Review: FFALL

Do you like feasting on cheap but delicious vegetarian food, whilst doodling on wine bottles? No? What about listening to a plethora of bands, ranging from chilled acoustic to shoe-stomping jazz? Still not feeling it? Well then, I’m sure we all love raging in the union with a few tequila shots down us, right? Basically, Festival For All did exactly what it said on the tin, and so much more. Catering to pretty much every eclectic St. Andrews student that we have here, there was live music, cheap food, fantastic company and, above all, and air of inclusivity that meant I found myself hanging out with band members after the show.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived at the All Saints Church, in the middle of a blustery October day. People were contentedly sprawled out on the floor, bobbing their heads along to the delights of Sunshine Social: a Glaswegian five-piece who are breathtakingly talented, whilst also oozing an air of modesty. After the stresses of week six, there was something purely serene about kicking off my shoes and enjoying a plate of gorgeous VegSoc creations, with the meditative strum of a guitar serenading the crowd in the background. Each act had been carefully handpicked by the FFALL committee, and they fitted together so perfectly that there was not one unhappy face in the entire room.

The organisation was intended to allow people to flit to and fro as they wished, which worked surprisingly well and allowed a smooth transition into the second section of the event. And from what had initially been a cosy, autumnal hive of music-lovers and artists burst forth a crowd with so much enthusiasm that we could have been at any low-key music festival across the country. Celebrating the Scottish talent of acts such as Blank Canvas, Broken Records, and Withered Hand, the evening exploded with a torrent of fluorescent lighting and indie-rock. The buzz of the night extended all the way through to the final act MORRT, who provided a fist-pumping DJ alternative to the wonderful live acts that had preceded. And by the end, glowing and sweaty faces all had the same expression: this had truly been a Festival For All.

Creators Austin Bell and Leo Bargery, alongside their tirelessly passionate committee, have to be given a hand here; in my FFALL preview we were told that the event was driven by enthusiasm, and this cannot be emphasised enough. A soul-deep love of music was crystal clear throughout the whole process: from ticket sales, to the STAR broadcasting team and other fantastic committees such as Lightbox Creative, to the front row of The Winter Tradition. The only failure of the entire event was on the part of those who didn’t buy a ticket!

Photo Credit: FFALL Facebook Page and Amy Chubb