Pleasure Principle Weekender

Luck was on the side of producers, Numbers and Dedbeat, when they kick-started the festival season with the Pleasure Principle weekender at the end of April. The weather was idyllic for the picturesque setting along the Cornish coastline, not far from the infamous stag weekend town of Newquay. Yet the summery vibes were not always a dead cert with the changeable English weather – hence the wise decision to set their new electronic festival among sprawling caravan sites, converting the usual holiday retreat into three stages, and have an indoor pool party hosted by the maverick mixer Jackmaster himself.

Notable acts that made it worth the journey were Oneman, with his new spin on old school garage anthems and sets infused with elements of dubstep and grime. Joy Orbison brought extra hype to the Friday night with his future garage tracks that have burst from the underground into huge festival favourites.

Despite the mammoth journey undertaken by many to reach the depths of Southwest England, it certainly proved worth it when the crowd waited with baited breath for headliners TNGHT to hit the Downtown stage on the Saturday. The pinnacle of their set was the intense club favourite Higher Ground, a massive trap track that filled the caravan park with the rumblings of hedonistic bass and catchy vocals. Up next was DJ EZ, champion of the UK garage scene, a man who always keeps his crowd constantly dancing with his selection of classics.

Sunday night saw the likes of the MBE-bearing David Rodigan bring the weekend to a climactic close. At the age of 61, Rodigan is able to party with the best of them and filled the converted stage into a booming cavern of reggae and dancehall.

With drink prices leaving one aghast (in a good way) and golden sandy beaches within stumbling distance, it would be silly for this festival not to grow with every coming year. And how could anyone resist the allure of caravan parties raging through the night?

Verdict: ★★★★★

Anne Higgins

For further information on Pleasure Principle visit here.

Watch the video for TNGHT’s Higher Ground here: