REVIEW: WE ARE FSTVL

Funky beats, colourful outfits and good weather set the tone at this year’s We Are FSTVL. With some of the biggest names in electronic dance music, the festival, which took place in Upminster, Essex from 26^th-28^th of May, was one that will be remembered by many as an experience which set the bar high for this years’ festival season.

Music lovers headed from all over the country in their thousands to hear the sounds of techno, house, EDM, dubstep and drum and bass, some opting to start the weekend early by camping in the old WW1 airfield. Not one to disappoint the festival provided campers with extra entertainment, sets from a variety of acts and a silent disco to get the party started.

Blessed by the good weather, the Saturday welcomed day and weekend ticket holders, who were unfortunate enough to stand in the long que which kept them waiting in anticipation to find out what was beyond. The wait was worth it. Bright and enchanting, the festival oozed a quirky and unique identity which had nine custom built structures to create a series of parallel worlds. A variety of acts filled the day, but the ones who got VIVA’s attention were Loco Dice, Carl Cox, Tchami, MK, Marco Carola, Seth Troxler VS The Martinez Brothers and Todd Terry. The sets from these acts were incredible and the crowd were clearly buzzing off the atmosphere that filled the arenas.

Terminal 1: Photo Credit- Andrew Whitton

As day one drew to a close and the crowd begrudgingly went back to their campsites and hotels (some worse off than others), the festival staff went into full work mode to prepare the arenas for another full day of carnage.

The tired and puffy eyes which showed the lack of sleep had by many festival goers didn’t stop anyone from enjoying the intense music which was on offer on Sunday. With the tents switching hosts from the first day to make room for other acts VIVA headed straight to Cocoon to catch Manchester boys’ Solardo, as they made their musical magic up on the decks. Embracing the music and vibes which came from the crowd, other acts which stood out were Sonny Fodera, Kolsch, Solomun, Hot Since 82, Duke Dumont and Maya Jane Coles. Although ending the night with a sensational few hours of djing talent was Steve Lawler who went B2B with Skream and Richy Ahmed before Jamie Jones stepped in to put the cherry on top of the weekend with a sensational set in his Paradise tent.

Overall this festival is one not to be missed, with a range of good music, atmosphere and people who are all genuine lovers of everything it is about. With this being the fifth year the festival has been running, it will be sure to get better and better every year by attracting even more of the very best acts from all over the globe. Until next year We Are!

If you are already missing the festival and can’t wait to get back, head over to http://www.wearefstvl.com and register for next year.