The problem with a festival as large as the Big Chill is that no matter where you are, you’re always missing something on the other side of the festival. That said, it was clear from the start that the Castle Stage was the place to be at Big Chill 2009.
Saturday opened with a dazzling set from Icelandic singer-songwriter Hafdis Huld, an unknown quantity who quickly won over the crowd with her charming stage presence – quipping sweetly with a crowd you could feel falling in love with her – and laidback folk-pop songs. Huld’s voice is gentle, and the slight accent she sings with adds a certain character. Current single “Kongulo” – written about urban climber Alain Robert – was a highlight of the set, as was the eccentric pop of “Ski Jumper”. Huld may not be singing about the great issues of the day, but her music is so infectiously happy that it hardly matters.
Kathryn Williams has been a fixture on the English folk circuit for ten years, and a crowd of loyalists turned out to watch her early-afternoon set. At times, she almost seemed overwhelmed with gratitude, but her softly melodic voice created a peaceful oasis in the bustle of the festival.
Having missed three or four sets I had hoped to catch over the weekend, I was determined not to miss Emmy the Great‘s performance. Stepping onstage to raucuous applause from a hard-core of loyal fans, she launched straight into an impassioned rendition of “We Almost Had A Baby”. Her powerful voice and slightly sardonic songwriting didn’t let her down, and she delivered one of the strongest performances of the weekend. Tracks from her new Edward EP proved to be particular delights: “Edward is Dedward” was a definite highlight, alongside staunch fan-favourite “Canopies & Drapes”.
Saturday night’s Open Air Stage lineup was a bizarre mix of rock and electronic acts, with a slightly eclectic set from trip-hop duo Lamb, and a wildly well-received performance from Spiritualized, who led a large audience through an hour of droning, wailing, soaring psych-rock. The evening’s highlight, however, was undoubtedly a midnight set from Orbital. I stood on the hillside, overlooking the stage, and watched thousands of people partying to a surreal mix of techno and ambient. The ethereal synths and erratic beats of “Chime” proved particularly compelling, and you couldn’t help but feel you were watching one of Britain’s seminal electronic acts. In a curious star-spotting incident, we later spotted one of the Hartnoll brothers at an after-party at one of the bars, still wearing the torch-glasses. We also bumped into actor Jimi Mistry at the same party, proving that the Big Chill really is the place to be.
While recovering from an all-nighter on Saturday, we managed to miss a large swathe of Sunday’s performances, but two main stage sets certainly stand out: the first from reggae superstar Max Romeo, with a dazzling blend of roots, reggae, and dub, culminating in a show-stopping performance of “Chase the Devil”. The other was from elusive psych-folk singer-songwriter Rodriguez, with an even mix of back-catalogue material and tracks from upcoming album Coming From Reality. Unfortunately, at this stage, I had to leave the festival, in order to get back to London and the daily grind, which caused me to miss Broken Records third-billed set on the Castle Stage (something I fear some members of the SK may never forgive me for).
Overall, Big Chill’s festival vibe was a little erratic; the atmosphere in the campsites at times more jovial than in the arena itself, but it proved to be a hectic weekend full of great music and strange times.
Steve Caffrey’s photosets from the festival will be available on the site soon. Stay tuned!
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Marcus Kernohan is the founder and editor-in-chief of Stereokill.net. Email him at 
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