Packed my summer outfit which consists of one pair of shorts and a pair of canvas shoes with a sort of rubber and string sole. We’re off to Ibiza this weekend to celebrate Pete Tong’s wife, Carolina’s 40th birthday. I want to say this will be a relaxing break but we land at midnight and head straight for Pacha to catch Pete’s Friday night set, ‘It’s all gone Pete Tong’. Which for those who don’t know has entered the British rhyming slag vocabulary, it means;’ it’s all gone wrong’. Those not familiar with London cockney rhyming slang then this column is far too short for me to explain. Google it.

Last weekend turned out to be one of those magical musical moments. Oh god that sounds so naff!

I forced my two daughters to camp with me at the Hop Farm festival. Just 4 years old, the festival was started by Vince Power, a veteran, who amongst other festivals ran Glastonbury for years. The spirit of Hop Farm is to get back to the music. The overblown, over sponsored, corporate lump that is Glastonbury has become about as far from the music as the people in the back row of yet another Coldplay headline act there. Boring. 

Tempted by the line-up we skipped Glasto and opted for the Hop. We arrived in a borrowed Land Rover defender complete with African spec camper trailer, drove over a couple of tents and VW camper vans full of part time hippies and joined in the spirit of the VIP camp site.

Between Human league, Morrisey, The Eagles, Iggy, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Tinie Temph and Labyrinth etc we saw them all and had brilliant outdoor family time. However nothing, not even the excellent Moroccan chicken, came close to the Sunday night headliner which was Prince. This was his first ever festival and only UK gig this year and he blew our socks off. From the “Let’s Go Crazy” opener to “Purple rain”. Camper than all us campers put together’ the pint sized Hendrix/Brown hybrid delivered a spellbinding high energy set of crowd pleasing hits. And so many hits, they just kept coming. After an hour and a half he disappeared. All the lights went out but the crowd were going nowhere, he came back saying “Did you think we were finished? We have enough hits to last until next year’s festival”.

It may have been the best magical musical experience I have ever had. I recommend you look out for next year’s Hop.