Music > Live Reviews

Houghton Festival 2018

16/08/18

Last year’s Houghton saw consistent sunshine throughout. This year started things with two-hour queues in torrential downpour. In spite of that, Craig Richards’ second edition of the festival was in no way less special than the first. Like any good sequel, 2018 picked up exactly where last year left off.

In general, the changes were subtle – rearrangements, improvements in sound quality and utilising the grounds to create more space, with the introduction of a 360° stage called The Clearing. Many agreed that the funds from the increased ticket-price were put to good use. There seemed to be a recognition that the festival was still young and the decision to keep it small also kept its sense of intimacy. On the campsite and at the stages, every individual we came across felt like a member of a wild and colourful cult of Houghton, each one a raver who was passionate about the music being played and discussed with a genuine appreciation. There was a playfulness reflected both by the audience and the artists. At no point whatsoever was there any pretension, just pure and absolute quality. The sets filled crowds with more than a few awed expressions.

Houghton is a festival that leaves space for spontaneous moments and experimentation. At the Derren Smart stage we heard Joy Orbison intertwine a few Bashment tracks into his set and we picked up traces of ABBA at the usually Techno-heavy Clearing. Even Trevino’s, which doubled as a merchandise shop in the daytime, was filled with dancers on their last legs throughout the final day, drawn in by a selection of African music from Ethiopia to Senegal designed by Truth & Lies to guide attendants through the continent. It had us swinging from proverbial rafters.

Though most of the big-name acts were deposited at the lakeside Pavilion, still it suffered from many of the same structural issues as last year. In sets as crammed as Hunnee’s or Ben UFO’s, it just wasn’t possible to have both enough room to dance in comfort and hear more of the music than just the bass. Though improvements at the Quarry – such as a urinal – were well-received, last year’s most overcrowded stage was markedly empty in comparison. Perhaps this is because of a lack of those “big names” that occupied Pavilion, but not because a lack of great music, with talents like Magda causing seriously exciting scenes with remixes from The Streets’ album Original Pirate Material.

When the 24-hour music licence became too overwhelming, The Orchard was where we turned to for rejuvenation. With its numerous yoga classes, cacao ceremonies and sound baths going on, it was a place to recharge that felt invaluable and by far a more intrinsic part of the experience than it had been in 2017. That, or the tours that run through Houghton Hall’s sculpture park (showcasing Rachel Whiteread, James Turrell, Richard Long and some of Damian Hirst’s more grotesque and oversized anatomical scultpures) are the ideal hour-long escape from all the hedonism. In the early mornings when The Orchard was closed and the art tours were yet to begin, the Giant Steps tent acted as a kind of ambience hutch where we could indulge in the sheer quality of their custom-made sound system, either sunk into the beanbags at the edges, or swaying the often surprising and diverse array of sounds – Cuban Salsa and digeridoo-infused Psytrance included.

The music was surprising at all times, but special mention must be given to Norfolk’s own Nathan Fake, who provided a truly seminal set on the Friday night. Craned over the decks like a modern-day Phantom of the Electro Opera, he strung out sounds of raw euphoria until they were taught and then dropped them in a way that was unpredictable yet absolutely perfect in pitch and time. Every detail down to the graphics that Fake designed himself were made to create a narrative through dimensions, one that had the crowd banging on the barriers for more – which was exactly what he gave, going on for a full thirty minutes further than had been planned.

This is the prefect representation of Houghton: freedom for spontaneity and the finest details coming together to create a collective experience. In this second round, Houghton’s identity felt all the more defined, more certain of itself, and knowing that there’s so much more to come from Craig Richards and his team, we eagerly anticipate the third.

Written with assistance from Benjamin Lubbock 

Photos: Here & Now