Very Vital Viewing - 'V' (V2001 (Chelmsford))

Member Name: buster19761976

Product:	V2001 (Chelmsford)
Date:	05/03/02 (115 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great experience, Fantastic mix of music, Good fun

Disadvantages: Takes a little planning, Messy, Smelly!

After attending the V2001 festival in Chelmsford, and reading some of the other reviews on here about it, I thought I should add my voice. Read on, and hopefully I'll see you at V2002!

¬¬¬¬What is it, Steve?¬¬¬¬
The festival is staged over 3 days. Beginning on a Friday and finishing on the Sunday, though Friday has no performers - it's just a chance to get your tent set up and to test your cooking equipment/beer capacity. V2001 was held at two sites, and I'm going to be talking about the Chelmsford one. The play-list for the weekend is identical at each site (more or less) so you'll not miss anything through my one-sided op.

V2001 was a big success with regard to attendance. There were 50,000 people each day spread around the location. The music is quite mixed, with something for most people.

¬¬¬¬So you camped then?¬¬¬¬
We decided to do the whole weekend, so we camped at the site. This I'd recommend. Well, I would recommend it as long as you're not too posh. If you might have a problem with grubby toilets (I can now do the toilet hover like women can), or peeing in bushes, or just in the open then you might not be too comfortable camping.

Also there's going to be some noise at night. People like to shout swear words really loud and then the next tent copies and on and on until you get an audible 'Mexican wave' of swearing! It's not too offensive however, and by Saturday night you will be so used to it that you can easily sleep through it.

The bonuses from camping are that you really get a feel for the atmosphere of the festival and can easily make friends. We're hoping to meet up with a few people from 2001 this year.

You can get a free bus into town to stock up on supplies (we did that just once all weekend for 4 of us) and when you are stocked up, we found security to be excellent. We left things lying around and nothing was moved at all. I'm sure isola
ted incidents occur but with 30,000 people in one area it has to be expected.

If you camp you are issued with a coloured wristband giving you access to most areas whenever you like. On the Friday night they put on movies in one of the smaller tents for a couple of thousand people. It's all free once you're in so you can find something to do at any time generally.

¬¬¬¬Hang on, tell us about the music!¬¬¬¬
I've got a fairly general taste in music, and I'm not willing to do a band review here, so let's form an opinion on the mix of styles instead. Yes? Good.

Imagine a representative mix of music from the last couple of years, and add a smattering of lesser known music, then import some foreign stuff and you're getting a hint of the diversity of the offering. We saw Jimmy Barnes while we were there (you might know 'Khe Sahn' or 'Working Class Man') and he was amazing, and the next day we were watching David Gray and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. I couldn't find a category that would encompass all these (maybe 'festival').

This year promises to be good too, though no names have been announced. You'd struggle not to enjoy at least 50% of the music - even if you were fussy.

¬¬¬¬What about food and stuff?¬¬¬¬
You're not going to find haute cuisine at any festival so it's a case of finding what suits you. We got addicted to the Aussie Steak Sandwich bar. It's a bit more expensive than the rest of the burger bars and hot-dog stands but it's so much better quality and the crusty roll full of sliced beef is really loaded up. There are loads of sauces and things, and they do a cheap pure orange juice to prevent the onset of scurvy!

There are vegetarian options, which are quite good even if you're not a veggie. You'll also find soup counters and places that do more trendy foods including Chinese and Indian dishes, though a bit of trial and
error is necessary to find the good ones!

Interestingly the Hari Krishna people are there and distribute food free! It's not quite as varied as the other selections but they usually have things like breakfast cereals (in the morning anyway). Overall the food at ‘V’ goes from awful to great, but you'll have to try a few to find your favourite. Let me know if you find something fantastic this year!


¬¬¬¬Would you go again, Steve?¬¬¬¬
I will be going again this year without doubt. I don't even care who is performing as it's about hearing new stuff as much as listening to familiar bands. I'll be camping again, and really can't wait to go. If you've been considering it and are not sure, then I recommend pushing the boat out and camping the weekend. That way you've got a place to get a little break from the music when you want to.

¬¬¬¬You've been too positive! Bad points?¬¬¬¬
Well, children are accommodated, but it might be a little uncomfortable, especially if it gets muddy. There were plenty of kids when I went some in buggies and they seemed okay. If you don't like getting a bit mucky and smelly, you ain't gonna like it by Sunday! You will need to wash using Wet Wipes and some will find this disconcerting though I got used to it and got over it!

You might be near the back for a good band if you don't want to get in the crowds and get a little squashed - I would have liked to have been closer to Foo Fighters, but I was at the front for Ben Folds, so it's swings and roundabouts. Some people have said that £90 is too much to pay for a weekend, but I thought it was quite realistic I'm sure there are other negative points to be found, but I enjoyed it all!

See you there – and don’t nick my Wet Wipes!

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