Music and Performance: What a party! Secret Garden glows again
Published: 28 July, 2010
by DAN CARRIER
HOW hard is it to look good in a mankini? Surely it is impossible: but if there is a festival where someone is going to have a good old go at it, then it is the annual Huntingdon-based knees-up, the Secret Garden Party.
Like a giant dressing-up box gone wrong, the tribe of men wandering around in the swimwear made famous by Borat were joined by legions of fairy-winged party people, tutu-donning blokes and the occasional afro wig with a top hat.
Regulars at the festival know that SGP is not just about the music – it’s about hanging out and watching the craziness unfold: and that is exactly what this year was all about. Despite dark clouds, the weather was perfect – no rain to speak of and some scorching moments.
And the site works: ravers gathered around the lake, which provides a watery centrepiece, for the usual eclectic experience of music accompanied by spectacular art installations, which this year saw paper penguins, lightboxes and beautifully adorned swings dotted around the site.
On Friday night Marina and the Diamonds dazzled the crowd at The Great Stage, where on Saturday a super set from the kings and queens of electro swing, The Caravan Palace, suitably warmed up the crowd for headliners, the “holo-terrific”, Gorrilaz Sound System. The Gorrilaz climaxed with the traditional, ritual burning of the boat on the lake, to a backdrop of fireworks and paper lanterns lighting the sky.
Reams of revellers then headed to Centre Camp for some MC action at Freefall Collective’s midnight set. More highlights of Saturday night included rhythm and blues at the new soul stage run by Camden’s Blues Kitchen, ska rapscallions Los Altertos, and non-stop ear-piercing anthems from the Karaoke Camp. While next door at Madame Geisha, party people crammed in for an old-school rave rocked by Schtumm! and Halo DJ, which had Jade Jagger taking to the DJ booth to show her appreciation (not exactly something to write home about, but shows the calibre of trendy people who want to be “seen”at this party).
Those looking for more wholesome fun kicked their day off with yoga at the Sanctuary or headed for the MHS (Magical Health Service) to delve into quack medical therapies and those that others swear by: there were practioners of the art of Nepalese meditation and informal counselling sessions in the “Conversation Corner”.
But with the SGP generation reproducing at a scary rate – this is a 30-something party – host Freddie Fellowes and his team laid on plenty for the nippers in tow.
Babyoke and Red Mutha’s Kids Rave were a roaring success, as was a tail-fitting service for fun for all the family. More features for the supposed grown-ups included The Fabulous Flirt Factory, Kissing Den, and The Laa of Soft where people who had partied too hard could chill out at the end of a long but lavish weekend. I can’t wait for next year – the SGP has done it again, and in it’s usual, brilliant, trail-blazing style.