you'd been invited into his front room to listen to his back-catalogue. Perhaps one of the most unexpected tracks was his closing track, Radiohead's “Creep” – which confused a few dancers who hesitated with questionable looks, before rocking out with the rest of the Valley who embraced the unconventional song.
The Valley drew to a close with the sensational mixing skills of DJ Tom Middleton. He played a crazily diverse set with something for everyone and maintained the full Valley crowd until the closing tracks. There were notably more bouncy and happy revellers there than on the Saturday night – and everyone left the Valley for the final time with a disco smile on their face.
With 30,000 people attending the festival, Wilderness will always feel special to every attendee – from having more space in the camping fields, to always finding a clean and free shower with which to wash away your sins of the evening – the minimal size of the festival plays a key role in it maintaining it's special and magical identity. It builds a community of sequined party-goers who are up for relaxation, merrymaking and discovery, who are keen to celebrate the arts, the outdoors, healthy cuisine and the great British landscape. I can only hope it's size and it's ethos doesn't swell in the coming years to make this less of a secret gem. Wilderness is a crazy rocket ship of delight that explodes with glitter and happiness. I can't wait until next year.
Pip Sansom
Photos by Philip Sansom (Phix.London)
More photos in our gallery: http://www.brightonsfinest.com/html/index.php/Gallery/wilderness-festival-2016