Brief We Are FSTVL (Sunday) Review - Part 2
My friends wanted to go to Paradise at the Terminal 1 main stage. I wasn't that fussed to be completely honest but headed over there with them in any case. Lawler had just jumped on and started on this peach from his own label:
It looked like he was playing B2B with somebody else - but I didn't recognise who. Younger, taller DJ with short fair hair. In previous years We Are haven't published set-times but have had them listed outside each arena (unless you wanted to recklessly part with silly money for a laminated lanyard!) This year they didn't even do that!
I didn't stay long in Paradise. It was busy and crowd was fairly ghastly. Next I spent some time over in the DT arena catching up with those guys before heading back to Cocoon for the finale.
As some of you will know from my Time Warp review, I didn't really get a fair crack of the whip with Sven on that occasion. And, actually, that is a fairly reoccurring theme. It seems I am the only Sven fan amongst my close-knit group. Although I've caught part of his sets at Cocoon closing, Winter Social & Time Warp, the last time I've seen him play a full set was SW4 2015. My friends had bailed by this point to attend a private function at Ministry, so I was riding solo and I was gonna use the opportunity to do want
I wanted to do!
First hour of Sven was okay. Some good track selection, but it didn't blow me away. My earlier beer hadn't even touched the sides and I'd been drinking water for the past few hours. I was yearning for some kind of substance to help loosen me up and elope with the music! But weary that I had to drive home in a few hours I stayed sensible. 22:00 hit, and almost on the hour to the dot Sven moved into 5th gear. His last hour was truly breathtaking. Incredible music and energy. For the next 60-mins he moved me and the rest of the arena, and i forgot i was stone-cold sober. Just a few of the tracks I picked out:
He ended on this, and it was perfection:
Papa was rightfully applauded off. I'm so glad I stuck it out. I stand-by my thoughts that Sven is really a DJ you need to stick with for the long haul and go with. You can't duck in and out and expect to be feelin' it within a few minutes.
As I posted earlier in this thread, my friend was due to close this arena. But after Sven had finished the production crew turned off the amps and brought the lights up. I didn't know what was happening, but people took it as the end of the night and started to leave in their droves. There was probably a few hundred people left milling around. I felt bad for my friend as he was looking forward to this a lot and I knew how nervous he was. I could imagine him screwing. 1 of the security at the front started shouting "THERE'S ONE MORE SET! ONE MORE SET!"
(I later learned that this was deliberate and political. Basically, We Are hadn't told Sven that an unknown was closing his stage!!
So they had to wait until he had left the vicinity)
The music came back on about 23:15. Fortunately the crowds swarmed back inside and the arena filled again.
I only stayed for a couple of tracks and then I made my way to the exit and back to the car. Leaving the site wasn't as hellish as I'd anticipated and the roads were relatively clear. On the way home I witnessed the spectacular lightning storm.
Although I remained sober, this was probably my favourite We Are experience to date. The music in Cocoon was top notch. My favourite sets read like my itinerary and I can't remember the last time that happened - normally you peak before the end I find:
1st. Sven Vath
2nd. Solomun
3rd. Ilario Alicante
4th. Paravana DJs
My overall opinion on We Are has not changed. It is ridiculously overpriced - both tickets and drinks once inside. If you're the kind of person who wants merch/memorabilia and all that shebang then expect to get rinsed even further. It's also really badly organised. They haven't addressed this issue at all the 5 years they've been running. If you compare it to Creamfields - which I think is on par in terms of music selection, type of crowd and even size nowadays - then Creamfields is by far-and-away the superior option.
Okay, they have 20 years of experience. But at least they have reasonably priced
cash bars, empty their cesspits (truly disgusting scenes on Sunday - several inches of piss and mud inside and around the urinals & portaloo facilities) and keep queues flowing. We Are are stealing a living. I don't expect them to address these issue as they have no incentive too - they sell out regardless.
That said, in all likelihood I will go again next year. It is the curtain raiser to the festival season and it's so close to my doorstep it'd feel rude not to. It's become ritual. But with those prices I will drive again for sure.
I'd far rather they cut their unnecessarily
huuuuge line-up in half, reduce their own costs in the process and pass these savings onto their customers. But will that happen? Or course not.
Pics?!
