Despite some challenging weather, and a difficult year for everyone in the festival world, Maui 2024 has beaten the odds and was a smashing success.
Located near Dereham in Norfolk, a part of the country now thankfully free of the black mark that was Liz Truss as an MP, Maui is an incredible little community, and in my humble opinion, by far the best party in East Anglia.
Running since 2013, this year marks the tenth edition of the festival, and the fourth at its current home. In a year where dozens of small festivals have folded, even going ahead at all would have been impressive- but Maui managed much more than that- they somehow managed to put on their best festival yet.
While the current site at Hall Farm, in Gressingham has always been a lovely place to party, it now really feels the festival is growing into its new home, and put down deep roots in Norfolk. The layout, slightly changed from last year, makes the whole event feel slightly more labyrinthine- while it is still a small festival of only a few thousand people, these tiny changes make it a lot more fun to explore.
The level of art, too, is very impressive. While some old favourites,like the Octopus and the PFP Robot sadly couldn’t make it to the festival, walking around the site is still an absolute feast for the eyes. It feels like every little corner of the event is a labour of love- from the edges of the stages, to the tables where you sip coffee out to the trees at the edge of the festival. While the infrastructure is there, and if you look you’ll see pieces of Herris fencing, and cabling, I found it was incredibly easy to ignore these things in favour of the beautiful decor around the site.
Offering something for festival goers of all ages, Maui is a family festival which takes both parts of that phrase seriously. It is no less of a wild, mad party because some people have brought their kids- there is dance music, debauchery, and delightful distractions aplenty, but also dedicated downtime, dazzling displays, and daytime diversions designed to delight the youngest attendees.
One thing which many parents liked about Maui was the freedom attending the festival offered both them and their children. Contained in an interesting, safe, space, folks young and old could run riot without too much fear about where their different age counterparts had got to- it would all be fine anyway.
Particularly deserving of a shout-out are the weird bikes: built by a family team and laid out in the middle of the festival, each of these vehicles has a slight modification designed to change the way they are supposed to be ridden. They ranged from relatively easy contraptions, with side-by-side pedals, to awful monstrosities all backwards steering and counter rotating drives, all of which proved incredibly fun for those with either still developing or, chemically impaired brains.
Another unmissable, albeit beyond odd Maui Waui experience is the Electric Hamster Racing. Toeing the line between frustration, farce and brilliant insanity, while it may take a few visits to start to truly understand the sport of kings, I considered attending the Electric Hamster Race to be a true highlight of my festival, and would not consider Maui Maui without them in attendance.
Logistically, Maui smashed it out the park this year- the toilets, long a sticking point, have improved to the point where now I would say they are actually above average. The food, too, is consistently amazing and somehow, seems cheaper than it was last year, with an enormous amount of choice, ranging from Thai noodles to deconstructed cheese burgers. Even our groups token vegan and gluten free guy respectively were both happy at the selection on offer.
The addition of a night owl campsite also, has helped kept people from annoying their neighbours, whether it be by playing French hardtek on a clapped out minirig at 5am, or letting their crotch goblins out to play at 7. One thing I would like, though and I get that this could be difficult, is splitting camper vans along a similar basis. I love a late night party, and while I can pretty much sleep through anything I don’t like annoying my neighbours- it would be good to be able to be in a van and still have a late night campsite session.
However- the need for a late night minirig session is pretty limited, because musically, Maui has you damn well covered. Sporting four live music stages, and three seperate rave areas, the festival keeps going well into the wee hours of the morning, and offers an absurd variety of different music.
The first band I saw were an old favourite of mine, Aartwork, who were performing on the Jeremiah Marquess Stage on Thursday. Playing an enthralling and enchanting fusion of traditional folk and dance music, while the Cellidh they were backing was a lot of fun, I really enmjoyed the chance to let loose and throw my body around in a freeform style when it finished and they let loose a couple of there most “Dance music” tracks.
Following Aartwork was fhe act they jokingly call their daughter-band, Monkeyfist. Silly, fast, fun, and frenetic Monkeyfist are everything you want from a Thursday band- all hype and no break, their live dance music has more in common with a dnb rave than a typical concert.
https://nozstock.com/Perhaps even more silly than Monkeyfist though, was the Junkoactive Wasteman and the Tin Can Twins. First encountering them through a haze of alcohol and clowns at Nozstock this year, I remembered he was good, but the level of show delivered was truly absurd. Mixing DJing cheese with live drums, and silly silly on floor contests (thumb wrestling, bean eating, dance-offs), The show was incredibly engaging in a way almost nothing else is. Hell, I am jealous of people who haven’t seen him, because experiencing all of this clearly for the first time was a trip man.
While Thursday was a wild night, it was only a small slice of the festival as a whole- only one stage was open and most people had yet to arrive- the true wild antics started on Friday. Featuring the legendary Old Time Sailors in a perfect late night slot, as well as the high intensity fusion mayhem of the Dutty Moonshine Big Band, it was a night for real festival lovers, with bands that appear on loads of bills, and the party was suitably wild.
While some might question the fact bands only start at 5pm on the Friday, and think that we are missing essential party time, I actually like this. If live bands were playing, I’d want to go check them out, and there absence allowed me the chance to meet up with some friends, shoot the shit, and help them pitch camp. It is a nice way to reduce the pressure to arrive early too, and means that people can reasonably do a half day at work and still come along.
Another highlight from the Friday was Thy Last Drop. Playing folk punk with a musical theatre feel in the Flavour Parlour, Maui’s beautiful second stage, the band packed the tent out and got everyone stomping their feet throughout their enchanting set. The final friday band was Sneakeasy- a fun ska-punk band with lots of horns, and something of a bad manners feel, which I found very impressive.
Saturday started with Fraser Morgan. Meeting him by chance two weeks earlier on the streets of Boomtown, I was excited for the chance to see his emotional and heartfelt indie folk rock. Very millennial-core, this unrepentantly is music written for people in their late 20s and 30s.
Marching back to the mainstage it was time for the hosts to put on a show. Silas and Charlotte, two of the people who put the most time and effort into this festival out of anyone were rocking out on the main stage with their band The Mighty Flux. Normally not attracting a huge crowd at Maui, something was different this year, and word must have got out about quite how much fun their shows are. Funky, silly and psychedelic, I absolutely love the Mighty Flux, and would love to see them do a great big UK Tour!
Next, I saw Shanghai Treason, a twiddly Country rock band. A bit levellers coded, with big Celtic influences, they were an absolute blast. After them came Dumfoundus- I’m kinda shocked I’ve not seen Dumbfoundus before- they just seem like that kind of band- they were a real crowd-pleaser, filling the tent with people singing along to their inspired covers.
Slipping into the circus tent, I found myself listening to a familiar sound- Deja Vu, performing under the name Infinita was delivering her dirty set. Starting out with ineunedo the show rapidly became dirtier and dirtier- I hope the parents with their children present knew what they were getting into!
One of the festival’s most unique highlights was the Living Art Show. People of all shapes and sizes were painted and decorated in psychedelic designs, then paraded around the main stage like living canvases. It wasn’t just a spectacle, though—you could get involved if you arranged it beforehand and found an artist or model to collaborate with. The show added another layer to the weekend’s surreal, creative vibe, and perfectly reflected the inclusive and playful spirit of Maui.
After them I caught a festival mainstay- the mighty Henge– since I first saw them at Maui Waui 2019, they’ve been one of my favourite festival bands, and are an unmissable experience. Developing their show since then with a whole host of fantastic new material and stage antics, it was high time for them to return, and Maui bloody appreciated them back.
Next up I encountered a band called the Downsetters– mixing second-wave ska with slightly psychedelic synths, they were a lot of fun and a perfect discovery for late evening wandering around a festival! Much skanking was had by all in that audience!
However, the highlight, from Saturday, like always, was the Maui Caberat. Put on by the unflappable Paul Preston Mills, we were enthralled by the vaudville antics of the Old Time Rags, as well as the incredible physical comedy mayhem brought on by the Foolhardy Circus but my absolute highlight had to be William Shakespeare. While, over the last few hundred years, the bard’s ability to string words together may have been a little diminished, his comic timing has gone far beyond what he accomplished during his better-known era of writing plays and now, with a single word, he can get the whole audience belly laughing.
While I had a ball throughout the weekend, I think Sunday surprisingly won the best music of the weekend award for me- I didn’t know a huge amount of what was on beforehand, but absolutely loved everything I saw.
The first thing on my metaphorical plate was Sefo Kanuteh. Delivering a thunderously wonderful wave of afrobeat noise, complete with a variety of beautiful licks and touches, the performance was perfect for the morning, clearing any and all cobwebs remaining from my head.
Next, I wandered over to the Jerimiah Marquess stage to participate in the Americana Day- a Canadian named Tim Lee was twiddling away on his guitar, flying along without any accompaniment bar his own vocals. Rich and tasty, I greatly enjoyed having a nice sit down with my friends to watch this. Indeed, things like Americana Day, and little touches like it which no one else has made Maui feel truly unique. I love it.
After enjoying Tim Lee, the mainstage beckoned me over for Seas of Mirth– now, I expected more piracy, given the general themes and sense of the festival, but actually, Seas of Mirth is an ocean-themed band with no pirate elements at all, as far as I can see. Playing silly, dancy, poppy folk, while initially I kind of struggled to take them seriously, by the end I was joyously leaping about the dancefloor, enjoying the homemade jellyfish they set loose among the crowd.
Sticking to the main stage, the next act I saw was Onipa, and by damn they were jaw-dropping. While I had a sense I recognised the name, it turns out this was my first time seeing this incredible Afrofuturist experience. Fusing elements from Ghana and London, their music struck me with a wave of amazement. Beautiful intricacy, combined with bounding rhythms. An unmissable show, Onipa’s energy is catching, and kept me going well for the rest of the day.
Popping out into the festival, I caught the children’s parade, which brought its own charm. It featured a dragon, accompanied by an interesting old man playing a hurdy-gurdy, planets on sticks, colourful masks, samba drummers, and various crafts. The parade had the feel of a full-blown event, a happening, reminiscent of something out of WOMAD, with that same infectious, creative energy.
Scattered throughout the weekend were the Paint Pixies, stirring up massive paint fights. It’s easily one of the most visually impressive spectacles at the festival, turning the grounds into a colourful, chaotic playground, with bright bursts of paint flying everywhere. Terrifying when holding a camera, these fights are a truly brilliant way to brighten your day.
After Onipa, the Bloodshake Chorus took to the stage. Bringing theatrical zombie rock to Maui festival, they had a little bit of a metallic edge, channelling the spirit of hair metal bands like Kiss into the Norfolk field.
Next up were UK small festival legends, Dreadzone. These guys have been tearing up the UK festival circuit for three decades, and they’ve rightfully earned a reputation as reliable purveyors of a damn good party. Delivering a solid blast of dub, the band cemented their status as one of the most dependable headline acts in the UK.
Closing out the night were two fantastic bands. First, JS and the Lockerbillies brought their hardcore rockabilly sound to the Jeremiah Marquess stage. Their lively, danceable music transported us to a nostalgic, “ye olde” era that almost certainly never existed. I’m a bit gutted these guys always play Sunday nights, because by then I’m usually too knackered to fully enjoy their high-energy antics.
Following them was Punch the Sky—playing an insane fusion of genres I’d never even heard of before. They were an absolute festival highlight, a trump card saved to end the night on a high. Mixing ska, jazz, funk, and bucketloads of psychedelia, Punch the Sky somehow got my exhausted, triple-hungover self dancing one last time.
There was so much going on, I didn’t even come close to seeing everything. Maui is packed with more weirdness and wonder than you could ever fully experience in one go, and that’s part of its magic. Every year brings something new.
Maui Festival, after seven years and five different events for me, feels more like home than home itself. The people I see there every year feel like family. While the music, art, and fun are amazing, they’re no longer the main thing that matters about Maui.
Maui is the heart of a massive community spanning all of East Anglia. In this place, people who don’t quite fit into mainstream society can gather, enjoy themselves, and plot how to survive and thrive in this ever more challenging world. I wish more spaces like Maui existed, and the fact that they don’t makes it even more precious.
So, in conclusion, I can’t recommend a festival any more. Come, and keep coming, forever and ever, till the sun burns out and the earth turns grey and barren. It’ll change your life for the better.
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