Music
Festival Report: T in the Park 2014
This summer marks T in the Park’s 21st birthday and the final T that will be held at its spiritual home – Balado Airfield in Kinross.
I go to my fair share of festivals; this is my eighth so far this summer and my fifth T in the Park overall. And I truly believe that there really is something special that sets T apart from all other festivals.
T facts:
- Whilst T is on it matches the fifth largest town in Scotland in population, with approximately 85,000 people on site per day.
- T in the Park is one of only two UK festivals that has a stage dedicated to promoting local talent – the T Break Stage & the Ceilidh Tent.
- As Tennents lager is the official sponsor (hence the ‘T’) they make sure that all beer sold at the festival is brewed just 36 hours before the festival and then shipped the 44 miles to site from the Tennents Brewery in Glasgow.
- About 55% of the crowd are Scottish, with a large number of Scandinavians also making the trip across the North Sea to experience the festival.
Thursday – taps aff? Aye!
The madness starts at the crack of dawn and only as midnight approaches does the flow of people start to slow down. There are hundreds of people arriving, staggering under the weight of their weekend supplies, all eager to get their tents set up and get the party started. It’s boiling hot amd beers are flowing in ample supply.
T in the Park 2014 is going to be a good ‘en!
Friday – taps aff? Aye!
If it’s one thing I’ve learnt about T, it’s that the crowd truly supports their home grown acts and today’s bill has two hugely popular Scottish bands.
Up first are Chvrches, who have their origins in Glasgow. They receive a deafening greeting from the crowd who are crammed into every inch of space in King Tut’s Tent. When they sing Recover you can’t spot anybody who isn’t singing along.
To finish the night Biffy Clyro headline the Main Stage and the entire festival seems to have turned out to see them. Biffy do not disappoint – their set is absolutely electrifying from start to finish. The perfect way to end day one.
Saturday – taps aff? Nae Borra!
Day two brings a ridiculous amount of rain – which does nothing to dampen the spirit of the punters .
Calvin Harris is joined on stage by Will Smith; Soul II Soul raise the roof of King Tut’s tent; Paolo Nutini provides the crowd with an unforgettable set; and The 1975 make their mark on the Radio 1 Stage.
Twin Atlantic play the Main Stage and are always a T favourite. If someone loses their ticket over the weekend you can almost guarantee it happened whilst they were leaping up and down to Make A Beast of Myself – and this year is no exception
Sunday – taps aff? Aye!
The last day, and the final festival day at Balado. It’s an emotional day for many people who have spent the last 17 summers on this airstrip.
Today boasts another incredible set of artists, and Kerri Chandler does an epic deep house set in the Slam Tent, which perfectly suits this sunny Sunday afternoon.
The sun is shining and many people are just taking the time to soak up the atmosphere. The whole festival seems to be in a haze of contentment.
Arctic Monkeys do a great job of closing the festival and as the Main Stage starts to quieten the sky lights up for the final Balado firework show.
Another wonderful year for T in the Park.
Bye Bye Balado—it’s been a pleasure.
