It’s only two weeks until Butlins’ Minehead re-opens its doors to welcome back one of the most highly anticipated festivals in electronic music.
You may know Bloc for several reasons. If you’ve been anywhere near London in the past year, chances are you’ll know Bloc for their revered parties at Autumn Yard, which have featured the likes of Omar S, Carl Craig, Shed, and Shackleton, amongst some of the finest in house and techno. If you’re into your twenties, you may have attended Bloc’s festivals at Pontins and Butlins circa 2007-11. More likely, if you were (un)fortunate enough to have heard of Bloc in 2012, you’ll remember the utopian promise for their re-brand festival at London Pleasure Gardens on the Royal Victoria Dock.
“Bloc was clearly born out of a deep love for music”
Never had there been such unadulterated excitement for an event: every DJ was talking about it, Snoop Dogg was playing at it, the M.S. Stubnitz – a gigantic ex-fishing ship – promised to become the ultimate party setting. The promotion was perfect. Everything was done with style and simplicity to monumental effect. The elusive and intriguing video of the docklands illuminated by the word, ‘Bloc.’, distorting in response to the music, still sticks in my head now. The Bloc-branded DJ mixes, interviews and features all worked to create a buzz of anticipation which has been unmatched by any other UK festival. Everyone was backing Bloc, wondering why nothing like this had ever happened in London before. Then it all went wrong. Boddika was tearing up the Stubnitz, and then, over the staccatos of Mercy VIP, M.C. Chunky’s voice: “what? really?… fucking hell…”, before announcing, “the police are shutting the party down”. The crowd were advised to exit the festival in a calm and orderly fashion. By 1am on Saturday, the two-day festival had been shut down.
Speculation as to what happened spread like chinese whispers, but in reality the Bloc team, together with the police, decided to close the festival on safety grounds. Absence of crowd control, hour-long queues, ticket scanner malfunctions, duped tickets – just about everything that could have possibly gone wrong, did. A comment on Bloc’s Facebook page outlined the severity of the situation:
“People were terrified. People being swept, crushed and many of our group left in tears having truly feared for their lives. Strangers trying keep each other from falling and being trampled. No jokes, no sensationalism. Serious shit.” No doubt an exaggeration, but serious shit nonetheless.
Saturday ticket-holders were told the festival would not re-open, Friday attendees trudged home. DJs and festival-goers alike were left with a feeling of huge disappointment.
The artists billed to play were quick to respond, pulling together to arrange free parties across London for anyone with a ticket. I ended up at Peckham Palais watching Actress, Martyn and Jacques Greene. The support of promoters, organisers, DJs, labels and friends did not cease despite the outcome, because Bloc was not like other profit-driven festivals; it was clearly born out of a deep love for music and the desire to attempt something that had never been done before.
Bloc issued several announcements, obviously devastated with the outcome of the dream they had envisaged. Eventually their law firm released a statement: Bloc was under administration.
But Bloc brought it back – they rebuilt their brand, they re-earned artist’s support and, more importantly, regained their fan base. This year marks the re-establishment of Bloc as a festival, once again returning to Butlins in Minehead, an hour and a half outside of Bristol. Bloc promises to make up for it’s 2012 hiccup – now faded into the back of our minds, and replaced by fonder memories at Autumn Yard – and bring its best festival yet. Already voted #1 festival of the month by Resident Advisor, Bloc is pulling out all the stops to ensure its success.
“A veritable orgy of amazing electronic music”
First of all – Butlins. Ordinarily not the most luxurious of holidays, but look at it as a festival backdrop and you’d be pushed to find anything more luxurious that doesn’t involve a whopping VIP price-tag. Forget the London Docklands, abandoned buildings and the Stubnitz; Butlins means chalets, it means a clean bed (that’s right – one with a mattress), showers, fresh towels, a good-old-fashioned plug socket to charge your phone in – all the home comforts you long for in your mud-sodden tent at Glastonbury. It means a swimming pool, restaurants and real coffee in the morning. And let’s be honest, who couldn’t use a March mini-break?
But above all – and you shouldn’t need anything else to sell it to you – is the music. Despite the eventful last few years, Bloc’s ethos has always remained the same, and is a dedication to the best in electronic music. Just as Blocs of the past evoked excitement in every house and techno enthusiast, so has the promise of this year’s stellar lineup. The festival boasts performances from Autechre, Carl Craig, Jeff Mills, Moodymann, ESG, Levon Vincent, and, well – see the poster. Resident Advisor has called it ‘a veritable orgy of amazing electronic music’ and that’s just what its set to be. The only thing wrong with this year’s lineup is its magnitude – how will we choose which acts to see?
Stages will be hosted by the likes of Ostgut Ton, featuring an ever-exciting b2b set from Berghain’s finest Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmann, FACT and Hessle Audio to name a few. The Vagabondz takeover – sound familiar? – invites Leeds veteran Ben UFO for an exclusive Jungle set, coinciding with the dress-up theme for Sunday – ‘jungle is massive’. Live performances from Jon Hopkins and Function are not to be missed. Bloc is back – and we can’t wait.
[Harriet Shepherd]