Another year has passed and festival season is reaching its end, Country Attire were fortunate to get our fill having visited the up and coming Standon Calling Festival, which we have reviewed for your benefit for next year’s agenda.
If you’re expecting Glastonbury-like fields then think again, Standon Calling is much smaller, which creates a nice intimate setting more personal than some of its larger counter offer sites. The site promotes eco-friendly living during your visit, only hiring food and shopping stalls which fit in with its criteria yet still ensuring variety.
On our visit the headliners promised were Suede, Jess Glynne and Kelis, who were given prime one hour slots on the main stage each night. Three nights of music ensured plenty of genres were covered including selections to be enjoyed of indie, dance, reggae and pop.
On our first night we arrived a little later so missed the daytime acts, however we still managed to check out Suede, the Hospitality DJ’s in the Cow Shed, Theo Parrish and wandered between the rest of the nights entertainment offerings. The vibe for Saturday was much more Drum and Bass influenced by night, mixing heavy beats with impressive lighting sets. If that wasn’t your cup of tea, the smaller bars in the surrounding area covered chart hits from the 1990’s onwards to appease an alternate crowd.
Eager to continue the fun on Sunday, we arrived earlier than the previous day to see what was happening. The sun was shining making it all the easier to wander around and browse the tents and stands. Naturally we headed to the Groove Garden to soak up the sun and enjoy the music by the swimming pool. We stayed and enjoyed the changing DJ’s on offer before heading back to the main area for more entertainment.
Throughout the day we caught London Elekricity, Joey Negro, Savage Disco DJ’s and Jess Glynne at the end. Again the surrounding bars were buzzing with energy and the crowds were kept busy with everything on offer. The Saturday was the main day for fancy dress, which this year was Under the Sea themed, meaning walking past a mermaid or pirate was a regular occurrence. The fancy dress built up to a parade, of which the best costume was judged on the Clock Tower stage. There was also a dog competition to happen on the Sunday which we unfortunately missed, but did catch some of the participating dogs enjoying the festival throughout the weekend.
The food stalls were primarily featured in one area, allowing choice to be made with minimal walking required. During our visit we sampled Pizza, Traditional Seasoned Chips and Mac ‘n’ Cheese, which all came with the expected steeper festival price tags but were nonetheless satisfying. Drinks additionally adhered to a set price, with all bars offering the same deals, a standard single set you back around £5 or £7 odd for a double, soft drinks started around £2.
Standon Calling is certainly recommended for those looking to escape the packed crowds and oversubscribed bigger festivals and offers a great location being situated about an hour outside of London.
Visit Standon Calling online to find out about this year’s event and stay tuned for next year.