Underage but not underwhelmed

Fifteen year olds Livvy Hall (words) and Kate Ivinson (pictures) were unleashed on Underage in Hackney last Sunday.

When I was asked to go to the Underage Festival in London on Sunday I have no idea what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t what I got. My designated plus one and un-official photographer Kate came with me, and after being ceremoniously handed our “Underage Media” wristbands we decided to forego the then-quiet VIP area and go straight into the festival.

There were no sign posts or directions to stages other than a few big sheets proclaiming “first aid” or “water point”, which had been hoisted so high I think we were supposed to follow them to find whatever they advertised. Which would have been a great idea, if the signs had been anywhere near what they were leading us to; such as the “water point” sign that seemed to have been put where it was for no other reason than there was a space there. These signs were not particularly helpful and we didn’t use them once during the entire day; it wasn’t until later that we found a merchandise stall that also sold programmes for £5 with a small map and information on what bands were playing and where. To me and a lot of other people we talked to this seemed unclear and unnecessarily expensive, especially to people of our age.

I feel that this issue of pricing was one of the main problems we encountered at the festival, along with the lack of good artists performing,  as although the amount of money food and merchandise cost would probably be fairly reasonable for an adult, it should definitely be taken into account that teenagers don’t generally earn much and we don’t tend to spend our money in such large amounts all in one go.

The other big issue was, of course, the lineup. Out of over 60 acts I had heard of maybe two or three, Kate a couple more, while the rest were pretty much complete unknowns.  It was a disappointment, because what could potentially have been a fantastic day was let down dramatically by the quality of the music. In fact, while in conversation with a couple of fellow Wintonians, Jess O’Connor (right) and Meg Bland (left), Jess said she felt we had been “ripped off” because of our age. 

Jess and Meg

Jess and Meg felt that if we weren’t underage, better bands would have been playing; Meg also commented on the price of food, and they both suggested that the stalls were too expensive. When we asked if they would come to the next Underage Festival they told us that it would all depend on the lineup – a view held by a lot of people we spoke to.  Music aside, other people agreed that although the food and tickets may have been expensive for our age, the day more than made up for it. Two boys who wished to remain anonymous cheerfully told us “we got our money’s worth”, and seemed not to mind so much about the price, as well as declaring the underage festival the best they had ever been to.

Anonymous boys

Apparently the attraction for them had been the lack of parental supervision (which Kate and I wholeheartedly agreed with!) and although they also hoped for an improved lineup, we got the impression that they would be very keen to go again. So although the day wasn’t jaw-droppingly amazing, it was definitely one to remember.

The great thing about the Underage Festival was that there was just so much to do; there was a pretty popular fair ride, dozens of stalls selling really nice food – including quite possibly the best donuts I have ever tasted – plus merchandise stalls and sort of competition stands, such as the Converse stand where if you could get a basketball in a hoop you won a pair of Converse. Dotted around were plenty of toilets too, so there weren’t those crazily long queues you always seem to get at these sorts of things, although we noticed that the open “urinals” were always completely deserted.

Fair!

There was plenty of space and shade, so it was perfectly comfortable (if a little dusty) to sit pretty much anywhere on the ground; although by the end of the day most of the ground was littered with paper plates and bottles and other rubbish. I don’t remember there being a shortage of bins, but it might have been that we were simply always near one when we needed it or just prepared to search, unlike many people our age. I don’t think this is really an issue that can be prevented, because I got the impression we were more to blame than a lack of planning. 

More than anything, we felt safe at the festival; it was entirely closed off from the outside world and everyone who came in was checked before they were allowed entrance. The security and staff were mostly pleasant and helpful, and the only bad experience we had was when Kate and I attempted to go through to what we thought was another section of the park and were stopped by a couple of angry looking security guards wanting to know why we were trying to get backstage. I’m not counting this though, because I’m pretty sure it was nothing personal – they were just doing their job.

As for improvements… well maybe they could have been better at enforcing rules like no smoking or drinking, and of course the lineup could have been improved, but to be honest I think that to a lot of people my age, it doesn’t really matter if the music isn’t amazing, or something isn’t perfect, because it’s all about the atmosphere and that feeling of independence and freedom that is so hard to come by at our age.

As 15 year-olds Kate and I were some of the youngest people at the festival, and I think maybe this is because younger people are more intimidated by the idea, or don’t have the money, or even are just not interested; and I think it’s a shame that so little young people went.

Underage is such a great experience, even if it isn’t what you would normally do, and it’s an amazing confidence booster because you are completely independent but always safe. As a virgin festival-goer I can honestly say that given the opportunity I would definitely go to another Underage Festival, but I would recommend taking a group of friends and some paracetamol; the friends to dance and generally go mad with, and the paracetamol for later to get rid of the splitting headache!

Earlybird tickets are available for Underage 2011 (14-18s only!) at http://www.underagefestivals.com.