Everyone is feeling the after-effects of last night's mead, so we slowly try to brew some tea and coffee on the stove that Jan has managed to dig out from the truck. We stow the (ample) remains of the mead as no one thinks they can stomach any more tonight! Normally the gates to the festival open at 10am, but the rumour is passing round the site that this year it is 12 noon. We check the tickets and it does indeed say noon, so we head off for a walk down the track to a swimming hole that Al knows. It's a lovely little place as you skirt the edge of the rocks and find a place to put your towel. We don't go in, but it seems refreshing and tomorrow they plan to bring down the many blow-up sea toys that they have bought!
With the camp packed up, the truck and jeep join the queue of cars waiting to be let into the parking field. It's 10.30am and after an hour they start to let cars in. We park up in a flat spot (which we later realise is the furthest away from the campsite as possible!) and start to unload some of the gear into the trolley. A few people go on ahead to get in the queue.
What follows is just a queuing frenzy as we're told that the gates will be opened 15 minutes late, which eventually turns into nearly 2 hours late. First we queue in one place, and then in another in what seems like the wost organised start to a festival. Apparently there is a new security company in charge but no one can understand how a simple thing like opening the doors could be got so "wrong" when there were no problems with it previously. It's hot and sun tan lotion and water are all deep in the bags, so it's not a pleasant few hours but eventually, with a huge cheer from the crowd, we're let in.
The site is weenie and we're soon past the stalls and main stage, and into the camping area. It's actually a clever set up as the main camping area although it is on top of a hill and hence hard to get up, actually gives campers a superb view of the main stage which is in a natural amphitheatre below. Setting up camp involves trying to predict how many tents there will be and leaving enough space for them as well as space to set up the stove in the central area. Scott and I pitch our tent and then Al's while he brings up another load of gear on the trolley - a worthwhile drag on the roof of the jeep. Once camp is set beers are had and Al's friends set to work on the flagpole. They've constructed a flag pole that is a good 30 feet tall and it comes in four sections with guy ropes to steady it - a professional job. The main flag is a big white flag with a red "V" in the centre which stands for Valley the area that Canning is in. We've bought an offering of our own, the Egyptian flag. Once it is set up the festival can officially start!
We chose not to write up what we did at Evolve, since the best way to follow our adventures is through listening to the radio show we recorded at the festival. You can also listen to the podcast of the show right here on the blog using the player below:
A few side stories from Evolve that weren't included in the radio show:
We've been carrying with us for the last month an Egyptian Flag ready for the Valley Flag Pole, but this isn't our only item to honor the country we currently call home; we also have with us an Egyptian Football shirt. I decide to wear it as much as possible at Evolve for two reasons; one because I think it's a cool talking point and that's a good thing at festivals, two because I think it will help with the identity of Rock The Casbah and may help get interviews etc. Well it definitely comes up trumps!
On the second day we're just about to talk to Scotty from Scotty and the Stars and a guy comes up to me and asks why I'm wearing an Egyptian Football shirt. It's kinda not great timing as we're trying to explain who we are to Scotty, so we can get an interview, but we try and kill two birds with one stone and explain that we live there. This is Sherif and he's Egyptian but studying at university in Canada right now. He's dead excited about the shirt and seeing a touch of home. He's also seen the flag and says he's here with a friend who is also Egyptian and saw the flag. We say goodbye and do the interview with Scotty, but are hoping we'll catch up with him again (it's a small festival, so this isn't an impossibility).
We do spot Sherif in the crowd of the main stage that afternoon and so this time we approach him. He introduces us to his friend and chat a bit about Egypt; they're from Alexandria and are in their final year here, but want to do further studies. They've heard of our school and we laugh about life in Cairo. It turns out that when they first saw the Egyptian flag flying in "tent city" they went over to see what the deal was. Apparently they were told "Oh, it's some English cousins" which probably didn't help explain the situation!
We see they guys around a bit over the next day or so at the festivalSherif what songs get him through life away from Egypt. It would have been interesting and cool, but we'll never know.
On the second day we're just about to talk to Scotty from Scotty and the Stars and a guy comes up to me and asks why I'm wearing an Egyptian Football shirt. It's kinda not great timing as we're trying to explain who we are to Scotty, so we can get an interview, but we try and kill two birds with one stone and explain that we live there. This is Sherif and he's Egyptian but studying at university in Canada right now. He's dead excited about the shirt and seeing a touch of home. He's also seen the flag and says he's here with a friend who is also Egyptian and saw the flag. We say goodbye and do the interview with Scotty, but are hoping we'll catch up with him again (it's a small festival, so this isn't an impossibility).
We do spot Sherif in the crowd of the main stage that afternoon and so this time we approach him. He introduces us to his friend and chat a bit about Egypt; they're from Alexandria and are in their final year here, but want to do further studies. They've heard of our school and we laugh about life in Cairo. It turns out that when they first saw the Egyptian flag flying in "tent city" they went over to see what the deal was. Apparently they were told "Oh, it's some English cousins" which probably didn't help explain the situation!
We see they guys around a bit over the next day or so at the festivalSherif what songs get him through life away from Egypt. It would have been interesting and cool, but we'll never know.
Scotty and I may not have come prepared in terms of wet weather gear or camping equipment for Canada's best festival, but we have come prepared for a good nights sleep. Our education has been week-long camping at Sziget festival and we've learnt that you need your rest if you want to party hard and last the festival (and if you're old like us!). So we've got our ear plugs and eye masks at the ready baby! We realise that maybe this isn't common festival knowledge when we get up in the mid-morning to find everyone else awake already and having had breakfast and a brew; forced to get up with sunlight streaming into the tent and stages starting to sound check. Our guilt only grows when the moment we step out of the tent a Breakfast Bap is thrust into one hand and cup of coffee into the other; Jan and Al are amazing hosts!
UK Hip-Hop Beatbox / DJ / Soundman Beardyman was the main headliner at Evolve playing a set on the mainstage on the Saturday night followed by an evening set on the Dance stage. We were all really looking forward to this and his headlining set did not disappoint. It was an amazing set-up. Beardyman had foot pedals and then various electronic gadgets on a large table along with a laptop. He'd then make beats into the microphone, or sing and loop these, distort them, speed up, slow down and generally mixed the whole set from his own vocals live. Absolutely amazing to watch it constructed and develop from one sound into another. We were all seriously loving it!
After his set Scotty and I grabbed a seat beside one of the food stalls while we decided where to wander to next and a pristine car pulled up in front of us. Out steps a guy who then wanders towards the back stage area and is met by a guy in a hoodie with a days stubble; Beardyman! We ear-wig and it seems this guy is Jonas who is the festival organiser. He is greeting and showing round the festival's biggest guest and trying to impress him and his girlfriend. Scotty and I decide to follow when the group walks toward the Dance Stage and we do take the chance to approach Beardyman. We're not quite confident enough to ask straight out for an interview, but go for fan-based-small-talk. I know he's from London, so comment on how nice it is to have a London accent round here, then get chatting with his girlfriend about living in North London and our favourite bus routes from Archway (W5 or N19 are top ranked) where they live. It seems they've been on tour for a while and have more dates to come heading towards the Far East. We gauge the mood as not overly excited to promote the tour on radio right now, so don't mention the show or Egypt. I do manage to name-drop Sensei FM though.
On Sunday it's our last day to get interviews and be around the site, so we're glad to track down Oka as they leave backstage and the interview you hear on the show is being conducted on the main Evolve stalls thoroughfare. After the interview we are getting ourselves sorted and are approached by a bloke with a VIP tag on. He asks where we are from and is dead excited about there being a radio show here. He says that he knows Beardyman is on tour at the moment and is keen to promote this, so he will set up an interview for us. Wow! So now Beardyman is coming to us!! This bloke goes off and speaks to Beardyman and his people. Beardyman then comes up for a chat and thankfully doesn't recognise us from our ramblings last night. We talk about the show and the tour, but he doesn't seem as keen as the promo guy for an interview, so we don't push it. Afterwards we decide that the promo guy is just trying to show he's doing a good job and has contacts.
After his set Scotty and I grabbed a seat beside one of the food stalls while we decided where to wander to next and a pristine car pulled up in front of us. Out steps a guy who then wanders towards the back stage area and is met by a guy in a hoodie with a days stubble; Beardyman! We ear-wig and it seems this guy is Jonas who is the festival organiser. He is greeting and showing round the festival's biggest guest and trying to impress him and his girlfriend. Scotty and I decide to follow when the group walks toward the Dance Stage and we do take the chance to approach Beardyman. We're not quite confident enough to ask straight out for an interview, but go for fan-based-small-talk. I know he's from London, so comment on how nice it is to have a London accent round here, then get chatting with his girlfriend about living in North London and our favourite bus routes from Archway (W5 or N19 are top ranked) where they live. It seems they've been on tour for a while and have more dates to come heading towards the Far East. We gauge the mood as not overly excited to promote the tour on radio right now, so don't mention the show or Egypt. I do manage to name-drop Sensei FM though.
On Sunday it's our last day to get interviews and be around the site, so we're glad to track down Oka as they leave backstage and the interview you hear on the show is being conducted on the main Evolve stalls thoroughfare. After the interview we are getting ourselves sorted and are approached by a bloke with a VIP tag on. He asks where we are from and is dead excited about there being a radio show here. He says that he knows Beardyman is on tour at the moment and is keen to promote this, so he will set up an interview for us. Wow! So now Beardyman is coming to us!! This bloke goes off and speaks to Beardyman and his people. Beardyman then comes up for a chat and thankfully doesn't recognise us from our ramblings last night. We talk about the show and the tour, but he doesn't seem as keen as the promo guy for an interview, so we don't push it. Afterwards we decide that the promo guy is just trying to show he's doing a good job and has contacts.
After this second encounter with stardom we bump into Al who is taking photos around the site on this day of drizzle. He "paps" Beardyman and his girlfriend who have wandered from talking to us over to the burger bar and are getting an order in. A few minutes later in the same spot Al paps Fred Penner doing the same. Burger Joint to the Stars!
Everyone in our camp is flagging and so it's decided to pack up camp today, Sunday. But our plans do continue to revolve around Beardyman's second set. With the camp packed up into the jeep and truck we keep watching bands in the Yurt and trying to avoid getting too wet in the drizzle that is persisting today. Beardyman's set on the Dance Stage is totally different to that the previous night. I guess the festival are getting their money's worth as they get something new, but I preferred the main stage set. This is far more dance and beats, than lyrical, which I guess is what people want on a Dance Stage.
We're glad we've caught it and head home. Stopping first though, as tradition requires, at Snow Queen. It's a "leisure park" but in the dark and rain we can't really see the go karts or mini golf and our eyes focus in on the bright lights of the burger joint. We're the only people eating in, but we both love it - a chance to get some real Antigonish life.
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