FESTIVAL OVERVIEW
Festivals usually materialize in a field in the middle of nowhere with more ups and downs than Zebedee on a bouncy castle that within the first hour come to look more like a famine food drop from far too high over Somalia. But the lush, verdant, and sporadically hay-covered – yes, really – Victoria Park somehow manages to avoid falling foul of the holes-in-the-hand brigade for the whole weekend. Maybe it’s because there’s no camping and the crowd is composed of those who are prepared to dish out on a hotel rather than live like Ray Mears or Bear Grylls for a few days to get a glimpse at their idols, who knows.
A gentle perambulation around the site discovers plenty on offer: CDs, vinyl, patches, badges, t-shirts, hats – from cowboy to colourfully spiked military helmets, neon hair extensions, Jethro Tull teapots (yes, really), burgers – beef and ostrich, toasties – cheese and Marmite (there’s no accounting for taste), fish ‘n chips, pork sarnies, noodles, vegan, a Pimms bus with canopies (for the ladies?), a Guinness bar, and yes oh yes, a beer tent stocked to the gills with liquids as pleasingly poisonous as they are pleasingly pungent! Oh, and there’s a folk stage in there too. The three main stages are spread apart but not so far as to be too much of a trek, but a quick perusal of the line-up and stage times reveals a few crossovers and clashes, the latter being largely down to personal taste. With plan in hand and the initial merch, food, and beer “inspection” over and a couple of, ahem, “medicinal” swills in hand, it’s on we venture into the very reason for this weekend’s shenanigans: the music...
A gentle perambulation around the site discovers plenty on offer: CDs, vinyl, patches, badges, t-shirts, hats – from cowboy to colourfully spiked military helmets, neon hair extensions, Jethro Tull teapots (yes, really), burgers – beef and ostrich, toasties – cheese and Marmite (there’s no accounting for taste), fish ‘n chips, pork sarnies, noodles, vegan, a Pimms bus with canopies (for the ladies?), a Guinness bar, and yes oh yes, a beer tent stocked to the gills with liquids as pleasingly poisonous as they are pleasingly pungent! Oh, and there’s a folk stage in there too. The three main stages are spread apart but not so far as to be too much of a trek, but a quick perusal of the line-up and stage times reveals a few crossovers and clashes, the latter being largely down to personal taste. With plan in hand and the initial merch, food, and beer “inspection” over and a couple of, ahem, “medicinal” swills in hand, it’s on we venture into the very reason for this weekend’s shenanigans: the music...
HIGH VOLTAGE FESTIVAL 2011
FESTIVAL OVERVIEW BELOW
DATE:
VENUE:
Saturday 23rd July - Sunday 24th July 2011
Victoria Park in London, UK
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DREAM THEATER; JETHRO TULL; THUNDER; GRAVEYARD; MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP; THE ENID; HEAVEN'S BASEMENT; LOVE FUNGUS
JUDAS PRIEST; GRAND MAGUS; SLASH; SYLOSIS; THIN LIZZY; ANATHEMA; RAVENS CREED; SKIN; MICHAEL MONROE
High Voltage crowd at Victoria Park, 23rd July 2011
Photograph copyright © 2011 Hans Rock
Reviews by Jason Guest; Photography by Hans Rock
FESTIVAL OVERVIEW ABOVE
Reviews by Jason Guest; Photography by Hans Rock
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to Duff Press for arranging and granting accreditation for Metal Discovery.