- Anyone that knows me knows I'm rather fond of music festivals. Reviewing them wouldn't be much fun if I found them arduous to get through. But that's not to say I'm always in the mood, and on my way down to Field Manuevers I'll admit that drinking and dancing in a field were about the furthest things from my mind. A weekend-long festival can be a lot of work. I'd strive to stay objective, to be a willing participant and give an accurate report, but at the tail end of a packed few months I couldn't guarantee that my heart would be fully in it.
And yet, almost as soon as I arrived onsite, I realised that Field Manuevers might end up being my highlight of the summer. That's partly down to how easy it all is. With a capacity of around 700, the music runs across two tents and a dome, all within spitting distance of each other. There's a small number of quality food trucks, and two bars with a decent choice for whatever your poison may be. You could probably traverse the entire site in five minutes, which meant never losing your mates, or having to miss half a set because you needed a piss.
There was also no compromise on quality when it came to sound and visuals. The systems were clear and punchy, constantly tweaked for maximum power by the dedicated and attentive team. For the visuals, relatively simple set-ups were used to great effect, from the two mirrored LED screens in the main tent, AKA Potala Palace, to the backdrop of glowing orbs in Field Moves. That might not sound like a great amount on paper, but they really worked, making each space feel bigger than they were.
The real star of the show, though, was the lineup. Most of my Friday was spent in the Sputnik Dome for a Machine takeover featuring party founders Ben Sims and Kirk Degiorgio, plus a couple of guests. Pariah always seems to use festivals as an opportunity to let loose and show off his fun side, and this performance was exactly that. He delivered an onslaught of party tracks with little regard for genre, mixing between acid house, raw techno and funky afro numbers with aplomb. Sims followed with two hours of pummelling kick drums, before the night was brought to a close by Randomer and his unmistakable breakbeat-ridden style. Over in Potala, Honey Soundsystem were on another tip, taking energy levels right down with slow acid jams before ramping them up again for an ecstatic disco close.
The rain lashed down on Saturday, but since everything was covered it didn't really matter. Classic rave sounds dominated the dome. Mark Archer and Jerome Hill's back-to back was a real blast from the past, while festival resident Jane Fitz's '88-92 set was just as odd, unplaceable and completely fantastic as you'd expect. In Potala, Auntie Flo and a back-to-back from Ben UFO and Elgato had the place rocking, before Brackles closed with a rousing set of garage classics and liberal dashes of UK funky.
The party moved outside on Sunday for around six hours to take advantage of the break in rain. Dance Tunnel's Dan Beaumont played back-to-back with Hannah Holland, before the action retreated back inside for sets from Mike Servito, The Black Madonna and the Studio Barnhus crew. Considering tickets started at just £60, it's hard to imagine getting better value for money anywhere in the country right now.
2016, without a shadow of a doubt, has been one of the grimmest years in recent memory for the UK club scene. Dance Tunnel closing, the Studio 338 fire and fabric losing its license have made us all feel that our culture is under threat. In a broader sense, there's been a shift towards cookie-cutter festivals and clubs that have no shame in bleeding partygoers dry. The good guys seem to be being crushed by the reality of British licensing, while parties run by teams of venture capitalists go from strength-to-strength. This is why festivals like Field Manuevers feel important. The whole weekend you're overcome by just how much love the team puts into what for them is their dream party. I came away from it full of hope that no matter how much sand you pour on it, the plucky British rave spirit will never be extinguished.
Photo credit /
Jonny Pénzes Underhill
The rain lashed down on Saturday, but since everything was covered it didn't really matter. Classic rave sounds dominated the dome. Mark Archer and Jerome Hill's back-to back was a real blast from the past, while festival resident Jane Fitz's '88-92 set was just as odd, unplaceable and completely fantastic as you'd expect. In Potala, Auntie Flo and a back-to-back from Ben UFO and Elgato had the place rocking, before Brackles closed with a rousing set of garage classics and liberal dashes of UK funky. The party moved outside on Sunday for around six hours to take advantage of the break in rain. Dance Tunnel's Dan Beaumont played back-to-back with Hannah Holland, before the action retreated back inside for sets from Mike Servito, The Black Madonna and the Studio Barnhus crew. Considering tickets started at just £60, it's hard to imagine getting better value for money anywhere in the country right now.
2016, without a shadow of a doubt, has been one of the grimmest years in recent memory for the UK club scene. Dance Tunnel closing, the Studio 338 fire and fabric losing its license have made us all feel that our culture is under threat. In a broader sense, there's been a shift towards cookie-cutter festivals and clubs that have no shame in bleeding partygoers dry. The good guys seem to be being crushed by the reality of British licensing, while parties run by teams of venture capitalists go from strength-to-strength. This is why festivals like Field Manuevers feel important. The whole weekend you're overcome by just how much love the team puts into what for them is their dream party. I came away from it full of hope that no matter how much sand you pour on it, the plucky British rave spirit will never be extinguished. Photo credit / Jonny Pénzes Underhill