Bex Hobson reports from Playgroup's debut festival.
“They’re on the Very Hungry Stage, aren’t they?” I ask this casually, not so much a question but more of a musing because the answer is neither here nor there; the stages are so close we can wander over and check without fear of missing a thing. There’s no programme to consult, no need. It’s Friday night at the very first Playgroup Festival and The Correspondents are starting to play...
Three biggish tents, a discreet bar, a fire circle, three food stalls, some weird and wonderful workshops, an indoor cinema and, as far as the eye can see, rolling Sussex countryside jewelled with majestic oaks – oh and about a thousand smiling revellers. Arrogance-free with pretentions left scowling behind stamping their Hunters, the very first Playgroup Festival is warming my soul; it's purging my spirit of the trendy, narcissistic flamboyance that seems to have taken over much of the UK festival scene.
For those that don’t live in Brighton, Playgroup has been putting on legendary nights filled with an eclectic mix of folk, swing, electro – pretty much everything all rolled into one – for the last five years. And so far its first expression as a festival is proving as brilliant as the club nights. Jam packed into the Very Hungry tent is a crowd of about three hundred, all dancing maniacally as they try to keep up with the Correspondents’ front man who climbs all over the stage – one minute up the tent poles the next over the DJ booth – working us up into a frenzy. 
Saturday afternoon and we’re snug in the Never Never Tent; a beautifully ornate structure likely to have started life in Rajasthan and cosy like your front room. We‘ve been settled here for most of the day, watching the rain lash down outside, safe in the comfort of each other and the endless stream of bands delighting us. Between acts Dad’s Disko keeps us entertained: two men and their shameful love of tunes you never knew you loved so much. As the rain clears we decide we need some air and head over out of the perimeters into the perfect countryside, sitting patiently, waiting to be explored. I’ve not known a sense of freedom like this since...I’m not sure when. And there’s no need to rally the troops: we can wander aimlessly, climb trees and attempt horse jumps, (unsuccessfully on my part), to our heart’s delight without fear of losing anyone. Everyone is so close and everyone is your friend.
As we meander back to the site we decide to partake in some giant twister and dare devil challenges to be awarded fake moustaches. Back on the Very Hungry Stage, the rockabilly set-up, Derriere, a fantastic rock and roll five-piece, is taking the Playgroup by storm. Led by a woman whose velvet voice sings of a bygone era you never knew but wished you had, we shake our thing and lindy hop (badly) with one another blissfully. Halfway through and we’re stopping to applaud and congratulate the pizza man who's kept us fed and smiling all weekend long – it’s that kinda place.
Suddenly my friend Sophie starts tugging at my sleeve – there’s an incredible sunset outside and I need to see it! Together we slip out to watch the sky turn from caramel to violet, (Sophie explaining to Derriere that we’re not leaving but just admiring the day’s farewell), and my soul warms some more, content that gatherings of souls and minds, coming together to dance and to love, are still here, are still festivals.
Photos by the incredible Dan J W Austin.
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