Photo: Marc Sethi
Eastern Electrics 2013 was always going to be compared to its birth last year. Having already experienced the one day inner-city spectacle in 2012, one wondered how this new festival was going to transform into a fully-fledged 3-day camping festival. The guys and gals at EE had set themselves a herculean task. However a festival that has the pulling power to persuade the mighty SethTroxler to get his manhood out for them is bound to bring something new and different to the scene.
Arriving just after noon on Friday butterflies had began to flutter in the stomach. Driving in the campsite was already buzzing and the music hadn't even started yet. The camping element of the festival was something that EE could have struggled with, considering this was the first
time they had given guests the option. But gladly the option turned out all roses. The campsite was the perfect size and the logistics had been well thought out. It had that unmistakable vibe that comes with festival camping, with everyone rolling along in excitement and anticipation for the carnage that was about to be unleashed.
Then it started...
Huxley and Bicep got it pumping early doors Friday. At the time it seemed 4pm was a bit early for these gents who drop banger after banger, as apposed to someone lighter to warm up. But it turned out to be a genius move by the organisers, setting the pace early on. The early sets made it important to get your tent up as quickly as possible and get stuck in.
At this point, I have to mention that the location was absolutely spot on. Having hosted the likes of Led Zepplin, The Rolling Stones and Jamiroquai Knebworth provided a sturdy bedrock for the proceedings. Walking into the festival from the campsite, with the sun hanging in the sky, made the place look, well, beautiful... It was an expansive landscape of great music, cosmopolitan vendors and exciting places to explore such as the Electric City. In 2012, the organisers behind EE struggled with capacity in terms of toilets and drink service. But, despite this years event being on a completely different scale to last year’s, there was never a wait for a tinkle or a top up. Experience has clearly given them a better grasp on how to organise everything.
The weekend continued to grow as more campers arrived and the line-up kicked into overdrive. A particularly stand out set came from stalwart Heidi in ‘The Switchyard’ - a stage made entirely out of industrial containers. Safe to say, it went ‘off’.
Many festivals this summer have touted themselves as having the 'Best Line Up' but seriously, EE could arguably hold this crown at least within the spectrum of dance music. Hall-of-Famer Hawtin took to the stage Saturday night and didn't care it was ‘the day of rest’ the day after – it was nonstop and in a kaleidoscope of multi-coloured flashes, it was Sunday. Where had the weekend gone?
No worries though, the lovely people at EE didn't let momentum abate for a single minute. Instead, they gave the people a relentless line-up including a back-to-back-to-back: Richy Ahmed into MK into Kerri Chandler and Masters At Work to top it all off.
All in all, EE set themselves a task many organisers would’ve struggled with but they pulled it off extremely well; they put a fitting end to a summer of festivals dominated by house. The growth of the scene continues at an unstoppable pace and scouting out our 2014 festival picks is the next task on this exciting adventure – EE 2014 has already made the list…
