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
Login to xfm+
latest videos
Spooky clip to accompany the follow-up to the enormo-hit Somebody That I Used To Know.
Latest Xfm Sessions
-
A Morning With The Enemy
The band woke us up with a storming live session at Xfm Towers... listen again here.
-
A Morning With Keane
Those Keane lads came into the Danny Wallace Breakfast Show on Xfm to play an intimate - you read that correctly, intimate - session.
-
An Evening With The Horrors
The dark lords of Southend played a session of favourites from their excellent album Skying. Listen again here.