Chillin' with Peter Laurence from The Big Chill

The Great Mill of Thought grinds down with The Big Chill. For those that haven’t experienced the great thrill that’s been accidentally touring England since 1994, here’s your chance to discover what it’s all about.

The Big Chill festivities began in Islington’s Union Chapel, wandered to the Welsh border, slid down to Dorset’s lawns and manors, before trekking up to a castle cushioned in Herefordshire’s Malvern Hills (you know, the water). The festival is renowned for its veering away from commercial trends, big known bands, and strictly music tents; preferring to shift towards visual art, new talented bands, a more colourful selection of notes on the musical spectrum, film, barn dancing, comedy, debates, cabaret, debates about comedy, and a general escape from life less interesting.

We asked co-founder Peter Laurence ten questions to help us discover more…

1. Define the Big Chill sound. What particularities do you look for in the rosta of performing artists?

The Big Chill’s sound is so diverse that it’s impossible to pin down. We feature everything from deep ambient to drum’n’bass, classical to folk. In terms of roster, I like to celebrate this diversity, which also reflects my personal taste in music. If it moves me, then I’d like to think it might move others too.

2. What makes Big Chill unique?

Many aspects of what we do are unique, though I must say that some of our innovations now seem to have been picked up on by newer events, but I guess we should be flattered that we’ve had an influence such as this on festival culture in general. Above all, it’s The Big Chill’s own community that makes it what it is. A group of people who have come together through friends and friends of friends and meet throughout the year, not just over one weekend.

3. This year was a markedly larger Festival, with 10 stages, greater focus and breadth of vision. It's conceivable to see the Big Chill going strong in 20 years still (unknowns excepted). What visions do you hold for the Festival? Like WOMAD has done; is the Big Chill looking to go International?

This year’s event was only a couple of thousand larger than last year, so I wouldn’t say that constitutes a huge leap up, like the last two years. We’re naturally cautious of rapid over-expansion, preferring to let things unfold at their natural pace, but I’d like to do events with partners overseas, and I see this as one our aims for the next ten years, and we are already talking to one or two other parties aboard about making this happen.

4. Is Big Chill radio in the pipeline?

It recently went online and we have some exciting plans in this direction in the next few months.

5. Name 5 'Dream Artists' Big Chill'd love to bring to the Festival.

Pat Metheny, Brian Wilson, Abdullah Ibrahim, Boards Of Canada, Brian Eno.

6. Would the likes of David Byrne, Ivor Cutler, Duritti Column, for instance, ever grace the Big Chill?

Durutti Column played last year!  We’ve tried for Ivor but been told that he doesn’t like to perform outside London now. He’s getting on, I guess.

7. Big Chill attracts a very clued-up musical audience without any real BIGGEE names on the playlist - there's no New Order playing for instance. Are big names too expensive, or just not Big Chills cup of cocoa?

‘Big’ names are always relative, I guess. There’s a strong feeling that we don’t really want to let one or two names dominate the line-up and the crowd they’d bring in, and by spreading our budget more evenly, we’re able to bring more acts and a much more diverse selection. Big Chillers seem to like and support this ethos.

8a. If Big Chill were a Wine, what wine would this be? Name a food match for 'Big Chill - the Wine'.

A fresh, dry-ish Voyager from Margaret River, medium bodied, fruity and zesty with hidden complexities….

8b. If Big Chill were a cartoon character, who best describes Big Chill's personality?

Pass.

9. What political messages (if any) is Big Chill looking to get across. Was only employing Fair-Trade Coffee-stalls part of its message?

There’s more to it than the stalls!  Where to start? Ultimately the character of the festival, the bar, the label, the books we put out and any other ventures The Big Chill gets involved in, will hopefully reflect the personality and work that Katrina and I have put in over the last eleven years, as we’ve given this thing an enormous amount of thought. A couple of examples – by not having backstage, VIP areas at the festival we’re not condoning the whole rock and roll backstage separatist culture thing. To us, everyone is a VIP.

Attempting to bring down barriers, where appropriate, extends into the choice and selection of music and hopefully goes right though the organisation to facilitate a more open minded approach that leaves room for thought, originality and creativity. We’ve been asked many times what characterises The Big Chill ethos and we often respond by asking Big Chillers what they think is the answer. One of the best offered was “flying in the face of early 21st century north European default behaviour.”

10. Has Big Chill found its 'resident' site at Eastnor Castle Deer Park in the Malverns? Where do the Deer go? And do the neighbours complain about the noise?

At the moment we’re very happy with Eastnor and it works very well for both parties. We have an excellent relationship with the owners and the local community, and as far as I know, we’ve kept the noise a level that hasn’t upset those who live locally. The deer stay local too.