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Roskilde festival: part two


Anthony

Anthony, 24, decided to go to a Scandinavian festival to see how it's done 'Viking style'. He's just quit his job to work a ski season in Canada, so he's hoping not to break anything before he sets off for a spot of globe trotting.
Entry: 2
Date: 03/10/2007

As the week draws to an end and the rain swamps the campsite, Anthony and his friends refuse to let it put a dampener on their fun.

Friday 

The Flaming Lips at Roskilde festival

The Flaming Lips take to the stage

I woke up to the news that more than a month's worth of rain had fallen in the last 24 hours. Given the extent of the downpour, a 37-year record for Roskilde, the organisers decided to open up one of the music tents for people to sleep in at night. Judging by the water-logging in some areas, it was no doubt welcome news to many.

After a leisurely start to the day we finally made it into the music area where things became a little more frantic. After days of taunting, a comedy mud brawl erupted leaving many people dazed, confused and very, very muddy.   Thankfully it forced the first shower of the week and we still made it back in time to catch the Beastie Boys and a personal favourite, Queens of the Stone Age. But it was probably the final act of the evening which was the most entertaining - we witnessed some unbelievably accurate wine carton throwing as not all the crowd warmed to The Brian Jonestown Massacre front man.

Back at our swamp camp, a healthy number of friends and neighbours remained chatting and laughing well past dawn-break. It made me realise that as good as the music might be, it would be the odd conversations and general randomness that I'd experienced with these people that I would remember for a long time to come.

Saturday

It looked as though our antics had caught up with us and exhaustion helped us decide it was time for us to chill out at the cinema. That is one of the differences between Roskilde and festivals such as Reading. Like Glastonbury, it's more than just a musical showcase. Dotted around the site are all sorts of facilities and tents where people can go to take part in activities, the mud volleyball being amongst my favourites.

The afternoon saw us trade in the relaxation for what was, without a doubt, the most extravagant band so far. The Flaming Lips took to the stage with a cast of eager volunteers dressed as superheroes, and a giant transparent bubble, which front man Wayne Coyne climbed into and used to shimmy across the crowd. Everyone loved it.

Roskilde festival in the mud

It's not a real festival without mud

Come the evening and the mud had become more like cement. Each step was a struggle; it felt as though my boots were about to be kidnapped. The effort took its toll and by the end of the Chilli's set, I'm embarrassed to admit, I was nodding off.

Sunday and Monday

Moseying around the campsite it was hard not to notice the amount of people packing up and moving on, whether they were loading up their cars or just leaving. It was the first time it had dawned on me that this marathon festival was coming to a close, and it made me feel quite sad. Nevertheless, with another great day of music with the likes of the Arctic Monkeys and Muse, I was pleased with myself for catching most of the bands I had wanted to see.

There was still the small matter of seeing the finishing act, but with a few hours to spare we decided to pay a visit to the quarry that sat in the centre of the camping area. Outside, a fireworks display sprayed the night sky with a rainbow of colours and lit the quarry up in breathtaking fashion, transforming the man-made landscape into a Martian-like other world.

Back in the stage area, and after a great set by Justice, the curtain finally fell upon the festival. All the bands had now played and it seemed as though it would be up to the festival-goers to create the music. An initial few had taken up arms with sticks and poles and begun laying siege to anything that could make a sound. Before long the seductively rhythmic beat had everyone, including myself, sucked in. It was a great way to end things and perfectly expressed the camaraderie of the festival.

And so it was that at 10am Monday morning we were still sitting around postponing the inevitable. I was dirty, smelly and exhausted and ready to go home, but as I looked around at all the abandoned tents and my friends, it was not so easy to say goodbye.  

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