Don't upset the Applecart.

No Glastonbury Festival this year. Perhaps that is a blessing in disguise. Having been with Vicky to nearly every one since '87, the prospect of going there without her is something I find hard to contemplate.  But, this year is a 'fallow' year for the festival - they usually take a break every 4th or 5th year to give the land, the animals and the people a bit of a break. So instead, we booked tickets for a much smaller, cosier event, in London's Victoria Park (Oh! The irony), called The Applecart.


There were several reasons why Vicky chose Applecart as our alternative Glastas.  That it was to be in London, the city she loved and not a few miles away from where Vicky was born, and that Billy Bragg would be playing, were among the most important. We had settled on going long before Vicky became ill and, as we put the word around, a few friends and Vicky's sister El signed up to join us. In the event, of course, our party was one short.


Did Applecart stand up as replacement to our annual jaunt to Somerset? Well, in fairness, I am trying to compare apples with pears here! Glastas is monumental festival of contemporary arts and music - officially held over three days that judiciously, in my opinion, stretches out to five days to allow for the influx of a quarter of a million people into a green valley below the village of Pilton. For a week, Worthy farm, and its surroundings become the third largest conurbation in Somerset and Avon. The event is so large and so remote that it now has its own permanent sewage treatment plant, boasts an extensive road system and, during the festival itself, creates its own microclimate!


Applecart, on the other hand, is a walk in the park - quite literally. Tucked into a leafy corner of E9 and only there for the one day (actually, that isn't fair as the day before was Field Day - which is held on the same site) it is more of an afternoon of musical interlude. By comparison, Applecart is like having tea with your granny rather than a three course meal with Champagne and a fine Claret at the Black Rat (The world's best restaurant, in Winchester). Both can be equally enjoyable but exist on very different levels. However, there were quite a few things that reminded me why I have always preferred Glastonbury over other festivals that I have been too, Applecart included. 


I regard my self as a fairly seasoned ale drinker - although there are few alcoholic beverages that I will not drink - at a push. The embargo on taking any drink into this and other events, other than 1ltr of water in a sealed bottle, means that, if you want to have a tipple or three, your options are limited to (mainly) chemically enhanced uretic fluid labelled as lager, similarly produced apple or pear cider or a selection of wine that make Blue Nun and Black Tower taste like nectar! All this and £4.30 a pint!!  I did find the 'Real Ale' tent though, Woopity woop!! A full menu of nearly seven different beers and ales from the Red Squirrel brewery. I was amazed as, from 'Hop Fest' to the aptly named 'Royal Rumble' I was able to differentiate these offering by not much more than their colour! And, it had all run dry by 7pm!!


Glastonbury has an atmosphere, an ambience that I have not experienced at any other festival.  I'm not a great fan of crowds - it isn't a fear or claustrophobic thing, just that I prefer peace and tranquility - but, once on site, I feel that I can easily lose myself in the enormity of the place. Glastonbury has a 'familiar' feel to it, it brings people together with a sense of camaraderie and shared reason and yet it caters for such a spectrum of artistic leanings, cultural attitudes and lifestyle preferences. I have witnessed Glastonbury in the searing sunshine, tempestuous storms, floods and mudbaths.  It is still the only place where I have (on several occasions) spent a contented hour or so fast asleep in a field - albeit with 30,000 other people milling around - and felt supremely happy and safe!  


Sadly Applecart lacked that warm sensuous feeling, perhaps because Vicky wasn't there. It was wonderful to spend a few hours with some lovely friends, but the venue just didn't do it for me! To keep this in context, the live music was great - Billy Bragg was a brilliant and emotional highlight of the day for me - and worth the £40 entry fee. Although used to wet and muddy festivals (actually, Applecart couldn't even do mud like Glastas, that London clay is too solid and absorbant to create the quagmires experienced around the Pyramid stage). By mid evening the rain and chill wind was taking its toll and we were ready to go home. It was hard to forego seeing Noah and the Whales, but the arc was not appealing and inviting enough for us to stay.


Thank you Applecart for a good day out. Not a replacement for Glastonbury, but still worth the trip to London and an opportunity to be with people I know care about me and miss Vicky as much as I do. And a special thank you to the guy who bought Vicky's ticket from me rather than letting it go to waste. Thank you for believing my story and trusting that I wasn't a tout! As a result, I hope you had a good day and Cancer Research is £20 the richer.