The much-loved family festival, situated in the heart of the Hampshire countryside kick started on Thursday the 3rd of July.
Although music didn’t begin until the afternoon, campers began arriving from around midday to secure their spots. The many food and clothing stalls were open for festival-goers to peruse before the evening’s entertainment began.
The main focus on the festival’s opening night was on ‘The Hustle Den’ stage where the winners of the ‘Road to Blissfields’ battle of the bands competition performed.
Erika performing in the Hustle Den – photo from Blissfields Facebook page
With around 1,000 entries to the competition, six acts were selected to represent local towns on the night. I particularly enjoyed performances from indie rock band Brother Goose, Guildford’s Erika and Southsea-based seven-piece group The B of the Bang who got the crowd dancing along for the duration of their set. Blending a broad range of instruments including a keyboard and guitars, their eclectic sound was the perfect way to start the evening’s party.
Thursday night headliners Dub Pistols made a welcome return to the festival after playing in both 2012 and 2013. The Hustle Den filled to capacity for their performance with revellers spilling out from the tent onto the surrounding fields. With their cheeky lyrics and genre-defying sound, combining ska
Dub Pistols performance. Photo from Blissfields Facebook page.
with hip-hop influences, Dub Pistols’ performance was all about having fun. They engaged with the crowd and it was clear they were truly enjoying their time onstage.
Following the headline act, it was time to head to the smaller areas to enjoy music later into the night. For disco lovers, the Blisscotheque was the perfect location with DJs including Matty Lah and Fauxlo keeping the crowds dancing. Also popular with revellers was the much loved Hidden Hedge area, with music continuing past 2am. The eerie area was decked out with all kinds of creepy decor and really came into its own past nightfall with glow-in-the-dark lanterns, and animated projections. Southampton-based DJ Dan Munro was on hand in the Hidden Hedge to provide house and techno mixes to keep the party going.
