It's British Summer Time (if you ignore the sporadic, Arctic chill) and that can only mean one thing.. festival season!
Festival season always gets me feeling some kind of way. Feeling somewhere in between not young enough and not tolerant enough to be a 'festival goer'. I love the 'anything goes' dress code and general vibe, but when it comes to music.. I struggle.
my dream festival get up - via Instagrammer
I'm the kind of woman who likes what she likes. I know how I like my eggs - so to speak. Even though eggs aren't my bag. Alright bad analogy.. in this case what I mean is I know what kind of music I like.
As I mentioned in my last post, for me the art of music is much like visual art. Everyone has a preference, an objective opinion. I don't speak about music much, either on or offline, just as I don't speak much about what art exhibitions are on my hitlist. It isn't something which I want to fit in with or necessarily a social thing, but music is something quite personal and emotional to me regardless of genre. What I like when it comes to music is vocals.. lyrics. I'm a word kind of person. Words before genre.
I'm open to trying new music, sometimes, but I know if I like it almost instantly.
Amy Winehouse said something which stuck with me once, about the old, soul singers who would be
" singing about the kind of heartbreak you would find at the bottom of a bottle of whiskey.'
Give me J Cole all day, but I still love that deep, gritty, heartbreak kind of soul. The kind that is perfect for crying into a glass of red. Maybe it's a lyric thing again!
I digress. I'm hating on British festivals because I feel like they don't offer a diverse, unique, experience. Unless it's Glastonbury, which is truly a sensational experience because there is something for everyone regardless of age, I feel like there's not enough variety at British festivals. Sure there are different genres, but everything is so modern. There's a severe lack of variety in terms of age or range of artists and tempo.
Don't get me started on EDM or techno. Maybe i'm too old, or i've just got bad taste. Like I said, all art is subjective. This is how I feel every time..
And it's all much of the same these days.
I'd love to see more Dolly Parton and Elton John. Sure put them alongside J Cole and Chance The Rapper! Variety is always a good idea.
So tell me, steemians, what are the best British festivals to go to? Have I missed anything spectacular?
Or which other festivals from around the world would you recommend I go to?
Yasmine