DWG at Marisco!

With the plan set in motion (plus a few additional treats in store, such as the limited-to-100 pressing of the 12” show vinyl of DWG7007), it was time to start letting people know what was coming. First up, our faithful friends on the DWG forum needed to know, followed swiftly by the Facebook page fans and Twitter followers.

We knew that it wasn’t going to be that easy for most people to come and join in due to logistics: we knew it’d be mostly UK people coming, but even then, Devon isn’t the easiest place to trek to, especially on a Friday night in June. We had no idea whether there’d be just the three of us or if a few other souls would come along too. Add to the fact that we’d decided to camp locally rather than outlay cash we didn’t have on hotel rooms, and you could say that the odds were stacked against us! As our Fat Lace affiliate Drew Huge wisely said, ‘Fuck a tent’.

Spending money we didn’t have on getting vinyl pressed, we then added the new DWG tees into the pot, hoping that they’d sell and help us cover some of the fees and expenses that were mounting up. As the weeks drew on, we were spending more and more time preparing artwork, rolling out the online marketing campaign and handling incoming orders. Busy wasn’t the word.

We knew that if everything went to plan it’d be a great event, but we still wondered if the heads would come...

The campsite was about as basic as it gets, but with functioning toilets and showers rather than chemical buckets and hosepipes. Whilst most of us would’ve been happy to decorate the local woodland with human waste, with at least one female due to attend, we figured that basic facilities were going to be a requirement. But as far as amenities went, that’s it. You turned up, paid a tenner and set your tent up in a field. None of this pre-fabricated gourmet ‘glamping’ nonsense. Bleurgh.

This particular site was chosen due to the fact it’s one of only a few places that allow open fires. A camping trip without a fire is pointless – once the daylight’s gone, there’s nothing to do if there’s no fire to stand and drink around.

Arrival started at 1.30pm on the Thursday afternoon – the day before the gig. Pulling up to torrential rain and high winds had us retreating to the nearest pub for a couple of hours wondering what the hell we were doing. Who goes camping in weather like this?

However, after a couple of pints and a break in the rain for 20 minutes, we made it back to the site and got the tent up. As we finished, Rare Dave and Pete (The Disc Eater) arrived, followed swiftly by Soul Safari (AKA Monkey Harris). By the early evening, we were about 10 people down: an impressive effort indeed. And it didn’t stop there. We had Bobby D in from Edinburgh, which was amazing, but the long distance champions were Lee and Mike from Inverness! My geographic game is weak, but even I know that’s a LONG way to come.

It’s not a real DWG event without an armed-response officer on the scene, a gap kindly filled by Mr. Bartman, who slept in a Union Jack tent and manned the neatest barbecue I’ve ever seen.

Bristol was well-represented by the appropriately-named Mr. Fantastic, who kindly picked up and drove others, our homeboy Cro travelled down from Birmingham and the Manchester crew (Omas, Orko, DJ Thirteen) showed up in full force. Add to that list the ready-to-rock (and drink) carload comprising of Mr. Manphat and homegirl Emma, Evrokski and Cro’s good lady Aine showing up on Friday evening – and the forum’s super illustrator Stilts hopping the train all the way to Barnstaple.

With two-thirds of the UK DWG management team in force already, we were surprised when a weary DJ Shaker showed up at the campsite (despite fannying out and staying in a hotel room later on!). And when DJ Format turned up tent in hand around 6pm, we knew it was ON like barbecued sweetcorn.

Barbecues and fires were lit, bottles of alcohol opened, records traded from the backs of cars, the sun came out for a bit and the solidifying of real-life friendships commenced. We’ve known some of these people for years through online endeavours, but it was the first time we’d met in person for many of us. Good times.

* A special shout to Whirlwind D who was set to join us, but had a family emergency to handle. Hope all’s well now.

Thursday night was a pub session to get things rolling before the Friday night extravaganza. The Marisco club guys have the pub next door to conduct out-of-hours drinking, so we headed there to meet up with Emskee and Saint, have a few drinks and catch up with Joey, Chris and the locals from the club. Once again, the clouds rolled in, but rain did not stop play!

Walking into the pub, the first thing I hear is Percee P’s ‘Lung Collapsing Lyrics’ booming over the jukebox. A few minutes later, Emskee was at the bar ordering drinks to the sounds of The Complex Engineer EP.

Captain Jack’s is not your regular country pub.

By the time everyone had got a bit of sleep and sobered overnight and throughout Friday daytime, it was time to head out to the Marisco club for the main event (and point of the trip) on Friday night.

The excellent Second To None b-boys had driven up from Bournemouth (and beyond) to show everyone what true b-boy style was all about. With pristine Puma Savannahs and a roll of lino (to counteract the sticky floor!), they took control from the moment they stepped into the club. There’s some video footage to follow this feature shortly.

Chubb Nice had the early arrivals rocking for the first part of the evening, before Emskee stepped into DJ mode and dropped some gems to get the crowd hot. Stepping away from the decks, it was time for Em to join Saint and bless the club with the first Good People show in the UK. Lyrically weaving from track to track, we got to hear some old favourites (such as ’Respect The DJ’) alongside new treats from the forthcoming DWG018 EP ‘Gone For Good’ (‘One To Six’ was just one track that got everyone shouting praise in unison).

Anyone who likes good quality hip-hop backed up with a formidable stage presence and great crowd interraction NEEDS to see Saint and Emskee rip the house. Definitely one of the best live acts we’ve ever seen.

At the end of the set, The Good People dropped the ‘Marisco’ track, before DJ Format picked up the needles and gave an incredible DJ set. The local crowd was packed with young ladies and jovial partygoers but Format didn’t relent with the classics and underground favourites. Tragedy, Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Phill Most Chill, SoundSci... his playlist was incredible. Dust some of his funky cutting and scratching over the top and you’ve got one hell of a memorable way to end the night.

As everyone drunkenly piled into taxis and back to the campsite, things resumed around the campfire until 7am. The laughter was only interrupted by Soul Safari shooting bottles with his catapult... A good night was had by all.

Need proof? Then check out the following photos...