BLOC Weekend 2008

Our festival-hopping photographer Matt Cheetham returns from BLOC weekend with another photo diary.

Following in the footsteps of legendary music weekenders such as Deadbeat, ATP and Southport, Bloc - now in its second year - is an electronic music event focused on more underground electronic sounds with a mixed line-up of techno legends and cutting edge artists.

Taking place at Pontins in Hemsby, the event that - as in its previous year - sold out in advance, attracted 2500 music fans mainly from the UK but also from as far away as Europe and the US.  The artists and audience alike all stayed in chalets on the Pontins site.

Stages were set up in two large rooms and a smaller pub venue all connected by central games arcade.  Also on site were other essential services including a shop, cafe, go-kart track, swimming pool and a death-slide.

After everyone had checked into their chalets the music got going, one of the headliners for the weekend was Red Snapper who played their second gig after reforming for the Big Chill last year.

Ninja master Amon Tobin served up an amazing surround set of expertly chopped and cut bits and beats that was definitely one of the best of the weekend.

Techno innovators and originators Underground Resistance played a rare full live show in the main arena further underlining the cutting edge focus of the music programming.

Although Pontins Hemsby probably isn't the kind of place you'd ordinarily choose to spend your holidays, the typical British seaside holiday and all that goes with it does seem to fit well with a weekend of twisted music.

No trip to Pontins is complete without a trip to the seaside, some brave BLOC'ers even made it into the sea!

Fish and chips weren't to everyone's taste on Saturday lunchtime.

And for the loved ones waiting at home a gift from the seaside!

Manchester's Modern Love Records were there with Claro Intellecto and Andy Stott warming up the crowds nicely for Saturday night with their brand of dub influenced techno.

Milanese, one of my highlights of the weekend, smashed the room with their bass heavy set holding the crowd and perfectly setting up the atmosphere for the marathon dubstep session that followed.

After Milanese, the tech bloc arena went dark and deep with a premier UK dubstep line-up featuring Kode 9, Oris Jay, Skream and N-Type.

Kraftwerk's Karl Bartos headlined Saturday night in the main room, a showcase of the old sounds that have influenced the new.

In line with the progression from old to new, techno master Juan Atkins stepped up the pace after Karl Bartos rocking a packed room with a 90 minute DJ set.

Despite the stellar line-up in the three arenas it was the chalets where the real party action took place. Away from the slightly intrusive security in a room that wasn't their own most BLOC-goers partied hard all weekend.

Entertaining parties in chalets all over the site was BLOC TV, a channel broadcast site-wide and programmed by the organisers with a little help from Tartan Films. It alternated between live broadcasts from the arenas and twisted programming, Mr Ts 'Be Somebody' my highlight at 6.30am Sunday morning.

Many of the hardcore staying for the third full day turned up to the arenas in their Sunday best for the final night of partying. 

Warming things up for the final night was Ceephax Acid Kru giving BLOC'ers a taste of the seaside with his slightly twisted techno bingo session.

Further underlining the rapidly rising popularity of dubstep, Planet Mu's Boxcutter rocked it in the pub early Sunday evening, dispelling any ideas of a quiet Sunday night despite the 2am finishing time.

Closing the festival, US acid house pioneers Phuture 303 ripped up Sunday night with a live analogue synth and MPC set that was followed by UK legend A Guy Called Gerald, a showcase of the originators to an audience that mostly wouldn't have experienced them the first time around.

A great festival and definitely one of the best ways to spend a cold weekend in March - it would be hard to find anyone that went who didn't have a good time, for those that missed out make sure you get your tickets early for BLOC 2009!

Published: Wed, 26/03/2008