General release tickets sold out in 15 minutes. Students of not just Wadham College, but the entire University, took to Facebook groups, Oxfess, and, perhaps even their prayers to snatch up a highly coveted ticket. So, was it worth the hype?
Wadstock has been the jewel in Wadham Entzs’s crown for some years now, boasting a twelve-hour live music and poetry line-up in the lush Fellow’s Garden, which is tucked just behind the Jacobean chapel.
The festivities kicked off at 12pm on Saturday, and the sun was already beating down, soliciting quite a few summery fashion choices. Living up to its namesake ‘Woodstock’ (which first took place in Upstate New York in 1969 as a ‘peace and music’ counterculture festival), the atmosphere at Wadham in the afternoon was certainly reminiscent of a bohemian congregation. Billowing shirts, maxi skirts, temporary tattoos, sunglasses, bucket-hats, and of course, picnics and beverages were the order of the day.
The acts of the day were divided between three stages, the information for which can be found on @wadhamentz (Instagram):
The Katie Pardee Antechapel Stage (which later served as the welfare hall) housed six acts indoors from 12:30-6pm, making excellent use of the acoustically-gifted interior. These included: Izzy Walter, No Sheet Singers, Sav Sood, The Best Comedians, Chlo Williams, and Rosa Bonnin.
To the west of the garden, the Nicholas Wadham Acoustic Stage also began sets from 12:30-7pm, featuring seven scheduled acts under an outdoor canopy. Cross-legged and standing audience members arranged themselves to enjoy the entertainment in a scattering which resembled a chill out zone, complementing the soft styles of the musicians. Here: Hannah and Robbie, Citrus City, Lord Bug, Matt Robyns, Quest for Folk, Jack C Jones, and Thea Grace.
The biggest and longest sets were held on the Dorothy Wadham Main Stage, which showed 15 acts between 12pm-12am. A real spectacle of a stage, strobe lighting and a raised platform ensured a good view from anywhere in the festival of the talented and genre-transcending bands. This stage showed some of Oxford’s most familiar bands, which have played many of the University’s balls, charity events, and socials. The running order was: The Oxford Alternotives, Tongue, The Ramblers, Manmzèl and Things, Electric Shepherd, Last Orders, Butter, Noncommittal, Rough Edge Brass Band, Charlotte and The Wine Mums, Blue Bayou, DJ Meal Deal, The Carnations, and DFO.
With the main stage and acoustic stage located so close together, Wadstock organisers staggered acts between the stages, with no more than one stage showing a set at a time. The antechapel, however, seemed a little neglected by the festival goers as they preferred to fill the lawn and soak up the sun. Especially with a hot food stall and well-stocked bar lining the east side of the garden (may I vouch for the quality of the ‘Life on Mars’ cocktail?), the indoor stage was fairly well-attended, but not packed.
As the day marched on, the venue got fuller, the porta-loos nastier in true festival style, and praise emerged for some truly outstanding performers.
At 2pm, The Ramblers took to the mainstage and played through a varied set-list which concluded with a fantastic, bass-heavy rendition of The Rolling Stones’ ‘Midnight Rambler’. In true Wadham-style (or at least how I, and many other non-Wadhamites would perceive the students), it was a great indicator of how Wadstock intended to rock out and rock on with none of your Top-40 nonsense. After all, The Ramblers proved that nothing gets sunbeam lazing academics on their feet like a jaunty harmonica and some fantastic guitar riffs.
Matt Robyns captivated the audience, and potentially attracted some lovelorn admirers in the acoustic tent with a soulful selection of Stevie Wonder classics, a particularly impressive Tears for Fears cover, and a crooning voice. Despite Robyns’ claim after the set that there had been only ‘an hour and a half of rehearsals’, the performance was enjoyed by all. A rather dedicated group of supporters with signs proclaiming them as ‘Wadh-WAGS’ lined the front row and set the tone for the relaxed half-hour of tunes.
As the afternoon reached into evening, the main stage bragged an energetic set of performances that swelled the crowd and shook the night air. Electric Shepherd took to the stage at 5pm with some well-executed Indie classics, a heavy and Gothic version of Britney Spears’ ‘…Baby One More Time’, and an original song ‘My Last Night with Celine’. They passed the baton to Last Orders whose unusual two-vocalist set-up worked incredibly well for crowd-pleasing tracks ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ by Elton John and Kiki Dee, ‘Naïve’ by the Kooks, ‘Smile’ by Lily Allen and ‘Beggin’ by Madcon.
The night wound very much up instead of down with all-killer no-filler sets by Rough Edge Brass Band (a personal favourite – brass bands hailing from an actual colliery do have a place in my heart, but Rough Edge can make it danceable), and Charlotte and The Wine Mums with an absolutely jumping ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ Nirvana jam.
As Wadstock neared its close, DJ Meal Deal played some rave mashups that certainly entertained the bucket-hat brigade (me included, sporting a hat with a rather fetching Acid-house Smiley emblem). The stragglers filed in for last re-entry at 10pm to enjoy the last two hours of the ram-packed rager.
The crowds did start to get uncomfortably close, as they often do, so when The Carnations took to the stage and played some emo-pop-rock gems like Fall Out Boy’s ‘Sugar, We’re Goin Down’ and Wheatus’ ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ things in the audience got a bit hairy. There were more than a few mosh pits, which by accounts from the front row broke the barrier, and my personal account from the middle, broke my toes. Some audience members did find themselves falling over due to a fluid-crowd effect, but to the credit of the band we were instructed ‘if someone falls down, you pick them back up’, which seemed to keep most people’s feet firmly on solid ground. Once everyone was righted, however, the crowd was told to ‘jump!’ which was a sobering effort so late into the night for a premature bingo and knitting fan like myself. Nevertheless, I found such senile musings to be in the minority, as the crowd continued to stay wild for DFO whilst I slipped into the acoustic tent to have a much-needed breather and existentially ponder my stamina.
Having left early, I am only told that Wadstock concluded with a traditional Mandela-ing, but really, how else could it end?
Overall, Wadstock 2023 was both a respite from the reminder that we live in a city where fun only punctuates a life of essay crises, and a sesh for the history books in any city. Wadham and its dedicated Entz team played host to a wonderful first-week wrap-party, and it is safe to assume that everybody who went hard on that Saturday is desperately pooling their energy reserves for a night of 30 April-1 May madness. Good luck Oxford, go easy on the coffee and Lucozade.