Can confirm: still the best way to start the year.
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How cold is it?
Luckily we’re right down the bottom of the country and avoiding the worst. Obviously cold outside but a gorgeous evening and lovely and warm indoors.
Ironically, the bar at Leftfield is out of Guinness.
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So good last night even without all the screens (it was all still on the big screens).
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Gutted I missed Leftfield and Bodega. Spent the afternoon in the Dog And Duck so went for a party nap at about 7:30…woke up at 9 this morning. Whoops!
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I didn’t bother with Leftfield, but Bodega were excellent. If it makes you feel any better I’ve been feeling rotten today after last night’s excesses. Made it into town this morning for lunch and a pint at the Dog & Duck which destroyed me. Missed the afternoon’s music, and only made it out again for Katy J Pearson.
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Sprints were fucking great and they did a ride joke 10/10
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I enjoyed her, as well as The Dirt and The Itch before her.
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Another fun year, even if I was recovering from illness. Have already booked to return, even though it’s insanely early in the year in 2026.
Did you get to see bloodworm?
If this was even one weekend later on in the year id be so tempted
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Starts on January 2nd next year 
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I get it must be super cheap to hire in January but jeeze.
It’s run in-house so they don’t even really have that excuse.
I wonder if 2027 will start on the 1st or the 8th
I didn’t, sadly.
They’ve spoken about this on their Facebook page - it has to be when it is (first non-bank holiday Friday of the new year), I guess that’s when Butlin’s let them have it cheap. So they also confirmed that it’ll be a bit more conventional for 2027.
Side note: the RB people are great, but boy do Butlin’s need to do a bit of work on the place. This year, our showers came courtesy of us gaffer taping over the hole in the unit. Loads of flood damage in the bowling/silent disco area. Lots of things shut that are usually open, including cancellation of the second pool party. For a hundred quid each it’s churlish to complain too much, but I gather “normal” residents pay a lot more…
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I actually would quite like to go one year, so if anyone wants a chalet filler…
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Musical highlights from this year:
Hamish Hawk - excellent, as usual. Just the best front man around.
Bodega - smashed the late night set on Saturday. Started with a cover of Rockaway Beach too.
Sprints - very good, and got the crowd moving (the only crowd surfers of the weekend, I think?) . Even if the lead singer’s efforts did result in the politest and least rowdy circle pit I’ve ever seen.
Meryl Streek - after last year’s over representation of shouty blokes Meryl was one of the few this year. Really enjoyed him.
Holiday Ghosts - indie pop, done well.
Lowlights:
Not sure about the new airport hanger of a venue. It has its plusses - there was always plenty of space and you could rock up late for bands. But, it was - literally - like watching bands in an airport hanger. Guess it meant they could up the attendance (although it never seemed overcrowded).
Could have scheduled things a bit better. Each evening at 9pm there was the option of the headliner or a film. I had little or no interested in any of the headliners so just as the evening was getting started I was sitting down to watch a film in an unheated space the temperature of a fridge. Rock and roll! (Thelma and Louise was great. Meet Me In the Bathroom was average. I made the mistake of watching Spiritualized (one of the most boring live bands ever) the other evening). With two empty stages they surely could have put something - anything - on.
But overall it is churlish to complain as for £100 for a weekend in the first week of the year I can’t think of too many better things to be doing. Despite the awful weather we were never cold as our temperature setting in the hotel room was either tropically hot or off, so it was actually a challenge to keep it cool enough. (Very glad we didn’t go for a draughty chalet this year).
Unfortunately we are going to have to miss next year because of when it falls, first one we will have missed since the first couple, shame as it’s a very enjoyable weekend.
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