Towering sycamore trees and winding country lanes lure you in as you approach Houghton Hall’s lavish grounds. Floods of giddy nostalgia rush into the consciousness of previous Houghton-ers as they once again leave regular civilisation behind at those white arched gates and head beyond the grandeur of the cast-iron sculptures and 17th Century Palladian Mansion for four more days of off-grid hedonism.
Anticipation and intrigue ramps up throughout every summer for first timers and regulars alike. Late news of the heavy rain forcing the closure of the amphitheatrical Quarry stage had shades of previous years’ triple-whammy of cancellations which meant, despite beginning in 2017, 2024 was just the fifth chapter of this one-of-a-kind gathering.
The festival’s curator, founder, and general legend of the scene Craig Richards and his team, despite these heavy blows, continue not just to sustain, but to evolve a festival experience that is unparalleled amongst its peers. A quickly assembled new programme, carefully rejigging The Quarry’s performers like Nicolas Lutz and Junki Inoue, meant that from the flow of the infatuated crowd, down to the facilities and friendly staff, every detail was near-perfect, allowing for full focus on what this mystical place has in store.
The Quarry’s temporary demise left no void as revellers still had endless options when it came to selecting their dancefloor. The Pavillion, one of the festival’s most iconic stages, backs onto a lake, and faces forward into beautiful woodland – two elements that make the site so recognisable and unique. On Friday, Dubstep pioneer Mala kicked off proceedings with a no holds barred set of filthy steppers that shattered any first-day festival jitters. Handing the baton over to Calibre, the shaking yet meditative 140BPM sounds continue to soundtrack the Pavillion. Vibes are strong as two strangers play Connect 4 in the midst of the dance. Through scattering hi-hats and twitchy basslines, the Northern Irish artist transitions into Drum & Bass, the genre he is most commonly associated with, although it’s not quite hitting the same in this early evening sunshine.
Later that evening on Pavillion, the festival founder ramped up the energy to outrageous levels, dropping Craigy classics such as his very own “Sleeping Rough”, as well as a blend of Oliver Huntemann’s “Rubin” with Kraftwerk’s “Numbers” that erupted the crowd into hysteria. Craig’s partner-in-crime and festival favourite Ricardo Villalobos also opts for Kraftwerk as he closes the Pavillion on Sunday with a rework of “Computer World 2” with Whitney’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. DJ’s DJ Ben UFO plays one of Pavilion’s sunrise sets on Saturday morning (5-8AM) and hits the sweet spot between rolling and euphoric. He drops Tim Schlockermann’s “Locked”, a sugary sweet take on Kylie’s “Can’t Get You out of My Head” as well as deeper cuts like Ion Ludwig’s “Transport Fighter”.
One of Houghton’s big draws is its non-stop-and-always-stacked programme that allows attendees the freedom to tackle the festival how they please. Separated from the rest of the festival behind the campsite and running continuously for 72 hours, Terminus has quickly become the most-desirable dancefloor in the scene. Once you enter the overgrown pit, the concept of time disappears as world-class selectors draw for the wiggier more headsier records in their collection. On Saturday afternoon, Hamish & Toby get the crowd bouncing with early 00s house that loosens the limbs and sharpens the grins. Cartulis residents, Junki Inoue, Raphael Carrau, and Z@P, close out the festival here showcasing otherworldly sounds in the form of Ildec’s “Modification” (Junki), and Fritz Wentik’s “Space Babe” (Raphael). These guys are hot property right now.
Terminus’ limited capacity and maximum appeal caused queues of up to 3 hours in 2023, leaving revellers feeling frustrated. To counteract this, team Houghton have now extended the hours of Stallions, a cosy hat-like tent that by day offers the funkier side of dance music; think Tama Sumo & Lakuti and Nick The Record. And now, by night, offers the likes of Francesco Del Garda, Binh, and Unai Trotti, for a raucous after hours affair. This largely did the trick, reducing Terminus’ queue times significantly.
The Earthling, another of the festival’s forest dancefloors boasts a punchy four-point soundsystem that surrounds the 360 degree UFO-like stage which was captained by the likes of Pangaea, Red Axes, and Sugar Free, who played growly techno and breakbeat including Earth’s 1998 banger “Accidence”. A friend turns to me proudly stating, ‘no sugar was needed, as that set was sweet as fuck’. That pretty much sums it up. Raresh, whose set at Earthling in 2023 made him talk of the town, returns to this stage once again to defend his title. Pulling in one of the biggest crowds of the weekend. The Romanian classily bridges the gaps between house, breaks, techno, and garage.
Venturing further into the trees, Outburst, Houghton’s most intimate outdoor woodland stage is a blissfully immersive affair. On Friday night, hypnotic techno wizard Wata Igarashi stirred the locked-in-crowd into a masterfully controlled frenzy. Saturday afternoon sees long-standing scene figurehead Ivan Smagge step up to Outburst’s booth, delivering possibly the set of the festival. He eases the crowd into the afternoon with suggestive rollers, before injecting swampy breaks and techno to maximum effect. Break 3000’s “Plastique People” had the place eating out of the palm of his hand. Closing proceedings on Sunday, John Talabot drops robotic wafters like Maetrik’s “Nexus”.
When there is continuous music at your fingertips, it’s very easy to forget to take a break. Beside Outburst is the ‘Mushroom Tree’, a sound and light installation created using the natural biorhythms of plants which made for perfect post-party refuge. This is one of many visual art installations that the festival offers – new addition to 2024, ‘The Armadillo’ hosts talks, wellness and alternative sets. The beauty of Houghton is that as much as the festival’s focus is on showcasing electronic music, its programme stretches way beyond this – sculpture tours, sound baths, yoga, sauna, massages, and even life-drawing is at your disposal.
Moving away from the woodland, Joy Orbison packs out the newly designed Derren Smart Stage, dropping rowdy crowd-pleasers including his big-hitter “flight fm”. Sunday afternoon saw Detroit legend Moodymann play an all-smiles eclectic set. This year, the festival’s biggest stage splits into two, housing live acts on one end, and DJs on the other, which for the larger, more obvious DJ bookings works, but leaves smaller artists feeling a little lost.
Nearby, Tantrum, a cocoon like tent with a backdrop of industrial crates and trippy TVs hosts a stacked lineup that would tickle any Houghtoner’s fancy. Deep diggers Christian AB & Quest join forces for a back to back throwdown retaining high energy with flowy peak-time bangers. As Friday greets Saturday, Jane Fitz who is, as usual, in fine form, unleashes tunes such as Orbital’s 1993 epic “Remind” and 80s inspired “Here I Am” by Joe Lewandowski.
Having attended every edition of Houghton Festival, it’s clear that its top-tier curation, tight-knit operation, and knowledgeable crowd have been consistent since inception. A high bar to surpass then… Alas, 2024 was Houghton’s strongest yet; the festival continues to demonstrate its commitment to providing a first-class celebration of music, art, and nature, for the people that both create and enjoy it. The unrivalled fine tuned attention to detail helps to create a unique, affirming atmosphere that leaves attendees feeling energised and inspired as they return to their regular lives. It’s difficult to imagine how this year can be topped, but given Houghton’s clean-sheet track record, I’m certainly eager to find out next year.