Image credit: Tom Horton
You know you’re hardcore when the dust has barely settled on NYE and you’re already looking for another bender. That’s why the strictly professional festival lovers descend onto Bugged Out in Bognor Regis mere days after everyone’s favourite big pub blow out. Obviously we’re not going to miss out on such frolics and shenanigans so we packed our bags and headed off to join the raving throng.
Enter the Wagon
After unpacking and taking mere minutes to settle in, there’s no going back now. We’re here and ready to party at January’s inaugural fire starter event. It’s the fifth birthday of Bugged Out and from the moment we arrive it’s a case of enter the maelstrom.
Feeling Creepy
Friday night kicks of hard and fast without a single shade of fucking around to ruin the mainline sound. Paranoid London pulled a ridiculously sick Hard Acid live set out of the bag, coupled up with our new cult hero ‘pon de mic. We had no idea who this was, but as this gentleman had a cowboy hat, we dubbed him cowboy hat man. How we loved cowboy hat man.
Next up was the anything but gentle tones of Boddika smashing out the Techno and dropping sledgehammers on the dancefloor with every mix. George Fitzgerald, a long standing Bugged Out favourite, was next into the mix sliding rolling bangers much to the delight and surprise of the party faithful.
Before the After Party
After this we legged it over to bar Rosso to catch Artwork’s Arts House after party set. Sometimes the tag legend is overused. In this instance it completely fitted the bill. With a massive soundsystem he played naughty, naughty numbers that kept everyone dancing. A ten minute blend of Want You in My Soul was without a doubt one of the highlights.
Saturday Sessions
Saturday belonged to our newly crowned king of everything, Armand Van Helden. With 90s classic all up in your face and a fucking massive confetti cannon, life was made complete. This Boston born house music DJ nailed the main room audience to the floor playing his Bugged Out Weekender debut centre stage. All eyes and ears were firmly on him.
Following the great man himself was a top selection of acts. Of notable proportion were Jackmaster, further establishing his credentials as one of the Bugged Out standard bearers for fun. Eats Everything, who first played the festival way back in 2012 to ecstatic review and Skream. Together on the bill, the acts were dubbed as Bigger than J.E.S.u.S.
Super Supped Up Sunday
With Sunday commencing to the sound of a mini-rig set up in our chalet, prompting an 11 hour dancing session with as much Bucky as we could pile into our little mouths. It was then off to find our hero, the one and only The Black Madonna who absolutely tore it up.
Pulling us half destroyed over the finish line was an absolutely storming set by the Bicep boys from Belfast, they owned it proper stylee with a rinsing Techno set. And like the merest blink of an eye it was all over for another year. What a party it was. Can’t wait for 2017. We love you Bugged Out.
