How it’s done

Have you ever been to an event that you cannot pick fault with? As one of many people working in the entertainments industry, you will walk into an event and critique it. It’s one of those elements to working life that spills over into leisure time. For some, this might seem like a miserable attitude to have when going out. Sometimes I would agree. When an event’s faults are glaringly obvious it can be hard to relax and enjoy yourself. For myself, as someone who has a strong passion for the industry, excellence is where the bar is set.

I am often told to lighten up or stop being so hard on myself when reflecting on my own work. Others might label this high expectation as perfectionism. Why do I do this to myself on each outing and in each job? In short, to do the art justice. This sounds a little sickening at first doesn’t it? Take a moment to consider it. As a member of an audience you need clear directions, friendly staff, ease of moving through the venue, good quality sound, the right lighting… the list goes on. When an essential element falls out of place it starts to dampen your experience. You cannot enjoy the art as easily. Even as a critical eye venturing into a venue, you are willing the experience to be a good one. I don’t wish any event to fail.

Have I ever been to an event that I cannot pick fault with? No, not that I can remember. But Umefolk came very close.

Umefolk festival in Umea, Sweden, was founded in 1986 and is now attracting in the region of 4,000 visitors and with good reason. Lucky enough to be invited by festival Director Anton Teljebäck, I packed my bags and flew blindly to this folk festival in northern Sweden. For some reason I was expecting a large old mansion with dorms. When I arrived I was welcomed into a large purpose-built arts centre by beaming stewards.

In front of me was a large display showing the day’s schedule. I found a seating area to take off a layer of clothes and collect my thoughts. Within moments, a man had settled in a chair opposite and begun playing a nyckelharpa. After he introduced me to folk tunes from Northern Sweden, I spent the day dancing to the sound of local folk groups at the foyer stages. I ducked into the studio where a young Estonian lady called Maarja played the most soulful and beautiful tunes that transported me into a meditative state (listen below). Later it was time for the main event. I settled into my seat to watch the opening set of ‘Hoven Droven’ in the 750-seat stage. Within minutes the hard rock/folk group had filled the space in front of the stage with people dancing together. Just one flight down was the magical ‘Garmana’ who were busily seducing a crowd of 50 standing and 400 seated. The following day I danced my socks off at the ‘playing for dancing’ stage in the basement, occasionally coming up for air to see a choice act. The sound quality in each area was fantastic which made listening to any of the performances a dream.

Just as I came to the end of the three day festival, I began to feel physically tired. It was about 1:30am and the venue was mostly empty. I decided to take a peek in the basement and to my surprise found people dancing at full tilt. One last dance. Then to my amazement, the band processed to the stairs. Lining the stairs they played us out of the basement and out into the snow. One last round of song with whooping and cheering. Then it was over. Out with a bang. This was a proper end to a fantastic festival.

I am relating a magical and un-marred memory of this event. The festival was so well organised that at no point do any negative memories present themselves for me. As soon as I entered this world, the staff were helpful, polite, reliable and had all of the information I needed. The toilets, cloakroom and areas were clearly sign posted both in the venue and in the programme. The timings of performances were clear. There was always a place to sit down, cool down and refresh myself. The sound quality at the stages was managed perfectly for a great experience. The lighting was artistic but didn’t overpower the artists. My journey and experience as a visitor was so well thought out that at no point was I confused or uncomfortable. In a building that could hold thousands of people without blinking, I felt at home. This, is how it’s done.