Festival Fever: The Directory

It's the end of Festival Fever fortnight here on the Firebird blog and I have absolutely loved putting it together. I hope you have enjoyed reading (The Levi's Girl even tweeted about it!)

Thank you to all the amazing guest posters, there have been posts from vintage lovers to bikers, from yummy new Mums to my beautiful Mum, you are all absolutely brilliant.

If you've missed anything, here's a little round up of what's been on the blog the last couple of weeks:

Before you go:
Vintage Vixen's Guide to Packing your Festival Wardrobe
The Festival Fairy's Guide to Glamping on the Cheap
DIYS: From flower crowns to the best tote bag ever. Via ways to fix your hair in a muddy field


While you are partying:
The Aussie's Guide to Taking Brilliant Festival Photos
My Best One Pot Breakfast


Festival Facts and Memories:
Momma Firebird at the Isle of Wight Festivals in 1969 & 1970
Chairman Chegwin at the Bulldog Bash
Vintage Glastonbury
Useful Festival Websites

But the festival season has only just started here in the UK, so you want to read them again at any time over the summer, you can find them using the little button on your right.

My summer exams are now all over, so normal service resumes on the blog tomorrow. Thanks for taking this little festival journey with Firebird, here's to a brilliant summer ahead xx

Festival Fever: The Best One Pot Breakfast

The Aussie and I are huge fans of breakfast and when you are at a music festival (or camping anywhere) you definitely need a good brekie to fortify you for the day ahead.

This is a bit of a favourite in our house/ tent, it's vegetarian and is perfect for festivals because all you need is one pot and one gas burner.

You will need:

 Free Range eggs (we got these from our campsite in Cornwall - they are all chicken eggs, aren't they amazing?)

Tinned tomatoes, onion, garlic, red pepper (you could also use courgettes, fresh chillis or any dried herbs you have) and some cooking oil (olive oil is my favourite)

Then:

 Chop your onion, garlic and peppers and cook them in the oil until they start to soften...

 Add your tin tomatoes and bring to a simmer...

 Then crack your eggs and add them to the tomato mixture...

Your eggs should cook (they are being poached) in the simmering tomato mixture...

When the eggs are cooked to your liking, dish them up with loads of the sauce. Easy but oh so tasty!

If we have this at home we serve this up with tortillas, but the campsite we stayed at in Cornwall has the most amazing homemade bread in their shop which was perfect for mopping up the sauce.

We also love this with chopped avocado or fresh coriander and loads of Habanero sauce. However, grated cheese would work well and if you are feeling a little delicate from the night before Worcestershire Sauce (or Henderson's Yorkshire Sauce for veggies) on this should sort out your hangover nicely.

The recipe is loosely based on Jamie Oliver's Huevos Rancheros, so is Mexican via Essex and now the Lizard Peninsula.

Tuck in and enjoy!

Festival Fever: Vintage Festivals // Glastonbury

For the last couple of weeks I've been asking people to nominate their favourite festival moments and one from each decade from the 1960 to 1990s will be coming up over the rest of the week. However, in people's responses one word kept coming up over and over again...

Worthy Farm opens its doors to the public today and hosts possibly the most famous music festival in the world. Not bad for a dairy farm in Somerset.

Here's a glimpse through the years at what makes Glastonbury what it is...

All the images are from here

If you are off to Somerset this week have a brilliant time and a very safe trip. I am so so jealous  x

Festival Fever: Thoughts from a Biker// Guest Post from Chairman Chegwin

Now here at Firebird we welcome all walks of life and even like to move well away from the perceived association that 'vintage' is all about tea and cupcakes, I thought that should apply to the Festival Fever posts as well. So I asked my good friend Cheggers from the fantastic biker blog 'Box Hill or Bust' to write a guest post for us. So here with his thoughts on all things music festival is the unequivocal Chairman Chegwin...
 
With thanks to Rach for indulging this ageing old rocker, here is my contribution to the "Festival Fever" page.

I'm going to start by saying that I don't actually like festivals very much - if at all! This obviously goes against the grain of Rach's blog, but it seems to me that festivals these days are more about the corporate opportunities and celeb-spotting that goes on, rather than the music.

For events like V etc, there's no access to the bands, unless you want to give up half a day protecting your space you won't get near the main stage and yet people pay horrific ticket and camping prices for it still. I realise that it's a right of passage for youngsters these days but, in a nod to Rach's mum's excellent contribution, nothing historic or ground-breaking happens at festivals these days. It mystifies me why they are so popular.

Don't get me wrong, I love live music and I like a good time, but I guess I'm a bit too long in the tooth and too "comfortable" to enjoy camping and the mudfests that e.g. Glasto is famous for. Nevertheless, there are still events I do like to go to (as long as there's a nice hotel room nearby!). Introducing.....THE BULLDOG BASH.

This is an event that is now in its 25th year. It was started by the Hell's Angels and despite the advancement of corporatism and the opposition of the local police, it remains an event staunchly for bikers. My (and the Angels') favourite band - Motorhead - are regulars there, and this year the bill is topped by Status Quo and The Damned. Clearly not the Ting Tings, Girls Aloud (although I think they'd be welcome!), Take That or any of that other "poppy" or X-Factor rubbish that dominates the airwaves these days, but good old-fashioned British rock music. You'll also get drag racing, a custom bike show, probably a wet t-shirt/mud wrestling competition or two for the ladies, lots of beer and good times.

Which kinda makes me question why I haven't booked my tickets yet!

Festival Fever: Making the Most of Your Festival Photos // Guest Post by 'the Aussie'

Rachel has asked me to give some ideas and suggestions for how to get the best out of your camera while attending a festival. So I'm going to talk about football.  If you knew me, that wouldn't come as any surprise...

I love photographing at football, and my collection of shots from matches I've been to is something I really treasure.  Other people seem to really like it too, and occasionally they've even paid me. But - and this is really my whole point - I rarely bother taking photos of footballers, or the stuff going on on the pitch.

In the past, on the few occasions I happened to have a camera at a game, I did the obvious thing that everyone does, and tried to take a photo of the match in front of me.  Regrettably, the result is that the only photographic memories I have of a trip to Milan's remarkable San Siro stadium are some blurry, distant shots of the pitch, seemingly from miles up in the air. I wish I'd captured the little details around me: the edgy (and well armed) teenage Carabinieri recoiling from the dynamite-like firecrackers being thrown by the slightly insane Calabrians in the tier below; the more sedate Milanesi lining the grubby chairs of the middle tier with magazine pages to save their expensive chinos. 

At football, the mainstream media use the finest capabilities of their multi-thousand pound equipment, they get perfectly sharp images of their target, and they reduce the background to a featureless blur. The result is a thousand identical photos of the same footballer kicking a football.  Everything else is simply lost.  The media's photography of sport is dull, and they're better at it than me, so why should I try to be like them?

There is a joy to being part of a big event that watching on television can never reproduce, and it's a joy that is great fun to capture on film.  At football, turning the camera round and pointing it at the people around me captures something wonderfully genuine: the tension, the joy, the sheer skill required to keep a cigarette firmly clamped in the mouth while yelling "hooray!" through your nose.

And, surely, festivals are no different?  They are equally wonderful experiences, yet thousands of people fill their memory cards and drain their batteries trying to film the band from a thousand yards back.  I've never seen the point.  Sure, the band was great, but if you want to watch that set again, it'll probably be on YouTube, filmed properly, sounding good.  There'll be great photos of the bands in the music press, and you can google them any time.  If festivals were all about seeing musicians up close on screen, you'd have stayed at home and watched it on the telly.

But we all know perfectly well that festivals are far more than that!  An impromptu rave has just started at Joe Bananas Blanket Stall.  Next to them, over there by the gate, is the stoned hippy couple trying to sell you "trash huffles".  A bloke standing on the bale of straw further up the track, dressed only in a marine survival suit, is lecturing nobody in particular about the big wet of 1998, and how he hated Galliano with a passion, but they were good live.  And is that Michael Eavis climbing a tree?

The photos you take of what's going on around you are the ones you'll treasure.  I promise. They'll bring back memories of happy days in the sunshine (hopefully), they'll age in an splendid way, to tell a story of that festival you went to, that weekend, back then. Wearing that.

A few hints...

• Get comfortable with the modes of your camera, so you know you can take a photo quicky without too much faff.  Don't worry about getting it exactly right.  At a festival, things are going on all around you, all the time. You want to capture the moment and not  miss it for the sake of  composition or exposure.

• If you can avoid using the built in flash, avoid using it.  Even on expensive cameras, they're harsh and unforgiving and artificial.  With a bit of practice, a steady hand, and some tolerance of a bit of imperfection and blur, you can often get much more atmospheric results without it.

• Get a photo editor package and learn a few basic tricks.    The software doesn't have to be expensive (in fact, GIMP is marvellous, open-source, and entirely free).  Learn some simple tricks like cropping, contrast and brightness adjustment, then play with curves and colour saturation.  It's easy to get good results quickly, and you can turn often workable photos into really good ones.  If a photo seems irretrievably dark, try converting it to black and white and pushing the contrast and brightness up.

Above all, have fun!

(photos by Jon Hall)

Festival Fever: A Musical Interlude #14

Festival Fever resumes on Monday with a guest post from my favourite antipodean (not Kylie, the other one). To keep the festival fever flowing in the mean time, I strongly suggest you blow up some balloons and re-enact this in your front room....

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend xx

Festival Fever: A 'Why Don't You' Special Edition

Hello lovelies, this is coming to you via the power of a scheduled post, I should be in Cornwall by now, recovering from my exams. A massive thank you to all the guest posters and your fantastic comments. I will get back to you all on my return.

In the meantime Festival Fever continues. Do you want something unique to take to your music festivals this summer? Worried about how you will manage your hair in a field with no plug points? Want to make your tent stand out from all the thousands around it?

Here's a selection of DIYs that might hit the spot...

 Make your own Floral Crown with James from Bleubird Vintage

Never lose your tent again with this Bunting DIY from the Bothered Owl

Suffering from hairdryer and straighteners withdrawal? Elsie's summertime twist would be perfect to see you through.

Or try out these beachy waves from Beth at B.Jones Style 

(I have quite thick hair and when I first tried these twists I did as many as Beth and my hair was less beach babe, more 1980s perm. Not a strong look.

Since then I do larger twists, about four on each side of my head. So try it out and see what works for you, but it does work!)

And I just think this is amazing. if you want a tote bag that will stand out from the crowd, this amazing recycled pouch bag DIY is over on Life After Money

Any great DIYs that I have missed? Please let me know below, I love a good DIY and would love to put together a second edition of this. Have a great weekend x

Festival Fever: Glamping // Guest Post from the Festival Fairy

I love the Festival Fairy. She adores music festivals and, since becoming a Mum, is now sharing the experience with her gorgeous little girl. She is the Queen of frank and no-nonsense advice for getting the most of your festival experience without breaking your budget. Here's her guide to 'Glamping' on the cheap...

image source

I absolutely hate these words such as "Glamping" "Bromance" "Jedward" you get the drift...But I just cannot understand this "new fangled thing" called Glamping. To be honest with you it's probably been around for years, seasoned campers have been doing it for years it is just that someone out there decided to give it a silly word.

In my eyes, Glamping is overpriced camping for people who don't like camping. Glamping is those little huts called podpads, you can hire them at festivals for stupid amounts of money. Don't get me wrong, if I could afford it I'd give it a go but for me I like roughing it a bit, I mean isn't that what it's all about? Keeping it simple?

On a set up campsite, they will have excellent facilities meaning that you don't have to go without washing or go to dingy toilets, that is reserved for the domain of the festival however as the years go on facilities do get better.

I camped at Las Palmeras in Tarragona, Spain in 2002, they have fantastic facilities there, the showers and toilets are cleaned twice a day, hell they even clean the beach every morning. I was able to mantain glamour at every opportunity while away and I was just staying in a simple 4 man tent with a borrowed gazebo, with a small camp table, a few chairs and a really basic gas cooker. It was one of the best holidays I have ever had, why? Cos it was simple.

I personally feel with the so called Glamping, it is bringing a very different sort of punter to a festival. Podpads and the like are making it easy for people that don't like camping to do the trendy festival thing, I am not saying it's wrong at all because I think everyone should go to a festival. It is changing the atmosphere of some festivals though,  certain people go cos it's something they want to tick off their to do list, these people are generally the ones that have no idea about festival etiquette, however, I digress...

If you really want to "glamp" then the following are essentials-

1. A tent you can stand up in and that has a big awning, we bought a five man tent and it's brilliant, it's by no means the biggest tent on the market but it's good enough for now.

2. Plastic wine glasses and a box of wine- Mr Festival Fairy and I wandered round Glastonbury with a box of red wine and two plastic wines glasses, I'd like to say we were "glampers" before the word was invented. So many people commented on our glasses.

 3. Babywipes- we have a little one so will have them anyway, but babywipes are just ace, you will feel clean and fresh in seconds and absolute must.

4. Bring ready prepared one pot meals- stuff like bolognaise, chilli and cassarole. Cook up large amounts and portion into those Indian/Chinese takeaway dishes you get and freeze them. On the day you leave pack them, still frozen into your cool box. You then have your first nights meal and a seconds nights meal ready to go, add some rice or pasta and you have a delicious filling meal.

5. Airbeds- I only used an airbed for the last few festivals I went to and it makes such a difference! I suggest getting a battery powered pump, I got one from Argos for a tenner, not only does it pump one up within minutes but it deflates it also.

6. Nikwax your tent- been through that one. It's really worth doing and it doesn't cost much in comparison to a £200 tent.

Thats all I can come up with for now, I am sure others have essentials to add to my list!

Many thanks to the Festival Fairy for all these fabulous tips, what are your festival essentials?

PS. There is one more day to enter the 100 followers giveaway, come and have a look x

Festival Fever: Isle of Wight (1969 & 1970) // Guest Post from Momma Firebird

I'm very excited about today's guest post, it is from someone who has literally known me all my life. So I'm very pleased she agreed to share some her festival memories...

In 1969 the legendary Woodstock festival was held in New York state and is regarded to be one of the pivitol moments in popular music history. But the buds of this blossoming festival fever were not confined to the USA. 

The first Isle of Wight festival was held just eleven days after Woodstock, headlined by Bob Dylan (who missed Woodstock to play on the Isle of Wight instead). The second festival in 1970 had estimated crowds of 600,000. It is said to be one of the largest human gatherings in the world at the time and is one of the defining moments of the UK's music scene. 

Today's guest poster ventured down from her student digs in Manchester to attend both of these festivals on the island. So without further ado, I am very proud to introduce you all to my wonderful Mum....

Thank you Momma, I love you x...

I don’t think you ever remember festivals with your brain. What linger are feelings. Fragments of the days and nights blow around the memory.

Leaving your bedsit laden with what you think you’ll need, feeling as if you are the only person heading to some great adventure; seeing numbers of similarly laden people increase exponentially at each transit change until you form a rag tag river flowing down leafy lanes to the metal perimeter fences. It is always further than you think. You start to appreciate why your mother had this thing about sensible shoes.

It was other-wordly travelling to the Island and not simply because the ferry trip dislocated you from the world you left behind. In ’69, I don’t think the local people fully expected the influx.There was more of a Woodstock spirit. By ’70, they had located the festival in a far off corner and were equipped with small tables laden with over-priced supplies by the sides of the road.


No-one stole from our tent and though there was reported to be disruption in ’70, I didn’t see it. Any sleep happened from dawn til early afternoon, because bands played until the sun came up. Maybe you could grab 20mins between sets unless someone trod on your hair.

I remember Dylan, who seemed curiously alone on stage however many people were around him; the Who – popped up everywhere in those days and they played every last note of Tommy; the Nice (interminable) and Julie Felix, whose voice left clear notes suspended in the air.

I ruined my shoes, which were red ballet affairs with ribbons; discovered skirts are way better than jeans in portaloos and that velvet looks beautiful (my grandmother’s Edwardian coat) but offers little protection from the cold.

1970 I was prepared! Layered clothing is your friend. Apart from making the mistake late Friday night of pitching behind a large marquee which turned out to be the Hawkwind tent and made any sleep impossible for 2 days, I was a seasoned festival goer. Everyone I wanted to see was playing, Doors, Sly Stone, TYA, Joni Mitchell, Free, the Who (a-gain), Joan Baez, Jimi Hendrix.

Made a lot of friends; danced in the moonlight; started a tradition of festival-going, which passed down the line to my children.

The spirit lives on!

(All images sourced via Google images, please let me know if you know who they belong to)

Festival Fever: Vix's Rough Guide to Packing for a Music Festival // Guest Post from Vintage Vixen

In the run up to the great British festival season you'll find a festival fashion feature in most magazines, which is all well and good but do you really want to be one of a hundred other revellers wearing "that" TopShop playsuit or New Look tea dress?

We vintage-loving party animals prefer a wilder, more ecclectic mix of second-hand and customised clobber, after all it's a festival not a fashion show.

Here's what I'm packing for Glastonbury:

1. 1950's mohair blanket for sitting on in the sunshine and wrapping around my shoulders after sunset.

2. Loud 1970's Hawaiian maxi dress so I can be easily located if I get separated from the gang.

3. Vintage St Michael nightdress shortened and pimped up with artificial flowers.

4. Neon petal bikini top (as old as I've been clubbing) for when the temperature soars.

5. 1960's suede jerkin, because hippy chic is always festival friendly.

6. Huge 1970's straw sunhat.

7. Oversized cheapo sunglasses (because wearing designer ones in a field is just silly).

8. Groovy Ganesh necklace and an assortment of huge feather and bead earrings.

9. Indian leather money belt to keep valuables safe in the mosh pit.

10. My favourite 1960's red rubber wellies.

11. 1930's parasol (which can double as an umbrella if it rains).

12. Some cheap and cheerful (and comfy) gladiator sandals.

13. Bum skimming hotpants because if it's raining there's nothing worse than wet fabric stuck against your skin for hours.

14. A huge vintage Indian tote bag, essential for carrying my blanket, waterproofs and woollies.

15. My trusty fake leopard coat waterproofed with tent spray for extra showerproof protection.

16. A handmade floral headband - because outrageous festival headgear is an essential.

17. Stacks of cheap and colourful plastic bangles.

(Everything is from charity shops, jumble sales, car boots or eBay)

If it dares to rain I'll be donning my flamingo cape and hat I made from a second-hand shower curtain using a vintage dressmaking pattern.

I'm off to Glastonbury, CamperJam, The Big Chill and the End Of The Road this year. Do pop over and say hello if you spot us.

Thank you Vix for these brilliant festival wardrobe tips! You can find the gorgeous Vix over at Vintage Vixen xx

Festival Fever

The Festival season is here in the UK. I love a music festival. I love camping, I love the chance to enjoy great live music from morning to night, I love discovering new band, I sharing time with old friends and making new ones.

Festival Fever Fortnight is a little tribute to the wonderful things that are music festivals. For the next two weeks here on the blog there will be tips on where to go, what to take, tales of iconic festivals and of course some great music. I'm taking some uni exams this week so I have some wonderful guests that will be posting.

(Plus I am finally making use of my much neglected Tumblr, so if you want to see my daily outfits on the many days I don't get round to doing a 'proper' outfit posts, you now can here. Isn't modern technology wonderful?)

If there is anything else you would like to see please let me know on here or on the Firebird Facebook page

This year I am just off to the Hop Farm Festival in Kent (we are going to see Prince, so excited) but I am hugely envious of anyone that is going to Glastonbury, Big Chill or Bestival.
Image source

Not made up your mind where to go yet?

• The Festival Calendar has an amazing list of festivals big, small and even free all over the UK.  
• The Guardian have some downloadable festival information.
• E Festivals is another fabulous comprehensive festival resource.
• And Passport Diary has a brilliant Ultimate Festival Checklist.

Which festivals are you off to this year? And what's your favourite or is it not your thing at all? I'd love to know.

And tomorrow things are getting going and getting very stylish with a guest post from the gorgeous Vintage Vixen, please pop back and have a look...

Festival Fever: What's your favourite festival moment?

Music festival season is upon us here in the UK (ha - the rain has started again, which is normally a sign!) and there are few things I like more than listening to live music surrounded by great friends, in the open air.

To get in the mood for the fesitval season (and because I will be taking my summer exams) from next Monday it will be 'Festival Fever' Fortnight here on the blog. I have some brilliant guest posts lined up - full of tips to help you feel and look fabulous and to make the most of your festival experience. Plus lots of other things all festival themed and, of course, music. I'm really looking forward to it and hope you will enjoy it too.

I'm in the middle of putting together a list of 'iconic' and favourite festival moments and I'd love to know what yours are? You might have been there or just seen it on the television, but they could be from any decade or country or any style of music? Classic or controversial welcome too!

So please put them in the comments box below and I'll put them all together and share them over the Festival Fever Fortnight.