Words of Love
Over the years we’ve received countless letters, emails and messages from friends, family, complete strangers and everyone in between. This year we decided to ask some integral members of the Noisily team what the festival means to them, and this is what they had to say…
“Joining the Noisily family has been one of the most enriching experiences of my whole life, from the pre-planning stages, artist discoveries, art department leading to those magical moments during the live show in our woodland paradise that nothing is quite like. Each year challenges me in new ways but also teaches me so much. I have been truly overwhelmed by the warmth, kindness but most of all the generosity of knowledge that has been shared with me through my time at Noisily, and each year just gets more and more exciting.
Noisily has taught me valuable lessons about true human connections, kindred spirits and big ass bass lines.
Being welcomed into the team has not only helped me grow as an assistant art director, gaining news skills from my incredible boss and the whole team, it has also cultivated my own artistic practice, my people skills and opened my eyes to an incredible plethora of artistic talent that I feel truly lucky to help mentor and nurture along the way. Helping artists reach their dreams and discover their true potential is a feeling like no other… From the bottom of my heart, I am truly humbled to be part of Noisily!”
Lizy Bending, Assistant Director of Art
“Noisily has literally shaped the last 9 years of my life, it’s forged some of my strongest friendships and has given me immeasurable amounts of pride, joy and purpose.
The people I’ve met working with Noisily have been the kindest most inspiring people I’ve ever had the pleasure to know.
It’s my home and my family.”
Lachie Gordon, Co-founder
“When I was asked to join the Noisily photography dream team back in 2014, it was like the universe gifted me with the most amazing family. Every year since, returning to those enchanted magical Coney woods felt to me as if I was going home. Returning to a place of so much love, magic and dreams with outstanding production, music, people and decor!! Noisily is where love resides, memories are created, friends always belong, and laughter never ends. Noisily is my home, my family & my colourful creative playground. The vibe is indescribable and the magic is beyond words… I feel so privileged and honoured to have been part of this incredible Noisily Festival of Music and Arts family all these years. So many magical moments and memories are created between those trees every year. Moments in time I will cherish forever.
Thank you for having me back every year ~ Noisily you mean the world to me and I love you.”
Sammy Leigh Scholl – Sauriêl Creative Photography
“Throughout my life I’ve always searched for different ways and approaches from that of the norm – and for me Noisily represents that in an all encompassing way. Building alternative communities to serve those people who don’t quite fit into society as we know it has always interested me, and that alongside psychedelic culture and redefining it for the younger generations is of great importance to me.
I feel through very careful nurturing we have created a community which has in itself spawned many amazing connections. The beats on the dancefloor are merely a backdrop for so much more that’s going on, as lots of incredible individuals form lasting bonds which extend out across the UK and the World.
For me Noisily is my biggest passion – it’s also one of my main jobs, but I would certainly carry on working on the project even if it was not as what we have all created (and by that I mean everyone in the community as well as the crew) is essentially something I dreamed about conceiving or being part of from my very early 20’s when I first started putting on illegal forest parties in my home county of Kent.
I also love the fact that year on year Noisily is kinda ignored by the mainstream press – the ‘best small festival’ gongs are handed out at the UK Festival Awards to identikit festivals with the same line-ups all competing for the same space – I take great pride in the fact that vast swathes of the people in the room would never of heard of our event which is focused on the wider global festival community as much as that of the UK. It sets us apart from the norm – which like the majority of Noisily attendees is vitally important in the rapidly standardising World of 2019.”
Chris Williams, Marketing
“I worked on Noisily for over a year before I actually managed to attend it. Seeing the incredible photos, videos and comments from the existing Noisily community made me excited to go, but nothing can really prepare you for what it is actually like.
6,000 people, lost, by choice, in the woods. The production alone is just mind-blowing, not to mention the elaborate array of art, music and workshops that go with it. A wise man once said in reference to Noisily, “Only tell the good ones.” I genuinely feel this is the best 5 words to describe Noisily. “
Joey Pettit, Marketing
‘’I have been attending Noisily Festival for seven years and Art Directing for four. During this time I have seen the festival flourish, year after year giving beautiful experiences to the participants of the festival.
The experience begins when you first enter the magical woodlands. I always feel like I have returned home. The woods you have entered will become the canvas for your time in this temporary world. If it is daytime, the light trickles through the leaves of the great trees, creating light patterns over what you see before you.
Entering the festival at night time you are dazzled by the lights of the stages and plethora of glowing installations you stumble upon. This is my happy place and I am very honored to have the role of enhancing this already beautiful slice of England.
It also feels like home because of all the friends and family I get to see here, many only once a year in this spot. As well as this I always connect with such brilliant new people, which luckily seem to return every year to laugh and dance together.’’
Ruth Herbert, Director of Art
“Noisily Festival is a rare beast. An experience of exquisite perfection, that has the simultaneous ability to make you want to share it, telling anyone who will listen just how brilliant it is in a very loud shouty voice. Yet in the same thought, absorb you in the covetous, selfish shame of not wanting to tell anyone at all, so we can keep it our secret forever.”
Nick Caro, Director of Photography
“I am always happy to return to this Noisily, there’s just no way around it, this place and moment in time has been created out of love. Love for the music, love for the arts, love for freedom, but most of all love for the crowd and it’s insurmountable energy, expressed in such a variety of ways. It’s been such a pleasure and a real privilège to have discovered one of those rare places that hold true to their ethos, and provide meaning. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!”
Christophe Renodeyn, Official Photographer
“Noisily is the best thing without a pulse that has ever happened to me, to put it bluntly.
To elaborate, I have made the best of friends in my tenure here, met my wife amongst the trees, and on Sunday of 2019 found out we were having our first child in Spring 2020.
Noisily is a privilege which eclipses all others, a responsibility I embrace whole heartedly, and a monumental source of positive energy cocooned in a world riddled with uncertainty. I am, and will continue to be, profoundly proud of all those who pour their love unconditionally and creatively into this utterly unique experience.”
Charles Cannon-Audley, Co-founder