My first ever time at Shindig after years of wanting to go but the stars hadn’t aligned… until now. Shindig Festival 2022 had a new location at the Dillington Estate just outside Illminster. In October 2021 I went to the Shindig Weekender at Pontins in Brean Sands, so I got a glimpse at the type of crowd it attracts and the musical vibes it has on offer… and let’s just say that weekend was so brilliant, so full of the best people, that I was counting down the days til the main festival in May!
The Campervan field
We arrived on Thursday afternoon in Betsy the camper van. We got there not long after the gates opened, so we got a cracking spot in the camper field. Right on the walkway, so everyone could bask in Betsy’s glory. The camper field was great, it was the first time I’d been in the public camper field at a festival. There were a big block of compost toilets in the middle that were always clean which was great. And everyone was so lovely and helpful; if you needed anything, our neighbours were always so happy to help.
To get into the festival we had to go through the gate and through security each time, but apart from the first day when everyone was arriving, this wasn’t a problem and we never had to queue. It was a 10 minute walk to the main arena. We could drink our own drinks at the camper but weren’t allowed to take our own when we walked through. Staff were somewhat relaxed though, if we were drinking one can they tended to let it slide.
The arena was gorgeous! Such a great size and layout. As you walked in, you walked past the craft area and wellness area, and the Kids Kingdom too which was mega! They were doing DJ and MC lessons! Wish I’d had the chance to come here as a kid!
Then as you walked towards the main Dillington house, you had Father Funk’s Church of Love up on the hill, and a load of amazing art installations all around the grass. There were areas to sit and chill including benches but also some sofas made out of old aircraft pieces.
The other half of the arena contained the main stages: The Dig Inn was a huge stretch tent and bar hosting some of the biggest acts, the Ghetto Funk Nightclub was a tube like white tent with epic sound system which provided some serious bass, the Shimmy Discotheque was tucked in the corner but a great little place to hang out, then there was Tutti Frutti, and Naughtilicious, both situated in the ‘Bay of Good Vibes’. Dotted around were lots of food traders and a few additional bars. The festival did struggle a tiny bit with card payments over the weekend… there were times they switched to cash only briefly, but you were usually able to get a drink/food with card somewhere.
We loved how easy it was to nip between stages, and how each stage had it’s own decor and vibe. We also loved all the hang out areas in between, you could always find a bench to sit on and chill with your pals between artists you wanted to see. It was great to people watch – the people of Shindig are all impeccably dressed in brilliant outfits.
There were lots of compost toilet blocks everywhere that were always clean and stocked with loo roll. Some did need some better lighting in for the night times but that was the only complaint! There were also loads of water points which was great to see, and the only negative there was that most of them were pretty highs pressure! We always had a laugh filling up water seeing how splashed we got 💦.
Who did we see? Best musical acts
Too Many T’s with Mr Switch on the decks – now I’ve seen these boys must be getting on 30+ times now, and I’ve shouted about them many times on the blog before… however I need to mention them again now because my WORD have they levelled up! This was my favourite set of the weekend, and not just because I’m a long time fan. I brought my friend Cat along and she said it was the best thing she saw all festival too. They brought out a new album this year, and now have champion DJ Mr Switch as their beat-provider behind them. Such an incredible set in the Ghetto Funk Nightclub, they even brought out Greg Blackman for their new single ‘Everything Will Be Alright’ and got the whole crowd singing. I love the T’s and their new set really is headline ready.
Mr Switch & Symphonica Orchestra – taking over the Dig Inn, Mr Switch took to the stage with a full 26 piece orchestra. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but we were quite literally blown out the tent by the wall of incredible sound. The biggest dance and drum n bass tunes expertly mixed by Switch but then elevated by the orchestra to form an audio experience I certainly had never heard before. The entire tent was ecstatically bouncing – hearing our favourite classics in this new format definitely made our nights.
Eva Lazarus, Gardna and the Nextmen – what a combo! Absolutely loved these two fast rappers combining for a set in the Ghetto Nightclub. They are clearly good friends and were having the best time on stage. Great basslines, fast spits… it was pure fire. Really hope to see this again soon.
Altern8 b2b Shadowchild – a lovely little afternoon set at Tutti Frutti from these two underground legends. Ben and Cat spent the whole time attempting to track ID each track change which amused us all greatly.
De La Soul – a pair of hiphop legends and probably the biggest name on the bill, we were looking forward to this set. However, we didn’t enjoy it as much as we thought we would. Maybe it’s a taste thing, (although I’m usually a hiphop lover), but their set consisted of what I would describe as the American way of doing things: a bit too much crowd interaction. They kept restarting the track (“RRREEEEEEWIND”), getting one half of the crowd to try and shout louder than the left side… etc. It just felt like over their one hour set they only played 5 or maybe 6 tracks. Still, it was great to see Me, Myself and I, live.
Stanton Warriors – a wicked midnight set from these legends, who are always a treat. Despite them gracing many line ups, it’s always good to go and see them for a decent booty breaks set – they are some of the only ones still consistently playing this genre.
Jamie Chicken (and the whole of Father Funk’s Church of Love) – We spent a lot of time up the hill dancing away at Father Funk’s Church of Love which had major carnival vibes – basically a big set of speakers, a DJ booth, and an awesome dance platform complete with giant mirror-covered rotating cross ✝️. It was the perfect place to head between artists to have a dance and soak in the good vibes. Particular shout out to Jamie Chicken, who played bouncy bassy high energy fun tunes, expertly mixed. In my review for Noisily I mentioned stumbling across The Chicken Brothers, well Jamie is one half of that duo. An amazing time.
Booze and Food
The bars and their staff were great the whole weekend. I loved that they had some frozen cocktails, however as usually happens at festivals, they did run out a few times. Bar prices were good, pints were £5-6. Every stage had a bar near it and we rarely had to queue. They also had a Gritchie Brewery bar, which I learned was Guy Ritchie’s venture into booze! They had some excellent beers and ales (I’ve been told by friends, we all know I’m not a beer girl) but they did also serve Aperol Spritz for £7.50 in a semi-large cup (see pic above) which made me a very happy girl.
Onto food:
I had a lovely sushi burrito wrap from Hakko House which was made with pink sushi rice – I went for the vegan option, but they also had a teriyaki salmon. The vegan crispy ‘chicken’ version had avocado, cucumber, carrot slaw, crispy onions… it was delicious and filling. My only note was I would prefer it to be saucier – it was a tiny bit dry for me.
We treated ourselves to beef brisket from the incredible smokehouse run by The Story Butchers. It came with creamed cheesy polenta, homemade slaw, and big slices of pickles. The meat was absolutely melt in the mouth with beautiful flavour, and the polenta, though we were initially skeptical and mourning the lack of chips, was actually the perfect accompaniment. A truly fantastic plate created from a smoker in a field.
The final food shout out goes to the vegan burgers from Nellys Barn. Being honest we chose the food van with the shortest queue because it was peak time and we were starving because we didn’t plan better. They looked good and we gave it a go. They were so blummin’ delicious, I genuinely went back and bought a third one for me and my boyfriend to share. It tasted like meat but weirdly better (not greasy but still juicy), the ‘cheese’ was tasty and melty, and the sauce was spicy and unique.
Some footage from my Ray Ban Stories of the festival
What’s better than a few short videos to give you an idea of Shindig? I filmed these on my RayBan Stories sunglasses so they are all in first person view, which is pretty cool if you ask me!
Final thoughts
Talk about exceeding expectations!
I knew it was going to be good but wow Shindig was epic. It’s big enough that the line up packs a punch, there’s so much to do, and so many fabulous people to meet, but small enough that you can nip back to the tent and not miss anything, and you won’t lose your friends (old or new!) in a huge crowd.
How on earth they managed to grow to the size they have but still not have any dickheads whatsoever I have no idea. Normally, festivals start small and full of the best people and vibes, and as they grow and word spreads, slowly but surely people start to come who don’t fit the ethos, they don’t respect the site and other festival attendees… it all goes a bit downhill. But here at Shindig Festival, it’s the best kept secret between the best kinds of people. Something something fight club… you know?
Tickets to Shindig Festival 2023 will be out soon, click here to sign up to the waiting list for tickets!
The next edition of Shindig will be the 25-28th May 2023 – who’s joining me there?!
