Iron Maiden. Metallica. The Prodigy. Lounge Kittens. Carcass.
Not exactly cornerstones of a fun family weekend away, right?
Well, actually it turns out maybe they are. You see, I was at Sonisphere this past weekend - a three-day heavy metal festival at Knebworth ("Hellooooooo Hertfordshire!") at which the above bands were among those performing.
Now, I’ve been going to heavy metal gigs since I was 14 years old (I’m now 37), but - and I’m somewhat ashamed to say it - this was the first time I’d actually attended a festival. You know, proper camping and stuff.
My expectation for the Sonisphere crowd was based on all the gigs I’ve been to - a demographic ranging from teenagers up to your seasoned rock vets, reflecting the age and the peak decades of the bands in the line-up.
What I wasn’t expecting was the sheer number of families and pre-pubescent kids (including a fair few buggies) that were also in attendance.
My initial reaction to this was ‘cool’. But two of the three mates I was with - all with kids of their own aged 3-10 years - didn’t agree. In fact, they remained firmly in the ‘I wouldn’t bring my kids here - it’s not right’ camp all weekend.
The third did in fact bring his own 10 year-old, but on a day ticket rather than for the whole weekend and, chatting to both him and his lad, the two of them had a bloody good time.
I also know people who take their kids to Glastonbury every year too - in fact, that seems quite a normal occurrence for that festival.
So who’s right in the case of the Sonisphere ‘yes’ and ‘no’ camps? Having pondered it myself over the weekend while at Knebworth I’m definitely in the ‘yes’ camp.
Having chatted to my more reticent mates, their objection seemed to be based on a) the crowd being too big for small kids, and b) the potential noise damage to their ears.
Certainly there were no worries in terms of the type of people at Sonisphere - us metallers are a good bunch and, while it can get a bit lively in ‘the pit’, you’ll never see much trouble at a gig. At least I certainly haven’t.
And in terms of crowd size, well, young kids go to big football matches of similar crowd sizes all the time and that’s not frowned upon.
As I say, we were camping and the facilities - at least those in the Rock Royalty camping area where we were - were first class. Though I admit the 'arena' toilets were best avoided, regardless of age.
Which leaves us with the noise thing. And it’s a valid point. I should know as I have (not necessarily noise-inflicted) tinnitus, which I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemies. Well, maybe a couple of them.
But there are precautions that you can - and most people did - take, namely specialist ear defenders and ear plugs. You wouldn’t put your child into a car without a seat belt/car seat. Same thing, really - it’s just basic, responsible parenting.
So I’m all for it. And I’d like to think when my boy’s old enough I can take him to Sonisphere as part of his rock appreciation lessons (we’ll start with Led Zep, maybe a bit of Sabbath and go from there).
And hats off to the Sonisphere organisers for assembling some of the heaviest bands on the planet (plus did we mention Lounge Kittens?), but still being able to put on a event that’s accessible for the whole family, particularly in the area our tent was in.
Metal is good for kids. And remember, if you're looking for a family-friendly festival check out Lollibop this August - more info in our article here.
Master of Muppets, anyone?
- Stuart
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