Houghton is a special place. We’ve said it time and time again, but that once-a-year weekend fills us with a fulfilment that few other places can attest to. The experience is magical, where music and nature come together in perfect, unadulterated harmony.
Houghton may have been three weeks ago now, but our memories of the festival remain crystal clear. Hopefully our musings do it justice. If you haven’t been already, then we hope you consider doing so.
Parris. Now this man deserves a mention. Earthling was pumping, serious heads down hands up territory. Soundtrack? Thick and fast. Speed garage re-edits of noughties classics hung in the air, big breakdowns followed by drops that caught us off-guard and ill-prepared. Perfect tackle for the early morning hours. Take a look at one chap’s account below. Pure energy.
XDB. Seamlessness was the name of the game. A genuine OG, whose performance showed us what true craftsmanship is all about. Actual minimal, minimal minimal. Kicks hovered in the air like wasps, vibrating, the sound thick and wholesome. We pondered how a sound could make us feel so full up, yet similarly so eager to dance. Perlon classics were aplenty… served up by a master who took few prisoners. Proper music, proper atmosphere.
This is where a special mention has to go to Houghton’s sound engineers. Super crisp sound across stages, responsive to the ebb and flow of each DJ’s musical choices. Perhaps it’s the variety of each stage. Be it Derren Smart, nice and open and fully outdoors. Quarry too, descending the steps into a riotous party every time (Junki Inoue on Saturday afternoon is well-worth a mention).
They’re just a few noteworthy highlights, but it’s hard to do the festival justice through words alone. We wanted this review to feel like a personal account, in the hopes we might best paint a picture of what Houghton’s really about. Exploration and openness, waxing and waning, flowing from experience to experience with eagerness, excitement and a cheerful grin throughout.
To surmise? Houghton 2024 can’t come soon enough.
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Photo Credit: Khroma Collective.
Houghton 2024 will be taking place at Houghton Hall, Kings Lynn from the 8th – 11th of August 2024. Tickets will be available here via the Houghton Festival website.