Punks love Pontins. Why else would the Concrete Jungle Festival of Punk have chosen the Camber Sands Pontins Family Beach Resort as the venue for the year’s first kickass cultural festival? Unless of course punks have a secret yearning to swap mohawks and bovver boots for Hi-De-Hi-style yellow coats. Anything is possible.
Avoiding those who would question whether punk and culture should exist in the same sentence it is pleasing to announce that by all accounts the inaugural punk festival to be put on by Jack the Lad Productions was a huge success and every bit as colourful and energetic as you’d expect from an unholy convergence of a few thousand UK and international punks. A review in Distorted Magazine highlights the surprising lack of chaos at the event and the fact that it was a family-friendly affair. In the current climate of political correctness it’s quite refreshing to see images of juvenile punks flipping the finger while their parents nod their encouragement. What is also refreshing is that this festival tried hard to find a home for the many sub-genres that make up punk, including bands that incorporated ska and reggae. This goes some way to show that festivals are about more than just entertainment, they are about providing refuge for and binding together communities of people who share (passionately) a common interest.
Putting on a festival is no easy task. As the UK’s ‘other’ and longest running punk festival has discovered over the years. Apparently finding a suitable venue for the Wasted Punk Festival is always a bit of a problem. Given punks’ reputation it’s kind of hard to think why any hotelier in their right mind wouldn’t want a hotel full of punks. Facetiousness aside, the irony is that disruption caused by local “nutters” was what prompted organizers to move the festival to Blackpool in 2006, and to change the festivals name (and venue again) in 2007. After a few months where it’s fate seemed to hang in the balance, Rebellion UK is now all set for August.
On a more gentile note, this summer looks set to be one of the best for arts and cultural festivals across the UK.
Last Sunday Sheffield was the place to be as LoveBytes began showering the city with much pixilated affection. The weeklong international festival of digital art mixes up a potent cocktail of film, music and interactive media in a comprehensive programme of audio/visual installations, live performances, film screenings, exhibitions and workshops.
The LoveBytes launch event featured music performed by the genius electro duo Plaid, whose presence has now set the standard for festival contributors to aspire. Among the amazing line-up of workshops and events will be screenings of films commissioned by the Radar Film Festival & BBC New Music Shorts schemes, and artists talking about “what happens when you set out to cultivate media labs from recycled computers and open source software?”
Less weird than punks or digital artistry but equally as inspiring is this season’s festival of performance at Cornwall’s legendary Minack Theatre. The Minack is a Greek style amphitheatre carved into the rocks at the Minack Headland near Lamorna. As one of the most beautifully sited theatres anywhere, 2007 offers an extra special programme that includes Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men and Bizet’s Carmen as The Minack celebrates 75 years in existence thanks to Rowena Cade.
Equally inspired is Strummercamp 2007 that will pay homage to The Clash’s Joe Strummer. The festival kicks off all over the forthcoming bank holiday weekend and the organizers have gone to great lengths to ensure Strummercamp remains a festival for the people by refusing endorsement from a major corporate sponsor. Should be a riot!
Meanwhile in the West Country organizers of the Sunrise Celebration are also trying to put on a festival that doesn’t reek of shameless commercialism. Sunrise has been endorsed by Glastonbury Festival founder Michael Eavis as having the same spirit as Glastonbury when it first started, and celebrity horticulturalist David Bellamy has proclaimed the festivals green credentials. Among the 13 arenas at what is billed as the UK’s leading sustainable festival will be a zone dedicated to visionary arts and culture. If you’re into shamans and understand the meaning of “ancient-future art culture consciousness” then head west at the end of this month.
If your leaning is towards more traditional arts festivals then you can get the full list of events run by British Arts Festival Association members from the BAFA
website. There are details of over 50 festivals across the country, including the Brighton Festival and accompanying fringe festival currently underway, and the Salisbury International Arts Festival running from May into June.
For a comprehensive database of festivals happening anywhere and everywhere in the UK, check out the eFestivals website.
