Dubstep beats at two in the morning; strobe lights illuminating adolescents as they mosh in the rain; the mud underfoot a swamp of cans, ketchup and chaos – this was Redfest 2011, celebrating its fifth glorious birthday. Despite heavy downpours on the Friday night, spirits at Robins Cook Farm in Redhill remained high throughout the weekend as festival-goers joined in the festivities at what was one of the best events ever to grace the South East. Nobody was left unsatisfied as the event housed an array of talent spanning across a variety of genres – from We Are the Oceanand Canterbury to Modestep, A Day After Tomorrow and Futures.

Ed Sheeran received the biggest crowd of the weekend as the entire campsite turned out to glance at his infamous ginger hair and dance to his infectious acoustic tunes. His closing song ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’ had the audience going crazy and proved why the 19 year-old has been hailed as the next big thing to hit the music industry.

Brighton based band Floors and Walls added a new dimension to the festival, showing off their mixture of hard rock, MC’ing, melodic guitars and soulful, yet hard hitting lyrics. Meanwhile Modestep quickly won over the sceptical side of the crowd who frowned when they heard the term ‘dubstep’ by playing a fantastic cover of Cee Lo Green’s ‘Fuck You’ and their own club anthem ‘Feel Good’ which is guaranteed to be played non-stop this summer.

In its fifth year Redfest has become a respected event in the festival calendar, and if it continues to boast the kind of high-calibre acts it has this year, Glastonbury better start watching its back.

Redfest Festival 2011 at Robins Cook Farm, Redhill
Friday 22 and Saturday 23 July

WORDS BY CHARLOTTE CHORLEY
PHOTO BY NEIL_MACH ON FLICKR