Our photographer Kane Howie went to Milton Keynes to check out Marshall Live at Arena MK. There were two stages at the event, the main stage and the Discovery Stage in which new and upcoming bands played and had the public vote on who they wanted to play the main stage that evening. Headlining the event was The Hunna with support from Yonaka, Barns Courtney, Keywest, Press to Meco, D_Drive, Rews, King Creature, Bad Touch and Thousand Thoughts. The night was hosted by Daniel P. Carter. Check out the photos below.
Reviews
Teleman @ Cambridge Junction 23/04/2019 Review
There is nothing better than a show at an old school music venue on a school night. We were looking forward to catching the second date in the short Teleman Tour. Kane and myself turned up early to grab an interview with the charismatic four piece, while the support act, Uh, were performing their soundcheck. We were surprised that the usual queues at The Junction were not forming, but put it down to people getting a bite to eat before the show.
The Junction is a great venue for getting close up to the action. It is purpose built on the old cattle market site and holds a capacity of 850 people. The acoustics are always good and it is basically a square space with a small stage against one wall, the mixing desk normally against the opposing wall, and the rest of the dark space for the crowd. Small bars either side mean you can get cold drinks without missing the action. It’s also very well set up for people with disabilities with helpful staff on hand, so it is pretty much all that a music venue should be.
The venue was slowly filling up when the support band, Uh, took to the stage. A male and female duo, Uh announced that they were going to start with meditation. They then went on to play a hypnotic electronica song with spoken lyrics. Their set contained various songs of a similar ilk, which at least got the crowd swaying. It was all in all very ‘Cambridge’.
Once they had completed the stage was bathed in blue with the customary smoke slowly filling the area. We noticed that the venue was now full, and our first fears that it was going to be a quiet night were unfounded. The very eclectic crowd waited patiently until the appearance of the main act was signalled by the stage plunging into darkness and silence from the amps. A heavy bassline signalled a start to the proceedings and the stage was engulfed in a red hue as Teleman took to their positions on the stage. The unmistakable synth intro of ‘Fun Destruction’ rang out as the cheers from the crowd were dying down. The crowd really started grooving to ‘Family Of Aliens’, the title track of Teleman’s new album.
The setlist was always going to have a fair share of numbers from their new album, but Teleman mixed it up a bit with tracks from their previous two albums and some from their EPs. As Tom had told us in our interview, they also had some fun with the live numbers, with more instrumental interludes, where all the members of the band could show off their musical skills. They like to keep their shows simple, to let the music do its talking. The lights were subtle and fairly static, except for some elements of strobing during songs like ‘Cactus’ and the interaction with the audience was fairly minimal. In fact it was not until the end of ‘Repeater’, five songs in that Tom said ‘It’s nice to be back in Cambridge.’
It was obvious that the band like to jam in a live environment and like to play with sound. ‘Submarine Life’ was full of distortion, but also had Tom playing a tambourine and the band clearly enjoyed this number, as did the crowd. Pete Cattermole put down his bass at one stage and swapped places with Jonny Saunders. Tom proclaimed that if they were swapping over they were trying something new and said ‘That’s exciting isn’t it?’ The crowd responded with a ‘WOOHOO’. Now Pete and Jonny were on synths, accompanied with Hiro’s simple percussion as they preformed ‘Sea Of Wine’, a song that really showcases Tom’s vocals.
It was after this that we were treated to an insight into the Rock N Roll lifestyle of Teleman on tour. They had, had a nice day at the Botanical Gardens, but being the Rock N Roll Rebels they are they had broken in! Well when I say broken in they said they had just walked in really! This drew a lone ‘Good on Ya’ from one of the fans.
We were treated to a lot of numbers from ‘Family of Aliens’ in the first two thirds of the set, but then Teleman ramped things up with songs from their first album and EPs such as ‘Strange Combination’, ‘Not In Control’ and ‘Cristina’, the latter two being a surprise as they tend to be songs in the encore. The crowd had been moving more and more and by the end of ‘Song For A Seagull’ it was a writhing organic mass from the front of the stage to the back of the venue. This ramped up to a fenzy during the crowd pleasing ‘Not In Control’. This is normally a good time to exit stage left and leave the crowd wanting more, which is exactly what the band did. A drum machine played like the ticking of some unseen clock, and simple white lighting shone on the, now, empty stage.
Tom came onto the stage on his own for the first song of the encore. With a simple spot on him he performed a delightfully stripped down version of ‘Nights On Earth’. The show had seemed to flash by and there was only one song that could now finish off the night. Jonny, Pete and Hiro joined Tom on stage and ‘Dusseldorf’ capped the night. With a heavy drumbeat, hand clapping, everyone signing in unison and the whole place jumping, that is the perfect way to end a cheeky show on a school night.
Review by Tony Creek
Photos by Kane Howie
Bears Den @ Shepherds Bush Empire 24/04/2019 Review
London based band Bears Den stopped off on their ‘So That You Might Hear Me’ tour at the legendary venue Sheperd’s Bush Empire, in which is a very important place for them as noted during the show as one member was formerly an employee at a local pub just along the same road as the venue. Both London shows were sold out and it was their last UK show before jetting off to play all over Europe.
Arriving at the venue with a capacity of 2000, the room is filled with excitement from the crowd. Whilst patiently waiting for the first act Tusks to arrive on stage, people were sipping at their beverages , chatting amongst themselves with many also observing the merch stall.
The stage was lit with blue lighting with a gentle haze of smoke while two vintage styled rugs were seen covering the floor. Around 8:00pm, the lights began to dim and support act Tusks took to the stage. Tusks is actually the stage name for performer Emily Underhill. Her style of music is most suited to an electronic indie pop genre. Her sound can be likened to that of London Grammar. The artist expressed that she was very grateful to be supporting Bears Den and especially for two consecutive nights as it is a venue she has always dreamed of performing in. Her set showcased a total of six songs including the single ‘Be Mine’, which is featured on her new album that is due for release in June. She was well received with the crowd who were now really looking forward to the headliners.
The stage was cleared quite quickly and was all set up for Bears Den. With guitars all ready and also a little wooden piano. As the lights dimmed they had the most nostalgic sci-fi style intro as the Terminator theme tune played them in. The duo walked on with four supporting musicians. It was still pretty dark with just a few white lights that focused on the band from below as they played their first song ‘Fuel On The Fire’. Shortly after, their second song of the evening saw singer Andrew Davie said how great it was to play the venue again and that we do have more songs to play.
The crowd swayed and danced during the performance. When playing ‘Sophie’ the band turned off all equipment and came to the front of the stage and asked for complete silence and kept it simple with an acoustic rendition of the song. They also performed an unplugged song in the crowd later on in the show which was ‘Blankets Of Sorrow’.
When performing, ticket holders enjoyed singing the lyrics along with the band. Bears Den played a wide range of new and classic songs which included music from their latest album which was only released this month (April 2019). The album is due for release just a few short days after this gig at Sheperd’s Bush. Band member Andrew toasted the show with a shot and expressed a huge thank you to everyone who has supported them over the years.
At the end of the evening the band brought their show to a close with probably one of their biggest hits to date. ‘Agape’. It was the perfect way to end the evening.
You can catch the band on their European tour and also at Citadel Festival in London on 14th July 2019.
Review and Photos by Kane Howie
PHOTOBLOG: Kt Tunstall at Cambridge Junction 14/03/2019
Rock chick Kt Tunstall stopped off at Cambridge Junction on her 18 date UK/IRE tour on 14th March. She was supported by East London singer Gorran and indie rocker Laurel. The show was a sell out so there was a huge audience for all 3 acts. Our photographer Kane Howie was there to snap the event.
Pitch Music & Arts, Moyston, Victoria, Australia Review 2019
Located in Moyston, Victoria, Australia and close by to the arresting Grampians mountain ranges, Pitch Music & Arts this year celebrated their third-year showcase of electronic music and artistic visual arts. Running from Friday 8th March until Monday 11th March, the creative extravaganza was one of the last of the festivals held in the Australian state of Victoria of the summer.
Promising an impressive line-up of both international and Australian DJs including the likes of Brit DJ Four Tet, Belgian DJ and producer Charlotte de Witte and Melbourne-based DJ Merve, it’s fair to say we were more than keen to spend a long weekend raving in the Australian countryside to some top artists and producers.
Friday
As we drove – yes, drove into our campsite – our immediate thoughts reflected on how relaxed, straightforward and easy-going the entry process was. A very small, intimate festival, guests were even able to camp next to their car or sleep in a camper-van for ultimate ease.
After applying lashings of colourful glitter, sticking shimmering gemstones to our foreheads and adorning pieces of sparkling clobber, it was time to head to the arena. Pitch Music & Arts pride themselves on their creativity, and it’s certainly fair to say that the outfits of the crowd mirrored that. If you hadn’t thrown together a weird and wonderful ensemble – you were the one standing out.
We headed to the two-storey and partially covered Stage 3, the Boiler Room, to take a retreat from the looming clouds . Pretty simple but genius, the scaffolding construction proved to be an ideal rave enclosure where local Melbourne-based Merve delighted with her techy-tappy beats. Peeking up from the swarms of bopping ravers, a whole host of homemade creative signs could be seen knocking about with their glitter-clad owners.
Then we took a visit to Stage 2 hosted by Resident Advisor, where German dance DJ Perel was churning out the tunes with an old-school spin, including a remix of Nice & Wild’s catchy ‘Diamond Girl’. The disco hits continued on in the Boiler Room as Dutch duo Optimo heightened the crowds with a remix of The Human League’s super-hit ‘Don’t you want me.’ Powering through on the fresh, first night of the weekend, we managed to catch one of the last sets of the evening at the main stage – a closing spectacle from Belgian DJ and producer Charlotte de Witte.
Saturday
Arising from our tents with pounding heads midday on Saturday, we advanced into the arena in a quest to satisfy our grumbling bellies. Impressively, a wide array of food stalls offered everything from super-food healthy smoothies, to vegetarian ‘pulled jack fruit’ poutine to the usual greasy hangover burgers, so we didn’t have to venture too far for some yummy grub.
Stage 3, renamed to Pitch Black, during the day offered a completely different vibe and we frolicked in the sand and sun to DJ Hookway. Everyone had gone all out with their theatrical dress-ups, and as we swung around our bright oriental umbrellas in the desert-like surroundings, it felt as though we could have been attending the renowned Burning Man festival located in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada in the United States.
Next, we ended up following around a manoeuvring float hosted by Melbourne’s famous gay club, Poof Doof. Skipping aside and singing along to Kylie Minogue with the colourfully-clothed drag hosts was a definite highlight of the weekend. Later, when the float became stationary, we rejoiced in dancing atop of hay bales as we watched a scarily accurate Cher impersonator belt out the singer’s catchy hit ‘Turn back time’.
After dark, we returned to the Pitch Black stage, where we remained until the early hours of the morning shuffling along to trancey tunes from the likes of New Yorker Anthony Naples and Cologne-born Tim Engelhardt.
Sunday
Easing ourselves into another day and night of revelry, Sunday afternoon we took the time to explore what else was on offer at Pitch Music & Arts. Drawn to a tent emitting old school 80s hits, we discovered a small rink offering free roller skating and a range of stalls selling eccentric vintage clothing.
It didn’t take too long for us to be pulled back to the stages, however, and we headed over to Stage 1, Pitch One, which we had so far mainly neglected. There, Âme & Dixon had recently started their epic six-hour long set and the crowds had swarmed in.
But Sunday night, it was Stage 2 hosted by Resident Advisor that really impressed and we were treated to electric sets by the likes of DJ Harvey and electronic duo Dusky. Finally, we couldn’t resist another visit to our favourite stage, Pitch Black and we ended our night on a high jigging along to Dutch duo 16 Bit Lolitas.
Monday
Although we were feeling a tad dusty from the weekend’s escapades, we headed over to Stage 1, Pitch one, fairly early on Monday afternoon to catch the last sets of the party. With the music finishing at seven pm and only Stage 1 being open, the atmosphere was pretty special with the last ravers of festival making the most of the scarce time left. What followed were some of the best sets of the festival and we raved unrestrainedly to Brit DJ Four Tet who impressed with a range of tingly tunes and earth-vibrating thumpy beats.
Our wild weekend came to conclude with a euphoric finale set from Scottish DJ Denis Sulta, where we thrived to catchy remixes including the likes of Masters at work’s ‘Work’ and Empire of the sun’s ‘Walking on a dream’.
Thank you Pitch Music & Arts – see you next year for a weekend of wonderfully creative chaos.
Jessie J at Cambridge Corn Exchange 19th November 2018
On Monday 19th November, popular live music venue Cambridge Corn Exchange invited ticket holders of all ages to it’s site as they played host to one of the biggest British female pop icons- Jessie J.
After taking some time out of the lime light , Jessie J has paved her back back onto the music scene with the relrease of a new studio album and a brand new live music tour.
The solo artist was first introduced to the world of chart music when she released her debut single ‘ Do It Like A Dude’ back in 2010. The single was a hit as it appealed to a wide audience. From then on she has released hit after hit and has even worked with acts including Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and B.O.B.
Joining Jessie J on her long awaited R.O.S.E tour was London based soul artist Sincerely Wilson. The singer took to the stage alongside a guitarist as they performed a brilliant acoustic set on the night. We got a taste of his music as he sang original tracks ‘Easy To Love’ and ‘Make It Out Alive’ as well as a great way to show case his vocal range by performing covers including Princes ‘Kiss’ , Oasis ‘Wonderwall’ and not forgetting a great take on the Spice Girls ‘Say You’ll Be There’.
After a short break where music was played into the venue, the lights went off and screams from the audience roared in excitement as we were given a brief intro to the show before Jess took to the stage.
The tour is named The R.O.S.E tour relating to the names of Jessie J’s latest studio album. Each letter of ROSE was related to different parts of the show. R- Realisation, O- Obsession, S- Sex and E- Empowerment. The sholo artist made a very strong start to the show as she appeared in a gorgeous ensemble- black pvc looking shorts and a crystal entrusted fish net style over lay. She opened the night with the track ‘Oh Lord’.
For each segment of the performance there were 3-6 songs as well as a costume change and an introduction to each section. I must say Jessie J can appear to wear anything and still look amazing. Her costumes were quite memorable. As well as the black crystal attire at the beginning of the evening we also saw her wearing a pure brilliant white tailored suit and a hat- clearly inspired by the late, great Michael Jackson. As well as an Elizabethian style burgandy dress with ruffles galore. The last outfit of the evening was what made her look like the shining star that she is, as she dazzled in a golden sequin jumpsuit and gold heeled boots.
As expected we got to see Jessie perform some new tracks off of her recent R.O.S.E album, but we also got the chance to sing along to some of her more iconic hits too. For example ‘Do It Like A Dude’,’Bang Bang’ and ‘Nobodys Perfect’.
Earlier i reffered to the artists as a shining star. There is a reason for that Jessie J is one amazing and inspirational woman! She has no end to her talent and has a very impressive vocal range as many already know. However, before the event that evening I only knew Jessie as a woman that comes across as a bold artists with a bit of an attitude. Goodness me the media has portrayed this woman so, so wong.
Since I began writing music reviews around 3 years ago, I have been lucky enough to attend and review many live shows and events. I won’t lie i do have some artists that i favour and absolutely love to watch perform, but never have i seen a performance like I did from Jessie J.
Yes the show and the music was spot on and great fun, but that really was’nt what made the show for me. It was the artist herself that made the night so memorable. She clearly admires her fans and is a hugely compassionate person. I remember a couple of stand out moments to support this. The first was when she stopped her performance to go and speak to a teenage girl stood in front of the stage who was looking a little unwell due to the fact that it was crowded and warm in the room. Jessie knelt down to the young girl’s level to ask her if she was ok and to see if she needed any help. The artist also spoke to all the security in the room to kindly ask that they give out water to the audience that needed it. The second memorable moment was when Jessie had spotted a young tot with her relatives who happened to be wearing golden sequins just as she was. It turned out the tot was just three years old. As it was getting late the little lady was getting sleepy so she decided to completely change her set list by performing huge single ‘Price Tag’ earlier on so that this young girl would not end up falling asleep and missing it. After the popstar had finished performing the song she then serenaded the little girl and another memberof the audience too, by adding their names to the lyrics.
Our photographer and I even got the attention as Jessie J gave our photographer her microphone to sing along with her and shortly after had spotted me with my phone held up in the air recording her show by singing a love heart with her hands at my camera.
The female artist had a lot of time for her fans there that evening. She even spoke about her own personal experiences and shared inspirational words with everyone. She stared “Focus on yourself and loving yourself. Life is way too precious not to enjoy your life.”
Jessie J has to be without a shadow of a doubt one of the most amazing women on the planet. She gave us a performance of her music there that night, but she also displayed affection, her caring nature as well as a cracking sense of humour.
Photos by Kane Howie
Against The Current & The Faim live at The Forum, London 29/09/2018
The O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London has played host to many amazing artists over the years. Just some worth a mention are: Ellie Goulding, Kasabian, Ed Sheeran and Bastille.
On Saturday 29th September 2018, The Forum welcomed two more great live acts – Against The Current and special guests The FAIM.
Upon arriving at the venue, there were queues of excited fans that trailed right around towards the back of the building. When entering the lobby, our photographer, myself and all other attendees were scanned and had bags searched by the security teams on site. The guidelines regarding security needed to be strict for such an event. So much so that even sweets and packets of gum were confiscated. For those of you that may not know of The o2 Forum, here is a brief description of the venue. The building is separated into two tiers, the floor for standing ticket holders and the upstairs balcony for a seated ticket area. At the back of the room was a merchandise stand for both acts of the night and a bar running down the length of the room on the left hand side.
The Acts
Both Against The Current and The Faim have recently been extremely busy performing live at many locations around the world.
Against The Current are an American pop-rock band from Poughkeepsie, New York. They originally formed back in 2011 and have grown exponentially popular with fans since their music videos on their YouTube channel became a viral sensation.
Current band members Chrissy Constanza (vocals), guitarist Dan Gow and drummer Will Ferri have all become household names around the world following the success of their early EPs and their debut album “In Our Bones”. The trio have just celebrated the release of their second album “Past Lives”, which was released on 28th September 2018 – just one day before this live show at The Forum. Vocalist Chrissy confirmed this by stating on stage “this is our first live show since the release of our second album!”
Playing live at The Forum this past weekend was just one short stop on the band’s busy world tour schedule.
Let’s not forget that the tickets were advertised as Against The Current and Special Guests. Those special guests were the lovable lads that make up The Faim.
The Australian based band ( formerly known as Small Town Heroes) have seen soaring success under their new name. Their debut single ‘Saints of the Sinners’ was co-written by the brilliant Pete Wentz of American rock band Fall Out Boy – giving the song a very edgy vibe. The band have been rocking their way through a very busy 2018! I personally love these guys and have seen them perform live three times. I have also been fortunate enough to meet them a couple of times too. Honestly, they are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. They always have time for their fans and show the highest appreciation for their ongoing support both in person and on social media.
Live Performances
Around 8.15pm, the lighting around the stage dimmed, leaving just a little blue light on show. Before we knew it, there were some beats coming from the drum kit as we were given a small introductory solo from the band’s drummer Sean Tighe. As the beats continued in a looping rhythm, each band member came out on stage one by one and picked up their instruments before the final entrance came from the band’s lead vocalist Josh Raven as he ran onto the stage being greeted by a huge roar of excited screams. One of which came from myself. The Faim jumped straight into performing their first song of the night ‘My Heart Needs To Breathe’.
Soon after we got to see them perform singles ‘Midland Line’ and ‘When It Comes’. The latter was great to see as I’ve been to a few of their shows before and hadn’t seen this performed live.
Roughly half way through their performance, the lights dimmed once more and the high energy had eased. Lead singer Josh introduced a song of theirs with a heartwarming message for everyone there that night. He had said that at some point in our lives we have all been through times or periods where we have had to face situations and “negative vibes” so the song he was introducing was about learning to face our fears and deal with them to move on. The song he was referring to was ‘Make Believe’. It is a song that contains very relatable lyrics for so many people. So this is one that always seems to resonate well with fans at their live shows.
Of course, the band had picked up the pace again to continue to perform. There was so much energy both on and off of the stage. I say off of the stage as during ‘Saints Of The Sinners’ the band’s front man came down to perform in the crowd.
The Faim even personalised one of their songs for the venue’s location. As they played their latest release, ‘A Million Stars’, the lyrics were altered. There is a line in the song which is as follows: “Last I heard, she was spotted in Portland, Been two years, haven’t seen her again”. “Portland” was changed to “London” which worked really well and was a nice little tribute to all of us there.
They ended their set with the song that is also the title of their current EP, ‘Summer Is A Curse’.
One last thing to add about The Faim‘s live show in Kentish Town. The award for most amusing moment goes to the band’s bassist and keyboard player Stephen Beerkens who picked up his keyboard, whizzed around and rocked out on it hard like a guitar. It certainly made me chuckle.
After the show, both Josh and Stephen were situated at the back of the room by their merch stand to greet their fans, pose for photos and sign autographs. I also managed to speak to Stephen to ask about what’s next for The Faim. He said that they have had a very busy 2018, but they’ve all had the best time! They will continue to tour with Against The Current on their European tour and will also be heading to America to write and record new material. Exciting stuff!
After a short interval, a buzzing atmosphere filled the room as the night’s main act were about to take centre stage.
Will Ferri (Drummer) and Dan Gow (Guitarist) from the band were first to make an entrance, quickly followed by vocalist Chrissy Constanza. As she walked out, she was greeted by huge screams from her fans. There was one particular fan standing quite close to me in the crowd, he was appearing to be having the best night of his life as he sang along, swayed and danced. This man even approached me to say “Chrissy has the appearance and the voice of an angel”. The petite, but energetic vocalist was often seen performing whilst standing on a platform at the front of the stage as she showcased the band’s songs.
Against The Current opened their London show with their single ‘Strangers Again’. The song proved extremely popular with the audience as vocals from the band could barely be heard over the vocals coming from the audience as they sang along. This was also the case as they performed well known hit ‘Gravity’ where Chrissy also made a request to everyone in the room saying “If you have a light on your phone, lets light those flashlights up!”. The room was quickly filled with hundreds of bright white twinkling lights as they swayed in the air.
As the act wowed us with performances of older songs, putting on quite the visual display under pink and blue lighting, they continued to knock it out of the park as they gave us a taste of some material from their new album. One of the new singles played from this new album, was the band’s latest release, ‘Voices’. This track, along with ‘Almost Forgot’ gives their latest material less of an edgy, but more of a pop sound. I quite like that Against The Current is a band who can easily showcase such a wide range of musical styles.
The trio also appear to have a really great connection with their fans. Early into their show, Constanza noticed a fan in the crowd waving a piece of artwork, and asked the fan if she could take it from them. It wasn’t long before she was off the stage and down into the crowd to collect the picture from her fan.
As expected by the enthusiastic fans, it was clear that they weren’t ready to go home as the act ‘finished’ their set with ‘Demons’. I’m actually quite surprised that The Forum still has a roof on its building, as all that could be heard was loud chanting demanding more.
Members of Against The Current did indeed return to give their fans more for an encore that included the acoustic song ‘In Our Bones’ before then closing with ‘Wasteland’ and a blast from confetti canons from either side of the stage.
Against The Current and The Faim gave us a night to remember, leaving us with fond memories and looking forward to future material and shows.
Both artists are continuing their current UK/European tour. Against The Current’s 2nd studio album ‘Past Lives’ and The Faim‘s current EP ‘Summer Is A Curse’ are available to purchase and download now! If you love your pop/rock music then go and get them now! I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
All photos byKane Howie
To view more photos click here
Indoor Pets at Bedford Esquires-22nd September 2018
Saturday 22nd September 2018 saw the return of Indoor Pets (formerly known as Get Inuit) to the small loft like venue that is Bedford Esquires. The band had previously played at the venue back in 2016 when they supported Spring King.
Upon walking into the venue – on arrival, our photographer and I could already hear the loud bass beats at the beginning of the first act’s set for the evening. The act to kickstart the night of live music was Indie/Alternative band Luna Rosa.
Luna Rosa are a band that originally formed in 2015 and have since seen great musical success. They have played shows up and down the country and have even racked up an impressive run of playing over 200 gigs in just a few short years! Quite the achievment. They released their debut EP in November 2015 and their single “This One (High On The Groove)” was aired on many radio stations and was well supported by the team behind BBC Introducing.
Their music style is somewhat unique and is accompanied by the gruff husky vocals of the band’s front man. Although at this early point in the evening there wasn’t many people in the room, the band were still well received as people watched on with their drinks in their hands and their feet tapping on the floor.
From Luna Rosa we saw them perform original songs including “Fever” and their latest single “Fear, Filth, Dirt & Death”. They finished their set at exactly 9pm, leaving time for a short interval to allow their follow up act to set up their equipment on stage.
The second act of the evening was Indie/Rock band Monarchs. The trio performed in a very eccentric manner and gave us quite an energetic show. All three band members were very happy to play up to the photographers and expressed they were excited to be back performing in Bedford Town. Although Monarchs are currently an unsigned act, they are well known on the music scene as they have supported other artists such as Spring King, The Amazons, Honey Lung and The Wytches just to name a few.
Monarchs have also played to a sold out crowd on home turf in Northampton as they wowed at their own headline gig.
During their live set at Bedford Esquires, they performed singles “Darker Shade Of Black”, “Adjectives and Similies” and even latest single “You Got Me”. By this time in the evening, the amount of people in the room had more than doubled. They, along with the event’s main act had appeared to be very popular with the townsfolk of Bedford.
As expected, the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement as people of all ages were waiting for the night’s main act to enter the stage. Upon walking on stage and briefly introducing themselves, the band members of Indoor Pets jumped straight into their performance. Although, quite early into the first song of their set they faced some technical difficulties, causing their performance to come to a halt. Despite the hiccup, band memebrs Jamie, Ollie, James and Rob were happy to talk the crowd through their technical hitch and were able to fill the time with jokes and laughter. It wasn’t long (maybe about a minute) before they were back on track to give us a great energetic performance.
Indoor Pets have gained a huge following since forming and have only got better with each live show. I have seen them live once before at Wilkestock Festival under their previous name. I was impressed by their self labelled “Dirty Pop” style of music and heaps of enthusiasm back then. Now I’m an even bigger fan after hearing both older and new music from the Kent based act on Saturday evening. Their new material is a little edgier, but it hasn’t strayed too much from their original sound, which to be honest is great to see. Their set list included singles “Being Strange” and new track “Heavy Thoughts”. After a fun and rather bonkers set, the band exited to the left of the stage as crowds of people were left loudly chanting “Encore! Encore!”.
Less than a couple of minutes later, the lads walked back onto the stage while stating “We don’t usually do encores. No one ever asks for them”. They played one last song for the excited audience that stood before them. They began to play their well known single “Cutie Pie, I’m Bloated” when once again, they endured more technical problems. The band members appeared to find this situation rather amusing as they commented “we messed up the first song, and now we’ve messed up the last one!” Again they were able to resolve their issues very quickly and professionally to give us all a great end to our Saturday night.
Indoor Pets’ latest single “Hi” is out now and is available to purchase on Spotify and Apple Music. They are also continuing to play more shows in various locations over the UK until the end of 2018.
Photos by Kane Howie
For more photos click here.
Wilkestock Festival 2018
Wilkestock is one of the best annual events in the small festival scene. Returning for it’s 11th year, the festival provided possibly the best line up that it has ever had. For those who aren’t aware, Wilkestock is situated at Frogmore Hill just on the outskirts of Stevenage in Hertfordshire. The tiny festival consists of a main arena scattered with recycled sofas, two bars, and also several other stages around the outline of the main arena, all constructed from straw bales. No bricks and mortar needed! Wilkestock even introduced a brand new addition for 2018, the “Home Grown” stage.
This years’ event basked in glorious British sunshine for the whole weekend which was perfect to lie back, relax and enjoy a cold brew to watch the huge array of bands on the multiple stages. On arrival to the site and after picking up my press passes for the weekend, security had ensured to do a full bag search to ensure everyone’s safety. Wilkestock, unfortunately have had security problems in the past, although for this year’s fun filled weekend, they appeared to have stepped up their game.
Of course aside from the stage points, the festival also provided appropriate bathroom facitlies, a camping area- with a fancy shower block making it’s debut this year, a childrens area including crazy golf and inflatables to play on, also stalls including sales of traditional festival attire and accessories and also a glitter tent where everyone could treat themselves to a sparkly makeover (this small tent was run by some very jolly people and artists). Surprisingly this small sparkle filled tent often filled with men. It was great to see them walking around with crystals on their faces and glitter filled beards. One thing that stood out for the glitter stall was that all the glitter that was used was biodegradable and is made from plant sources. Very eco friendly. And I can’t leave out the food court! Oh my goodness, there were some simple, yet amazing food on offer at this festival. I sampled many, many seasoned sweet potato fries, a pizza (which in my opinion was a little over priced at £8 for a simple cheese and tomato stone baked pizza so there isn’t much to them, although still tasty), and also noodles. The Chinese/oriental cuisine vender served some delicious meals and even though I opted for the simplest most plain option on the menu – I think it was even called plain and simple noodles (which was also a vegan option), but it was big in flavour! So Wilkestock provides ticket holders with three days of great live music variety. The whole weekend just kept giving, with brilliant performances from all. Although I have chosen to highlight my top acts for each day of the event.
Friday 31st August
Day one of Wilkestock 2018 was opened by grunge/rock band Tigress. The five piece from Chelmsford took to the Main Stage to perform their edgy tracks including, “Paranoid”, “Hangman” and more. Unfortunately during their set, they were faced with a few techicnal difficulties so there were occasionally left in silent pauses while not much happened on stage to fill the silence. Although the band did make light of the teething problems and were able to continue with their set fully, with no further hiccups.
Continuing with a heavier style of rock music, Defences put on an unusual performance. I can kind of liken their music to a combination of Evanescence meets Linkin Park perhaps. Roaring male vocals and softer female vocals to assist. The band released their debut album last year and appear to be doing well in the music scene.
Later in the afternoon the Bella stage opened and also had a great variety of artists. One I particularly enjoyed was Bedfordshire based all male pop/punk band Behind The Lines. Not only did they perform some awesome tracks, they also packed out the tent for the duration of their entire set! If you like music from acts such as Bowling For Soup, Sum 41 or maybe even Blink 182, then this band will probably be one for you to check out.
Later in the day, I also got to see a great set performed by Radio 1 favourite, Fizzy Blood. A rock/alternative band who are currently making their way up into the music world. They also actually sound far better live than recorded in my opinion. So if you get the chance to see them live, then I reccomend you buy a ticket.
The most stand out act for me on friday was Glasgow based rockers The Lafontaines. Taking to the Main Stage, their set included mostly upbeat feel good catchy music, which got many people up off of their rather comfortable sofas. At one point the band’s front man even leapt down from the stage to take a walk around the main arena. He also decided to literally couch surf before leaping off of one of the recycled furniture pieces. Thanks to our photographer, there is an epic jump shot of this exact moment. We managed to catch up with band after their set backstage and their singer was rather impressed with this photo that we had managed to capture.
Friday evening also saw another big techincal problem. Unfortunately the festival was left in darkness and almost silent as the main generator had failed (rumour had it). This had affected almost the entire site, including the food vendors appliances. In total this issue lasted for around half an hour, although during this time the Bella Stage at the back of the site was still able to generate power. So even though the poor Main Stage was hung out to dry, the feel good party vibes continued in the Bella Stage. Despite the rather large technical hitch, people really weren’t too bothered. Everyone was still in high spirits and were happy to chug down their drinks from their refillable plastic cups.
Thankfully with the efforts of the organisers, volunteers and production teams, the generator was back up and running. The site was once again lit up with light and a buzzing electric energy. Everyone was more than ready to welcome the evening’s headline act, Mallory Knox.
The Cambridge based alternative rock band were anticipated by many. I for one, was very much looking forward to seeing them perform live. They have had a lot of airplay over the years, particularly from the very popular BBC Radio 1. As expected, they put on a brilliant show for us all to see, although there wasn’t too much movement on stage from the band, there was an array impressive laser light shows accompanied by smoke machines and performances of all of their well known hits including, “Black Holes”, “Ghost In The Mirror” and personal favourite of mine “Shout At The Moon”.
Saturday 1st September
Although a little tired from Friday night’s frivolities, myself and our photographer headed back for day two of Wilkestock! Saturday was opened by this year’s local Battle Of The Bands winners Slap.
Slap were shortly followed by the band Fiende Fatale. Their set was just a tad eccentric and I won’t lie, the singer’s appearance was somewhat different to say the least. With smeared bright red lipstick (putting The Joker to shame) and a vest covered in hot dogs, the vocalist dominated the space he had with his on stage antics and interesting lyrics in the band’s music including a song titled “Vegan Cocaine”. An unusual act, but it totally works, they seemed to be quite popular there that day.
Another act worth mentioning is Wilkestock veterans The Scruff. The band have been very well recieved in previous years while performing at the festival. The band’s lead singer Adam, opened their set with probably the most amusing statement of the weekend “I’ve had a stella for breakfast and a hash in the van on the way here, but who cares? The sun’s out!”. The Scruff have returned to the festival fresh from playing at this year’s Reading and Leeds Festival. During their set we heard songs including the band’s current single “White Flag” and the very emotional “Her”. They ended their set with a brilliant instrumental piece before exiting the stage.
There is one act that cannot be forgotten wherever they go. They always leave their mark. The act I’m talking about is the very bonkers Strange Bones. There is no other place to be for this band except on the main stage. The band, from Blackpool, brought in some impressive crowds to surround the main stage as they performed. Before this band had even entered the arena to perform, our photographer had said to me “The singer is known for jumping into the crowds”. Low and behold, he was spot on! The singer leapt from the stage numerous times, not only to perform and just be part of the crowds of people but also to just lie back and crowd surf too. As their segment went on they were still pulling in new onlookers to join the masses in the main arena. There is only one way to describe a live music set from Strange Bones, and that is loud, lary, madness!
All female rock band PINS brought a different vibe to the day. It was a performance to showcase girl power. I heard many people infront of me using that phrase over and over again. With two band members looking like love children of Sia and Lady Gaga, they certainly brought something different with their style of music, including heavy guitar riffs. Halfway through their set the bands drummer gave us an impressive intrumental solo. The main vocalist had great onstage presence and was often seen standing up on the drumkit platform to perform.
After a fantastic performance just two short years ago, the festival welcome back Eliza And The Bear. They have just finished a tour to promote their newest album “Group Therapy” which is due for realease in October this year. As anticipated just as they did two years ago they proved to be a very popluar act within the Wilkestock community. As far as the eye could see people could be seen up on their feet dancing, even on platforms and props scattered around the grounds. We got to hear performances of their singles “Lions Heart”, “It Gets Cold”, the almighty anthem that is “Friends” and not forgetting an awesome cover of Earth Wind and Fire’s well known hit “September”.
Saturday evening was brought to a close after a performance from headline act The Fratellis.
Sunday 2nd September
Althought their was a variety of performances on the Sunday the atmostphere was far quieter and much more relaxed. Performances included sets from Minnie Birch, Didi, Zoe Phillips, Crystal Tides and more. The final act on main stage came from Oh My God! It,s the Church! What a way to end an awesome weekend!
Throughout the entire weekend inbetween each act there were also DJ sets from DJ Adam O and Matt Crawley which encouraged giant, not necessarily pitch perfect sing-a-longs.
Wilkestock Festival is an event that you will unlikely be dissapointed by, with affordable ticket prices and alot to offer as there is something there for everyone, no matter what your taste in music may be.
Don’t forget to check out the Wilkestock site for more information and next years tickets here!
For more photos by Kane Howie check out our flickr page here!
Highfield 2018 – Full Review!
Highfield festival takes place yearly by the Strömthaler Lake near Leipzig, in East Germany. It’s small (35,000 guests) with two stages (Green and Blue). Most notably, Highfield has a beach that is open to guests throughout the day. There’s a DJ stage on the beach along with drinks stands, so the festival vibe is guaranteed
As with most German festivals, the area in front of the stage is divided into waves by barriers. Only a limited number of people can be in the first wave as a measure against injuries from overcrowding. There is a one-way system in place, in one side, out the other so that numbers can be monitored. While this can be frustrating if you miss out on a spot for your favourite band, it does make it easier to move within the crowd.
Another difference that sets this festival apart is the German culture of “Pfand” which is a deposit you pay on bottles, cans and, at festivals, cups. This means every plastic cup is worth 2 euros that you get back when you return the cup, which helps make Highfield a green festival.
Friday
Arriving on Friday, the weather was very hot and very dry. Across the campsite, heated matches of flunkyball (Germany’s second national sport) were in full swing. It’s a classic game of ‘do well, get drunk’. Two teams stand across from each other, each with cans of beer at their feet. A ball is thrown at a half full bottle of water in the centre. If you hit, your team drinks as long as it takes the opposing team to rectify the bottle. First team to finish their drinks, wins.
Once a camping spot was found there was only time for rudimentary peg work, just enough to mark our camping territory. Before we headed straight to the lake. A good swim provided a much needed cool down and relaxed us, ready for the weekend ahead.
The tent was fastened down properl, the “HighViech” – a fish-like creature – and festival mascot welcomed us to the main site.
Appearing for the third time at Highfield, Gogol Bordello kicked things off with their trademark gypsy punk. It was early evening and the crowd still small. However, what they lacked in volume they made up for in enthusiasm; dancing, jumping, jigging. Lead singer Eugene Hütz, sporting the classic punk look “shirtless with blazer”, directed the crowd with his energy. Mixing it up from the usual beer on stage, Hütz opted for a classier bottle of red wine. That didn’t stop him pouring it all over stage and crowd throughout his set. As the set went on, the New Yorker band drew a bigger and bigger crowd with their infectious tunes that you couldn’t help but dance to.
Infectious but in a different, more hip-hop way, the 257ers took the blue stage by storm. The queue for the first wave was mounting as fans were eager to get up close and personal in the mosh pits. The band, named after their home postcode, started off with a three horror clowns accompanied by whimsical circus music, setting the tone for the one-hour set. Notorious for their costume changes, the duo dressed as pirates, Dutch football shirts and Hawaiian shirts, each outfit referencing a different song in the set. They were also accompanied by at least three extras on stage, dressed up and firing up the crowd. Costume changes take time, so to keep the crowd entertained the DJ played everything from nursery rhymes to crazy frog. At one point he got the whole crowd to crouch down but instead of the anticipated beat drop, Whitney Houston’s I will always love you rang out, much to the amusement of everyone. Refreshments were kindly provided in the form of a giant tube pouring beer into the crowd and several foam cannons. The set was light-hearted and fun, asking the important in Warum (Why) including “why can’t we ride bears to work?” and an entire song about the benefits and uses of wood, which in German is entirely free of innuendo. After their performance last year got cut short due to extreme weather, they vowed that this time we would party to the absolute limit. And we did.
fri - 257ers - watermark-18
As we headed to the Green Stage we were greeted with the complete opposite of the 257ers,with Clueso on the stage. As a much-needed calm after 257ers, the mix of pop, hip-hop and reggae got crowds singing and swaying. His performance of Zusammen (Together) was a surprise as it appears on the new album by Die Fantastischen Vier featuring Clueso. Considering that the former are due to play on Sunday I would have expected it in the headliners set. But Clueso made it a loving tribute by including verses from some of their best songs, and the crowd loved it.
A weather warning for the approaching storm had been in place from the start of the set. As the first notes of the final song –Verlierer (Loosers) – sounded, the stage and crowds were bathed in blue light, and the heavens opened.
The crowd, undeterred, turned into a sea of complementary, red ponchos and carried on. The Ferris wheel and giant wooden Jägermeister Stag with flaming antlers made an impressive backdrop for the Dropkick Murphys, made even more dramatic by the lightning storm in the background. Much in the vein of Gogol Bordello, the bands Celtic punk moved to crowds to dance the rain away.
In an ambitious attempt to pull off a semi-acoustic set at 22:30, Alligatoah invited us down into the sewers with him via an impressive stage design. Sporting the appropriate blue overalls, flatcap and yellow wellies and accompanied by an electric organ he worked his way through funky versions of his discography. His songs dripping in irony about society including beauty standards (Du bist schön (You are beautiful)), throw away culture (Lass liegen (Leave it)) and most ironic of all, the music industry Musik ist keine Lösung (Musik isn’t a solution). Being an acoustic set, he relied on the crowd to sing the electric guitar part of Willst du (Do you want to), and they were more than happy to comply. Help was again required for a verse of Trostpreis (Consolation Prize), sung by Timi Hendrix on the record, and the audience performed flawlessly.
fri - alligatoah - watermark-07
Rounding off the first night, the Canadian Billy Talent took to the Green stage. A staple of the Festival circuit and currently touring their fifth studio album “Afraid of Heights”, the band returns to Highfield for a second year running as their set was cancelled due to heavy thunderstorms last year. Lead singer Benjamin Kowalewicz worked the crowd, who responded singing back at him. Finishing with Red Flag and Fallen leaves, the set was worth the one year wait for sure.
Saturday
The plan for Saturday morning was obvious. Get out of the boiling hot tent and go swim. By no means the first with the good idea, the beach was already filled at 9:30 in the morning. The air was a little cooler, but the water no less refreshing than yesterday. Some people were playing beach volleyball, some lying on beach towels playing cards. Crepes for breakfast (what else?) and we headed down to the main site.
We dipped into Swiss und die Anderen, heavy Antifa punk rap. Not our cup of tea, although the crowd was absolutely loving it. Mosh. Pits. Everywhere. Next up on our timetable was Sondaschule, the punk-ska band from the so called Ruhrgebiet, an area famous for its former coal industry. Whether it was the band itself or the following headliners was uncertain, but the crowd had definitely become more punk heavy. From colourful mohawks the leather jackets, the tone of the evening program of the Green stage was set. When the band dedicated a song to what they considered the most beautiful city in the world, the girls near the front holding a “Mühlheim Ruhr”, the home city of the band, sign got excited. But instead of the song of the same name, the chilled reggae beat of Amsterdam began to play. Showers of confetti exploded from the crowd. It’s quite common for German festival guests to bring bags of paper confetti. It makes for great atmosphere and is 100% biodegradable. A win – win. The band thanked everyone for the warm welcome for their first time here at Highfield. Towards the end of the set the band introduced a song from their new acoustic album, the song RIP Audio, which they recoded together with Ingo from the Donots, who had not arrived on site yet. Once again, the crowd stepped up and took over the guest vocals.
sat - sondaschule - watermark-10
Lunchtime came around and it was finally time for the burger we had travelled over 700 miles for. The wild boar burger from the Hirsch&Eber stall. With onions cooked in port and a cranberry mayonnaise it is without a doubt one of the best burgers I have had to date. If you want to argue with me on that, you can come to Highfield next year and try one for yourself.
Bad Religion were meant to play Saturday afternoon but had to cancel at short notice due to a family emergency. Instead, German festival veterans the Donots stepped up and filled the slot. Undoubtedly leading to one of my personal highlights. The crowd welcomed them with open arms, chanting their name at every opportunity. Lead singer, Ingo Donot, told us they had struggled to get a bus in time and almost didn’t find a dog sitter in time leading to Wake the Dogs.
sat - donots - watermark-11
Highfield festival had been working with Viva con Agua, a charity providing clean water across the world, for many years. Besides a stand where you can donate there are also people around the site with bins where you can donate your cups and corresponding Pfand. The band got circle pits forming around the bins encouraged everyone to donate their cups while playing Do what you want, a cover to console the Bad Religion fans in the crowd.
Ingo is everybody’s hype-man, excitedly announcing all their friends who were still to play this weekend. This included Flogging Molly whose bassist, Nathen Maxwell, joined them on stage for Kein Problem (No Problem). Finishing the set with So long, the crowds chanted the chorus long after the song had finished, moving the band to tears. It’s fair to say that no one regretted the substitution.
Later, the Swedish garage rock band The Hives took to the Green Stage. The most strikingly dressed of the weekend, everything was black and white. The suits, the guitars, the backdrop. They also had a crew of ninjas doing all the cable management and guitar swaps. The securities in the pit did their best to keep the crowds cool, throwing and handing out water. Lead singer, Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, went straight into the crowd, wasting no time to get acquainted. The music was fantastic, raw guitar riffs and hoarse vocals. Everything between became a little tedious. Coming across somewhat arrogant, Howlin’ Pelle constantly demanded the crowds cheer, even starting his own encore chant. At some point the audience had had enough, not really responding anymore. A shame, since everyone still had a great time with the music.
This year’s Saturday headliners, the Broilers, can in many ways be considered the descendants of last year’s Saturday headliners Die Toten Hosen. They started out as their support act, being mentored by them and signed to the DTHs own record label. They had big boots to fill, with many people questioning if they were ready for the headline slot. But once they got started, all doubts subsided, and they stepped up flawlessly. Their horn section giving them their trademark ska-punk sound, the crowd was loving it from the get go. When you have a horn section, clearly the natural thing to do is cover the Ghostbuster theme tune. The Broilers are a band where dancing and moshing are equally valid ways to celebrate their music. Small moshpits here and there, but also a paramedic on a break dancing with his girlfriend. It felt like everyone was welcomed into the Broiler family that night. The mood then got more serious with the more recent song Keine Hymnen Heute (No hymns today), a song describing the prohibition of a lot of art during the second world war. The backdrop showed videos of Nazi soldiers burning books as a grim warning against populism and rising right wing sentiments. The pyrotechnics sounding like gunshots. What followed was undeniably one of the most emotional parts of the festival. During Ihr da oben (You up there) the screen showed a collage of photos the band had asked fans to send in for the music video. It showed loved ones that had passed away. The range of photos was particularly striking, as it included young children and babies alongside grandparents. It really drove home the momentous amount of loss and grief contained in all those images.
The tempo picked up again with Held in unserer Mitte (Hero in our midst), with circle pits forming around the bands handpicked audience members. The show finished with fireworks and I think everyone agreed, the Broilers are headliner material.
As is tradition at German festivals there was a general protest against the far right and populism. Whether its moshing against (and on) Nazis, the antifascist charity “Kein Bock auf Nazis” or anti-nazi chants. Many bands had banners saying “Refugees Welcome”. As people were chanting “Nazis out”, the Donots quite rightly pointed out that people needed to go shout these things at counter demonstrations, not just here, where there were no neo-nazis.
Sunday
Sunday started the way all festival Sundays start, the long arduous trek back to the car, laden with bags. The weather was even hotter than the past few days, making this by far the worst part of the experience. Oh the price you pay for camping close to the site and far away from the car park. Once that was over we could get back to the good bit.
Sunday afternoon was Brit indie-pop time on the Blue Stage. Maximo Park’s Paul Smith overdressed, as always, in a blue suit, hat and shades. Dancing enthusiastically through a set spanning all six studio albums, the band started on Girls who play guitar and finished with Apply some pressure. The crowd favourite was definitely Books from boxes. Throughout the set Smith addressed the crowd in broken but endearing German, making sure everyone drank enough water and were having a good time.
A black backdrop with a hypnotising wombat with rainbow eyes marked the next band. The Wombats started out with the lively Cheetah Tongue. The audience had a surprising knowledge of all the songs, singing along and dancing. The award for most crowd confetti thrown definitely goes to The Wombats, with the stuff flying left right and centre. We learnt intimate details, like the argument score between lead singer, Matthew Murphy, and his wife stands at roughly zero to three million. The band also introduced Steve, “The hardest working squirrel in Europe”, who was a plush sitting on the drum kit. Naturally met with chants of “STEVE, STEVE, STEVE”. The next album will be consisting of elevator music, the demo of which promptly turned into Moving to New York. The set peaked with Let’s Dance to Joy Division, causing the biggest explosion of crowd confetti yet. It was a perfect summer afternoon dance party.
By the time Madsen came onto the Green stage, everything was bathed in golden light from the setting sun. Their backdrop a space shuttle from their new album “Lichtjahre (Light years)”, the band celebrated the bassists birthday and started the first ever ladies only circle pit I’ve seen.
By the side of the first wave, two little girls in giant fluorescent headphones were dancing away when a security guard called them over to give them each a carton of water. They repaid him with a handful of confetti. A fair trade I’d say.
Halfway through the Madsen set on the Green stage, the Editors took to the Blue stage. Seeing the meager crowd they were about to go on stage for almost made you feel sorry for them. The backdrop, taken from the cover from their latest album “Violence”, was a dark picture of contorted bodies. Although mildly distressing, it does fit the general vibe of the band. They walked on in silence and started to play their first song. Afterwards the lead singer Tim Smith said a shy “dankeschön, guten abend” and carried on. As the set progressed he seemed to warm up to the crowd, addressing them more freely and encouraging them to put their hands up for songs. His motions across the stage were creeping and primal, almost mesmerising. The crowd had gathered as the set went on, so by the time Papillon started, there was enough of a crowd to properly welcome their favourite. Jumping, singing and waving hands in a butterfly like fashion as the sun set on the final festival day.
Which of the two stages hosted the true headliner is up for debate. The Blue Stage, pioneers of German rap, Die Fantastischen Vier were scheduled to play right up until the point that one of the biggest German rappers right now, Materia, was to take to the Green stage and give the festival the finale it deserves. It was clear the crowds were torn. Get a good spot for Materia and miss out on the band without which he wouldn’t even exist? See the undisputed bedrock of the genre and miss out on a spot in the midst of what promised to be the craziest party of the weekend?
Enough people decided on the latter, the first wave being packed like never before. A huge banner of the new album, “Captain Fantastic”, covered the stage. As the first beats of Tunnel boomed across the grounds, the banner came down to reveal the band, already hyping the crowd. The crowd were with them from the first song with more energy than I’d seen for anyone else this weekend. The backdrop was a rectangle of screens with a fabric banner in the middle, an unusual set up. The hype kept up for about ten songs, the group behind me insisting to express their excitement through five-man moshpit. The set slowed down in the middle with Tag am Meer (Day at the Seaside) which was a shame following the energetic start. Normally, a calm song or two gives to audience a chance to catch their breath. In this case, people started leaving to go to the other stage. As the show went on, the tempo picked up again. Zusammen (Together) was performed for the second time this weekend, this time with Clueso singing his part via video on the screens on stage.
The band left the stage before the three-song encore, at which point they started hemorrhaging audience members. At this point they were clearly going to run over and into the set time of Materia. The proximity of the sets split the audience and to me that was the biggest failure of the organisers. The remaining crowd went mental for the encore, more than making up for their decreased numbers with their energy. The set finished, and everyone rushed to the Green stage to hear the last lines of Materia’s Endboss.
Even though only two songs had passed, the crowd was already warmed up and ready to riot. Bengalische Tiger (Bengal Tigers) caused red flares to erupt in the crowd and on stage, making for a spectacular view. The melancholic Tauchstation, which is an an idiom meaning secluding yourself, bringing everyone back down with its hypnotic, submarine-like sounds, followed by the ode to the Blue Marlin. The deep bass vibrating everything in reach.
At this point, Materia took a moment to thank Viva con Agua for their work and encouraged everyone to through their cups on stage on the count of three. This led to the bizzare spectacle of plastic cups flying through the crowd, rarely reaching the stage, instead being picked up and thrown further forwards. It looked like hundreds of tiny plastic dolphins, making their way to the stage. Given the value of 2 euros per cup it was likely 1000 euros worth of donations flying about. Talk about making it rain.
Materia is currently promoting his joint album with Casper, “1982”. Both were on site together earlier in the day giving autographs and taking selfies with fans. It therefore came as no surprise to suddenly see the two on stage together performing the first joint single Champion. None the less the crowd flipped, making it clear that this collaboration is hotly anticipated. The mood remained ecstatic as the duo performed their second single Supernova. As a crowning finale to the joint performance, they premiered their third song Adrenalin. On top of the first reveal, the two also announced they were filming the music video at the festival. Naturally, the crowd pulled out all the stops, no doubt providing a sensational backdrop.
From there on, the set escalated from song to song. One hit after another, culminating in Feuer – Fire, obvious pyrotechnics included. Materia’s alter ego Marsimoto made an appearance for a verse. Cloaked in bright green smoke and wearing his metallic green mask his arrival caused a brief change of pace before returning to the high-octane finale of Feuer.
Finally, Materia teased every last ounce of energy out of the crowd with his Letzte 20 Sekunden (Last 20 seconds). The audience jumped, waved and threw shirts, moshed and tore the place apart. At one point the show master himself descended from the stage to party with his fans, right in the centre of the first wave. It seemed neither crowd nor band wanted it to be over. Materia dancing with his band on stage, waving a Rostock football flag and hugging everyone. It was a night that no one wanted to end.
The Highfield festival is too small to draw an array of big international names, maybe getting one per year. Personally, I think the appeal lies in the atmosphere. The beach makes it feel more like a holiday and the line-up is one you can dip in and out of without the notorious fear of missing out that plagues big festivals. If you’re into German music then you’re guaranteed to find something, including high caliber performance. It’s a niche for international visitors, but definitely worth checking out if you fancy a chilled weekend by a lake with mostly great weather.