There was this incredible moment during The Ruby Suns’ set (7pm Day 3), somewhere around when it became apparent that Oh Mojave was now a bona fide club banger, that three of my friends and I almost instinctively let off our party poppers at the same drop, balloons flying pretty hectically from fist to fist across the sea of grinning faces, making eye contact with recognisable faces in the crowd and mouthing the same ‘oh my god’ sentiment to each other. It was around then that I realised, despite the fact it has effectively doubled in numbers yet halved in area, Campus A Low Hum has managed to be perhaps the best incarnation of A Low Hum yet. Yes, it is edging further and further away from the original Camp – roll call now boasts over 1000 names, some of  which would be upper bill slots on many a larger festival (Dan Deacon, Dodos, Daedalus), and the spontaneity may have been somewhat diminished from previous camps (more on that later), but everything was so incredibly smooth this year that it’s hard to see it doing anything but gaining and gaining in popularity as it continues.

Firstly, timetabling was impeccable. The fact that over 40 acts, many of which played twice, were able to be timetabled in such a fashion as to allow you to realistically be able to see every single band on the main lineup was pretty phenomenal – on the last night, if one so desired, you could go and see The Ruby Suns, Jens Lekman, Batrider, Surf City, Golden Axe, The Show Is The Rainbow, Die! Die! Die! and the circle jerk Signer / Ruby Suns / Dodos combo set, all in quick succession, without missing anything.

Of course, many smaller local bands did suffer for the larger and more celebrated lineup, which I guess was a necessary evil. Relegated to the ‘renegade’ lineup (which, for the most part, served more as a b-list than an actual ‘renegade’ timetable) were the acts who couldn’t be fitted into the main lineup – not always to their detriment though. The room itself, essentially a well-oiled karaoke hall, suited most of these lesser-celebrated renegade acts, with its smaller size. Also, it proved to be one of the most comfortable indoor stages, with massive french doors along one side that stopped it from becoming the sweat pit that the pool tended to become after 6pm.

In fact, the stages as a whole were fascinating. Walking into an waterless pool, seeing it filled to the brim with writhing bodies to an epilepsy-inducing Golden Axe set had to be the most intensely gleeful experience of the weekend. The barn provided ample opportunity for more relaxed watching of bands, the main stage was simply an open grassy area, and Animal House fluctuated between early morning Dent May good feelings and early early morning Signer bangers pretty effortlessly.

While this all may sound extremely similar to the camps gone before (except for, you know, the fact that bands played in a fucking pool), there were interesting touches and flourishes which set it apart, meriting the festival it’s educational theme. Daedalus giving a 10am talk on exactly what a monome is. Life drawings scattered around an empty library next to the DIY radio station. TheRoger Shepherd answering questions on Flying Nun 2.0. The fraternity dorms – which really should be advertised more clearly for the next Campus, as they were completely stunning in their run-down, narrow-halled, no-water splendour. Dan Deacon taking a gym class, and pushing several hundred hipsters harder physically than they’ve been pushed since, well, probably high school. Class photos were the perfect mess, with people completely diregarding their given class and jumping in on whatever class session they could find. The themed parties provided the best end to the nights, with Blink destroying orientation via the Virtual DJ siren sound effect and his inevitable song choice of All The Small Things. Prom queen got to dance with Jens Lekman (assuming still clad in white from his dreamboat set), while people posed for their ball photos. The musical format of camp seems to have been almost perfected (although sound in the pool left something to be desired – quibbling reservation really), and so the reincarnation as Campus seems to have been exactly what was needed to advance it onwards. It’s not necessary to see the bands, nor is it necessary to partake in the extracurricular activites. But you should – ‘you only get out what you put in’ is a cliché for a reason.

Plenty of people I’ve talked to say they had a great camp without doing much, just hanging out with friends, and, I mean, I get it. But with so much on offer, it seems like a waste of $200 to not go and do as much as you can at Campus, especially given how much is on offer now. I know it’s reductive / stupid to compare campus to previous camps, but the fact that it just keeps getting bigger and somehow continues maintaining the exact same reckless nostalgic feeling has me thinking that this may actually have been the best yet. There may not have been as much surprise as we’re used to (WHERE THE FUCK WAS THE CLEANS SET?!), but that was made up for by a higher calibre of bands overall. This is something I’ll get into over the next few days, as I grade every band I saw from A+ to F. I saw a few, so bear with me. Anyway. Yes. campwasamazingomgicantbelieveyoudidntgoblahblahblah. Not as spontaneous (is this just a negative way of saying ‘better organised’?), but definitely still the most special time of the year. Take THAT, Hanukkah.