What We Missed Out on at... Bloom

Nothing, because it got cancelled!
Bloom, an independently-run festival (supposedly from 14th-16th August), has been called off. The organisers said that they'd been badly affected by the economic downturn, and that Bloom had taken a back seat in light of the recession.
Looks like I won't be the only one stuck at home this year...

However- if you did have Bloom tickets, you will get 2 free tickets to Bloom 2010. There will also be a free 'Bloom Party' at Motion in Bristol on August 15th. In addition to this, Bloom tickets will be welcome at the Big Chill and the Beachdown festival this year. If this is something you're interested in, you will have to pay a bit extra- £55 for Big Chill and £22.50 for Beachdown- in order to upgrade your ticket. So, all's not lost then.

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What We Missed Out on at... Splendour in the Grass

For those of you who haven't heard of it, 'Splendour in the Grass' is like an Australian Latitude (it's descirbed as an arts/music/oyuth culutre event' on it s website), but with better weather. And, over the year, a plethora of formidalb eacts have graced it stage- Coldplay, TV On The Radio, Arctic Monkeys, Death Cab for Cutie, Queens of the Stone Age, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Brian Wilson, to name but a few. Tickets are hard to come by- they're usually all gone within a matter of hours of going on sale- and, of course, you have to get to Australia.
So, what did it have to offer this year? The likes of The Flaming Lips, Manchester Orchestra, Miami Horror, Architecture in Helsinki, Jane's Addiction, Friendly Fires- the list goes on. And, as well as awesome music, the festival looks like serious fun- not just grotty, muddy, covered-in-the-bodily-fluids-fun- but actual fun. Look at the photos below- the audience looks both happy and clean, which is a rare combination at a festival. Godammit, I wish I'd been there...

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What We Missed Out on at... Latitude

I think I've whinged on already about how I want to be Latitude, roaming the fields whilst listening to Regina Spektor, Ladyhawke and Manchester Orchestra. As Click Music put it:

"Latitude always manages to retain its boutique atmosphere while attracting the big names, and the big crowds. The event never fails to impress, and an entire weekend could easily be spent wandering around the lake and in the woods away from the main stages, with surprises and unexpected treats to be found everywhere. This year's festival-goers are greeted on Thursday evening with a pretty display as they cross the bridge from the campsite to the main arena in the twilight hours. A huge water fan is sprayed, with a giant pink sheep and Latitude logo projected onto it, with the sheep being an integral part of this back to nature festival. Many an hour can be spent idly staring at the pretty pink and green dyed creatures as they roam the park."

Oh, it sounds too perfect. Note to self: save up and go next year.

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What We Missed Out on at... Benicassim

Every cloud, dear readers- every cloud.
Although we may be stuck at home whilst festival-goers worldwide are partying, listening to awesome music and abandoning every scrap of hygiene, it could be worse... we could be at Benicassim.
I'm not trying to insult the line-up with the remark above (although, really, could you get any more indie?), but apparently things haven't been going so well. Extreme wind has been causing all sorts of problems- headliners Kings of Leon even pulled out because of it. This, mixed with temperatures so hot that fires have started breaking out doesn't really make for an ideal festival experience. Take a look:

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What We Missed Out on at... Coachella

Out of all of the summer festivals, the one I really, really want to go to is Coachella. It's always been Coachella. Always baking hot, with a consistently diverse line-up (where else could you see Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Billy Talent and MSTRKRFT and My Bloody Valentine all in one place?) for me, Coachella has always been the place to be.
My heartbreak about once again not being able to go was all the more aggravated by these wonderful photos by Sebastian Kim. Look above- how badly do you want to join Brandon Flowers, Jenny Lewis and Conor Oberst as they lounge around in the sizzling heat in crazy attire? And below, would you not like to be jumping for joy// finding shade under palm trees like Late of the Pier and White Lies? I most certainly would. Farewell, Coachella- until next year.

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