By Sophie Scannell, Music Editor
From medieval mansions to interactive ‘amazement’ parks, events company and DJ duo Lost Track of Time have hosted parties in just about every indoor space imaginable. It came as little surprise, then, that this summer they ventured outdoors, introducing their first open-air festival at Old Market’s abandoned sawmills site.
As their name suggests, Lost Track of Time are founded on the ethos of having a good time, and leaving real-world worries at the door. Their own set to kick off the day at the ‘Timberyard’ stage was all the proof needed to see that vision come to life. Spending most of our day there, we watched the pair deliver a set that’d be hard to follow, blending disco influences and house samples that cruised the crowd through what, unbeknownst to us, would be the last glimpse of sunshine that we’d see that day.
Joining them was a masterclass lineup of rave royalty. Groove Armada and Ross from Friends were the headline names behind the fully sold-out event with over 3000 people. The talent really didn’t stop at the big names, though, with four separate stages pillaring the venue, quality acts were in rotation from the moment the gates opened. Crazy P, Dan Shake and more delivered stellar sets met with open arms, and a small shack-like stage garnered an equally impressive crowd, decorated aptly with a crowd-held sign reading ‘SHAKE IT TIL YOU MAKE IT’.
The live stage showcased some familiar LTT favourites, with Tuff Luck fusing funk and rock in a set that may have even topped their already standout performance at the mansion party just a few months ago. Elsewhere, tucked between the larger stages, a rustic chill-out shelter offered a brief break from the boogie. Sofas and beanbags were made the most of for some much-needed regrouping before another shift of dancing begun, and losing each other in the crowd commenced. This space also featured vintage pop up stores and a temporary tattoo parlour, making this unassumingly small space just one of the reasons this festival could’ve easily been a full weekend event.
Chatting to founders Toby Ingham Thomas and Tommy Pollock some months ago, the pair were eager to tell me about the festival’s ambitious set design, and it’s safe to say that they weren’t just talking the talk. Having seen the set-up process unfold on their Instagram over the last week, seeing the final product in person was nothing short of impressive. The derelict warehouse space was armoured with stages and platforms, most notably impressive bleacher-style platforms that lined each side of the ‘Timberyard’ stage, where dancers could rave on full display to the sea of festivalgoers below.
Sophie Scannell
If the word ‘festival’ usually has images of blistering sunshine coming to mind, that was the only element that Saturday lacked. The heavens opening towards the end of the day, though, proved no match for a crowd charged with adrenaline at 8PM like it was the early hours of the morning. As it turned out, strobes illuminating the downpour was the perfect surreal backdrop for the cosmic experience that was Groove Armada’s closing set.
On a day of firsts - not least my first temporary tattoo and first time using a women’s urinal - Lost Track of Time’s debut festival was hopefully the beginning of many, many more to come.
Featured image: Eddy Hubble / @hubble_photoWere you at the day rave on Saturday?
