The Big Chill didn't let us down when it came to crowd pictures - if you are in amongst this lot, and want a copy of the photo, please contact us and let us know so we can email one over to you.

The Big Chill Overview
We were lucky enough to be invited to The Big Chill this year, it was our first visit to this event and we were really surprised and taken aback by what we found at this event. Once you arrive at Eastnor Castle, get your wristbands attached and take the long walk to the fun and frolics you'll suddenly find yourself in a totally different world, a world where you can do and experience all manner of things and even chill out by a lake which is beautifully lit up at night! This is a world full of laid back Big Chillers and it's quite an experience - you can see and feel the everyday stresses dissipating and disappearing as you relax into this world engulfing your whole self and merging with the blissed out atmosphere - a remarkably relaxed vibe leaving you ready to party the weekend away in style.

The Big Chill simply gets under your skin; it's a real delight and you find yourself smiling and relaxing a lot. There are surprises around every corner, and the inclusion of the Sunrise Celebration this year gave the whole thing a new buzz as festival goers were able to experience and incorporate the Sunrise vibe. The amalgamation worked with and enhanced the Big Chill festival, proving that it certainly has a lot of room to grow and expand if it wants to.

The eclectic nature of the entertainment on offer at the Big Chill meant that you had to make some tough choices, yet whichever choice you made it didn't seem that you could go wrong, the performers were clearly having as good a time as festival goers - always a sign of a festival that has an added something special. There were many treats in store over the whole weekend and many new, exciting and different acts to check out, so much so that we were exhausted just thinking about how much we wanted to cover, but it didn't really matter all that much because we were entertained the whole weekend by amazing performances, a beautiful site and a really cool festival crowd.

The Mighty Boosh
The eagerly anticipated Mighty Boosh have received a number of criticisms in the press about their festival performances so we were eager to see just how they would go down with a festival crowd. What we witnessed were hordes of Big Chillers (most of the festival it seemed like) flocking to the open air stage well in advance of the Boosh kick off, looking to ensure they had a good place for this one. The Boosh crew didn't disappoint, they put in a great performance and could do no wrong with the Big Chill crowd joining in with gusto to all the expected Boosh madness including the Eels song and "I did a shit on your mum". The set left the crowd begging for more - so can the Boosh cut it at a festival? Hell yes - we think they are ideal for a festival and the crowd were more than up for it. The Mighty Boosh was a great choice from the Big Chill organisers - madness and mayhem - everything that we love them for.

Leonard Cohen
Speaking of top choices, how insightful was it to book the legendary Leonard Cohen? There was an almighty buzz around the festival all weekend with a really diverse range of festival goers working themselves up into a frenzy of anticipation at the opportunity to experience the master at work, and when the time actually came Leonard Cohen attracted the biggest festival crowd for an emotional set that simply sent goose bumps down the spine and a tear to the eye. The master was on fine form and this was a Big Chill moment to rival anything that Glastonbury has to offer - for all too short a time the festival was transported to another time and place - one that we would all happily have stayed at forever.

Roisin Murphy
Roisin Murphy's set included all you could expect from an entertainer of this calibre including a full on version of Overpowered. Quick outfit changes throughout the set kept the interest peaked as she fell to the ground one minute and was straight back up looking different the next. Roisin really lets herself get taken along by the performance, and springs a number of surprises on her band, and probably herself, from wrestling her guitarist to the floor to wearing an odd circular contraption over her face. She is one hell of an entertainer and a quality singer with a unique voice - there's no mistaking the Murphy effect and when she finishes the set with Bang Bang and has a big fight (fake!) with her backing singers you know you've got more than had your money's worth with this gig.

Thievery Corporation
Other stunning festival performances that rocked the Big Chill came from Thievery Corporation who pulled off a headline set that was as exciting as it was visual and must have brought them a whole new set of fans with their compelling and adventurous set. This band have devised and defined a whole new genre of electronic music and their ability to connect with the audience using their adventurous performance complete with belly dancer, guest vocalists and exotic music and visuals was a real festival treat, if you're lucky enough to get the chance to see Thievery Corporation live go for it.

Bill Bailey
The one area where The Big Chill got it a bit wrong was with the placing of the one and only Bill Bailey in the comedy tent. NO NO NO, everybody wanted a piece of the Bailey and most of the Big Chill crowd were making their way to the set - only to find that they couldn't get anywhere near! All was not lost as Big Chill organisers quickly routed the set through the radio system so that all of us who couldn't get near could at least hear the set. Bailey put on a brilliant comedy set, including his song about a self-harming Starbucks employee ... the man couldn't (and didn't) put a foot wrong.
 
Camille
A big surprise festival hit came from the whirling dervish otherwise known as Camille, who we hadn't experienced prior to the Big Chill. Camille had the Big Chill enthralled with her unique brand of experimental music and entertainment that easily crosses genres, reaching out and grabbing you by the throat this woman has that indefinable quality not possessed by many. Already huge in France and rapidly making big waves on the international market Camille is an experience not to be missed, thrilling, exciting, captivating, shocking and raucous yet with a certain vulnerability Camille is already a star set to become a superstar.

Jilted John
John Shuttleworth AKA Jilted John drew a big and very appreciative crowd on the Sunday, everybody knew every word to 'Gordon Is A Moron' and helped him out when he forgot some of the words - the new single about Kiera Knightly might just be another Jilted John classic.

Lykke Li
Rapidly gaining quite a reputation is one Lykke Li who's made a few waves with her recent album; an appreciative crowd cemented the thought that one Lykke Li is someone you're going to be hearing a whole lot more about soon.

Buzzcocks
Did exactly what you'd expect them to do with panache and finishing with Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've) was great and yet another example of the eclectic nature of this festival - they were up against some tough competition too.

The Imagined Village
Whilst sadly lacking Billy Bragg this time, the Imagined Village was guaranteed to be a winner, these veteran festival performances are honed to perfection, and even a stray pigeon fluttered in and joined them on set.

African Head Charge
A perfect fit for the Big Chill as the masters turned out a fabulous set whilst the Big Chill T (Big T for Tibet) happened in the background behind the stage, fluid and confident African Head Charge were on top form and played to an ecstatic crowd who just simply 'got it'.

There were a lot of tough decisions to be made at the Big Chill as you just couldn't be everywhere at once, and while you may well be loving what you're seeing you just know that elsewhere there's some really good stuff going on ... like Trentmøller on the Open Air stage . Decisions, decisions, but hey, if that's the most difficult thing you've got to do all weekend, then it's a good weekend.

Other quality performances were everywhere at The Big Chill from Martha Wainwright, Beth Orton, Mr Scruff and Panama International to Múm, The Bays, Gong Gong and Esau Mwamwaya among many, many others. We got to interview Mr Scruff and he's not only a really nice guy but he's also an interesting and switched on chappie, Mr Scruff delights the audience with his set and an impressive array of comedy visuals flashing up on the screen.

It's fair to say that The Big Chill is a bit difficult to find as it's simply not signposted as well as other festivals, so you may arrive just a tiny bit stressed having driven around the beautiful countryside for a while wondering if you got the right weekend. We saw no travel chaos at all which may have been luck, but we have not heard of any complaints. The setting really is beautiful, the site is well laid out, the inclusion of Sunrise Celebration and the plethora of other things going on around the site meant that there was no opportunity to get bored. The whole festival within a festival vibe was an ultra-chilled affair, a great place for relaxing by the peace circle fire and watching a very diverse range of festival goers chilling out with a cup of chai, with the sound of bongos in the background.

This is one festival that we highly recommend and has certainly crept onto our 'favourite festival' list. If you didn't get to this one you missed a real treat, the atmosphere, the site, the people and the entertainment shouts 'I am a festival as festivals should be' made possible by some great organisation, a willingness to take risks and a determination to be the best they can be. All this of course is made possible by the festival crowd - eclectic, diverse, friendly and out to leave their worries behind and escape for a weekend of magic - and that's what they made and what they got.

On all levels this is a festival that works, a festival that has earned its place and a festival that should be in your list of festivals to visit - can the Big Chill get any better? Well - they've improved and changed year on year - we look forward to what 2009 might bring - but we're absolutely sure that it will be better than good.