V Summer Festival 2006

WELCOME/ WILLKOMMEN TO THE BRITISH SUMMER!

Ahh...yes, the sunshine, those warm balmy breezes, sand slipping between your toes on a warm, soft, sandy beach, BBQs, sunscreen, tans and bikinis...all are quickly forgotten as the usual British summer weather digs in deep.
Welly deep.
Yes, it's August again folks, which means only one thing...our annual pilgramage to all things music, the 'V' Summer Festival Weekend, Weston Park stately home, in deepest Staffordshire.
Well, not that deep. About 5 miles from Karen and Stef in Shifnal, Shropshire, to be precise.

Infact, we went with them on our first V Festival, back in good ol' sunny 2003. The darlings again spared us the horrors of camping on-site, by not only letting us stay over with them instead, but dropping us off, and picking us up! We're so lucky to have such brilliant friends! We landed around 9.15 after work, and had a gorgeous meal (at the best Indian Restaurant in Shropshire, The East End Balti, Shifnal) and then gabbed away until the early hours, as we did on the Sat and Sunday too...as usual!!

The next morning, Karen dropped us off, and we began the long and arduous trek to the actual V Festival itself, which is about 1 mile, and this year, it was through mud.

You may guess by the countanance of the gentleman pictured to your left, that it was abit of a war zone.
With mud.
Lots of it.
The week before, I had been valiantly watching all weather reports about the that area of the country. Last Monday, it began to rain, rain, rain, and just for good measure, it rained some more. I decided that wellington boots were definitely going to be required at this rate, never mind a pac-a-mac, and D deftly purchased the said items.


We were ready for the 60,000 capacity outdoor Festival.

This was war...



War Log. V Festival, 19th August, 2006.

DAY 1.


Dear Diary...

Will this monumental torrent of rain never cease? Tis enough to send a man mad! Arrghhhh I can see my self getting foot rot at this rate [Editor grabs keyboard and smacks Celia over the head].


Well despite the rain, wellies and chemical toilets, V 2006 was another top-notch festival, and it was great fun!! We had wellies (tick), raincoats (tick), bags to sit on (so no wet bums sitting on the grass(tick). It was an '80's flashback to my Girl Guides camping trips. The music, atmosphere and energy over the entire weekend was great, everyone having a good time, no trouble, people relaxing and enjoying the music, food, drink and a bit of noseying (and buying) from the clothes, ornaments, hats, jewellery, and anything else I've missed out stalls around the site.



Hiding from the rain inside one of the performance tents

On Saturday, besides eating and drinking (Darren got an orange mouth from the Orange Bacardi Breezers lol) D and I saw The Beautiful South (cracking), Faithless, a bit of Paul Weller, Imogen Heap and Morrissey, who, as always, is brilliant, especially when doing old Smiths songs!!

Yep it may have been a v rainy V weekend, but D and I had a brilliant time. Here, you can see us dining 'al fresco' style...



(picture left: Celia pouting sensually whilst in the pouring rain with a cardboard plate about to collapse)

(picture right: Darren contemplates the Norse God of Rain and asks " so, do you like The Smiths then?")...

DAY 2


Sunday: caught last bit of Kula Shaker (waaah), Keane (lucky we saw them before the lead singer booked himself into the Priory Rehab today, eh), Echo and The Bunnymen (brilliant as always), and Beck (bizarre yet amusing stage set- puppets of themselves)

Sunday: To the winner, the spoils...D with his hard-fought for blow-up lilo/phone (they threw them over fencing on the hour and it was like feeding time at the Zoo. The victor, above, raises a glass- he was offered 2 burgers and two drinks in exchange for this freebie (£ 15 worth!!) He declined.

Radiohead headlined Sunday. They were really very good, and I enjoyed seeing them again...not bad for a person who avoided them for 15years! Bless, D popped his ' I've never seen Radiohead do "Creep" live' cherry at last (5 gigs), so that was one thing ticked off his 'to do before I die' list.

But the night was made for me with a set from joint headliner, Fat Boy Slim, who was just absolutely brilliant!! Remember I'm a rave/dance girl at heart!!



Inside the Dance Tent at Fat Boy Slim (when I managed to stop dancing for two seconds lol)










So I was a v happy chappy when I eventually crawled into bed...and to be woken by your best mate's other half offering D and I fried egg sandwiches for breakfast before the drive home northbound, you realise just how lucky you are!

Brill weekend!

Seeing the sunshine after the rain...