A Discography of SW4

The South West Four Festival fell on the first weekend of my program here in London but once I saw the line-up of DJs, there was no question that I was going. I wasn’t the only one that wanted to partake in two days of electronic, trance and drum&bass musical bliss. Two other boys in my program had also bought tickets. At first, I was a bit nervous about going with people that I have never seen or talked to prior to the festival. My fears soon dispersed once we met up because, like me, they were just as excited to hear and dance to the music that was ahead.

Once inside the festival we were hit with one huge obstacle, mud. All of the event’s grounds were covered in ankle deep mud. I had not taken into account that it had been raining quite a lot in the days prior to the festival. Luckily, I was wearing a good pair of boots, but others at the festival weren’t so lucky. Eventually I saw more and more people ditching their strappy sandals stuck in the mud and simply going bare foot.

The boys and I went from stage to stage and explored more of the attractions in the venue. The most impressive addition, I thought, being the amusement park ride in the center. South West Four had a carnival or almost circus theme to it, which one could particularly notice from the three smaller stages. Each stage had its own abstract balloon-like sculptures that were illuminated with different colors draping from the ceiling. The stages were also lined by their own set of lighting and smoke machines.

Once a DJ arrived on stage, the crowd would go wild. Even if I didn’t always know the artist, it was easy to loose myself in the sound. The enthusiasm and energy from the people in this close-knit space was not only fun but also reassuring. These tents were great for making friends with the people around you. In fact, we met a group of people from Wales that we ended up hanging out with for most of the day.

The third and largest stage was not under a tent it was in a wide-open area. The massive stage was flanked by huge monitors that would reflect the performance on stage. One of the reasons I had to go to this festival was because the headliner, Pendulum was performing and it would be their last show until 2013. I had to get a good place in the crowd as close as I could get to the stage. Pendulum was the last performer of the last day of the festival and when they appeared out from backstage, I went into a frenzy. Even though I was tired from two days of dancing, their music made me feel so alive. The bass that I felt from being right next to one of the speakers might have helped as well.

We shared our first weekend together and I didn’t realize how quickly these extraordinary moments would bond us all together. I am happy that I went to this festival, it definitely set the bar high for the rest of the quarter.

Elena Lozano
UCSC