Search results matching tag 'AliRawlings'

A Festival Without Brands: The Secret Garden Party

2292853 — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:29:00 GMT

Last weekend’s Secret Garden Party had a few usual suspect guests absent from the festival. Brands were nowhere to be seen, and if they were there, they were virtually invisible to the human eye.

The brand-less festival let a few hundred artists emerge for attention, and allowed the mass of quirky creative ideas shine through. Instead of tribute banners to lager, you’d find Action Camps inviting guests to make their own superhero costume, listen to an experimental musician or watch a performance.

I peeked at one tent, a retail outlet for cigarettes, one of the more unpopular destinations, who was forbidden to showcase any branding, and was so minimal that you didn’t even realize that the venue was selling cigarettes at all. I thought 02 or Orange may have been secretly sponsoring the mobile charging stations, but it turns out that these were also independents, staffed by volunteers who were running the gadget-charging facilities on solar power.

Nope, no brands in sight.

Did I miss them? Hell no!

With Glastonbury becoming a parade of brands and many attendants getting irritated by the brands-in-your-face that some festivals has become, the UK’s summer festival lovers are seeking out new places to enjoy a goodtime without the brands. Want proof? Check the ticket sales that for the first year in a long time did not sell-out for Glastonbury immediately, and consider the number of artists that decided to tour The Secret Garden Party, Bestival, Latitude and The Big Chill – instead of Glastonbury. The Independent is calling some of the smaller festivals examples of “Poshstock”.

Granted, smaller size (Secret Garden Party had about 7K attendants to Glastonbury’s 200K +) means the organizers don’t need as much sponsorship as Glastonbury requires to manage the masses. The Secret Garden party does trump its horn about its brand-less status, and, as a guest artist performing at SGP, my own suggestion to get a sponsor for our bit of the festival – an all-female revue of The Wind in the Willows, was not accepted, with good reason. Still, the festival has to be funded somehow, and here is a breakdown of how they split profits from ticket and drink sales:

Music and Performance: 19%

Sound, Stages and Lights: 10%

Decoration and Sculpture: 6%

Event Staff: 17%

Facilities: 23%

Mangement Team: 10%

Event Running Fees: 11%

Marketing: 4%

What’s the secret to success? Seems this formula is working for Secret Garden Party, and the other secret to success is having private land to party on semi-legally. The secret location is at Abbots Ripton Hall, near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, and the property belongs to wealthy land holders of the ancestral family of 4th Baron de Ramsey, specifically John Ailwyn Fellowes, who's son Freddie Fellowes, is one of the Head Gardeners who makes the festival possible.

Here’s ten quick peeks at what I did enjoy at the beautifully brand-less Secret Garden Party:

oOOo Dancing in the sunset on top of the lake at the Pagoda venue to the tunes of up-and-coming DJ Marshall Hackett, who was dressed up like a cuddly cat. Top favourite were his re-mixes of 70s classics like Funky Town. Listen to Marshall’s set here.

oOOo Skanking to the brassy funky soulful beats of The Fontanas , and having a fireside chat with lead singer Gavin Skeggs and finding out that he is also in a band called The Tarantinos, inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s films.

oOOo Getting a huge kick out of the performance antics and musical skills of The Ratfinks who delivered big sound and big fun.

oOOo Watching the pyro-technical extravaganza of the Pirate Ship getting blown-up, a very Burning Man-esque moment.

oOOo Checking out the legendary Grace Jones.

oOOo Hanging out in the tree house of the Where The Wild Things Are venue.

oOOo Making a cape at the Superhero Action Camp, making a carnival hat at another Action Camp and listening to Green political talks at the Green Action Camp.

oOOo Not spending endless amounts of time waiting in queues for food, drink and loos.

oOOo Bumping into many friends, something that is less likely to happen at Glastonbury, where everyone gets lost in the crowd.

oOOo Unwinding in the Lost Horizons sauna.

And…performing in my company Hai Media Group’s all-female revue of The Wind in the Willows – we were a hit! The cast and crew presented adventures of the lovable Toad, Ratty, Mole, Badger and supporting Weasels and Rabbits, festival style, including inviting the audience to feast on a banquet at our make believe Toad Hall. Here’s some quick peeks from our show:

*Photos courtesy of photographer Jim Hanner

Lucy Lowe as Ratty

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The Wind in the Willows Rabbits

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The Wind in the Willows Cast and Crew

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Still grooving on the Secret Garden Party,

-Lisa

All-Female Revue of The Wind in the Willows

2292853 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:54:00 GMT

Would, Kenneth Grahame, the author of The Wind in the Willows be delighted or disgusted to know that his fairy tale classic for children has had a makeover? His four main anthropomorphised animal characters Toad, Badger, Ratty and Mole will be played by a cast of entertaining women who are hell bent on making their own version of the tale rock.

The Wind in the Willows DVD

My company the Hai Media Group has produced and cast a new cabaret show that takes inspiration from the lazy days of life along the river in the very English countryside adventure story. I’m playing Toad of Toad Hall and will present this magical story, that evokes the best of pastoral English settings for summer, to quote the book:

"Believe me, my young friend, there is NOTHING--absolutely nothing--half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." –The Wind in the Willows

oOOo Who’s Who in the Cast?

Toad played by me, Lisa Devaney

GreenGuide-AGE

Toad of Toad Hall
Badger played by Mary Epworth, lead singer with her Jubliee Band, on the Hand of Glory record label
Mole played by Cheyne Pride, a country rock singer
Ratty played by Lucy Lowe
Weasel, played by Ali Rawlings, aka Punk Rock Dolly

We are merrily on our way to The Secret Garden Party, bringing a cast of colourful, loveable, characters who will treat guests to a scrumptious feast of sight and sound at none other than that magical childhood place Toad Hall. Greeting weary travellers who come from far and wide across this great green land of Britain, and beyond, will be our joyful celebration, of dancing, and a spectacular banquet table, in a place to revel.

We’ll debut our all-female revue of The Wind in the Willows at The Secret Garden Party, arts and music festival this week, where Grace Jones is the headline act. Our show is among a talented line-up of music acts that will be part of the ‘Come and Play’ area of the festival – a collection of tents that invite guests to play with arcade games, or interact with the performances happening around them.

Grace Jones:

I've seen that face before...

"The Mole was bewitched, entranced, fascinated. By the side of the river he trotted as one trots, when very small, by the side of a man who holds one spell-bound by exciting stories; and when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea." –The Wind in the Willows

Banquet Feast at Toad Hall

Spread before our guest's eyes will be a dining table, gigantic banquet table, as only would suit Toad of Toad Hall to entertain, along with his friends, all evoking the magical memories of childhood favourite tale The Wind in the Willows. White table cloth, OTT décor and upon this marvellous display, unexpected delights – of poetry reading, dancing and comedy skits, played out spontaneously, between sets of live music.

If you are planning to attend The Secret Garden Party, please plan to see our performance – scheduled for 8 PM, this Thursday, July 24^th, at the ‘Come and Play’ area. We’ll plan to keep in character and costume for the night, so stop by after setting up your campsite and dive deep into this festival’s creative spirit, and come play with us.

"Animals arrived, liked the look of the place, took up their quarters, settled down, spread, and flourished. They didn't bother themselves about the past--they never do; they're too busy." –The Wind in the Willows

Here’s the night’s line-up:

19:00 hrs - 19:30 hrs           Simon Harris aka DJ Bomber
19:30 hrs - 20:25 hrs           The Ratfinks
20:30 hrs - 20:50 hrs           The Wind in the Willows by Hai Media Group
20:50 hrs - 21:45 hrs           Kid Id
22:00 hrs - 23:00 hrs          The Fontanas
23:00 hrs - 00:00 hrs           DJ Bomber/ I Heart What?
00:00 hrs - 01:00 hrs           Chin Supressor
01:00 hrs - 02:00 hrs           Symmetrik

‘Come and Play’ is an exciting new festival venue, which has been put together by the team responsible for bringing Eco-Arcadia to events throughout the UK for the last 5 years. Join in the welcoming feast of the festival, or just sit back, relax and unwind after your travels, to watch the silly, festive antics unfold, enjoy the music, and dine! Dine! Dine! Upon festival delights.

'Come & Play' Area

The only question is – are you a Rabbit or a Weasel? Pick one or the other, and join us! Whiskers and bunny ears will be supplied, or bring your own to be a participant in our version of The Wind in the Willows.

"It's never the wrong time to call on Toad. Early or late he's always the same fellow. Always good-tempered, always glad to see you, always sorry when you go!" -The Wind in the Willows

Many thanks to Kate Risker, aka the fabulous Miss Risk, who invited Hai Media Group to present this performance at The Secret Garden Party.

A proud & stupid Toad am I,

-Lisa