12th-14th September 2008, Warren Farm, Wiltshire.

This was my first Waveform and I was very, very excited as I had heard good things about it from friends who went the year before. We drove there to arrive just as it opened. I love the excitement of getting to a festival, safe in the knowledge you have three days of music, partying, getting a little bit sideways and of course trying your best to find time to sleep so you’re not a walking zombie.

Words & pics: Will Poole
Film: Gungho MediaAs we pulled in it was clear it had rained, the floor was muddy and we were stuck in a queue. Then the heavens opened up again. This was possibly the most rain I had seen since Glade the year before – well, maybe not that bad, but it was still very wet! All manner of cars and vehicles had to be towed onto site and into the car park. I have to say those tractor drivers are stars, they didn’t stop towing everyone between the entrance and the car park during the whole festival. We unpacked the car and set off to pitch the tent, one of my least favorite bits. For all those wankers with flip-out tents, I hate you, but since I saw one blow away last year I feel slightly better about the whole affair.

Now for the fun bit. Once you’ve set up base it’s time to explore the surroundings. The joys of meeting the neighbours – ah, I see you’ve already treated yourself to goodies and are impossible to communicate with. Enjoy, I’ll be back for round two. Then it’s finding the nearest tap and the local portaloo, as you haven’t been since you left home. And of course the walk to the centre of the activity, free to stretch your legs and without having any encumbering luggage to carry, to see what the festival has to offer.

The festival was built with the camping area on a slope and at the bottom were the party tents and the main stage, with the stalls along the top of the ridge. The opposite slope was huge, and when I say huge I mean huge! A little walk around the stalls and it appears the hippies had clearly come out to play – all manner of interesting objects and spiritual artwork and jewelry were on display. It’s certainly more interesting and beautiful than the rubbish you get flooded with at other, more mainstream, festivals. I have to mention how small this event is – it is tiny with only a few thousand people in attendance, but already it had more to see than most. Unfortunately a lot of the activities looked like they had been cancelled due to the rain. The floor was soaked so wellies were a must. Such a shame, but with British weather being as shit as it is, this is to be expected.

Time to check out the dance tents. They were tiny, with probably a capacity of only a few hundred heads each. But they’d got some cool names down such as Tribe of Frog, who were running the psytrance tent. These guys usually run a wicked club night from Bristol, infamous as one of the best clubs there, and it looked like they had spent a lot of time in preparing the tent as it had tons of décor all over the place, huge crafted butterflies hanging from the sealing and lots of funky lights. The next tent was my favourite – Arch-Angel with their amazing psybreaks tent. More on that later. And at the end was Project Storm, not really my cup of tea as it was mostly hardcore or something along those lines from what I made out. I’m probably wrong, but I thought it really was a bit pants inside. Back outside again and the main stage looked unusable as it was outdoors and the floor was as muddy as hell. So with a disheartened sigh I made my way back to camp.


I feel one thing everyone who goes to festivals understands is the importance of easy food, because otherwise you can never be bothered to make it. Heat-in-a-bag is the way forward – you rip, put the bag in boiling water and then eat out of bag. It’s quick, easy and most importantly there’s no washing up. The worst bit about camping is that mission to the tap to wash up. And it’s always washing up dried-on food because you can never be arsed to wash up straight after you eat, can you?

So night fell and me and my troop of festive friends descended upon the tents. What Waveform lacks in size and in activities to do during the day, it certainly makes up for at night. The music was rocking and I could hardly contain myself. The Tribe Of Frog tent was excellent – you could lose hours in there without knowing it, and when you entered the Arch-Angel tent you were blinded by the nine lasers that sliced across you at lightning speed. Those things were epic, better than drugs. God knows what the people who were on drugs must have been seeing. The music was equally as exciting and extremely loud, coming through some big, big speakers. The rest of the night became a bit of a blur. My friends tell me I enjoyed it. The first thing I remember is waking up half dressed in my tent.

The following two days were pretty much a cycle of waking up, eating, chilling out, exploring the shops, using the portaloos and going out at night and partying. Waveform felt very much like that. It may not have been the intention, but it certainly had an emphasis on music and nighttime tomfoolery as opposed to having lots to do during the day. But with a crowd like the one Waveform gets you don’t mind too much as they brought all their toys with them – all manner of spinning toys, hoops and staffs were being used. I even saw the odd Frisbee at points. The sun eventually did come out during what must have been the Saturday, and the floor hardened. This allowed us the ability to take full advantage of the main stage.

Waveform really do attract some amazing acts, and dancing to Eat Static has to be one of the many highlights. Another was being chased off the steep hill by the security guards and trying not to roll down it into a metal fence. But one of the best parts has to be the Prayer For Peace. Allow me to explain.

The Waveform festival is part of the Earthdance movement where lots of festivals across the world all come together at midnight on Saturday night and take a moment to simultaneously pray, wish, and think about the idea of peace. The idea is very simple, probably a bit too simple and I have my doubts that there’s any way for practical change to come from it. But the motives are positive so I’m not one to judge, and I’m sure festival goers will come away from it feeling motivated to help and change the world for the better, which in itself is a powerful thing. The Prayer For Peace is a song and it really is quite amazing seeing everyone around you all on the same page. Waveform isn’t only involved in spreading the message for peace but is also the greenest festival about, credentials proved with their Greenest Festival award.

The Waveform Festival incorporates fun and a positive message about getting along with each other. Leaving on the last day was hard, but then leaving that festival bubble is always hard. After three days you have began to feel at home, but your body seems broken and it’s longing for a soft mattress. Waveform 2009
11th-13th of September
Website: http://www.waveformfestival.com/ The car ride home is never as much fun as the one there.

After taking a few days to recover I can only conclude that Waveform is an excellent festival, it’s got a lot more to give and I would really like to be there when its not muddy. Everyone is lovely and the whole mood and entertainment is a cut above the rest, especially the more corporate festivals. It’s a hippie gathering but oh my – do they know how to party!

Click below for all Waveform 2008 images.