Standon Calling Festival Preview

Standon Calling is one of England’s most hush-hush festivals, but why wouldn’t it be, it’s tiny? Set in the grounds of a 16th century manor house in the middle of nowhere, the 5,000 capacity festival is never afraid to have fun. The festival’s nightlife never seems to end, with the so-called ‘Cod Shed’ seeing a lot of the early hour action, with revellers dancing until sunrise. Electro-god Julio Bashmore has taken to the Cow Shed in previous years. A late-night licence keeps the bars rolling too, and adds to the party atmosphere.

Alongside the consistently strong lineups at Standon, it does not change massively year-on-year. Now although it may not sound like it, I mean this in the best possible sense. This is a festival with an outdoor swimming pool, and joyful festival-goers flock to it every year when the weather is looking up. The campsite for Standon is always trouble-free for those who inhabit there, and Standon seems to have a smiley, positive atmosphere that lasts the weekend through.

There is also a special kids area set out designed so music-lovers with families can still attend, not having to worry about their children. Activities featuring painting, drawing, playdough and more will keep the little ones occupied.

The weekend party that is Standon Calling has kept the festy at the top of the mini-festival chart for a long time. It’s the place to go for fun and freewill. As for 2014’s headliners; Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls bring their folk-punk sound to Standon. Public Enemy will then bring themselves to the main stage for Saturday night’s event, and Sunday will see rock band Maximo Park close the festival.

We will also see indie-rock band Peace, newcomers Clean Bandit, British singer-songwriter Ella Eyre, London-based singer King Charles, DJ Yoda, and many more bring their sounds to the Hertfordshire festival.

Each year Standon Calling has a weekend theme. This year it’s ‘Lost in Latin America’ so cue the arts, set designs, costumes and more. Perhaps the best aspect about the theme is flitting between the stages, food stalls, and extra entertainment, something you don’t always get to do with a major festival. Standon also gives people the ability to walk from one side to the other in ten minutes. Sometimes a compact size is best to improve atmosphere at a festival.

Still need some convincing that Standon is one of the best mini-fests around? The dress up theme Saturday is something that not a single punter misses out on, and passing up the opportunity would be a costly mistake. The annual themes are novel, and the costumes become more and more extravagant, making Standon’s atmosphere ever more adhering. Standon makes for an excellent weekend of quirky fun, and with some of the areas decked out to be more ‘child-like’, which, although is aimed at adults makes it even more a family-friendly environment.

Standon Calling is a must for those who want to jump right into an intimate, music-loving festival. The special experience that it gives will make sure you have an excellent weekend, that hits you right in the spot. Standon Calling is Friday, Saturday and Sunday 1st to 3rd August, and tickets start at an incredible £85.00 for Super Early Bird buyers. All tickets are available at www.standon-calling.com, but you’ll have to be quick.

inSYNC’s Standon Picks 

Peace:

We saw Peace perform last December on tour, and again at the Isle of Wight Festival. They just keep performing to a high standard, with their excellent sound, and that’s why we are looking forward to seeing Peace bring their indie-rock to Standon Calling. Peace recently released a new single, ‘Money’, and that is setting them up for their forthcoming album, which is being released later this year.

Clean Bandit:

Clean Bandit are the band that everyone’s talking about. They have a quirky difference about them, and we are looking forward to seeing them perform and Standon, as they tour with their new album ‘New Eyes’. Clean Bandit made it big with their chart-topping single ‘Rather Be’, earlier this year, and have really made a name for themselves performing at tons of festivals across the country this summer.

 DJ Yoda:

We are also looking forward to seeing DJ Yoda’s set. The London-born hip hop artist uses samples of songs to create his ‘cartoon’ musical style. DJ Yoda has bad a pretty expansion career, working with many people, releasing two albums, and even working on 2009 videogame DJ Hero. He has won many awards, and often appears on BBC Radio 1 as a guest. We look forward to seeing what Yoda has in store for Standon.