I’ve just spent last weekend working for Absolute Radio as a runner at this year’s V Festival in Chelmsford. This is a snapshot of my experiences this weekend.

A late change of plan meant I was helping the programming team over the weekend, with my main task being to ferry bands back and forth to the Absolute Radio VIP Area on my golf buggy for interviews or sessions, which was pretty exciting stuff (especially having the buggy!) Whenever I was scooting around backstage with my walkie talkie radio, I felt a mixture of importance (“look at me in my buggy, driving into the dressing room area to get MGMT, let me through, VIP here”) and the ultimate blagger, thinking that any minute a security guard would cotton on that I shouldn’t be there for some reason (like I was trying to sneak into a club underage and sneak past the bouncers) and they would get me evicted in a shot. Luckily that never happened. This task took up most of our time, especially Sunday, where looking back at my scrap piece of paper, it got busy at points. Take this extract as an example:

4:15pm – pick up James from Dressing Room Area (D.R)
4:30pm – take James back to D.R
4:40pm – Cat and the OC to 4Music stage for back announcement
4:45pm – pick up Paolo Nutini plus band plus tech equipment (3 x buggies)
5:00pm – pick up James Morrison plus wife, child and friends to see Paolo’s set from D.R
5:10pm – pick up Snow Patrol from D.R (PRIORITY)
5:15pm – pick up Natalie Imbrugia from D.R – cancelled
5:20pm – take Snow Patrol back (PRIORITY)
5:25pm – take James Morrison plus guests back
5:25pm – take Paolo Nutini back (3x buggies)

Taking into account that bands aren’t the most punctual, neither are they too happy to wait for a runner on a buggy, things got pretty hectic at times, but most were friendly and thankful for our help.

Other small tasks, such keeping the Absolute staff stocked up with food and drink, standing on spots needed for filming, collecting technical equipment, picking up live recordings of bands on CD, holding microphones, ferrying stationary to certain staff, were all in a day’s work for us as runners.

I was asked to take part in a feature for Geoff’s Show on the Saturday, in which he challenged me against Gareth. Although I nailed it in the first task of finding a cute kid to speak on air (I got great 8 year old twins, who were excited about seeing ‘Diddy Rascal’ later that day), I struggled to find a pensioner in the second task, Gareth beating my 54 year old hippy with a 60 year old church worker. My mum, who was listening at the time, is busy telling all her friends that I think she’ll be a OAP in a couple of year’s even though she’s 52.

Working for Absolute at V is a completely different experience than going to a festival normally. I only saw behind the main stage, not the front. I saw most of the bands, but not them performing. I barely left the Absolute Radio VIP Area, apart from the tasks I had for Geoff’s show and to see 2ManyDJs and MGMT. Set slightly back from the main festival thoroughfare, the area was so relaxed and spacious, the guests seemed quite content to hang out around the many beautiful young VIPs who were around, lazing in the hammocks, leather sofas, and the two large teepees for the Secret Stage and the Hard Rock Bar. The area also held a double decker bus, fitted out with a jacuzzi, and everyone could make use of the free BBQ and bar whenever they wished (including their band themed cocktails – Killers Fuzz or Ting Ting Tea to name a couple). Luxury toilets were another obvious perk! We also had the bonus of the bands coming to play acoustically for us (thanks to our great buggy driving skills) so saw great sets from the likes of Jet, Athlete, Paolo Nutuni, Ocean Colour Scene and Biffy Clyro.

Our production passes came in handy now and again, taking a shortcut to see MGMT through the backstage area, with our fully loaded drinks from a free (and empty) bar, and being able to nip to the backstage toilets during a gig. Staying in hotel with door to door service to and from the festival meant a good nights sleep as well as good wash in the morning. There were some surreal moments too, like James Morrison telling me about Oasis cancelling their set, taking a pee next to MGMT’s lead singer just before he went on stage and Edith Bowman stopping my buggy to say hi to Biffy Clyro.

It was a very interesting experience working at V, one which I loved doing. It was great as always seeing and working with the employees at Absolute Radio, this festival being the fifth separate occasion I’ve worked for them. It’s really great that everyone from the station worked so well together and can socialise together too. One of the many highlights for me would be the bus rides back from the festival, especially on Sunday, which included a rap off between Gareth and Rhiannon, many repeats of happy birthday/three cheers/for he’s a jolly good fellow instigated by Geoff for Bobby, a bus version of hide and seek by Eloise which included her attempt to squeeze into the baggage hold (but ended in her hanging from it above the seats), and a variety of impersonations, all hosted by our very own tour guide Dan. Our bus driver was very accepting, shall we say!

The weather was a massive help to the weekend, and together with the live music, the output on the radio, the VIP area and the people, it was highly successful weekend and I hope everyone at V had as much fun as we all did and those who couldn’t be there enjoyed Absolute’s coverage of it.