I didn’t want to say it as I enjoyed this festival thoroughly; however Zoo thousand and eight seemed to be problematic from the start. The whole organisation caused massive problems regarding getting into the arena and setting up and the arena staff appeared to have no idea when it came to directing the crowd. This became an issue for our group as well as many others which delayed the festivities!
As some of you readers will know, there were rumours of cancellations from Dizzie Rascal, Wiley, Pendulum, & Roni Size and as we found out, some were more than just rumours. Dizzie Rascal and Wiley apparently cancelled over money disagreements however, Leathal Bizzle stepped up to the plate and smashed the main stage. Along with Dizzie, Roni Size also cancelled, but this was quickly forgotten when Haduken took their place. After seeing them on the main stage getting the hostile crowd back on their feet, I can see why they are highly rated in UK music scene right now.
On arrival on the stage it was obvious to see that Haduken were disappointed, when the lead singer shouted ‘You should just pay your fucking bands.’ This was an obvious dig at the event organisers clearly related to the Dizzie Rascal incident. Despite the comment, Haduken went on to calm the crowd and their Donkey Kong like banana throwing shenanigans that had started on the main stage and to me, it appears they were one of the best performers of the weekend. They had major beats and uplifting basslines. Their set was topped with a classic cover of “Breathe” by The Prodigy which made the crowd forget about the days trouble, and for me was definitely up there with one of the best songs of the event.
At one point on Saturday afternoon, I was pretty sure not one staff member had a clue that was on what stage and what time they were on. This was partly due to the closure of the Tap’n’Tin tent, which was deemed un-fit by Health and Safety. I spoke to a few of the promoters for the bands who informed me that some of the staff had just abandoned the arenas and stopped working due to the hostility from the gig goers. We were based in the VIP camping area, in which we were promised better toilets and SHOWERS! Not so much. The showers were shut all weekend and there were four toilets which after Friday night were mostly blocked and were not repaired.
Although the above doesn’t bear well for the virgin Zoo Thousand event organisers, all in all it was a great weekend. The bands that did make it to the event, most definitely made up for the ‘drama queen no shows’ who I expect have lost a few fans this weekend, especially Wiley who may not be wearing Rolex’s for much longer!
Transportation – 6/10
Event Organisation - 5/10
Camping – 6/10
Music - 8/10
Music Reviews
Gallows – Frank Carter started the Gallows performance rushing onto the stage abusing Mark Ronson for his time spent sound checking. The whole show was packed full of energy, the track ‘Abandon Ship’ had the crowd on fire, however Carter was quick to put them out with a fire extinguisher covering them from the stage. They weren’t dampened for long as the fire started up again when they finished the set with ‘Orchestra of wolves’ which had the smouldering crowd burning faster than a Molotov cocktail.
Ash – Ash are a house hold name all over the country and have been around the block more than once. There were rumours that Ash were not showing but when Tim Wheeler was spotted on the side of the stage the chants “We Want Ash” echoed around the arena. The Northern Ireland formed band didn’t disappoint and rocked the crowd with some great classics like ‘Girl from mars’, ‘oh yeah’, ‘kung fu’ and more impressively for me the classic ‘Shining Light’ which had the crowd jumping higher than I had seen over the whole weekend.
To finish their set they tried a new track, in my opinion a bit of track reorganisation would have topped off their performance as it was always going to be hard to follow such a well known track like the infamous ‘Shining Light.’ Overall the set was impressive and kept the crowd on their feet.
All in all the festival could have been organised better but its their first time and that has to be taken into consideration. For a full review check the site later this month for our first magazine (online) which will feature an in depth interview with Fundamental Skillz who performed amazingly in the VIP tent on Saturday night at zoo8. The Magazine will also feature a bigger and more in-depth review of zoo8 with pictures, videos and reviews with the artists.
I don’t think judgement can be fully made on the organisers without seeing zoo9 which i hope will go ahead despite the issues, check back for news on the magazine and the new site launch!
