Neither car broke down on the way to North Walsham rugby ground, which was a welcome change from the usual reputation of going to car festivals. Maybe it was because this wasn’t simply a car festival. VW Whitenoise is in its fourth year and it has got bigger on each occasion. This year, a huge field was taken up by an array of tents, Beetles, Camper Vans as well as non-Volkswagen cars, including my honorary Punto, which was customised with a VW badge. The annual event is both a Volkswagen festival and music weekender, with the sound of cars often sharing the air with beats from the main stage and the two tents. "I feel like we’re competing with engines," said Ian from Bearsuit, "it's quite exciting really." Festival kick-off After some confusing work with a lot of poles and string, my friends and I had the tents up and we went to see The Shadow Project open the festival. After the sound man took an unusually long time setting all the levels, the bass guitar and electronics slightly overshadowed the other instruments and you could only really hear one drum.  | | My honorary VW Punto |
However, the volume seemed to even out as the set went on, with the crowd slowly getting bigger. It was hardly an explosive start to the festival, but by the last few songs the band were in full flow and the set mirrored the gradual filling of the camping fields. By the time dusk settled on Whitenoise, the dance tent was up and ready to cater for the huge age range of campers. The main stage was alive with the sound of The Bronson Deal, who combined their guitar, bass and drums to make a dance orientated set reminiscent of the Happy Mondays. The music got the crowd going and they were able to move effortlessly between the stage, DJ and beer tents, as they all had a similar dance atmosphere. This assured the party went on well into the night, and cemented the atmosphere for the rest of the festival. Beetles display By the time we woke up bright and early on day two, the festival spirit was in full swing with barbecues and Camper Vans both alive with smoke. The stall holders were all setting up to sell their wares, ranging from multicoloured pottery cows (which I bought), as well as various hats, including one in the shape of a cat’s head (which I also bought).  | | Magoo rock out |
There were hundreds of modifications and spare parts for Volkswagens, including snooker balls for gear sticks and ‘Live life ¼ mile at a time’ bumper stickers. The ambitious task of lining up 50 Beetles from 1955-2005 produced some interesting specimens; however I'm not sure if they quite reached 50. The tribute to classic scooters had a surprisingly big line-up for a VW festival, with the worlds of vintage cars and vintage bikes overlapping. The criminally underrated Magoo kicked off the day with a melting pot of sunshine indie pop, reminiscent of a Fiery Furnaces obsessed with Tiger Milk rather than Blueberry Boats. However, this is a feeble stab in the dark at Magoo's enormous and varied range of influences. It's like listening to all your favourite bands at once, interspersed with some of those '80s one-hit-wonders that were actually really good. Rain stops play  | | Future Kings use a glass to play bass |
The Future Kings take to the stage next and they are a band that I should really like. They've got a violin; a bass played with a glass; warbling, climbing guitar and marching drums, which all come together in a big instrumental glaze. The idea sounds beautiful - it should sound like an English Silver Mount Zion - and to a certain extent, it does. But no matter how much the songs build up and drive with drums and bass, punctuated by twinkling guitar and fluttering violin, there seems to be something missing. The Future Kings are sitting down, and they don't seem to be into what they're playing. I suspect on record the songs excel, and possibly at other live shows too, but there was a vital spark missing. The rest of the day was filled with rain and we retreated to the dubiously named Tranquility Tent for a little shelter. Surprisingly, it was exactly that – tranquil. There’s nothing more you can say about it really.  | | Not all the cars were in top condition |
Bands were rained off until the evening, when King Billy And The Marvelous took to the stage with a mix of ska and funk which really got the crowd going. In truly heroic festival spirit fashion, they played for a lot longer than they were billed for to make up for the bands that went home because of the rain. While I'm not usually a fan of this type of music, this act of bravery and endurance warmed me to them, at least partially. CTHRU27 finished the night with a blend of similar acts like Rage Against The Machine, Linkin Park and One Minute Silence, which seemed to excite the other journalists a bit too much. All the musicians and the singer/rapper were technically very talented, but I can't help feeling that I must have missed what everyone else was so excited about. Adrenaline-fuelled set The final day was once again interspersed with rain, but it held off enough for the Show 'n' Shine and the final band.  | | Bearsuit close the festival |
The Show 'n' Shine displayed the best of the cars seen around the campsite with prizes for the most impressive or unique, including a green, squished Camper Van. Bearsuit rounded off the weekend with an amazing adrenaline-fuelled live set, with lots of shouts and screams and stop, start, schizophrenic instruments. It was perhaps fitting that the festival finished just after they played their last fuzzy note, with a jarring, offbeat end to the song fitting the fizzled-out end to the festival. Apart from the rain and a few hiccups in the running order, the festival was a success, with the mix of cars and music working surprisingly well. I will definitely be going back next year and, hopefully, further years after that. All I need now is a Camper Van. | 
