A hippie music festival that once was (1999-2016).
There are still events that take you to another dimension. One of these has been the “All Tomorrows Parties” (ATP) festival since 1999. Initiated by Belle & Sebastian and named after the song of the same name by Velvet Underground & Nico, it is a refuge for musical outcasts – for fans of post-rock, avant-garde, underground hip-hop or high-quality pop and rock. The line-up is put together by alternating curators. In his documentary, Jonathan Caouette presents the utopia made flesh of what Thurston Moore calls the “ultimate mix tape”. The magic words are creativity, freedom and harmony. Or, as Timothy Leary would say:
“Turn on, tune in and drop out.”
The reference to Leary is no coincidence. The festival itself, its audience and the documentary film about ATP do not hide their love for the 1960s. Caouette’s film is reminiscent of films such as “Woodstock” (1970) or “Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii” (1972): there are many split screens and collages, Super 8 mm video recordings alongside the usual concert footage, which capture not only the performances but also the backstage happening and the relaxed atmosphere at the festival. But Caouette is only co-director – many of the shots were taken by the ATP visitors themselves.
No star system and no labels, just honest music.
The concept of ATP is an attempt to embody the ideas of Jerry Garcia, Patti Smith or Iggy Pop, who, in archive footage in the film, yearn for an event where there is no star system and no labels, just honest music. At ATP, the selection of this music is in the hands of the curators, who in the past have included Mogwai, Sonic Youth and Portishead, who have shared the stage with their guests, for example, Grinderman, Sunn O))), Yann Tiersen and The Gossip. Sometimes, however, the sceptre of the selection was put in the hands of the audience itself. Anything goes. So it is no surprise when you come across a band that adds a theremin to their soundscapes.
ATP is a leftist-liberal alternative to big festivals like Glastonbury. An intimate symbiosis of artists and audiences in a minimal space. Alternative, but also a brand, with spin-offs in the USA, Spain and Australia.
Few days of escape from reality and conventions, from imposed roles and industrialised tastes.
At least in its original form, which takes place in English seaside resorts, ATP provides an exciting contrast between the good old-fashioned quiet holiday and a modern and vibrant festival, between the old holiday homes and the young audience. ATP offers a few days of escape from reality and conventions, from imposed roles and industrialised tastes. At ATP, you can milk creativity for yourself or just relax and feed on its seeds; you can choose between organised events, spontaneous concerts, gentle intoxication, the poetry of campfire gatherings and other manifestations of harmony with the environment and all-encompassing love. Hippie? Perhaps. Anyhow, the only contemporary alternatives that spring to mind after these images are Burning Man and Burg Herzberg.
But as I said, the film also returns to the past. Away from the new documentary films that put the filmmaker himself in the foreground and are only too happy to mix documentary footage and reenactments. Towards a refreshing formalistic experiment with few talking heads and an invisible author. A family album that encourages you to take a holiday to this utopia.
