Festival Review: Glade 2011

When: Thursday 9th - Sunday 12th June

Reviewed by: John Crossley

Back after a one year hiatus, Glade promised to return back to ‘its grass shiny roots’ in 2011.

Following the disappointing cancellation last year when the organisers were forced to pull the plug because of spiralling policing costs only weeks before it was due to start, this year was always going to go off with a bang.

There was a huge feeling of déjà vu only weeks before Glade when it emerged that Mansion House in Bedfordshire had pulled out, leaving the organisers in the lurch once more. However, the last minute change to Houghton Hall in Norfolk proved to be a masterstroke.

It’s Thursday night and we find ourselves in the ‘secret’ club behind the Rabbit Hole tent and Glade is in full swing. You stick your head inside the tent to find it rammed to the brim with girls in fancy dress, with the furious basslines of electro, techno and breaks shaking the ground.

Stepping outside for a cigarette next to the Jacuzzi a six foot man with long grey hair and beard stumbles over up and asks for a light. Sparking up a conversation it turns out he goes by the name of Stretch and he is the creative director of the tent. “I hope you guys are enjoying it, there is always something to find down the Rabbit Hole.” He was right, this was only the beginning – and that pretty much summed it up for the whole festival. You never know what you are going to find. Despite only being a 5,500 capacity festival, it was not short on things to do.

If you go to Glade you need to check out the Origin Stage. There is nothing quite like dancing to booming psy-trance at 11am in the morning with hundreds of hippies and tripsters.

The afore-mentioned Rabbit Hole hosted live bands through the day but if that didn’t tickle your fancy you could tumble down a secret tunnel guarded by a lady dressed as a card (we can’t remember which one). Simply complete a challenge and you’re into a tunnel under the ground before crawling 25 feet on your hands and knees to the secret night club at the back.

The smaller stages were mightily impressive as well – with the GTA and Beta tents pushing the boundaries on forward thinking house and techno.

Performance wise, Dirtyphonics were our standout highlight. It was a mind-blowing demonstration of drum & bass and dubstep from the French four-some and they completely knocked the roof off of the Glade stage. Jaws dropped and boots stomped as they mixed live for more than an hour in a trailblazing demolition on Friday night.

Swedish techno pin-up Adam Beyer also produced the goods during his headline set on Saturday night, unleashing an array of techno weaponry on the Glade stage.

Away from the main stages, the I Scream You Scream tent also impressed - an ice cream van parked up next to a stack of Funktion One speakers. The van bounced on the ground as the DJs inside played everything from house and techno to speed breaks. All that was missing was a 99p flake and bag of jellies and this will have had the lot.

But it’s the people at a festival that really made it work, and Glade had the most incredible laid back vibe with not a spot of trouble in sight.

Things didn’t exactly go off without a hitch though. On arrival to the campsite on Thursday afternoon Gladers were greeted with a text message to say that all the cash machines on site were down. A nightmare for anyone looking to really let loose over the four days. There was a slight requiem when one of the campsite traders started offering cashback, but that still had its problems when there were thousands of people to satisfy. Thankfully, the main bar did get eventually some cash machines up and running.

Like it or not, the weather always has a part to play in everyone’s enjoyment. The weather gods were smiling - for the most part it seemed - with the only prolonged downpour landing on the final day. It forced everyone indoors on Sunday afternoon but it meant that every tent was packed to the rafters for the close of the festival.

The one big disappointment was the headline set from Dutch multi-instrumentalist Trentemoller. Although Anders and his live band offered a great spectacle on stage, this was not followed up with the banging headline performance it required.

It was a bold move reducing the size of Glade back down to 5,500 – but it worked. The atmosphere was second to none, along with a wide range of music where there really is something for everyone.  

It was in a stunning setting with everything that you could have wanted from a small festival. It was an explosion of colour, hedonism and spiritualism - Glade really is a must visit for any electronic music fan. Be sure to get your tickets early next year. 

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