Gilles Peterson's fifth installment of his Worldwide Festival, held from July 8-12 in the usually sleepy French seaside resort of Sète, was by far the biggest yet, with organisers claiming that, over the four days, some 15,000 people had attended the party.

 

That figure almost doubled last summer's effort, and the festival is increasingly moving away from its small beginnings in 2006 - when only 500 people grooved to Jazzanova and Bugz in the Attic, among others.

While those in charge might be counting their Euros, revellers did not feel too crammed, in honesty. The pips are not squeaking, just yet. The way the festival is laid out - over four stunning venues, including the breath-taking open air Théâtre de la Mer and the ACD Plage - allows people to dip in and out as they please.

The BBC Radio 1 maestro's cult followers can meander to the morning market for delicious seafood or a walk up to St Christ, which offers a panoramic wonder atop the peninsular, found 20 minutes by train from Montpellier, before partying with sand in between their toes beyond the small hours.   

"Looking back over the five years, it's pretty much where I want the festival to be," said 46-year-old Peterson, who came to know the area well after gigging in jazz hotspot Montpellier. "To be honest, we haven't really advertised it, and we have built it up slowly. I actually thought this year was going to be a drop on last year, but even though we had a lot of problems, there were some pretty good highlights this year. The funny thing, from my point of view, is that there is so much we can improve on, and people are loving it anyway."

And while Peterson did his best to dispel all bad vibes following three headline absentees - Gil-Scott Heron, Joy Orbison and Flying Lotus - in truth, the Mediterranean sun and sea, and a couple of monster sets from WF legend Laurent Garnier, healed any sores.

"I think we were really unlucky this year," said the Brownswood Records honcho. "Every festival, by the law of averages, is going to have one or two pull out. It was a real shame Gil couldn't make it, and while Joy Orbison was ill, Flying Lotus called me a few days later to apologise - and he promised he will come and play for free next year. Musically, though, I think it worked better, actually.

"The one thing that upset me most this year, was that I spend most of my time building up that crowd, almost hand-picking them, and I didn't even DJ! It was as though I had spent 30 years developing a brilliant wine, and the best vintage has come out and I haven't even been able to get the bottle to myself!"

Intriguingly, there were whispers of another WF venture, which is likely to run alongside the Sète festival next year, of a party cruise ship. "There is talk of it," admitted Peterson, "but I'm just happy with Sète at the moment and doing that gently. If something comes along that sounds quite a laugh and makes sense, then I'm always up for a laugh. We'll see!" Perhaps Gilles is getting too big for the town, after all.

Words: Rachel Patey

 

• Gilles Peterson

Related Links:

• Review: Sunday Afternoons At Dingwalls
• Extalgic Festival 2011
• Review: Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards
• Rototom Sunsplash Preview
• Review: Glastonbury Festival 2010

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