Bestival is undoubtedly one of the most sought after dates on the festival calendar and each year their stellar lineup never fails to amaze. Combining a mixture of some of the world’s most exciting acts with their fantasia doused atmosphere creates an ethereal setting that revelers from all over the world are eager to attend. We were fortunate enough to be able to speak to Bestival curator and Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank, where we discussed his views regarding plans for Bestival’s future, how to choose a festival lineup and diversity issues in music.
So Rob, what was the initial inspiration behind starting Bestival?
Probably Glastonbury, if I’m being honest. When I was 18, I started going with my wife Josie and it completely blew me away. The whole experience was crazy, staying in a field for a weekend, just spending time with some amazing people, drinking copious amounts of beer and watching bands, it was just a dream come true.
I’m not sure it’s got the heritage just yet, but we’ve been going for 12 years and we’ve established a faithful crowd with new people coming every year. But the most important thing for me is that people just come and have a great time and lose themselves for the weekend and just being able to get away from daily realities is a great feeling.
How do you go about choosing the lineup?
Choosing the lineup is normally a collective process, which involves a combination of getting lucky with who’s available, as well as trying to fit in having a widespread selection of acts that will appeal to everyone. There’s always a list of people that I really want to try and get my hands on, people who we’ve been trying to get for years. But yeah, new music is a huge thing for us as well, so that always impacts on the lineup – we just try to tick as many boxes as possible. It’s a bit of a mishmash.
In terms of headliners, do you feel that this year’s festival are too saturated with the same acts?
Well The Cure aren’t doing anything else in the UK this summer. I think we all get a bit hung up on that, I mean if you’ve got a headliner who’s doing another 5 or 6 shows then it’s not great for you, and there are quite a few acts doing quite a few gigs – it’s tricky, agents will tell you one thing and say “oh yeah it’s going to be exclusive” and then they go and do something else, so you’re a little bit at their mercy. I think as long as the lineup has a unique edge to it then that’s more important and as long as the audience likes the lineup then that’s all I’m interested in.
Do you think there’s a need to give headline opportunities to these not as established acts and those who’re on the verge of breaking through?
Foals were always going to get a headline slot, sooner or later, and we got in there early. It’s always great to be brave when you’re choosing who plays, although at the same time you don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot. I mean it’s no good having a band who can only deliver a punchy 45 minute set, as this realistically doesn’t make for a good headline slot, but that’s not to say the likes of Foals, Disclosure and even the 1975, who will undoubtedly be headlining festivals in the not to distant future, can’t compete with the big guns. They’re all signs that you don’t always need your Coldplay’s and your Foo Fighters of the music world to headline.
Are there any bands you have you eye on currently, who you think could be potential headliners in the next 5 years?
Well that’s a million dollar question and I really wish I knew the answer to that one now! It’s difficult to tell, I mean Foals played in 2008 on the main stage, 8 years ago, and Florence previously played before she headlined and it’s fair to say I was pretty certain that they would be sitting at the top of the roster at some point. The same can be said for Alt-J, they’re a band that are doing some incredible things. But yeah, it’s very hard to tell. My house is full of festival posters and every night I walk around the house when I’m putting the kids to bed and I spot a band’s name and think, “Oh what happened to them, I thought they were supposed to be the future of music and they just sort of vanished.”
How important do you think it is to showcase up and coming bands, in an era where it’s arguably harder for smaller acts to gain success?
Yeah, I mean Bestival’s known for being a lot of fun and a massive party but it’s also known for its love of new music and being the place to spot breaking new bands. The Invaders stage has always been there in some form, as a ‘new bands’ stage and there’s a lot of showcasing stages across the festival but this really is the place to go where you can find unearthed gems playing constantly across the weekend. It’s the first year I’ve properly worked with someone else on it, Ricky Bates, who’s the promoter at The Joiners in Southampton. It’s been quite a learning curve for me, as I normally deal with this sort of stuff myself, but he’s done a brilliant job and he’s a great person to work with. He’s really got his finger on the pulse of all these up and coming indie bands and he books about 300 acts a year, so working alongside someone who lives and breathes music is always great. But yeah, I mean we’ve got acts ranging from folk to glitchy electronica, so I’m looking forward to hanging out there for sure.
Some of the UK’s major festivals have come under a lot of scrutiny, due to their lineups being heavily male centered, however Bestival always seems to be very inclusive when it comes to including a diverse set of acts. Is that a conscious decision or just personal taste?
A bit of both, if I’m honest. The same issues always arise every year; and they always will. Everyone gets criticism for having the same headliners, not having enough female acts on the lineup – it’s almost inevitable. It’s not a cynical ploy where I choose to actively book more female acts, I choose them because they’re some of the best artists out there. If you look at our record of booking Bjork, PJ Harvey, Florence & The Machine, they’re not being chosen because of their sexuality, they’re being chosen because they’re a bunch of incredible musicians. It’s difficult to book someone just on the pretense of their gender; it’s a balancing act really. But yeah, we want to make Bestival accessible to everyone and having an even split of artists is a great thing and it’s wonderful to see the female music scene flourishing right now.
In terms of future expansion, do you have any idea of what you want to do with the festival? You’ve already launched a Canadian sister festival, what else can we expect?
In terms of size, we don’t really want to get any bigger. I think in terms of the current capacity, it’s big enough and we don’t want to lose that intimate feel that arguably some of the larger festivals don’t have. I mean this year we’ve introduced the Space Port and every year we’re always building new stages and doing new things. Watch this space really; we never know what we’re going to do next. I mean some nights I’ll just wake up with some crazy idea and that sums up Bestival in a nutshell really.
Are there any acts that you’re really looking forward to seeing at Bestival this year?
The Cure, for definite. I’m a big fan, I grew up listening to them and it’s been 5 years since they’ve been here and they’re one of my favourite bands ever, so I can’t wait for that. We’ve been trying to book Damian Marley for the last 5 years, so I’m chuffed that he’s finally agreed to play. Richie Hawtin, just because I love a bit of techno at Bestival and he’s always great. Carl Cox is also another legend that I can’t wait to see, who will be coming back to the Port – he always smashes it. And then you have some of the newer bands, such as: The Japanese House, Milk Teeth, Moose Blood – undoubtedly I will be having a good mosh to them at the Invaders Stage, where there’s some cracking bands who I can’t wait to see.
Bestival will take place at Robin Hill Country Park on the Isle of Wight between Thursday 8th and Sunday 11th September 2016. Tickets can be found here.