Some months ago, a friend e-mailed me a link to a website for Outlook Festival. “It’s on a beach!” he wrote, which was nearly all the information required before reaching for my wallet. Further investigation revealed it to be specifically orientated towards bass culture, which I enjoy, although I’m not a dedicated fan. However, the addition of Roots Manvua and a few more dub-skewed acts to the line-up solidified my interest, as the injection of anything even loosely related to Reggae into a sunny scenario is borderline irresistible. From this simple seed, a plan for a European road trip formulated in my mind, and it was soon decided that Outlook Festival was too unique an opportunity to miss. Set in a crumbling Croatian fort atop an Adriatic peninsula, it not only offered a top line-up and sun-soaked beaches, but also ‘Boat Parties’ and countless other gems I had to experience firsthand.
Transferring on a festival bus from Venice, we drove through lush green landscapes that stretched out to pastel coastlines, before snaking our way through more humid inland territories, often carved into meticulous vineyards. Finally arriving at the dusty entrance to Outlook some five hours later, we negotiated the dry, rocky ground to the tacky portacabins which housed the core staff.
Having checked in with the Press contacts, we picked up our hostel keys, eager to find out exactly what lay await. Whilst I wasn’t expecting miracles with the accommodation, I had already endured enough camping for one summer, so was hoping for relative comfort in the Outlook Hostel. Rather than the sprawling expanse of cheap bunk beds I anticipated from the ‘hostel’, our room revealed itself to be a relatively palatial. Two comfortable single beds lay freshly made, and the room came complete with cupboards, locking doors and a window overlooking a red-tiled Mediterranean roof, sloping down over a bar and burger grill. Unlike many of its English festival counterparts that both appear and quickly disappear in a country field, Outlook piggybacked a fully operational coastal campsite. This meant that shower/toilet blocks, shops and restaurants were all easily accessible on site, which was an unexpected and mighty convenient bonus.
Speaking to people throughout the festival, there seemed to be a closely-knit community feel to proceedings which made the time easygoing and often very funny. Large amounts of people seemed to have travelled from the Bass scene hubs of London, Bristol, Leeds and Brighton, amongst a few notable others. As well as the mass exodus of UK ravers, a surprising amount had travelled from locations dotted all around Europe and apparently some as far as Canada! Generally speaking, the bond between those attending is almost a direct reflection of the festival organisers; a group of friends themselves who have very much ingrained their ethos into the festival itself. Johnny, part of the core Outlook team noted, “all of us that started the festival have been running nights in the UK for the past 15 years... it’s like the dubstep weekend away!” He continued, “five years ago we were sat round a table and not up for making any money, but all having a main central goal...for us, the music is by far the most important thing - the soundsystems and the music. We bring that, and in our opinion there are enough music lovers in the world to come”.
A few years down the line and the group, so integrated back home with the bass culture, have managed almost to pick up a cultural movement and drop it in Croatia fully intact. Impressive, but even more so when you acknowledge the harmony for which they strive to achieve, “we don’t want this region to think the same about its foreign tourists as the Spanish do in Ibiza or Majorca or any other shit holiday destination in Europe”. Further to their respect for their environment, an honesty and respect for the patrons was also evident; press releases and general information on offer had a refreshing informality – a prime example being the accurate description of mosquitoes as “right little f*ckers”.
Having dropped our stuff at the room and bumping into a few old workmates purely by chance (a closely-knit festival indeed!), some great local burgers were enjoyed fresh from the grill, before a few impressively cheap Croatian beers coursed the veins, mixing with the anticipation that already bubbled fervently. We negotiated rocky paths and dark walkways as we ventured towards the music, eventually hitching onto the barren and woefully dusty main path that scratched its way up the side of the peninsula towards Fort Punta Christo.
The first night was intended to be used as exploration time, in which to familiarise ourselves with the festival layout and to scope out the cool spots. This plan changed the moment we got to the excavated ruins, so superbly reincarnated with the buzz of countless sun-kissed bodies and the beating heart of heavy bass music. What we found was the most staggeringly impressive layout of any festival or party I have ever seen, integrated gracefully into the crumbling relic fort. Cool discoveries were abundant at every turn, as was the alcohol and music; cutting edge bass was the lifeblood of the festival, forming the soundtrack to a great time. The rough edges of excavated, historical majesty stood proudly, forming the intensely memorable backdrop so firmly etched into my minds eye.
Excitably sipping Croatian brews, we walked round with our heads tilted back in awe at the sights surrounding us, weaving amongst crowds of people clearly equally amazed. Negotiating our way between arenas involved walks down epic stone corridors dripping with atmosphere and across drawbridges lit dramatically by lights in the moats beneath; you could taste the history that oozed from the very fabric of the festival.
Following an assured flow of people drew us to a low archway crowded with bodies. Crouching slightly, I squeezed through the amassed and found myself emerging into an awesome circular arena. Flinching, I brushed what I could only assume was rain out of my eye as I looked to the floor to shield myself instinctively. Running my hand through my hair revealed that there was actually no rain, but in fact there was ancient debris falling from above, as the bass from the emerging arena was literally shaking the fort to pieces! A few steps through the swarm and I was securely planted in the centre of ‘Noah’s Ballroom’, a circular, open-air arena packed with people from wall to wall, raving beneath the starry Croatian night. This was spectacularly surreal, and genuinely thrilling to experience. Generally speaking, some nights out are great fun, others are poignant, others particularly funny, but rarely are they able to humble you like the behemoth that is Outlook Festival! Outlook delivers!
Areas exclusive to artists and press proved fascinating; much more so than the average press pit or interview area. Exclusive tunnels wove through the ground in a myriad of directions and angles. Some required you to traverse ancient spiral staircases in which battles may have been fought and blood shed some centuries ago. That they are now used for such a unifying and harmonious purpose as the celebration of music illustrates a great advance in this area of civilisation, a positive realisation in a world often drip-fed negativity.
In the early hours of the next morning, after a superb introduction to Outlook Festival, I slept with fatigue as my pillow, just as Benjamin Franklin had once suggested is best. What he would make of the dubstep ringing in my ears and the alcohol cycling my bloodstream I’m not so sure.
The days were spent relaxing professionally, and Outlook provided some staggering spots in which to re-energise from active nights. Only a two minute stroll away from the campsite lay a beautiful coastline, which basked under the late summer sun. Its crystal clear waters lapped at the main stretch of beach that fizzed with low-level activity as people kicked back under the hot rays whilst DJ’s administered easy afternoon beats like dubstep Doctors. Within a short distance around the curve of the bay, a starkly opposing world could be found; an idyllic, peaceful getaway for the few lucky enough to stumble across it. Sat atop boulders that edged into the azure waves, I looked out at huge vistas which stretched across to the horizon, over waters that glistened like the flashes of a thousand paparazzi. The rugged terrain of distant shorelines and an unfathomably large, clear blue sky struck a kinship with the primal self deep inside, ticking a box at the core of the mind; contemplative, humbling and brilliant.
Slightly further on around the bay, a charming beach shack housed gentle boats for hire, banana boats to grapple with, and jet skis to conquer. I had no choice but to reunite myself with the latter.
Smashing my way over the clean Mediterranean waters, I glanced down at the digital speedo at a huge ‘54’, which raised a smug grin on my face whilst hurtling past small islands as fast as the engine could carry me. Turning back to the dock, I killed my speed and slowed the jet-ski down till it bobbed slowly on top of the shimmering abyss, the rhythmical hum of the beach party ebbing gently, as it blew sporadically across the water. “I’m at a festival... on a jetski!”
Friday night saw the arrival of Roots Manuva, who blew the main stage away with a set that included classic numbers like ‘Witness’ and more recent favourites of mine including ‘Let The Spirit’. With the addition of anthemic vocals and years of compounded memories, Manuva offered a welcome change to the mass of lyric-less tunes hammered by DJ’s, which could after a while blur into one, despite their undeniable potency. The meander into reggae-dub territory was also a welcome flavour, and one that was enjoyed to the tune of Gentleman’s Dub Club earlier in the evening with a great performance that fired up the crowd. As the festival had continued under the blazing Croatian sunshine, dust had become an increasingly apparent issue, with the lads of Gentleman’s Dub Club noting in a later interview, “It was pretty hectic – we had these dust clouds rising up from the crowd; we thought it was a smoke machine!”
Criss-crossing through the festival site for pit stops proved easy at the various hotplates sizzling burgers and hotdogs, as well as the most valuable chillers packed with lager. Everything was easily accessible for a great night, and the next Arena was only ever a short walk over a dramatically illuminated drawbridge away.
A press gathering high atop the rugged peninsula one lazy afternoon saw a wealth of positive feedback from the artists, all of whom were enjoying the festival as much as the fans. “The whole thing has been beautiful – it’s nice to be able to come here for four or five days, rather than the normal ‘fly in, perform in the night and out in the morning’; you get time to relax and see old friends” said Tenor Fly, currently working on a new album in-between summer gigs. Label mate Congo Natty continued, “The rave scene is now part of the establishment – but this is still underground, that’s what’s nice about it.”
As if Outlook Festival was not bursting with mind-melting novelty already, we managed to get ourselves tickets to board one of the famous ‘Boat Parties’. Quite what that fully entailed was initially a mystery, although my expectation was that we may find decks and a bar on a boat docked nearby, similar to the stationary water-borne legend that is Bristol’s ‘Thekla’. In fact what we found was a fairly large boat docking briefly to welcome aboard dozens and dozens of revellers, before steaming off into the Croatian sunset, which melted behind the horizon about half way through the four hour party. The banging beats that shook the boat to the hull were accompanied by the chink of beer cans, the laughs of ravers and in the few rare silent moments, the whistle of the sea breeze across the water. Stenchman from True Tiger said earlier in the day, “They can’t build nothing we can’t knock down with bass!”, and whilst his nautical set gave it a good go, complete with “I’m on a boat!” sample raising a few smiles, he thankfully fell short of his claim and the boat remained buoyant. Undoubtedly, the boat party proved a surreal and awe-inspiring icing on an already crazy cake!
Whilst as a general rule the vibe was superb, like that of a party with old friends, stories filtered back of especially severe undercover police. Rumours of unprovoked and overcooked spot-searches became fairly frequent, as did the even less palatable chatter of harsh beatings administered unjustly. Whilst I cannot verify this personally, there did appear to be a silent, frosty resentment from some locals working on-site that could not be melted with a warm smile or friendly gesture. This was a shame, but fortunately was not too widespread to be overbearing.
On a more positive note, countless enjoyable anecdotes and observations could be included – the experience was so rich with tales, notes, amusing twists and brilliant turns that I cannot possibly entertain them all. Such snippets include the relentless dust driven skyward by ravers on the arid floors, that eventually prompted people to place fabrics over their faces like Arabian dub-warriors to conquer their environment in order to enjoy their music. Projected patterns and videos onto walls scaled by fearless dancers became a commonplace novelty, as did four days of rhythm that reverberated around your ribcage and shook you to your lungs. Great sets were commonplace, but special mention goes to The Bug & Flowdan, as well as Congo Natty and co. Other treats I’m yet to mention include the Drum and Bass Dungeon (which as far as names go is a very succinct and literal description of another inspired Arena), and also the way the festival seemed to change organically over the few days – banners got pulled down and further catacombs and passageways revealed even more means with which to be astonished. Also, opportune chats with strangers produced consistently some of the most unusual and funny conversations I’ve ever enjoyed, and enriched the experience that bit further.
Throughout the festival, the core team worked tirelessly and must be paid special credit. I personally dealt with Johnny, Ruth and Niah, who seemed to be available at every hour, despite being inundated with work. By the end of the weekend, their energy levels had understandably dipped along with everyone else’s, but their willingness to help had not, and the whole process was made smoother and more personable because of their efforts. Johnny epitomised their stance, “the most positive for me? Standing down by that door and seeing people leaving the site with smiles on their faces.”
Grown from such humble roots, artists and punters alike agreed it was a massive step up for the festival from last year. Worryingly, next year could well prove very difficult for Outlook, as a great amount of its character lies in its exclusivity to those ‘in-the-know’, combined with its relatively small and managable size. However, money makes the world go round, and after selling out three months early this year, it is undeniable that the temptation to buckle to some type of sponsorship or over-increase capacity will at the very least become a twinkling possibility in the eye of those that make the big decisions. Given that there were a few situations both on land and at sea this year in which the venues couldn’t meet the given demand, it is an issue that will require careful thought. Fortunately though, Outlook’s Johnny is quick to point out, “It’s all about organic growth...whatever you do, you have to move gradually”.
What I do know for sure though, is that this year Outlook Festival was incredible. It was life-affirming and inexplicably charming, and is firmly lodged in my memory as one of the greatest events of my years to date. The vibe was superb, the location indescribably perfect, weather gorgeous, people great fun and music sick like you don’t know! This is without a doubt the most unique festival I have ever experienced, and quite possibly the best.
“Croatia, Croatia!”
10 / 10
Darren Paul Thompson
Photos: Darren Paul Thompson, Joe Henderson and LDPIX.co.uk
Outlook Festival info can be found @ www.outlookfestival.com
Exclusive BBC Coverage of Outlook Festival can be found by searching for ‘Outlook Festival’ @ www.bbc.co.uk