Somehow I managed to stay awake long enough to make it to Ella Guru‘s Greenbelt set last night, and enjoyed it rather a lot despite the nagging feeling that after 38 hours of wakefulness, not yet feeling tired might not be a good thing. The audience was surprisingly engaged for the time of night and their laid back vibe was perfect for the time of night. I suspect I’ve already seen more complete sets than I’ve seen during the entirety of some past festivals and it’s great to see the site thriving as we head back towards an attendance of 20,000.
The site layout has changed significantly since two years ago when I was last here (and, I’m told, since last year) and the new way of using our space seems pretty effective. The catering outlets (and organic beer tent) in an area that was formerly all campsite are a welcome addition, but it does lead to significantly more walking. With these increased numbers, the extra space for festival activities was clearly needed, and I’m very glad to have a campsite comparatively close to the centre of the action.
Tags: greenbelt2005 | festival | Ella Guru