Houghton is a festival but it was born out of club culture so it has a slightly different feel to it. As it is created and curated by Craig Richards of Fabric fame it is dj driven which means that even though it is outdoors and in the middle of a countryside it still has this vibe like you are deep in the heart of clubland.
The warehouse feels exactly like a umm warehouse and you could very easily forgive yourself for thinking you were in some rave on the outskirts of East London. And that is no accident. This is immersive fantasy clubbing at its best. And you won’t need an uber to get you out of here either. Just a short stroll back to your tent, not that you will ever want to go there because Houghton never stops. So why should you?
Tantrum is another stage at Houghton which despite being a large open tent also feels like a club. The man you can see at the decks through the mist is Craig Richards himself. You might notice over the course of these shots this week that I have not taken hardly any of the djs. It’s just because I always get locked into the crowd and I believe the story is better told in showing the effect their music generates rather than a shot of them staring down at the decks.
And finally here are some shots from the Quarry which is a huge open umm quarry and is basically a massive rave all in its own right. The quarry is the only place you have to queue up to get into on site and there is always a large line of people itching to get in. I was able to skip to the front thanks to my trusty press pass. The queue might be a drag but it does add to the excitement and once through the gates everyone is doubley delighted to make it into this very large raver’s playground and as it goes on right through the night you can lose a bit of time in line and no biggie.
Tomorrow..milling about at Houghton.