Not had chance to get into town this weekend yet. It's either gardening and DIY or FF today. Anyone been to have a look around yet and if so, worth a wander? Will have the wife and the daughter (she's 4) so the booze and dance tent isn't doing to have much appeal!
After seeing the images popping up on twitter throughout yesterday I'm disappointed that I haven't made the effort to come over & make a weekend of it. It looks great
I went last night, it was packed, however due to the number of bars and outlets selling beer it just looked an excuse for a giant piss up, young uns were starting to get a bit rowdy come 9 o'clock
Sadly we won't be out tonight, it'll be in the next few hours so the bars won't be on the agenda. Pics I've seen look cracking save for the torch parade that started it. Look amateur when it could have been belting, as if they'd used the ****y looking garden candles you get from B & Q. As for the boat that accompanied them, it's as if someone has seen the Disney nighttime float parades, thought 'we'll have some of that' and the found out the budget was £12. It looked ****e!
I went with my mates last night and thought Humber Street Sesh was better, to be honest. There wasn't the numbers that were there for Humber Street or previous Freedom Fests. Left before the last group came on, the 1975 i think they were, and before the Pier Stage got rammed with pre pubescent kids. You hear about one of the local bands that stprmed off the stage on Friday? They thought it was exploiting local groups by not paying them. Which defeats the object of a free festival. This isn't Glastonbury ffs.
storming off seems excessive. however, a major musical festival in sheffield looks close to hitting the skids. the venues and pubs are making a fortune from huge extra footfall. the local musicians don't get paid and aren't getting much or anything by way of other benefits. after several years, many have had enough. free publicity isn't enough when your band name is one of a hundred and the preponderance of "pay to play" venues is a disincentive.
It is the FREEdom Festival after all. Although obviously not free for Hull ratepayers who provide funding for it.
The street theatre group Transe Express were brilliant.If they come back again I would advise anyone to go and see them.Saw JJ Rosa,Dan Croll,Theme Park and the Family Rain on the Pier stage.I only liked the latter.
Was there yesterday & have popped in again today & have to agree with most of the comments above. It was certainly getting a bit rowdy with all the youngsters having a bit too much to drink & also heard about a couple of people losing/having nicked their wallets last night. Humber street sesh was better imho but this event is generally good news for Hull & the fact City were not playing has certainly made it feel busier, not sure just how good value it is fir the taxpayer & I think the marketing of the event to bring people in from out of the City was poor. Perhaps a small levy on the bars in the local area could have helped at least get the local bands their expenses paid ?
Full marks to all the organisers, in fact just got back from a visit this afternoon, can't stay late I work shifts, but was there yesterday and the atmosphere was fantastic. Yes to some it was a pi** up but that's the case at most events I've attended over the years, even car shows suffer the same fate. The main gripe is Castle street and the horrendous crossing in both directions until it was partly sorted by diverting people to another crossing near to Premier Inn so in effect have one crossing for one way, in, and the other crossing for the exit. I'll admit that not all the music was to my taste but today we, my wife and I, saw Cuba Drive and they were excellent, good gig which got most people tapping their feet. There needs to be momentum, things happening regularly instead once in a blue moon and yes of course the good weather does help. Fruit, ie Humber Street is an ongoing project to inject some life, through the arts, to a derelict part of the city, I wish them well. There was some gems of music coming from Green Bricks so not all the music was on show so to speak you had take in the programme guide and see what was where, so many venues parading a variety of music tastes, Hull may have a long way to go but at least its trying and its nice to see Hull can be as cosmopolitan as any other big city, well done again.
Well we went Saturday and again Sunday and I thought it was brilliant, took in some of the acts along Humber street, the dance stage, the yellow bus stage and the main pier stage. Got to say I thought Blackbeards Tea Party were awesome on Sunday and the jazz on the yellow bus stage was superb too. There were also lots of little side attractions such as a brass section dressed as chefs. There was also plenty of bars, toilets and food stalls and I never saw any hint of bother. Good show Hull and should give us a wonderful chance of becoming the city of culture!
We saw Les Tambours De La Muerte in Dock Street. Well you couldn't miss them to be honest. What with the flames,woman on stilts, drummers and the 10 foot skeletons. Followed them to behind the Humber Quays. Very well done to the guy from the audiance. I doubt he would have volunteered so enthusiastically if he had known that after the drummimg, dancing and fire jumping they made him do, he had to climb a 20 foot pole.(That's a scaffolding pole not a tall eastern european,) where he was hung upside down as the pole revolved. [video=youtube;lmn014_GCg4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmn014_GCg4[/video]All finished of by a load of skeletons playing the drums and a firework display. Very weird, very french and great fun. To be honest glad I just had the two pints or I might not have slept.
Why should the bars in the area pay a levy? Should they pay a levy around the KC to City because of all the business City games bring to them?
I don't really think you can compare Freedom Fest and Humber St Sesh - 2 completely different festivals. Humber St Sesh is more about music as its main aspect and showcasing good up-and-coming local bands, where-as Freedom is about showcasing the arts in general, and about bringing global arts acts to local people. Both brilliant festivals, which I don't think it is fair to compare each against each other. I've spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday down at Freedom - although the music, art and dance takes centre-stage, one of the things I love about Freedom (some I felt was lost on last years event but brought back this year) is that element of surprise - there seems to be something new and interesting to see round each corner - a lot of very surreal and quirky things going on. Today I saw a DJ playing out of a garden shed, next to a disco hearse with a digger arm/bucket attached to its roof, went round the corner to see two 'tea ladies' with giant cups on their heads walking down the road with a tea trolley. I got to the end of the street and was met with the sight of a group of chefs playing as a brass band doing a cover of 'Ring of Fire'. Did anyone see the random pirate ship with a bloke in it dressed as Admiral Lord Nelson miming to 'In The Navy' and Duran Duran's 'Rio' ? Enjoyed lots of different acts, The 1975 were worthy headliners, Craig Charles did a brilliant job - had the whole street dancing - the bloke clearly loves his music, and JJ Rosa was top notch, so talented and what a voice! [video=youtube;txKQmxKQLtw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txKQmxKQLtw[/video]
Craig Charles has done loads of festivals. I missed him at Freedom Fest, but caught his show when he came to Welly a while back. I agree it's a top night. Caught the last bit of JJ Rosa's set. Not bad. Although, it got a bit weird when an oldish bloke, in the audience started to pull down his trousers and flash everyone.
I'm too old for this **** personally, but for me, I'd be happy for the council to fund an event like this every weekend. My younger mates all seem to think Sesh is better, but these things massively benefit the city, so the more the merrier as far as I'm concerned. The general consensus seems to be, that the city gets £4 for every £1 spent, which sounds like value to me.
