Festival preview of Eden festival 2014, Scotland
Nestled deep in the Scottish countryside lie the Raehill Meadows, a perfect picture of rural Scotland, and every year, the serenity of the location is drowned in the hippie clad chaos that is Eden festival. There is no doubting that Eden is a low key festival, and yet they still manage to attract a plethora of well-known artists to perform. 2013 saw the festival headed by some of the greats – both new and old, of the British arts scene including British chart toppers Sam and the Womp and well renowned staple of British television and radio Craig Charles. It would appear however, that 2013 was not the peak of the festival’s capabilities, and Eden festival 2014 has a great as much, if not more to offer its visitors In terms of music and culture. Headlining Eden festival 2014 are legendary long island hip hop trio De La Soul. Posdnuos, Dave and Maseo have been producing tracks together since the late 1980’s and have worked together with a diverse range of fellow artists, from American diva Queen Latifah to Damon Albarn’s cartoon quartet, Gorillaz.
As well as De La Soul, Mark ‘Bez’ Berry, member of Happy Mondays will be gracing the festival with his own outfit, Bez’s Acid House. Happy Mondays are without a doubt one of the biggest bands to come out of Manchester and Bez produces exactly what he sets out to do with his project, a wall of hard hitting 1980’s acid house guaranteed to keep you up and raving through to the early morning. Popular at Glastonbury festival in 2013, there is no doubt that Bez can put on a show. Just as it appeared that this little festival was hitting its peak as it punches well above its weight, Eden 2014 hits you once again with third headline act, R&B and Garage group Artful Dodger. With a string of top ten hits from 1999 to 2001, with two UK number twos, of which one, ‘re-rewind’ featuring Craig David is perhaps one of the most well-known songs of the British 90’s music scene, there is no doubt that the garage duo hold a wealth of experience in performing to sell-out crowds and are certainly an act not to miss.
However, Eden Festival is by no means just a festival for the music, and one of the headers of the festival returning for another year is 1990’s dance fitness icon Mr Motivator. The go-to man for fitness videos, and infamous for his bright spandex suits and high octane routines, Mr Motivator is great fun to witness at work, and even more fun to join in with, and is an excellent way to stay healthy and alert over the three days of the festival in entertaining and hilarious style.
But just when you thought this already bizarre conglomeration of performing artists couldn’t possibly get any more obscure, enter Howard Marks, famous for his work as an author, public speaker and one of the most notorious cannabis smugglers ever to come out of the United Kingdom. Howard Mark’s Mr Nice Stand Up and DJ Set is a total mystery, but you can bet it will involve Marks talking about his drug dealing escapades in a comical fashion, alongside some kind of DJ.
I promised myself that I would not play favourites to a particular act or artist when writing this, but the deeper my research into this summer’s festival went, the more I found myself unable to resist the alluring sounds of Duncan Disorderly and the Scallywags. A nine piece Gypsy Swing band from Brighton with a sound as magnificent as their name. Although one of the smaller acts at the festival, they are without doubt one to look out for, because their music is outstanding, their beat hypnotic and their popularity rising.
The festival is not all about the music however, and there is a vast range of activities, food and drink stalls a circus skills tent, workshop arena, kids tent and even a drive through cinema, complete with stationary vintage cars, boats and trucks for seats! What’s not to love!
It seems inevitable that Eden Festival 2014 will be just as incredible, if not more so than its predecessors. With an overabundance of talented musicians ranging from the popular to the downright weird, Eden Festival 2014 will have you up on your feet all day and nodding your head in silent approval of the beat all night. The festival manages to achieve that rarest of balances of being both a family friendly, child safe music festival and simultaneously a rip-roaring cluster of adult fun. Don’t be surprised by the vast demographic of people present, from the raving 16 year old to the 65 year old lifelong gypsy swing hippie and everyone else in-between, all having an incredible time together.
Eden festival runs from the 12th – 15th of June at Raehills Meadows, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. For more information and tickets, visit Edenfest’s website.
Alfie Thompson
