We are nearly a month on from the third edition of our music festival Cro Cro Land, which took place at Stanley Arts over the weekend of 5 and 6 April, and we have just about recovered from the epic party! Festival goers (and guest writers) Richard and P deliver their verdict of the weekend…

There’s no doubt Cro Cro Land’s annual music festival IS the best indie music festival in London. Over the weekend, around 40 bands  from across the UK were showcased. The vibe was warm and buzzing, and the people were friendly and appreciative.

There are so many good things about Cro Cro Land, it’s hard to know where to start. Firstly, its setting is in the gorgeous Stanley Arts building in Norwood. The venue is easy to travel to and from, being close to Norwood Junction, with trains running into the night. The festival space is organised with two indoor stages (rain doesn’t stop play!). The larger ‘Town Square’ stage has rockstar appeal, whereas the smaller ‘Concrete Playground’ stage provides a more intimate gig feeling.

Secondly, the organisation is phenomenal. The set times are mostly organised so that as one band finishes, another is starting on the other stage; there is always something to see. Several of the bands commented on the fantastic organisation of the festival, one saying you could tell it was run by a band since everything just made sense and worked as expected. It was easy to navigate: the security was unobtrusive; there were food vendors and bars with enough food and drinks for all of us; seating areas available inside and outside for those pits stop moments to rest the legs; enough clean toilets; and a huge merch desk. Normally, you only get to chat with the bands across the merch table, but Cro Cro gives fans the chance to mix with the bands which adds to the ‘we’re all in this together’ feeling.

Finally, and most importantly, the music is excellent! Cro Cro Land champions voices so often under-represented in a traditional festival line-up. It is so refreshing to have this imbalance fixed. For example, the festival opener was the singer Beth Robb who we think can be described as a queer stereotype-breaking Californian valley-girl belting out alternative electronic pop anthems, although she hails from Essex via New York. You have to see and hear them to understand…

The band list is extensive and there are way too many to mention. We were treated to several major headline acts across both days: Billy Nomates returned to ‘original form’ with an energetic PA setlist; Goat Girl captivated with their ethereal pop set; drum and guitar outfit ARXX delivered a humorous pop happening and the festival closed with a punk rock session from the much-lauded Big Joanie. Some bands returned from last year with new and old songs, include the ever entertaining ‘I, Doris’ to whom we pledged to be a Doris, a fabulous session from Berries and the return of the amazing Dog Violet who played in two sets: one on the main stage and a spontaneous second more intimate one on the smaller stage. Bugeye treated the crowd to new and classic material, and played a surprise set under the pseudonym ‘Pet Feeding Station’. One of Bugeye’s new songs had the crowd chanting ‘you’re a dick’ to everyone’s amusement. There was representation from newer bands like the Teesside band Benefits (‘Benefits turn apocalyptic anger into exhilarating celebration’ **** The Times), psychedelic magic from indie band Miniseries, and Bridget who energized the crowd and organised a decent mosh. Other fun moments included: limbo dancing with the band Loose Articles, big-time skanking with Brighton band Dakka Skanks and the appearance of woodland fairies on stage with Kat Five.

Thank you, Cro Cro Land, it was a fantastic weekend, we loved the known, ventured into the unknown and now we’re following even more bands on the streaming platforms. We’re happy and exhausted.

Now when do the tickets for next year’s festival go on sale?

Well, we’ll have to see… Find out more about Cro Cro Land on the website, Instagram and Facebook. 

Header image courtesy of illustrator Rebecca K Jones (shown in full above). Festival photos courtesy of Cro Cro Land by Jamie MacMillan (from top: Beth Robb and Billy Nomates; Goat Girl; ARXX and Big Joanie; I, Doris; Berries and Dog Violet; Bugeye and Benefits; Minseries and Bridget; Loose Articles; Dakka Skanks and Kat Five; crowd in Loose Articles set). 

Posted by guest writers Richard Stableford and P

Richard is a SouthEast Londoner who enjoys life in its many forms, due in part to his grandparents taking him to pantos at Fairfield Halls, walks around Sanderstead and delicious afternoon teas at Croydon’s Allders.

The mysterious P describes himself as a ‘gig-loving geek’.