54MASTHEAD

EDITORS LETTER

The last of the

summer rays have died

behind a chilly

November sky and, as

the Coca Cola

advert turns up on our

screens again, we look

forward to the

holidays.

Christmas is all about

the new and this is-

sue of Notion magazine

has plenty of that

to offer. We‘ve been

very busy hunting out

the best new talent,

new music and the new

trends, of 2012. So,

make sure you don’t

miss out on our

intimate photo shoot

with an up and coming,

gorgeous hunk, who

every girl will want

to date and every guy

will want to be.

But we know it’s not

all fun and games when

it comes to

family get-togethers

and expanding

waistlines. So we’ve

also provided a bit of

summer memory to dwell

on through the coming

icy months...

Remember when it was

warm enough to sleep outside for the

weekend? We take a

look at next years top

festivals

to remind us that

winter doesn’t last

forever.

It’ll soon be time to

write to the fat old

man who’ll be coming

down your chimney. Our

list currently

reads- Caggie’s mink

coat from that first

episode and a personal

Ed Sheeran to sing us

to sleep every night...

So put on your woolly

hats and mittens with

a mug of cocoa by the

fire and settle down to

another great issue.

MASTHEADFOUNDER & BRAND LEADER / BILL HBill@Musichqmedia.Com

EDITOR / HAZEL KIDDHazel.k@Musichqmedia.Com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR / HIDDEN AGENCYLiam@Hidden-Agency.Com

FASHION DIRECTOR / ALEXIS KNOXAlexis@Musichmedia.Com

STAFF WRITER / SEBASTIAN LAWSeb@Musicqmedia.Com

FILM EDITOR / MATT HARVEYMatth@Musicqmedia.Com

EDITORIAL INTERNS / STEPH MORRISintern@Musicqmedia.Com

ONLINE EDITOR / SEB LAWSeb@Musicqmedia.Com

INTERACTIVE DIRECTOR / OLLY WETZIGOlly@Musicqmedia.Com

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR / SALLY KNIGHTSally@Musicqmedia.Com

ACCOUNTS MANAGER / JEZ AHMETJez@Musichqmedia.Com

NOTION IS PUBLISHED BY MUSIC HQ MEDIA

NOTION

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NOTION IS PUBLISHED BY MUSIC HQ MEDIA LTD, NO PART OF THIS MAGAZINE MAY BE REPRODUCED, STORED IN RETRIEVAL STYSTEM OR RESOLD WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE PUBLISHER, NO-TION RECOGNISES ALL COPRIGHTS CONTAINED IN THIS ISSUE.

THANKSTobias Brand / LanaDel Rey / Emily @Urban Outfitters /Kathryn Duncan / Jayne Carmichael / Heather Kidd / James Littleton / Rachael Brown / The lovely Tessa Whitwell / TheBrain Box..

STEPH MORRISWRITER & INTERNMOST LIKELY TO BE CARRYING AN INNOCENT SMOOTHIE, HER BOLD BB OR HER SHINY NEW MULBERRY HANDBAG, THIS ENGLISH GRAD IS NOTIONS FRESHEST TALENT. SHES A PARTY ANIMAL WITH A DRIVE LIKE NO OTHER. HER FAVOURITE HOBBIES ARE PEOPLE WATCHING IN TOWN AND INDEPTH FACEBOOK STALKING. IF SHE COULD HAVE A YEARS SUPPLY OF ANYTHING IT WOULD BE PIZZA EXPRESS DOUGHBALLS BECAUSE HEY ARE “LUSH, NO?”

ANDREW TRIGGSPR & ADVERTISINGKNOWN AS “TRIGGER” - AND A BIT OF A LADIES MAN - THIS PR KING KNOWS HIS STUFF ABOUT THE CONTEMPORARY MUSIC INDUSTRY. IF HES NOT STRUMMING HIS GUITAR, HES OUT ON HIS BMX SHOWING UP THE BOYS IN PARK. UNFORTUNATELY HE ALREADY KNOWS HOW COOL HE LOOKS WHEN HE WEARS THAT BARBOUR JACKET AND WOOLY HAT.. OTHERWISE HE WOULD BE FINDING OUT RIGHT ABOUT NOW.

TESSA WHITWELLGRAPHICS WITH THREE DEGREES UNDER HER BELT, THIS LITTLE GRAPHICS GEM FINALLY DECIDED TO SETTLE DOWN IN NOTION’S DESIGN DEPARTMENT. AND EVEN AFTER TWO YEARS, SHE IS STILL LIGHTENING UP OUR DAYS WITH HER ENTHUSIASTIC ATTI-TUDE AND VERY DELICIOUS HOME BAKING. HARRY POTTER OBSESSED TESSA NEVER FAILS TO CHEER PEOPLE UP. WHETHER ITS WITH HER REALISTIC YET EMBARRASSING CHARACTERTURES OR HER NOTORIOUSLY PERFECT BLUEBERRY MUFFINS! EITHER WAY WE THANK HER FOR HER CONTRIBUTION AT NOTION AS THE “MOTHER”.

Rock Stars, Pop Stars and Divas

Gypsies, giant pigs, mermaids and burlesque dancers, swaying in the moonlight to the sounds of The Cure... Sounds a bit like a lightheaded day dream. But this year I accepted this strange reality, and entered the fantasy world of the Isle

of Wight’s greatest festival, Bestival.

Radio 1 DJ, Rob Da Bank had a

vision of how a

contemporary music festival

should be. In September 2004

his vision became reality,

with the beginning of

Bestival. With help from his

wife Josie Da Bank, who is

also Bestival’s creative

director, it has become not

only a celebration of music

and a big party, but also an

adventure which encourages

genuine peace and love to an

audience of all ages.

Consequently, it was voted

the UK’s “Favourite Festival”

of 2011 by the British

public. But what makes it so

superior to the legendary

Glastonbury or Connect

Festival? It is the

surroundings in Robin Hill

Country Park on the Isle of

Wight. It’s the gigantic

tulips that line the paths

making you feel like an

intoxicated ant. But, mostly,

it’s the electrical

atmosphere. And even at £170

a ticket, it was undoubtedly

one the most magical places I

have ever been to.

We reached Lymington - a

place where every house is

your dream house- and the sun

burst from the clouds of a

previously, wintery sky.

Immediately we could feel the

excitement bouncing off the

brightly coloured wellington

boots and ridiculously huge

rucksacks. The cliché

festival crowds surged onto

the ferry with a mutual

eagerness to taste their first

alcoholic beverage of the

day... or in some cases, fifth

or sixth. It is only when you

arrive at Bestival, slightly

pale faced after the jerky

ferry crossing and the sweaty

congested bus, with a chaotic

buzz of people trying

to pitch their tents, that

you remember it’s not all fun

and games. This is real, dirty

camping, with the hideous

possibility of cold nights,

portable toilets and frizzy

hair! Nevertheless camping is

the recommended

festival-goer’s way to sleep

(that is if you choose to

sleep) and also the best

sociable experience. After

four nights sleeping with

your head resting on a bag of

mouldy bread and your feet

in the bottom of your soggy

sleeping bag, everyone stinks,

and no one cares. It’s a

fantastic way to help you

realise the luxuries you take

for granted and enjoy real

freedom from your material

lives. However, for those few

unconvinced, there is also

the option of bringing your

own home comforts in a

campervan or staying in a

hired out ‘Yurt, Squirt, or

Cloudhouse’ – which are

charmingly cosy, fairytale

BESTIVAL

TEXT: Hazel KiddPHOTOGRAPHY: Hazel Kidd

{ }Gigantic tulips that line the paths making

you feel like an intoxicated ant.

structures which sleep 2-9

people. These attractive

residences also can come

furnished, but at a shocking

price which varies from £400

- £1500. Similarly you can

also rent out ‘Eve’s Tipis’

for a slightly cheaper price.

But don’t make the mistake of

thinking bed time is when it

gets dark... When the sun has

gone down behind the Robin

Hill Mountains and the lights

illuminate the sky – the fun

begins. On the first evening

the ‘line up’ is unwritten, so

we ended up in the ‘Bollywood’

tent, dizzily spinning round

in circles in time with the

kaleidoscope ceiling. Beside

us, a woman dressed in tartan

sang along to an unusual mix

of country and techno music on

a fierily lit stage. This is

when we began to realise we

had been entranced. In this

bizarre world - the only way

forward is to relax and let

the creators of Bestival show

you what they’re good at.

Bestival’s 2011 line up

presented a mass of talent:

Bjork, Robyn, Magnetic Man,

Chromeo, Public Enemy, Kelis,

Katy B were a few of the

incredible musicians. There

were so many, in fact, that

the performing times kept

clashing and we were torn

between which acts we would

like to see most. On the

second evening, we climbed up

a slope to reach ‘Tomorrow’s

World’ – an area where you

sit on the grass and listen

to tranquil music played live

from a Bandstand. It was here

that I first heard the voice

of Lucy Rose – a 22 year old

singer/song writer from

Warwickshire. We sat just

metres in front of the stage

and listened to the artist’s

husky voice as if she was

whispering in our ears. It is

the contrast between that

intimacy you feel whilst

relaxing beside the Bandstand,

and the electrifying energy

you get when you’re part of

the crowds at the Main Stage

which makes Bestival so

mind-blowing. There were so

many moments like this during

the weekend- where we realised

where we were and who we were

and that this was reality.

As the weekend progressed it

became more and more

ordinary to walk past a

hung-over Elvis Presley

munching on his mid day

breakfast. Equally, it was

normal to move out of the way

for Alice and the Mad

Hatter as they floated past us

on metre high stilts, just as

we were trying to position

ourselves near the main stage

to watch The Village People.

The ambience around the

festival changed from excited

to chilled, but the mood of

the people stayed the

same- just so happy to be

a part of it. In a crowded

disco tent on the Saturday

night a guy was knocked to

the ground- he was

immediately lifted up by a

dozen dancing Smurfs- boys

who only a moment before I

would have assumed to be too

absorbed in their own good

time. Rob Da Bank has

created what no other

festival has seen before,

thousands of hammered Brits

who actually care.

Following a girl dressed in a

black cat suit and gold

hunter wellies, we entered

the Playstation 3 tent,

‘Cocktails and Dreams’. In

through the gazebo porch,

we reached palm trees, deck

chairs, hanging lanterns,

sparkling parasols and

Abercrombie staff. The

Playstation 3 tent was there

to promote its latest editions

of the Playstation games

Singstar and Dancestar by

encouraging anyone to

exhibit their talents. Under

the bright blue sky (thanks to

the retractable roof) there

was a stage for the

performers and a screen

behind it playing the

Playstation game just as it

would be if you bought it and

played at home. The

concept around the branding

was spot-on. I could have sat

in there for hours sipping

cocktails and listening to

others humiliating themselves

as they destroyed Wonderwall

and Buddy Holly.

Saturday is the day you don

your outrageous wig, smear

on your neon lipstick and

climb into clothing that your

friends will compliment, but

also wonder what on earth

possessed you to wear it in

public. This year’s fancy

dress theme was Rock Stars,

Pop Stars and Divas which,

according to Rob Da Bank

should have “given

everyone enough ideas to

really let rip with some

outrageous, weird and

downright flamboyant

outfits.” Besides, there is a

tent called ‘The Dressing up

Box’ which offers to help you

get dolled up, so there is no

excuse, even for those who

claim to have not been sucked

in by the festival’s

‘no-one-cares’ attitude. In

the early afternoon, Bestival

holds its‘Fancy Dress Parade’

BESTIVAL

{ }We ended up in the ‘Bollywood’ tent,

dizzily spinning round in circles in time with

the kaleidoscope ceiling.

with floats that elegantly

pick up people as they move,

and are tightly followed by a

spectacular Marching Band. On

top of all this, there is a

notorious catwalk beside the

‘Bollywood’ tent with

competitions including ‘most

fantastic individual’, ‘most

fantastic homemade creation’

and ‘most fantastic pants’!

Despite the outlandish nature

of Bestival, it is also very

well respected and known for

its ‘Keep it Green’ beliefs.

For example if you collected

a full(ish) bin bag of

rubbish and handed it in to

your local campsite ‘hub’ you

would be given a free cup of

tea. Similarly, if you

collected the beer cups and

cans that sold in the main

arena and handed them in, you

would receive 10p for each.

It was not unusual to watch

somebody hand in 370 cups,and

collect their generous

reward. ‘Keep it Green’ also

supports an eco friendly

project by offering festival

goers a chance to charge their

phones for free via solar and

pedal power. And, of course,

Bestival involves charities

such as Oxfam, Amnesty

International, Breast Cancer

Campaign and The Eden Project

by helping them raise money

and awareness from a variety

of tents, booths and working

stewards. With tickets sold

out, this year, in record time

and partners including All

Saints, Benefit, Converse and

Replay, Bestival is growing

increasingly popular. The

prospect of a weekend with

giant caterpillars, wishing

trees, an ambient forest, a

roller disco and the

psychedelic worm at your

disposal, might not sound

like your idea of ‘fun’, but

it’s an opportunity far too

extraordinary to miss out on.

Believe me when I say, this

festival is unlike any other.

BESTIVAL

}{ Giant caterpillars, wishing trees, an

ambient forest, a roller disco and a psychedelic worm at your disposal