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ZOO8 Declared "Worst Festival Ever"
Music fans who attended the first - and quite probably last - ZOO8 festival in Kent this past weekend have demanded refunds after numerous acts failed to play. And that's before the subject of a lack of drinking water is discussed...
Dizzee Rascal, who was scheduled appear on the first day of the festival last Friday (July 4), dropped out from the event after allegedly being told that the event's promoter's couldn't afford to pay him. The headline performance from Mark Ronson went ahead as planned.
The event, held over the weekend in Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, Kent, then descended into chaos as the weekend progressed. Other acts, including Roni Size, Athlete, Charlotte Hatherley and Late Of The Pier refused to play after it transpired that they would not be paid.
Frank Turner, another artist who blew the gig, wrote on his blog: "I won't be playing ZOO8 festival tomorrow. Sorry for anyone expecting to see me down there.
"Basically the deal is this: I'm a working musician, I earn little money and my budgets are shoestring. I can't afford to take risks with running a whole paid-up band and crew and fuel down to Kent for a risk of not getting paid. No blame for anyone, I just can't afford those risks. Apologies."
As well as the numerous artist cancellations, the second stage was closed after it became apparant that the tent housing it was deemed as unsafe.
That, however, seemed to be the least of the festivalgoers' problems with many fans complaining about the lack of organisation with some people taking up to five hours to enter the site. Elsewhere, the festival failed to provide any drinking water and a sufficient number of toilet facilities.
Festival organisers have yet to make any comment.
Where you at ZOO8? Where conditions really that bad? Leave your comments below.
Tagged as Dizzee Rascal, Mark Ronson, Athlete, Charlotte Hatherley, Festivals
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comments
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Zoo8 was pretty phat in my eyes exept i got my sleeping bag stolen by sum boy called nigel and the police did nothing about it.
it was quite a nice sleeping bag aswel you know.
but overall it was okay and nigel, if ur out there, your going to hell. -
i went and even thoi some acts wern there it was still good and as for there not being enough water i was at the front all 3 days and the scurity were handing out water all weekend !! and as for the loo's they were fine one night they got vandilsed there were men in there all morning fixing any problems we had and making it run smothly . it was there 1st year and i think they did pritty welll.
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Sorry Hayley, it was your post I was refering to.. its was brucies post above it.
So you must be vodka bowl girl?
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Ah ha... Yes brucie, that was me, good memory man! (considering you were also on a vodka mission)
Never thought to check back here.. glad to see the real nigel crew have been identified.
Well hi to the bona fide fenced off nigel camping crew, brucie, chris and vodka dog bowl girl etc.. sorry thats all I the names I can recall from that night.
Should there be a z009 (hmmm?) a flag is needed. "Camp Nigel" -
Zoo8 had its up and downs. Yeah it was a let down Dizzee didn't play but that's 'cos he wasn't gonna get paid, was he? And to be honest the organizers shoulda thought about this, this wasn't gonna be a small festival.
Whats with the having to boil water before you drink it?
Every festival i've been to provides clean water.
I mean jeez it was either boil the water or buy the bottled expensive water.
The loos, disgusting. As it always is at any festival but more loo's woulda been good. But worse? the VIP showers, laaaaughableeee.
I just walked into VIP (doesn't seem to matter if you had a wristband or not...if there wasnt security, easy to walk in) and i checked out the loo and found blood and a tampon all over it. I mean come on, anyone heard of hygiene? even if you're WASTED you still at the back of your mind think about what you're doing.
Oh and VIP wasnt any good either, Sunday it was open to all.
Or maybe it wasn't? But it was too easy to just walk in.
On the bright side, you meet new people and listen to shit good music.
So i guess that balances out the complaining. :P -
The festival was super rubbish...but hadouken and the hives where amazing, also I saw a few good unsigned bands especially this band called Black Cherry.
Amazing frontwoman, and the music was so good!!!
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What sort of retard writes / edits your website?
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The organisation was certainly a shambles at best but the worst thing about the festival was the antics of a sizeable minority of festival-goers. Aggressive, inarticulate and moronic is how I'd describe a proportion of the youth of Kent. And why can't anyone speak properly down there? Throat and through are pronounced 'throat' and 'through' not frote and froo.
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It was well good :)
yeah a few bands refused to play but the bands that did play like hadouken! were totally amazing
the atmosphere was good and it was jokesss -
yeah seem az im a painter an decorater in north london i woz thinkin about paintin nigel from tottenham right the way frew london an bruce u got any pic's of me or anyone els coz only pic is me past out huggin a crate of beer not to excitin an if any u lot got msn give us it here so we can keep incontact maybe for anuther fest right friday night an me an my m8 charlie got a date buzz ya geza's lata
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