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NOISILY FESTIVAL REVIEW

Getting down to techno and psy-trance in deepest Leicestershire

Continuously growing since its successful debut in 2012, Noisily Festival’s fourth year compelled 3000 free-spirited festival goers to gather in the woods of Noseley Hall, Leicestershire for a weekend which unites them with electronic music and art. 

With the line-up spanning techno, psy-trance and experimental bass, Noisily Festival is a sensory expedition of music and art.
 


Arriving late on Friday evening, tents are set up quickly as dusk begins to cloud over the campsite that surrounds the deep woods. We find ourselves in the valley among colourful trees and hundreds of enthusiastic ravers that seem to be more than ready to get involved with this magical playground that Noisily has created for them. 

With three main stages hosting the festival's line-up spread across three days and two nights, it’s easy to immerse oneself into festivities that started early in the afternoon. While people are rambling from one stage to another, the amazing art installations set up throughout the entire forest immediately attract our senses.
 


Our first impressions are positive as we overlook fire-eaters from the small hilltop when we hear Whyt Noyz delivering a steady stream of pounding techno from the main stage. The vibe is tangible on the dancefloor. 

Wandering towards the beautifully designed Liquid Stage at the other end of the site, we can feel from afar that this is where the psy-trance tribe will be raving all weekend to the sounds of scene stalwarts such as Grouch, Parasense and JOOF.



Friday night reaches its peak when Ben Coda steps up to the decks for a solid set of progressive tech house on the Noisily stage, accompanied by a blazing fire show. The Funktion One system delivers high-quality sound that perfectly surrounds the blissful crowd with endless waves of rhythm and ecstatic drops. 

Making sure energy levels are staying high, Dataura respectfully takes on closing duties on the first night; constantly breaking boundaries before the valley releases the crowd into the camping fields. When the music stops, the sweaty punters gather to chill out and enjoy the glow of purple, red and blue lights in the trees.


Kicking off the sound at 11am on Saturday, the valley fills up in no time with people occupying the many chill-out spots and intriguing food stalls located in the heart of the site.

Hanging out in a field of hammocks with delicious stone-oven pizza, the glitch-hop beats coming from the Tree House Stage deliver a fitting soundtrack for this early afternoon. 

When the sun finds its way through wooden branches into people’s glittery faces, Noisily's strong community spirit is evident with everyone sharing friendly smiles and stories about the previous night.

Alarm bells did start to ring, however, when we spotted a girl passed out on the floor next to the increasingly stomping feet of close-by revellers. That is until she finally gets up to join the group of joyful dancers: “I just slept out here, so I won’t miss anything!"”

Saturday evening picks up steam with Stephan Bodzin taking the crowd on a ride through mesmerizing grooves driven by hammering basslines. Taking a trip to the Tree House stage, we catch Odjbox.

Without a doubt this is one of the highlights of the weekend. His performance was a master-class that unashamedly flaunts uplifting melodies, effortlessly stumbling into bass-heavy grooves that drove the crowd ecstatic.

Odjbox is followed by Itchy and Scratchy DJs. The line-up goes from strength to strength, the dancefloor filled with a buzzing crowd that’s guaranteed to stay put as long as the bass continues to hum.


Back at the Noisily Stage, Brazilian techno sensation Victor Ruiz delivers ninety minutes of straight damage, while Ben Coda returns to the main stage to join forces with DJ Ipcress for Nanoplex’s much-anticipated live set, which perfectly blends techno and house, constantly progressing towards hypnotizing climaxes.

James Monro’s closing set is characterized by the mind-blowing light show perfectly synced to every beat from the sound system. As the raindrops hit the lasers above the crowd, they form a vivid and iridescent ceiling of sparkling stars. The whole scene seems otherworldly. 

Awaking to another gentle shower on Sunday morning, Noisily’s devoted crowd shows no sign of slowing down. The main stage sees the likes of Hamish, DJ Emok and Gaudium creating a beautiful balance between magnetizing melodies and gripping basslines, while people at the Liquid Stage keep on embracing the sounds of psy-trance, flanked by animal-like acrobat dancers dangling in the surrounding trees.


When the sun returns in the afternoon, we find our way through the dense woodland, up the hill to discover a beautiful meadow. This comforting environment allows us the perfect opportunity to contemplate our festival experience.

Noisily Festival has all the bases covered if you’re a fan of psy-trance, techno and experimental bass music, but the music policy could have been a little broader and encompassed slightly more genres to give the attendees a break from the dominant sounds.

But overall, along with some fantastic production, this festival has a community vibe and great energy that bodes well for the future.

Words: Theresa Tamworth