Based on the great line up and long list of stages I had high hopes for my first Latitude. It took me a day or so to get there but by the end of the weekend I had definitely fallen for the festival. Despite what appeared to be quite a specific audience of ‘white, middle class, Waitrose shoppers’, it turned out to be a festival that offers something for everyone.
The festival site is situated on either side of a rather picturesque lake and then continues to spread into the woods on both sides. It is known for its wide variety of stages: the main music stages are the Oblisk Arena and BBC Music Stage; followed by a wide number of smaller music stages featuring mostly up and coming musicians; the Comedy Stage is close behind the main stage in popularity, with a strong line up of well known names such as Dara OBriain, Joel Dommett and Katherine Ryan; in addition there is a Theatre; the Dance on the Waterfront stage, which features a variety of dance and otherwise indefinable acts; plus many more stages featuring art, politics, and speakers.
One of the first things that stood out when exploring the site was the small size of the audience area in front of the Obelisk Arena. It is contained by high-rise arena style seating placed around the outside – quite practical but also a reminder of what kind of audience you are watching alongside. However for the headliners of the evening, The 1975, neither the audience area nor the seats were even close to full. This was a trend that continued over the weekend; it was a nice change not having to push through masses of people to get anywhere, but also slightly disappointing as a good crowd can make a big difference to a live performance. The 1975’s lead singer, Matt Healy spent the performance drinking and smoking but his odd brand of charisma was in full force, and he charmed the audience with his chat between songs about spreading unity and love.
Mumford andSon’s Gentlemen of the Road label (GOTR) curated Saturday’s line up, and they also headlined the Obelisk Arena alongside Baaba Maal later. The line up featured lots of names that will be familiar if you are a fan of Mumford’s style of folk/acoustic sounds. This was to be a day full of music in my opinion – the main draw of the festival for me – and the day was spent switching between stages to catch as much music as possible.
Opening the Obelisk Arena were The Very Best, the band is from London and Malawi, and they supported Mumford and Sons on tour in Africa last year. Their sound was unique and enjoyable despite being a bit unpolished; Warm Heart of Africa was the highlight of the set.
The main stage line up for the rest of day just got better, with Lucy Rose putting in a stunning performance, followed by Milky Chance who were an unexpected highlight for me. They were joined on stage by an incredible harmonica player who would have made the set were it not for the star quality and strong performance brought by lead singer Clemens Rehbein. Glass Animals followed, and clearly had many supporters in the crowd as pineapples (their unofficial motif) started to pop up everywhere. One fan ate almost an entire pineapple throughout the set. They are worthy of the quirky adoration and have proved themselves a great addition to any festival line up.
The most anticipated set of the weekend for me was next on the BBC Music stage, the second biggest stage at the festival. A Blaze of Feather have only recently launched themselves on to the music scene and this was their first UK festival appearance. Despite featuring the widely adored Ben Howard, the band has retained a high level of mystery, which would explain the half empty tent (alongside the unfortunate scheduling clash with Two Door Cinema Club). The music was haunting and beautiful, and the clear connection between the band members made the skillful performance so much more special.
The Alcove Stage, run by DIY Music, is also worth a mention for its excellent Saturday line up of musicians on the peripherals of success. Flyte, Mosa Wilde, Outlya and Jade Bird are all ones to watch out for – have a listen if you get the chance.
The night was brought to a close with Mumford and Sons sharing their headline slot with Baaba Maal. The set was a classic Mumford and Sons set – high-energy folk music with plenty of jumping and some wonderful banjo playing. If they are not really your thing then the addition of Baaba Maal and Maggie Rogers should have made up for that. Both brought powerful vocals that helped to raise the set up from average to great.
The evening ended with a packed out Music and Film Arena for Jaguar Skillz, and the discovery of Parcels on the Solas Stage. They have previously supported Two Door Cinema Club and their funky sounds were the perfect thing to get the audience dancing before winding down for the night.
Sunday is typically a chilled day at Latitude, which was just as well, having spent the previous day trying to see as much of the GOTR line up as possible. There was some great music on the Saturday, but I felt like I had yet to discover the magic of the festival that I was sure was in there somewhere.
The Solas stage turned out to be a highlight of the day; tucked away in the woods right behind the pink sheep grazing on the grass around the big-mirrored Latitude sign. Hein Cooper was an early discovery of the day who held his audience captive with his singer-songwriter vibe that combined with electronics and pedals to build a unique and effective sound.
Leo Stannard was the other Sunday Solas highlight. He had a backing band with him, and broke from the expected set formula to play an instrumental piece on his own.
The Alcove Stage discovery of the day was Joe Fox, apparently still almost entirely unknown, but with big potential. His new single ‘What’s the Word’ is worth checking out.
In the afternoon I wandered through more woods to where some other stages were located. I caught Adwaith at the BBC Introducing stage while sinking into one of the comfy sofas set out in front of the stage. They are a feisty trio of girls who were suitably enjoyable to listen to, especially from the luxury of my squishy leather sofa.
Fleet Foxes and Fatboy Slim provided the evenings entertainment on the two main stages. They were scheduled to clash, which wasn’t the case with Saturday headliners but seems to make sense considering how different their expected audiences are. The Fleet Foxes setwas slow moving and not exactly the stuff of legendary Sunday night headline slots, despite being musically lovely. Fatboy Slim was the complete opposite, with a completely full audience in the BBC tent, all jumping, dancing and singing along for the entirety of the set.
Following such excitement the only place to be for the last few hours of the festival was at the Sunrise Arena After Dark, hidden about as far away in the woods as you can get, the crowds still all managed to make their way for Trevor Nelson’s smash hit DJ set. It was a great fun close to the weekend, and not what was expected upon spotting a pop-up Waitrose by the main stage on the first day of the festival. It appears that Latitude have managed to hit the nail on the head once again when it comes to their signature variety of music and arts, perfectly presented across their beautiful site.
It was a weekend of mixed emotions for me as I entered through the wonderfully designed archway of Cornbury Festival. I almost wanted to cry right away as I knew that this would be the last time I would ever do this. It’s not as if I am even a regular to Cornbury, I had only been once before but that’s the kind of impact Cornbury Festival has on you. I took my son for the first time and sadly the last, he is only 18 months and I had dreams of bringing him here every year, especially with the kids camping area (families not kids running riot unsupervised) and the kids activities.
Cornbury had one heck of a great line up for its finale. Headliners were Kaiser Chiefs, The Pretenders and the amazing Bryan Adams. Other acts included Imelda May, Right Said Fred, Midge Ure, Police Dog Hogan, Sophie Ellis Bexter and many more proving how diverse Cornbury is and how it caters for everyone. Cornbury has always been very kind to country music and this year, country was big for the finale with the return of Ward Thomas and artists such as Laura Oakes, The Wandering Hearts, Callaghan and Twinnie.
As someone who has been to a lot of festivals, I have never felt so comfortable as I did at Cornbury. My heart was breaking but I was going to enjoy this weekend as much as I could and walk away with some of the best memories I will ever have, especially seeing as this was not just my sons first Cornbury, but his first ever music festival.
It was a hot day, really hot, a little too hot for my son which made me worry but when I saw the amount of parents who had kids with them around the same age I felt a bit better.
The day was merry and bright, in so many ways, not just from the sun. Everywhere there were bright colours, some on flags, some on people, hot air balloons, stalls, everywhere.There There was so much to look at, street performers, Morris dancers, people in costumes, people dancing, groups of children playing, happy families and friends laughing and so much more, everywhere you looked there was something going on. Cornbury is old fashioned in a way, which I love, it is very traditional and has the best atmosphere of any festival.
It was only 12.30pm on the Friday and the atmosphere was already booming with everyone looking so happy, so relaxed and just so content. The way Cornbury is run is so perfect – it’s clean, safe, friendly and very homely. I was pushing a very large and heavy buggy but it didn’t stop me having fun. We arrived just in time for UK Country star Laura Oakes to hit The Pleasant Valley stage. I had been looking forward to seeing Laura for a while as shamefully had not seen her yet.
Laura appeared on stage out of nowhere and was dressed in a lovely black outfit which is hard to describe but Laura always dresses wonderfully and rather loud but in a great ‘gets your attention and looks stunning’ kind of way. Laura has a stunning voice and it makes me wonder why she isn’t more successful but with Country Music going on the rise in the UK especially with artists such as The Shires and Ward Thomas, I have no doubt in my mind that Laura’s time is yet to come, she certainly has a large following within in the UK country music fan base. Laura played a wonderful and highly entertaining set with many songs new to me as well as her singles Snakes and Ladders and
I heard a couple behind me say “Wow, she was good” so it’s fair to say that Laura gave a good impression and I also realised that she was my son’s first ever gig.
After having a spot of lunch, a burger in fact from one of the stalls who made a lovely ruby burger? Anyway, it was good quality and hit the spot. We then ventured to the river stage for Callaghan only to discover that the schedules had changed and she went on early so we sadly caught only one song. It was a shame as I keep missing her wherever she plays, perhaps it is not meant to be. I will see her properly one day.
Having another wander, we took a look at the kids area which was full of fun activities such as clay making, face painting, giant Jenga, arts and crafts and story time. If James were a little older he may have participated but it was certainly a god send for parents with older children and kept them entertained for hours. For even older children and teenagers there was a fairground with all the rides you would often see such as The Waltzers and a traditional helter skelter. As well as rides there were games and prize driven games. On the Saturday we also caught a dog show which was so adorable and a must for any dog lovers.
What was was also tempting was the giant hammocks that people were snoozing in, they looked very comfortable.
There was a lot of free sampling with drinks scattered around the festival which was very welcome indeed as were very parched.
Saturday was the better day for me. Arriving early I had a spot of breakfast courtesty of Dorset Cereal. Now if you haven’t ever seen Dorset Cereal, look out for it as their packaging is very eye catching. Of course, looks can be deceiving but the taste did not disappoint. I am a very fussy breakfast eater but Dorset Cereals mixed with natural youghurt is just yum yum yum. I sampled the luscious berry and cherry muesli mixed with choc cherry granola, well this started a craving and I went to my local supermarket and bought some as soon as I got home. Dorset Cereals were readily available at Cornbury Festival and have and will be at various other family festivals. Campsite festival goers were lucky indeed as Dorset Cereals hosted a campsite takeover and brought them a wonderfully yummy breakfast experience. There was also a Dorset Cereals marquee which was full of packs of the product, bowls and cutlery for consumers to help themselves to a delicious breakfast.
As it is a family festival, Dorset Cereals didn’t stop there as they also provided family entertainment activities including acoustic music sessions, yoga classes and plenty of other festival fun.
Still hot but giving my son a break at home with his dad, my friend and I started the music part of the day with one of my current favourite artists The Wandering Hearts.
It felt almost criminal that The Wandering Hearts were first on stage, but seeing as they only have one song out at the moment, I guess it makes sense. In a way it was a good thing though, as they got to get the festival crowd off to a good start and in my opinion, challenge any act to top them.
You would think that this vocal group had been together for years but they have only known each other less than two years and are now signed to Decca.
As often is the case, the crowd was quite small before they came on stage, they were the opener so people were still arriving but as the minutes went on, more and more people arrived and by the time they entered the stage, it became more crowded.
Walking on stage looking the picture perfect Country/Folk group, The Wandering Hearts went straight into singing their current and debut single I Wish I Could. This is such a great song, if you haven’t heard it yet, then what are you waiting for? AJ kicked off the song vocally before being joined by the others but it is always Tara’s solo that completely captivates me. Her vocals are delicate and beautiful and she really takes the already brilliant song up a level.
The four band members are instantly likeable. Their personalities shine on stage and their voices blend beautifully together, creating the perfect harmonies that are incredibly infectious. The Wandering Hearts are going places, this group are just insane and every song they sing is wonderfully exciting and so well written. Biting Through The Wires is a favourite of mine as well as soon to be a single Devil. The Wandering Hearts pull in elements of artists such as Fleetwood Mac and Little Big Town but are more suited to the folk genre than country. They really are quite something and my most welcome discovery back in January. I could honestly watch this group all day. Most of the audience seemed to be unaware of them but more than happy with their choice to catch them first before doing anything else or seeing someone else. I can’t wait for an album, it is so far my most eagerly awaited album to purchase so I hope I get it soon.
We managed to catch a bit of Jazz artist Max Jury who played mostly piano driven music which was pretty and he was charming and entertaining and comedic in places especially when he described one of his dates with a lovely girl who wore floral sundresses which ended with him checking out her insta only to discover she was a satanist. I have to give a special mention to his backing singer who had a phenomenal voice and was truly remarkable.
Next up was Twinnie, an up and coming UK country singer/songwriter. Now I see a lot of live music so it gets to a point at times when live shows get put to the back of my mind or some shows are just OK. As a fan, I was expecting her to be good but my goodness, I wasn’t expecting her to be THAT good. To say that I was blown away is an understatement. My friend and I were in awe. My friend, completely unfamiliar with Twinnie was amazed and I continued to be blown away as her set went on.
Twinnie performed on the Saturday of Cornbury on the Cafe Nero stage. Set out like a coffee house but in a tent, well Marquee, my friend and I grabbed the front couch. Frappe’s, soft couch, music, we wanted to stay there forever.
Twinnie made the audience laugh before she even began. Twinnie is fairly tall so when the rather short announcer took to the microphone to introduce her, she joked “You want me to lower it?”.
She began her set with her single Home which was released last year. I should quickly mention that half her band were new I believe and had not had a chance to rehearse. You wouldn’t have known though. Home was spectacular live, the song is a great pop country track with easy to sing a long to lyrics which makes it really a joy live. Home has a slight folk edge to it too and was a wise choice to begin the set as it drew more people into the tent and made everyone already there stay put. Everyone quickly realised going to see her was a great decision and for me in particular, it was worth missing Ward Thomas on the main stage for.
Twinnie continued to impress with new songs I had not heard before which were all really well written and melodic and I am hoping they will be released officially. Her performance oozed with confidence and she amused the crowd between songs with her wit, her infectious northern accent and overall charm. One of my favourite tracks of Twinnie’s is Looking Out For You who she wrote for her granddad. I love this song, it is by far one of her best and a track she should be very proud of. The lyrics are very warming and homely and it has a lovely crowd participating part in it. This song live did not disappoint and I was so happy that she played it.
The ‘wow’ song for me though, the one where Twinnie really showcased her vocals and left everyone stunned was her cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing In The Dark. I honestly didn’t know she could sing like that. It was this particular moment that made me think, why is she not more known? How is she not one of the leading UK country artists? Why do so little in the country fan community know her name? Well THIS will undoubtedly change. Twinnie proved she has the ability to truly be a great success and I could not be more excited to watch her career grow.
Twinnie ended her set with her debut single Cool. When she finished her set the crowd were vocal about wanting her to continue so she treated us with her beautiful ballad Lie To Me which is vocally challenging and showed off Twinnie’s range.
Again, what a show, a truly superb performance which left the crowd mesmerised. It was better than I could have imagined. Twinnie is a born performer and I honestly feel like it was a treat, I felt so lucky to have been there and in such an intimate setting too. Out of the entire weekend, Twinnie’s set was the one I went away remembering the most, the one that I can’t stop talking about.
Bryan Adams himself was discreetly in the crowd and was so taken and so impressed that he invited her on stage to join him for a song as part of his Cornbury headling set that evening. Now to perform with the likes of Bryan Adams is the dream of many world stars let alone a new artist. When Bryan announced her, it was almost emotional, I felt very proud of her and she certainly caught the attention of a very large crowd. Twinnie is making her mark for sure and if she is good enough for Bryan, then she should certainly be good enough for a long, successful career. I can’t wait to be part of the journey as a fan and hope you do too.
Another big surprise for me was Tom Chaplin, formerly the lead singer of Keane. Firstly, he looked so different and has certainly cleaned up his act since his drug days. Tom came on stage as if he was home. Not a stranger to Cornbury, Tom expressed his gratitude for the festival and sadness for it ending. Tom sang from his solo material as well as his Keane days. It’s funny how many Keane songs I actually knew but didn’t realise I knew till he performed them. Tom has the voice of perfection. It is so, how can I describe it? Simply stunning, beautiful, chilling in a good way. As someone who never really paid much attention to Keane this performance really blew me away and I am so glad I had the opportunity to see him live. The atmosphere was so nice and felt very family oriented as everyone was respectful of their neighbour and everyone sang along to the big songs such as Somewhere Only We Know and Everybody’s Changing.
Of course, everyone was there for Bryan Adams. I was super excited. Bryan Adams isn’t someone I would necessarily choose to see live and won’t pretend that I am a massive fan but my goodness he was good. I loved every minute of it, he sang all the big hits such as Run To You, which was SO much fun as a crowd sing along and he sang Summer of 69’ and quite early on too. Heaven was one of most beautiful moments of the evening but the passion, the air grabbing, the chanting moment was Everything I Do, I Do It For You.Everyone knows the words to that song and I don’t think I have had that much fun during a show in such a long time.
As I mentioned above Bryan brought out Twinnie which was a wonderful moment. Other hits he performed were songs such as When You’re Gone minus Mel C, Please Forgive Me, Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman and All For One. As someone who only knows his big hits, his set list seemed highly impressive and undoubtedly pleased his hardcore fans to the max. Bryan’s set was electric, atmospheric, exciting, energetic, emotional and just bloody brilliant.
Sunday felt slightly more sad but in a good way, just sad that it was the finale of the finale. Everyone was having such a good time. Midge Ure were one of the highlights especially with playing an acoustic version of Vienna. Imelda May showcased her more emotional side with her new sound, leaving the rockabilly behind and wowed her audience with a side to her we weren’t used to.
Sadly I left early but my heart sank and a lump in my throat developed when I saw the main stage (Pleasant Valley Stage) end its moment with a That’s All Folks! safety curtain and fireworks. I can only imagine how it would have felt to be there and I regret that I wasn’t.
I am I was so heartbroken, Cornbury is the nicest, most heartfelt, comforting and welcoming festival that I have ever been to and I shall miss it dearly. Where will I go now? At least it went out with one hell of a bang, a darn good line up, an atmosphere that was out of this world and a festival full of heart and peace.
Farewell Cornbury, thank you for the festivities, the love, the joy, the music and thank you for some of the best festival toilets around.
Spanning from June 30th – July 7th, Greenwich Music Time is an outdoor festival hosting a series of concerts and boasting impressive backdrops of the historic Old Royal Naval College and the River Thames in London. Topping the bill this year included big names such as Little Mix, Cliff Richard and The Jacksons. Lucky for me, I was heading off to see the latter on 6th July and I could hardly believe I would be catching a show from perhaps the most recognizable family in music history, and in such a spectacular setting too. Consisting of the original members Jermaine Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jackie Jackson and Marlon Jackson, it was certain to be a spell-binding show packed full of their mega-hits.
As I bounded through the gates with my companion at the Old Royal Naval College, we were both instantly impressed. A world heritage site, the venue was absolutely stunning and on a warm July evening, a golden sunset was making the atmosphere all that more beautiful. The four brothers made a mighty entrance with their chart-topping disco hit ‘Can you feel it’ followed with ‘Blame it on the boogie’, prompting the adoring audience to get jigging along. A clear tribute to Michael’s hanging absence, we were treated to his own solo fan-favourite hit ‘Rock with you’ before the group’s aptly-named ‘Enjoy yourself’.
A touching video montage including clips from The Jackson’s childhood proved to be a lovely inclusion before one of my favourites was played ‘I want you back’, encouraging the masses to sing along. A string of upbeat mega-hits followed, including the likes of ‘ABC’, ‘Dancing Machine’ and then my personal favourite of them all, ‘I’ll be there’. This time the crowds waved their arms as they sang along, making it a moving performance from the boys.
The emotions continued running, with a touching tribute to Michael with a cover of his own song, ‘Gone too soon’, paired with heartwarming images and clips of Michael on the big screens.
The remainder of the performance thrilled with more upbeat disco hits such as Michael’s ‘Wanna be startin’ somethin’’, and finalising with The Jackson’s ‘Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)’ and ‘State of shock’. Combined with plenty of impressive dance moves (yes, moonwalking included!), the classic Michael ‘hee-hee’ notes and a tonne of energy, The Jacksons sure showed that they most definitely still had it.
Every year, the small town of Ampthill in Bedfordshire welcomes people from near and far to their amazing production which is of course Ampthill Festival. This festival consists of three different events over the course of a weekend (Friday-Sunday). Each part of the event had something completely different to offer. 'Amp Rocks' – A night of music on Friday, 'Ampthill Park Proms' – an evening of west end style perfomances on the Saturday and lastly the 'Ampthill Gala Day' – a well rounded family event that welcomes all ages to an array of perfomances and activities which takes place on the Sunday to close the busy weekend.
Friday night's 'Amp Rocks!' gig provided fun and frolicks for all! The production team had an amazing line up for ticketholders to enjoy. The evening was also hosted by BBC Radio DJ Nick Coffer. Redbourne battle of the bands winners Arccos got the night off to a great start. Fresh from performing live on BBC Three Counties Radio that very afternoon, the five lads performed their renditions of well known songs including 'Use Somebody' by Kings of Leon, 'The Kill', made famous by 30 Seconds to Mars, 'Shut Up And Dance' by Walk To The Moon, 'What You Know' by Two Door Cinema Club and 'Treasure', a track originally relased by artist Bruno Mars. The band's diverse choice of hits were well recieved by a chorus of kareoke like festival goers and even a small Arccos fanclub in the front of the crowd wearing band apparel.
In between each act while the stage team set up instruments and equipment, the crowds of people were entertained by a variety of music being played throughout the grounds and a social media system inviting people to use hashtags and upload their best rock star style photographs to the huge screens at the back of the stage. A live video feed of the audience was also on view for all to see. Not only that but there was a great choice of food vendors to visit just behind the music arena. Vendors included wood oven pizzas, BBQ Chicken and mobile units offering traditional festival foods including hotdogs, burgers, fries, donuts, tea and coffee. Also up for grabs were a pick n mix sweet van, ice cream and a bar. I must say the pizzas were 'delizioso!'
Now…Are you ready for some time travel? Feeling like Marty McFly and Doc Brown? Lets get into that Delorean and go back in time to some amazing musical eras. The rest of the evening takes us back to the 1980s and right up to the present day. We begin our musical time travelling journey in the early 90s with britpop band Cast. The band, originally from Liverpool performed well known classics such as 'Walkaway', 'Free Me' and 'Guiding star' which had everyone up on their feet. The band also sampled songs 'Paper Chains' and 'Birdcage' from their new sixth studio album titled 'Kicking Up The Dust'. Their music is still quite similar to material that we already know from them, but with its more modern twist it is definitely worth a listen. One very amusing moment of this set was the band discussing with the audience about their journey to the venue. They spoke of how they jumped on the train only to arrive at what they thought was a destination called 'Flit-Wick' station and little did they know that they would quickly recieve correction from a bystander on the pronounciation of the town's name of 'Flitwick' (pronnounced Flittick).
Time to hit 'The Noughties!' I must admit I am very excited to be able to write about the next act of the night. This is a band that meant everything to my seventeen year old self. A band that I have waited almost thirteen years to see perform live! Introducing the first of the joint headine acts, musicians Charlie Simpson, Matt Willis and James Bourne – otherwise known as Busted! People in the audience were indeed going mad for these three cheeky chaps. For example, next to me, stood two very extatic older women screaming for Busted! They noticed me with my trusty notepad and pen, then looked at me and said "we are such an embaressment to our children, make sure that you don't mention the crazed middle aged women raving next to you" so of course, ladies this is a little shout out to you and your bubbly personalities!
Back to topic. The music. The three members of Busted leapt out onto stage with so much energy and charisma to say a quick hello to the audience and jumped straight into the first song of their alotted time 'Air Hostess'. In amongst the array of big hit singles which included 'Crashed The Wedding', 'Who's David?', '3am', 'Meet You There' and 'Sleeping With The Light On' the bandmates would often encourage audience interaction to build up a good rappor with their fans. At one point lead vocalist Charlie offered a competition to everyone by announcing "the best dancer during the next song will receive a kiss from Matt Willis!" to which Willis replied "I haven't brushed my teeth today." The band went on to perform 'Break your heart' which is taken from their latest album 'Night Driver'. And the lucky winner of the kiss competition? Much to the dismay of many ticketholders, crew and press (including myself), went to band member Charlie. After a sigh from the crowds of people gathered in the music arena Matt Willis then announced that he has "Snogged all of Busted now" After the comedy section of the set the band continued to play more from their latest album which included 'What You're On', 'Without It', album title track 'Night Driver' and new realease "New York". Latest album 'Night Driver' (realeased in 2016) has a very different sound from the classic Busted hits. After seperating and re forming once more, the band's music has definitely grown with them. Their new music has a more of an electro-pop sound. Very much like the style of music that band member James Bourne had experimented with while going solo as 'Future Boy' shortly after the band had split years ago. No matter which direction Busted go in, it totally works!
At the end of an energetic hour and ten minutes and also a heavy rainfall which did not dampen any spirits, the band performed their biggest hit to date 'Year 3000', during which had people from all generations jumping, waving hands and doing their best air guitar impressions while singing along to the infamous lyrics. Before leaving the stage, James Bourne could be seen waving and throwing guitar picks into the audience in front of him. All three members of the band thanked the fans for a fun time, wished everyone a safe journey home and even encouraged everyone to "wear seatbelts!" After a short interval of music and big screen tv graphics from the stage, the last act of the night began to set up. The stage was transformed with what appeared to be white linen fabric. A very clean and simple look.
The closing act of the night took everyone back to the 1980s! The age of huge frizzy hair and rather dodgy statement cosmetics. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you English synthpop band, The Human League!
The band's female vocalists Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley were first to enter the arena to take their place at each side of the stage wearing rather dazzling black sparkling attire. Then on walks lead singer Philip Oakey waving to the crowds of people in front of him before then dominating centre stage. I absolutely loved Philip Oakey's Amp Rocks look! The singer was clearly out to make a statement in his traditional way. He wore a sleeveless black number which trailed to the floor while rocking a bald head and goatee with dark round sunglasses. I am a fan of the very popular DC Comics and this also includes their TV shows. For those of you that are fans of TV series 'Gotham' you will probably have the exact same thought that rushed into my head as soon as I set eyes on The Human League's front man. "Oh my goodness, Dr. Hugo Strange is on stage!" The singer's appearance had a striking resemblence to actor B.D. Wong's protrayal of the famous Batman villain.
The pop heroes, with their glitzy showcase, put on a truely amazing show for all to see. The atmosphere in the arena was electric! People of all ages were united in one place to enjoy a slice of the 1980s. The band performed classics such as 'Heart Like A Wheel', 'Mirror Man', 'Lebanon', 'Tell Me When', 'Open Your Heart' and 'Fascination'. During the highly anticipated performance of hit single 'Don't you want me?' the first half of the song was performed entirely by the hundreds of people gathered in the audience, allowing the band members on stage to relax a little and enjoy watching their fans having a great time. The pop icons then contributed after the end of the first chorus to continue with their unique set. Lead vocalist Philip Oakey thanked fans for being at the event to see them perform before he and the other members of The Human league exited to the right of the stage. The lights dimmed slightly and fans were chanting loudly for more music from the final act of the night. As expected there was more entertainment from the musicians. They returned to the stage once more to perform two big hits 'Being Boiled' and the huge 'Electric Dreams' before the night of music on Friday came to a close.
The event was one that was certainly not to be missed and was well organised. Well done to everyone that took part in making this evening one to remember. This includes a quick shout out to the team from local recording studio 'Sound Arc' (based in Shefford, Bedfordshire) who provided all of the music/stage equipment for the concert.
Saturday night saw the festival introduce the 'Ampthill Park Proms'. which is a non profit "boutique" festival event that is organised from volunteers from the local community. It was an evening to invite everyone to come and see some amazing performances from some well known west end stars and more. Unfortunately I was not able to attend this part of the festival, but I can give a brief overview of the night and what it had in store. Not only this year did the team at the festival manage to sign two big west end names Oliver Tompsett and Julie Atherton but they also welcomed back the return of the popular Ampthill Town Band, The brilliant Redbourne Jazz Band and the very talented Ampthill Concert Orchestra. Between them, west end performers Oliver Tompsett and Julie Atherton have starred in some amazing shows including Mamma Mia!, Avenue Q, We Will Rock You, Fame, Rock Of Ages, Guys and Dolls and The Wizard of Oz prequel -Wicked!
At the end of the night festiver goers were treated to a bright and beautiful firework extravaganza!
Last, but certainly not least Sunday brought us the 'Ampthill Gala Day'. A free walk in day time event for everyone in the family to enjoy. On arrival we (my partner, my two year old son and myself) were greeted by a couple of people handing out flyers with different activites and performances that were on offer throughout the day. There was certainly plenty to do. There was live commentary over a tannoy system throughout the cricket ground which also hosted a variety of games, competitions and even a parade through the local town that finished at the grounds with many people including children dressed as cheerleaders, ladybirds, extra terrestrials, paintballers and NASA astronauts.
The music arena and comedy tent which provided us with live music, stand up comedy performances, Q and A sessions and even a live baking class with Great British Bake Off 2014 winner Nancy Birtwhistle!
The music arena featured acts Idolising Nova, There Is No Dance, a live cooking demonstration from Bake Off Winner Nancy Birtwhistle showcasing her no bake cheese cake, Ghouls, The Indios, Kit Walker, Massaoke – a brilliant interactive sing along and Oasish – a rather good Oasis tribute band. The comedy tent organised by Ultra Live and Barnardos presented new and upcoming singer/songwriters and performers including the very talented Sam Neighbour, The Kagools and more. The team also brought us the very popular Mock the Week comedian Milton Jones. This was definitly one of my favorite segments of the day. The man is just as rib tickling as he is on tv. In the middle of the afternoon only a comedian would greet their audience with "Good evening!". Donned in one of his statement hawaiian style shirts and jeans with his wild hair, Jones said how nice it was to be in Ampthill's "onion shaped oven" as it was a very hot afternoon with over one hundred people crammed into a small dome shaped tent. In his routine as many stand up comedians often do he began to talk about recent events and politics and even mentioned that he had a great plan to help the UK government to fight obesity. His idea? "make chip shops doors narrower" this was met with a roar of laughter from everyone watching. Later in his time slot he asked the audience if they had anything that they would like him to discuss, so he had great social interaction with everyone watching. If you like stand up comedy I can definitly recommend buying a ticket to see Milton Jones live.
Another highlight of the day was The Science Dome. This was a black domed shaped inflatable tent which is often found at stargazing events around the country. It took us on a journey through time and space with its light display. We were invited into the tent and asked to lie on the floor and look up as a projector put on an amazing display of constellations, moving planets and even a trip to the international space station. At the end of the amazing experience was a simulation of being on a roller coaster racing around the rings of the planet Saturn. The graphics were absolutely incredible. It did make me a little dizzy but it was still something worth seeing. If you are given the opportunity to visit one of these domes at a stargazing event, I highly reccomend that you attend and take your children too. It was beautifil and very educational. So after all of that, this brings my review of the brilliant Ampthill Festival weekend to a close. Before this weekend, I had never attended any of these events before and I had no idea what to expect. But now I can say that I had such an amazing time there and I look forward to what Ampthill has in store for us in 2018!
With the sun tentatively out again Downloaders can rejoice at the first dry festival in god knows how many years, no wellies required!
Rock supergroup The Dead Daisies, heavily promoted on Planet Rock over the last few months, are absolutely living up to the hype with their classic rock and roll vibes. Another band to note the recent terror attacks in the UK, vocalist John Corabi calls out “We heard about what’s going on in Manchester… London… it's only gonna get better with love… peace” to a roar of applause from the crowd before busting out ‘Main Line’.
Over on the main stage, Southern rockers The Cadillac Three are making the most of the sunshine with their unmistakable country twang and slide guitar. They are absolutely as redneck as you imagine, it’s awesome. Next up are Gothenburg gods, In Flames with an enormous circle pit and a lot of complaining out their miniature cooler of beer (okay, it really is ridiculously small.) “We are Swedish people and we love beer… and this is what we got… (tiny cool box) we are gonna be great anyway but this is a disgrace! I’m just gonna put it here to remind us of all the suffering and struggle we have to make this shit happen”Anders Friden jokes it’s their “Spinal tap moment”. ‘Take This Life’ is incredible and the arena atmosphere is wild, there’s even a Teletubby in the circle pit going mental.
Next up, Aussie rockers Airbourne are as topless and naughty as ever, but you can see that security are on edge in case Joel ‘deathwish’ O’Keeffe tries any of his mental rig-climbing shit again. On the Encore stage Ministry are going off, with frontman Al Jourgensen yelling “this is a new song… if you think it fucking sucks, throw shit at us. If you like it, go buy the record and our tshirts and shit. I’m a promosexual”. They’ve got a massive crowd in front of them and are giving it everything they’ve got, it’s one of the most storming sets of the weekend.
Despite the fact that the arena is packed for Steel Panther, I can’t see anything different to last time they played Donington. The same misogynistic garbage is being spouted, and yes I know it’s satire but it’s a bit dated now, don’t you think? It’s a shame because they’re obviously talented musicians, but it’s hard to get past all the shit Spinal Tap stuff to see it. As usual they’re pulling loads of girls from the crowd to join them on stage, but it’s clear the TV crew are steering clear of the boob shots, probably due to the fact that these girls are of indeterminate age.
Clutch however are pure rock and roll heroes. After an initial rocky start with the guitars not being right, Neil Fallon quips “we are Clutch… we are professional musicians” before heading into ‘Your Love Is Incarceration’ and the powerfully epic‘X-Ray Visions’. Having been on the Download vetran list for a few years now, Fallon jokes “I think this is the most gorgeous day I’ve ever experienced here at Download, thanks for arranging that, Mr lighting director”. ‘Sucker for the Witch’ is amazing, and who doesn’t love a band who aren’t afraid to use a cowbell? On the other hand, they didn’t play ‘Electric Worry’…
Onward to Opeth, who honestly look like vampires about to combust in the late sun, they’re musically impressive don’t get me wrong, but much more of a band-of-the-brooding-night, am I right?
Big Four metal gods Slayer are up next, and Kerry King is sporting a blood-splattered axe while frontman Tom Araya let’s us know how tonight is going to go down “We’re all here for the same thing… smiling and getting hit and stuff. Its always nice to see happy people”. KK absolutely shreds like a beast, massive chains swinging from his leather trousers while his braided beard whips back and forth. The crowd is enormous and rafts of extra security have been drafted in to deal with the constant stream of crowd surfers coming over the barrier, including one particularly unfortunate gringo (he was wearing a poncho) who was bleeding profusely from the nose after recklessly going over on his stomach. He looked pretty proud about it to be honest. ‘South of Heaven’ and ‘Reign In Blood’ are obviously incredible, there’s something utterly spellbinding about hearing those metal anthems in real life.
An hour clear of everything else finishing, a cold night has come out of nowhere and underdressed metalheads are huddling together under the darkening sky. O Fortuna ominously blasts out of the huge array of speaker stacks flanked by giant screens offering up the Aerosmith Aero-Vederci logo and images of the bands’ past. As this is their departing tour, the tribute is expected but kind of lacks the oomph of last years’ farewell to Black Sabbath, maybe it’s because Black Sabbath were homegrown heroes, I don’t know. As Steve Tyler takes to the stage dressed in his usual hippy garb of sequins, frills and flouncy scarves, a massive roar goes up from the astonishingly large crowd.
Having seen Instagram posts earlier on from daughter Liv Tyler, of her and Steve riding the stage-side big wheel earlier on, looking out over the site, I wonder what it feels like to be playing these last shows. At nearly seventy years old I can imagine it’s relief and sadness all rolled into one. Throwing around the mic stand (also bedecked in a floaty scarf, obviously) Steve belts out the likes of ‘Young Lust’, ‘Cryin’ and ‘Living on the Edge’ and it’s like you’re right back at the beginning of their career with them. Well… apart from the incredibly shit fire graphics engulfing Tyler on the screens, it looks like they’ve grabbed them from the original Duke Nukem.
The band themselves are so practiced, so pro, that you wouldn’t know they’d aged a day. ‘Love in an Elevator’ powerfully resonates around the arena and Tyler leads on with a frank statement “I remember checking into rehab one time and hearing the abuse in the world people get… especially women… and thats why Janie’s got a gun”.
After a brief Joe Perry solo, alongside what appears to be a video of his holiday snaps… we get the awesome ‘Stop Messin Around’ and ‘Oh Well’ Fleetwood Mac covers as Tyler writhes around on the giant floor logo. We are treated to every bit of Aerosmith history, harmonicas, rattlesnake shakers and of course ‘Sweet Emotion’, though the wind has picked up and Tyler has to requisition a hat from the crowd to keep his hair out of his mouth. It happens to the best of us pal.
‘I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing’ sees everyone in the arena grabbing hold of each other and swaying, while a million phone screens light up the sky. It might not have the prettiness of the 70’s lighters but hey, we’re living in the age of technology. ‘Rag Doll’ includes the use of the most ridiculous and majestic megaphone ever. It is bejewelled with rhinestones inside and out, and Beatles cover ‘Come Together’ is just phenomenal.
‘Dude (looks like a lady’ is hilarious fun with guys prancing around in front of us, but the encore sees a white grand piano brought down onto the gangway for Tyler to play the heartbreakingly beautiful ‘Dream On’ after a mention of the recent UK terror attacks “When you dream good dreams… good things can come true… Aerosmith is dreaming with you… Dream On”. Standing atop the piano, the band show us the true meaning of a ‘show’, something few modern bands really do anymore, it’s a picture I’ll never forget.
Saying goodbye with ‘Walk This Way’, ticker tape explosions and blasts from smoke cannons, it’s hard to comprehend that we’ll never get to see them again. That those bands we grew up listening to, our rock history, is becoming just that, a thing of legend. Aero-vederci to one of the greats.
With an overcast sky and the threat of rain in sight, today’s Download crowd is considerably more covered up and there are a surprising amount of people dressed in bucaneer-swag heading towards the Encore stage…
Alestorm are one of those bands who are both musically talented, and seem to be in it for a laugh. What’s not to love about a band who comedically rhyme anchor and wanker in song form? Wenches, parrots and pirates alike are jumping around to the likes of ‘Keelhauled’ and ‘Magnetic North’ (if you haven’t seen the Alestorm/Lady Gaga mashup ‘Magnetic Telephone’, get on youtube this instant. It’s marvellous.) and the quips on the origins of their material are, interesting… “This song is about that time Tom hanks got lost on a desert island and fucked a volleyball… Shipwrecked!”.
As crowd surfers fly overhead on various inflatable sea creatures (kudos to the guy managing to stay aloft the orca all the way to the front) vocalist Chris Bowes yells “Do you know why we are here download? We are here to drink your beer!” and the arena goes mental for ‘Drink’ followed, obviously, by ‘Hangover’ – “This is for anyone feeling a little. Bit shit today, for anyone who woke up in a puddle of their own vomit”.
Suicide Silence put on a rowdy set yelling at the crowd to “motherfucking jump around” ticking the box for proper metal headbanging and hair lashing today, Of Mice & Men are ripping up the main stage and Kvelertak (the most mispronounced band all weekend) bring dark Norwegian metal (and lots of owl themed décor) to the now slightly gloomy arena. Brief spells of rain see Downloaders immediately reaching for the ponchos, it seems after the last few years everyone has come prepared for the worst.
Pierce the Veil are living up to the piercing part of their name with extraordinarily shrieky vocals, so we’re off to the Encore stage for a good dose of heavy metal with Max & Igor (Cavalera) with thousands of other Sepultura fans looking for their fix. They do not disappoint, Roots Bloody Roots is absolutely insane and the arena is rammed with headbangers.
In the main arena, it seems a lot of people are crashed out on the hill eating food – Download hasn’t been home to crappy ratburgers for a few years now, but highlights this year include gooey Mac & Cheese, duck fat potatoes and on two ends of the spectrum – vegan maki sushi rolls and giant shredded brisket sandwiches. AFI are on the main stage but it’s hard to hear when you’re in a food coma.
Coheed and Cambria are over on the second stage throwing down some heavy melodic sounds, followed by the Ace Ventura of metal – Devin Townsend. There is no extreme expression his elastic face cannot convey, he goes from cheeky to mean in a fraction of a second and this makes him undeniably interesting to watch – even apart from the fact that he fucking shreds. Simple Plan have packed out the Avalanche stage and it looks like the entire tent is bouncing as one to ‘Welcome To My Life’ and Sean Paul collab ‘Summer Paradise’.
Headlining the Encore stage for the second time at Download is heavy metal shock doctor Rob Zombie, whose stage shows always go above and beyond and the biggest crowd of the weekend have turned out to see him. Rob appears on stage rocking the shiniest outfit I’ve ever witnessed in metal. Hell, he wouldn’t be out of place in a Lady Gaga video or on RuPaul’s drag race. Silver mirrored discoball flares are topped with a silver studded and spiked leather jacket with added fringing, a glittery Stetson and a Frankenstein flag hanging out the back of his pants… Rob you have seriously outdone yourself on this one. I want to be you.
Leaping around between three lifted podiums, in front of LED screens showing images from horror movies, Rob screams through hit after hit – 'Living Dead Girl' is wild, and the crowd responds by sending wave after wave of crowd surfers over the barrier. Rob spends a little time joking around about the arena offerings he can see “I wanna fucking party. Do you wanna party or do you wanna eat fucking noodles. Steakhouse. Extreme largeness… what does that even mean??” and briefly noting the current state of affairs in the world… “these challenging political times… I’d like to address a very serious subject that no-one else wants to talk about. What the fuck is going on with alien abductions?” asking “who here has been abducted and anally probed?” before asking stage security to help him crowd surf a blow up alien to the back of the arena.
With a face meltingly large amount of pyro, demon sidekicks sporting LED guitars, grilles and vampire wings – Rob brings a slice of B-movie madness to Donington that really deserved to be lit up on the main stage to be honest. As giant inflatable balls are thrown out into the crowd and foam snow is sprayed from the top of the stage, White Zombie super hit (and Guitar Hero go-to track) 'Thunder Kiss ’65' has a bassline that makes your soul shiver as Rob laments “I remember playing this back in the early 90’s at Castle Donington… were any of you there? You dont remember me but you’ll probably remember Metallica huh”.
After a quick dip into The Ramones’ ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ because… well who knows… it’s back into Thunder Kiss and straight onto a cover of Alice Cooper’s ‘School’s Out’ whilst parading around in a union flag as a cape. Rounding up with the one everyone’s been waiting for, ‘Dragula’ is truly epic, as this whole show has been.
Over in the main arena, Biffy Clyro are also finishing up on their multi-tiered LED lit stage, tops off, sweaty as hell. It’s awesome to see them top the bill here, and they are fantastic, but it would have been cool to see what horror shenanigans Rob Zombie could have brought to the table. Fireworks light up the night sky above the stage and the arena clears for the campsites, see you tomorrow metalheads…
After a week of doomy skies and rainfall, as well as monikers Drownload and Downpour festival from previous years, you’d be forgiven for going head-to-toe storm wear to Donington. For now though, the weather looks decent so we're donning hats and sunblock.
After a fairly heavy security check, welcome after the recent tragedies in both Manchester and London, we get through to the main arena to see some things have changed. The main difference to the site is that the third stage has been moved up to the top of the hill from its previous home in the bottom corner. Though it means more of a hike between bands to change stage, it has solved a few problems – there’s no more sound transference/overlap when two bands are on at the same time, you don’t have to crush past the toilet queues to get in and the VIP area is more easily accessible now too. Though it’s more likely to have been moved due to the horrendous drainage issues in the rain last year. In fact, there seem to be dug-in irrigation channels all over this year, which according to sod’s law probably means it’ll be blazing sunshine all weekend.
Despite the arenas being quite quiet today, The Raven Age have pulled a decent crowd and are giving their second round at Download everything they have, alongside a commentary on the recent attacks from frontman Michael Burrough“Thank you for turning out, in the face of adversity, we really fucking appreciate it… this one is for Manchester… London… Paris…”.
Next up is the unusual DL pick, rapper Machine Gun Kelly, who appears to be dressed in a dirty lab coat. It’s clear from the first beat he’s a powerful presence and he careens around the stage with explosive passion. Covering Oasis’ Wonderwall is a guaranteed goal in the UK, I mean we all think it’s shit but we do know the words, however it’s ‘Alpha Omega’ that gets everyone yelling along. After jumping off the top of the drum-kit in his massive winkle-picker shoes and jumping into the pit to dance along the front of the crowd, MGK reduces one fan to tears. After calling “Beautiful girl in the front row wearing the white MGK hoody… this one’s for you” he drops down on one knee in front of her and continues with the song whilst holding her hand. It’s adorable… especially considering two minutes ago he was screaming at everyone to get their middle fingers up.
Suicidal Tendencies are ridiculous fun, frontman Mike Muir grins maniacally as crowd-surfers are yanked down by security guards, whilst on the main stage 5 Finger Death Punch are inciting circle pits to snippets of Crazy Train and Smoke on the Water. Someone dressed in an inflatable t-rex costume is trying desperately to leave during ‘Burn MF’, without much success.
Good Charlotte offer up the disturbing realisation that they started this band 21 years ago, asking “how many of you remember us from high school?” but the crowd is bouncing along as if they don’t have jobs… kids… adult responsibilities, all the same.
The lyrics “Girls like cars and money” from ‘Girls & Boys’ were pretty standard fayre for the noughties pop punk scene but times have changed and bagging on girls is a hot topic these days. So it’s not entirely surprising that following the song comes a sort of apologetic disclaimer “firstly I wanna say thank you to every girl who came here today. The whole thing looks better, smells nicer… is smarter… what the world needs… all you girls out there, not afraid to stand up, to express yourselves…”
Closing the Zippo Encore stage with more pop punk are Sum 41, headed up by Deryck Whibley who is looking decidedly healthier than he has done in a while, with his blonde hair still spiked upwards in defiance of the passing of time. He really doesn’t look like he’s aged with us at all to be honest. What a bastard. It’s a huge turnout and the crowd is going wild for the classics ‘Still Waiting’, ‘In Too Deep’ and finishing up with ‘Fat Lip’.
A miraculously dry day at Download sees droves of half-drunk, half-sunburnt red faces heading to the main arena for Friday night's main stage headliner System of a Down. Having played at Download last in 2011, SOAD were definitely due a return to the main stage at Donington and thousands of people are already packed in to watch.
Starting strong with 'Suite-Pee' and 'Prison Song', blending seamlessly into 'Violent Pornography' (which I realise sounds rather rude…) SOAD make it known that they mean business. It's rare for a band to be respected and liked across the board, but it really seems like System aren't the great divider that other headline acts seem to be. Droves of people are coming in from the second stage where Sum 41 are just finishing up, and the standing is packed all the way to the back of the arena.
With his now white-streaked beard, Serj Tankian holds the crowd in the palm of his hand and a giant screen behind shows clips of black and white movies and news stories during the bass heavy 'Aerials'. It's bone-shakingly heavy and there is a deafening chorus of people joining in around us, Download have got the main stage sound absolutely spot on this year, it's pitch perfect from way back into the arena. Into the much loved 'Bounce' for some limb-flailingly chaotic pogoing, during which a man in an extraordinarily short tutu with "Twat" sharpied across his forehead, almost loses what's left of his dwindling dignity, followed shortly by the incredible 'Psycho' and 'Chop Suey' – absolute classics. The guy on the front row wearing a full tuxedo is going berserk and I know how he feels, this is shaping up to be one of the best headline sets Download has ever seen.
After a solid 45 minutes of play without so much as a pause, Serj yells out to the crowd "Download, how you fucking doing out there?" and that's our lot. SOAD truly came to just smash it up, not stop for a chat. For a band heavily invested in political topics and lyrics, I had sort of wished for a quip or two regarding yesterday's UK election results, maybe something about being well hung…
Closing out with the enormously enjoyable 'Toxicity' and 'Sugar' SOAD have pulled off a near perfect headline set, and despite the obviously lower numbers at the festival this year, everyone seems to have turned out to see them do it. Roll on day two!
After the month we’ve had, particularly in Manchester, it’s hard not to frame this year’s Parklife in relation to the Manchester Arena. That’s not to say this is a bleak review. Quite the opposite. The crowd’s unflinching capacity for a great time was matched by heartfelt tributes by the artists, and the organisers, and the ravers themselves. It didn’t affect the festival but you could sense its presence, almost out of sight, but not like the many dark clouds that shrouded the festival in a near constant state of shite weather. Love overcomes terror was the message.
Another external force that you could taste here and there, now and then, was a buoyancy that I’ve felt around me since the General Election, or more significantly, since Jeremy Corbyn managed to really whip up the young and youth culture and give it a platform to rise to prominence. There’s a real buzz, a real hope and a real voice that has been given to a whole generation that it hasn’t had in my lifetime and it looks certain that we are entering an era that will be defined by its young people. And by solidarity.
The grime movement seemed to be a vocal supporter of Jeremy Corbyn in the recent General Election and it was represented en masse on the stages of this year’s Parklife. A genre itself buoyed by a new wave of devotees that found a resonance in the energy and frustration and defiance of something the UK can really call its own. It’s so big now guys like Stormzy are doing adverts for Man United, the most valuable football team in the world. That’s why I was hyped to see the alpha and the omega, the grime I fell in love with as teenager that has now once again found relevance and forced itself further than it’s ever been. A man at the top of the current crop of made men like Stormzy, and the godfather of it all, Eskiboy himself. With artist careers that stretched back to the ‘70s, there was always going to be those different generations of artists represented, and intergenerational divides are a thing in 2017, but Parklife offered a musical experience that seemed to show a way to bridge that gap.
I’m not sure that necessarily had that effect on the crowd though. As I said earlier, this was a much younger crowd than I had seen before. Twenty years ago we didn’t really have much going on in terms of festivals, now they’re non-stop. I came of age at a time when it was just starting to take off. I’ve been to festivals all around the world. But the majority of mine in those days were camping festivals, self-contained, on-site festivals. Festivals where for five days you didn’t leave and got to know every little area. You knew what time to hit the showers, you found the best place for chicken and chips, you knew where to get cigs and where to get cash. But since then we’ve seen the rise of the one-dayer.
Parklife have been keen over the years to stress it’s a ‘weekender’ but really it’s just two one-dayers back-to-back. They sell tickets for individual days. Part of the reason for that is to mitigate for the loss of food, drink and merchandise sales for those who have weekend passes but don’t make it to the second day. That’s a problem. There’s no commitment. From what I saw (though I have no figures to back it) the majority of people there were either from, or based, in Manchester and the surrounding area (though there were still plenty who weren’t). People could turn up when they wanted, leave when they wanted and if they couldn’t be arsed or were incapable of the basic functions required to get there, could just sack off the Sunday altogether. No one really committed to it, and you could feel it. Lots of fun no doubt, great music unquestionably, positive people in abundance, but no real vibe.
The weather didn’t help. It was miserable and demoralising from the get-go. I went once when it was sunny and thought Heaton Park was the perfect setting for a festival. It still is, but part of the magic was that it combined a festival, with the age-old English pastime of just chilling in the park on a nice day. Snap back to Parklife 17. People were huddled in ponchos on the bank that overlooks the Temple/Ram jam stage, cowering under shelter, rubbing their hands between their thighs, wading in wellies. That said there was still plenty of movement visible in the canopy above the thousands strapped to every stage, especially when the black clouds turned grey and the acts were in full swing.
On the Saturday Anderson .Paak gave an energetic headline performance of most of Malibu, with no coke (disclaimer: unconfirmed), in the Sounds of the Near Future tent on Saturday. Rodigan got the bare ‘signal’ from the gathered crowds. It was great to see Damian Marley thrash his body-length dreads chanting More Justice and Welcome to Jamrock if only his amped up rendition of Could You Be Loved was under blue skies. Wiley disappointed. He just played vocal versions of his most commercial tracks and basically just ad-libbed over the top. I still loved seeing him, and the crowd loved it and he had them in chorus. Better be careful what I say though considering his Twitter moves the next day. BBK were good. Jme – a key torchbearer for Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign – did Don’t @ Me, Frisco was decent, you don’t necessarily hold your breath in anticipation of Jammer but Skepta was hype. We had to leave early because we decided to approach this festival professionally, with a professional plan and professional attitude. Unfortunately that meant limiting time with each act and tear-arsing it around the back of the festival in buggies to a stage on the opposite side of the Park. I’m not sure that approach is really suited to my review technique. That’s not me.
What I did get to see from that was how large an operation the festival was. How much work went on behind the scenes. How many police and paramedics and security and artist liaisons and press escorts and engineers that were on hand, often invisible, to put together an event like that. It really was an enormous project. Credit to all of them because it couldn’t really have been better organised and executed. Particular shout out to the press team. That’s testament to the size of the brand now. Parklife really has come far in almost a decade since the early days of Mad Ferret. We had the Mayor deliver a tribute to the 22 people who died in the bomb, and the emergency services of the city in front of a packed Parklife Stage and there was a genuinely emotional minute of noise in memory of 22 people, many of them children, who went to a concert, to hear music, and be a part of a live performance, who never came home that night, and that was heard during that celebration. That was the moment I was most aware at how young some of the faces were there. And then I realised it was because the 1975 were on next. I couldn’t tell you anything about their performance. I honestly had never heard of them before seeing them on the line-up and also because by then we were already hightailing it down a mudpath in a petrol golf caddy to see BBK.
Shoutout to Paul Taylor, who has taken the amazing photos. They’d gone the extra mile with the tents this year. Not just big top carnival style ones, oh no. Palm House (like the one in Kew Gardens) was a huge conservatory with white walls and what looked like real-life palm trees, though being from Manchester I’m not familiar with such exotica. I didn’t get there in time for Moodymann, though I got to see Jasper James later on at Soup Kitchen in town. All eyes were on the Feel My Bicep line-up on the Sunday, I only caught glimpses regrettably. The Hangar was another mammoth arena shaped like a place you might store jumbo jets when you’re not using them. Again I didn’t get to spend much time in there but I was passing though during what were the unmistakeable, trashy sounds of Eric Prydz, to bear witness to some absolutely out of this world, other-worldly, outta sight, light green laser beams flying about in every direction.
The food was mostly shit, I thought, and comms was as ever impossible. The search policy, though understandably strict following recent events, seemed a little ineffective seeing as though on both days I was fruitlessly searched at the whim of a sniffer dog that couldn’t do anything to prevent some of the jaws I saw getting about the place.
Disappointed I didn’t get to see J Hus and or Carl Cox. I did however see someone who I wasn’t particularly keen on seeing, mostly because I have a selective dislike for hype. Funny how these things can influence how we approach music. Need to cut that out really, this probably helped. Run the Jewels I’m talking about by the way. They were actually sick. Their music went off, they were gassed, the crowd were gassed. I guess part of it is that some artists really are made for the main stage. When you have a lot of energy in your music, and your performances are animated and interactive, you just can’t squeeze that into Spotify. So big shout out to them. It reminded me of UK soundsystem culture, even had an essence of the early 2000’s Wiley that I had looked forward so much to seeing.
I closed out the whole thing with a performance that I consider my favourite. In previous years this has been someone like Moodymann, or Loco Dice, Optimo, or Scuba, or Patrick Topping, or Nina Kravitz, or even Dizzee Rascal at one festival for the lols. This year it was nothing of the sort. It was the last sound of Parklife 17 to echo around north Manchester. It was Frank Ocean. Thousands descended, in the darkness, on the Parklife Stage. On both days the sky was black way before the sun went down. The crowds squeezed as far back as the flashing lights of the ferris wheel and the high, spinning ride. Tension grew in the silence. Frank Ocean was running late. Pockets of ‘Oh Jeremy Corbyn’ chants drifted in the chilly wind. And then something happened. It wasn’t immediately clear what was going on.
The main stage was filled with two huge screens that mostly didn’t struggle with keeping on top of aspect ratio, orientation and displaying info that was presumably not meant for the public eye. I’m not gonna lie, it was pretty confusing. I heard Frank’s voice and I could see a part of his head on one of the screens. Then it became apparent he was performing, not from the stage itself, but from a little satellite stage opposite the stage. He introduced himself with a humbling softness, both carefree and charming. He maintained this throughout. The crowd felt a little flat but in his own way he dominated the next forty or so minutes.
It was a huge open park, it was open air, it was dark and cold, breezy with patches of drizzle, but he made it intimate. His stage lit up like a tiny island in the sea of people. Lights twinkled in the distance like candle-light. He built the energy with the ebb and flow of the playlist he kept referring to, even if the transitions involved him skipping the track on a player, awkwardly almost exposing the illusion. His performance was sometimes clumsy. Goofy even. A couple stop-starts, issues with his headphones, with his mic, visibly alone, at times marooned. But when he sang Chanel, when he sang Nikes, when he sang Ivy, when he finally sang Thinking Bout You, with 70-odd thousand people around him failing to hit those angelic notes that lift the chorus, he had still managed to carve out a real connection with the audience. A bond that went above and beyond the hectic hustle and bustle of earlier in the weekend, when energy levels were still cruising and the frantic thrashing through mud from stage to stage.
Frank Ocean’s deeply personal lyrics, stripped back melodies, his live guitarists and his voice brought peace to Parklife. It ended when he finished.
As music venues go, the royal Hampton Court Palace, situated snug in the borough of Richmond, Greater London is arguably as impressive as it gets. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Hampton Court Palace Festival, which takes place annually every June, once again confirmed world-class acts including Bryan Ferry, James Morrison, Jools Holland, Rick Astley, Björn Again and The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra for their outdoor summer concerts.
It was a grey and slightly rainy summer’s day and I was off to see singer-songwriter and 2007 Brit Award winner James Morrison on Thursday 8th June take centre stage in Henry VIII’s historic open air Base Court, one of the stunning Tudor Courtyards of the palace. As an avid listener of his chart-topping album ‘Songs for You, Truths for Me’ back in 2008, a nostalgic trip down memory lane was very much appealing, and I was also keen to lend my ear to some later tracks I wasn’t as familiar with.
With ample time before the 9 pm start, there was plenty of time to enjoy a glass of red and admire the East Front Gardens. And my, what a picture they were. Perfectly preened lawns and distinctively shaped trees shaped the area, and despite the lacklustre weather plenty of people had made an impressive effort with their picnics spread out on the grass. For those that were less organised (myself included!), there were plenty of delicious food stalls selling a variety of different dishes. It really was an absolutely stunning setting to unwind in before a show and I felt relaxed and content sipping my wine in such beautiful surroundings.
It was soon time for James to take to the stage, and we made our way through the palace to Base Court, completely in awe at our surroundings. Bursting onto the stage, an introduction with the 2009 single ‘Nothing ever hurt like you’, elevated the crowds, some even rising to dance already. After a bit of light-hearted chit-chat to the 3,000 strong audience, up next it was the slower, mid-tempo ballad ‘I won’t let you go’ from 2011 album ‘The Awakening’, the slower rhythm inviting arm swaying from the audience.
‘Stay like this’ from the more recent 2015 album ‘Higher than here’ brought on swooning and wolf whistles, after which James’s sweetly explained it was written with his girlfriend in mind, followed by smooth and velvety vocals of ‘Something right’ from the same album.
Crowd-pleasing 2006 hit single ‘Wonderful world’ had the audience up on their feet, many singing along and turning to the catchy chorus. Interestingly (and as James hilariously pointed out – quite ironically) we learnt that the song was actually penned for a deaf man – though this wasn’t expanded on. Taking advantage of everyone up on their feet, hip-swayer ‘Slave to the music’ was next on the playlist, with everyone jigging along.
My personal favourite ‘Broken Strings’, an original duet with Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado seemingly had everyone feeling emotional and singing along, and paired with stunning female vocals it was my personal highlight of the show.
As the performance slowly started to draw to a close, we were treated to the likes of ‘I need you tonight’ from ‘Higher than here’, and of course it wouldn’t be a James Morrison show without the unforgettable 2006 hit single ‘You give me something’ – a classic that everyone knew the words too.
The spectacular setting, matched with a delightful performance from James Morrison made the evening a truly memorable experience and a wonderful way to spend a summer evening, even despite the rain! The Hampton Court Palace Festival showcases outstanding acts year after year, so I eagerly look forward to checking out next year’s line-up.
The Isle of Wight opened its gates to the crowds on Thursday afternoon, the skies had opened up and people were arriving for the pre-festival evening on The Big Top stage, ‘The sex pissed dolls', 'The Alarm', 'Starsailor' and the headliners 'Razorlight', were waiting to perform. The rain surrounded the crowd but nothing but good music and a pint or two couldn't cure.
When arriving at the festival, security was on high alert, this didn’t alarm people attending the Isle of Wight. They just made people aware that there would be more of a wait than normal whilst checks were being made. Most punters did not mind or complain due to the current events happening around the United Kingdom, most talked and got ready to enjoy the festival waiting on the other side of the gates, some made it known they didn’t appreciate the wait, but they didn't ruin a good vibe between the crowds waiting for the four-day festival to begin.
This year I decided I wanted to rent a tent rather than build one, yes this does sound lazy but actually totally worth it. Not only was there heavy rain when I arrived but it was cold and damp, building a tent in that would have been a nightmare. (Sorry to all those who had to do this.) But I was not one of them, This year I rented a tent from the company 'Pink Moon Camping', (http://www.pinkmooncamping.co.uk) Things didn’t go as smoothly as one would have hoped, When arriving the two Tipi tent that my friend and I rented was flooded inside and not looking appealing to sleep in. We had to go and get assistance whilst waiting in the pouring rain for the manager to help us. She helped us as quickly as possible and in turn upgraded our tent to a much more sturdy four person tipi. This tent was dry and a lot bigger than we were expecting, and at no extra cost was perfect for the four nights we were attending the festival. The facilities were limited but decent enough for a quick shower or toilet break, they could have done with a few more toilets and showers for a number of people hiring the tents, as the wait could be long. but the staff themselves were helpful and polite at all times and they did keep the facilities as clean as possible.
After venturing out in the rain on a few occasions 'Razorlight' performed hits such as ‘America’, ‘Golden Touch’ and ’Before I fall to pieces’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIj97HUUT0E&feature=youtu.be) They provided good entertainment that got the crowd riled up on what felt like a cold winters night, it was hard to believe it was the first weekend of June, with the weather conditions as they were. The forecast for the weekend at first looked peek, but after the torrential rain on Thursday the skies turned blue, clouds came out and some high winds blasted their way around. To say this wasn’t wellies season would have been a lie.
Friday 9th June 2017
After the down poor on Thursday, I was surprised to see the tent was still standing, but the blue skies were peeking through. Today looked like a good day, thousands upon thousands of people were arriving to celebrate the best of the music industry within the United Kingdom.
The big top stage supported acts such as 'Paradisa', 'Lucy Spraggan', 'Ward Thomas', 'The Pretenders' and 'Alison Moyet'. 'Alison Moyet' performed a 55-minute electronic set, bringing all her hits to the stage, she performed songs such as ‘all cried out’, ‘Only you’ and ‘don’t go’. She gave a sensual and elegant performance on The Big Top Stage.
On the other side of the festival on the Main stage people were gathering for the likes of 'David Guetta', 'Run DMC', 'Kaiser Chiefs', 'Rag ’n’ Bone Man', 'Nothing But Thieves' and the 'Sex Pissed dolls'.
'Sex Pissed Dolls' opened the stage with famous covers such as 'Teenage kicks', 'Common people' and 'Serial Killer', they provided and energetic and engaging performance, getting the crowd ready for the line up of the evening and what a line up it was. 'Rag ’n’ Bone man' performed for 45 minutes covering his first ever Isle of Wight festival. Performing to thousands of fans, he provided songs from his debut album belting out hit after hit such as Skins, Humans, Fire and ending with the Bitter end. He opened up the road for 'Kaiser Chiefs' bringing back classics such as 'We predict a riot', 'Ruby' and 'Na Na Na'. These songs got the crowd up and dancing like it was 2007. They were engaging and on point and provided great entertainment.
The Headliners for this evening where the legendary Hip Hop kings of New York 'Run DMC' and the sensational 'DJ David Guetta'. 'Run DMC' took us back to the 80’s with hits such as 'It’s like that', 'My Adidas' and 'Runs House'. He provided stories of legendary 'DJ J' and his sons whom in turn have followed in their fathers' footsteps, we paid respect to late J and enjoyed singing along with 'Walk this way' at the end of the night. Due to technical issues throughout the first night. We had to wait a little longer for 'David Guetta', he was definitely worth waiting for, he isn’t known as one of the Best DJs around the world for no reason. He provided a light show that connected to his music and got everyone raving, to hits such as 'Play hard', 'Titanium', 'shot me down' and the outstanding beat of 'Bad'. There was no way you could sit still through this legendary set that ended a fantastic night with fireworks.
Photo courtesy of Isle of Wight Festival by Callum Baker
Saturday 10th June 2017
Day three started with a bacon bap, some sunny spells and a shower, once fresh and ready to go we checked out what was on the agenda for today. The Big Top tent provided artists such as 'The Germain Sisters', 'Bang Bang Romeo', 'Melanie C', 'Zara Larson' and 'Example and DJ Wire'.
Over on the Main Stage, 'My Baby', 'The Slow Readers Club', 'Tom Chaplin', 'Jack Savoretti', 'Texas', 'The Kooks', 'Catfish and the Bottlemen' and 'Arcade Fire' were performing throughout the day.
'Tom Chaplin' lead singer from Keane, provided songs from his debut album The Wave, he played songs such as 'Quicksand', 'hardened heart' and 'hold on to our love', he sang a classic from Keane 'Somewhere only we go' and the audience joined in, his voice and performance was sublime, no fault found he performed with such ease and confidence. A pleasure to watch.
As the day went on the sun made its appearance once and while, but the wind made the day feel like a winter's afternoon, For a day in June I was supporting four layers of clothing and a rainproof jacket. The kooks provided movement and great music before opening up the stage to the one and only 'Texas', This was their first time performing at the Isle of Wight Festival, Texas provided songs from their 25 years within the music industry such as 'I don’t want a lover', 'Black-eyed Boy', 'When we are together' and 'summer son', which in turn brought the sun out from behind the clouds. Creating a warmer environment for performers Arcade Fire Who headlined the festival on that Saturday evening.
Photo courtesy of Isle of Wight Festival by David Rutherford
In the mean time i ventured over to the tents, Exploring the 'The Electro Love 80’s Tent', Catching the Tribute band Gun’s and Roses who sounded and performed with as much energy as the originals, They were followed by the 'Mocky Horror Show', a group of actors performing classic songs from the Legendary Rocky Horror show. The show was entertaining and to the Tee. We ventured over to the Kiwi Camp for an Acousticokkee night, where individuals could sing their hearts out, The punters made the night brilliant the humour mixed with decent voices made a great end to a brilliant evening.
Sunday 11th June 2017
The last day of the festival, one more night in a tent and then a two-hour journey back to the good old South West. Today's agenda is looking strong and exciting.
The Big Top Tent is providing music from 'Judas', 'The Amazons', 'The Sherlocks', 'The Undertones', 'The Strypes' and 'Clean Bandit'.
But today for me it is all about the Main Stage, today on the agenda was no other than the legendary 'Rod Stewart', who shared the stage with 'Bastille', 'George Ezra', 'Imelda May', 'The Shires', 'The Vamps', 'Jack Maynard' and 'Scouting for Girls'.
'The Shires' brought the sound of the country to the isle of wight, bringing Nashville to the United Kingdom, Their unique sound and vibrant voices bring goosebumps to your soul. They performed songs from their latest album and their debut album, such as 'Beats to the Rhythm', 'State line', 'I just want to love you' and 'Daddy’s little girl'. When listening to them perform you can feel every word they are singing and no they mean every word they perform.
The Irish singer/ songwriter 'Imelda May' performed for the first time on the Main Stage at the Isle of Wight, she bought her unique and roar talent centre stage. bringing her own style and energy giving an honest and soul-bearing performance to the crowd, performing songs such as 'Black tears', 'Leave me lonely' and 'Human'. She generated the true essence to show the beauty in the words of the music.
This opened the ground for the young and talented 'George Ezra' his performance was giddy and fun and very innocent. Performing music that was created when figuring out what life is all about, he performed songs such as 'Barcelona', 'Blame it on me' and 'Budapest', which he closed his set with and everyone got involved and danced around. This opened the night for the Legend 'Rod Stewart'.
'Rod Stewart' Closed the festival with an hour and fifty minutes performing hits that ventured over the last 56 years within the British music industry. This was his first time that he had performed at the Isle of Wight Festival and what an honour it was. As an artist, he has had six consecutive number one album's within the UK and has sold over one hundred million records worldwide. He bought his sound and his husky voice to the Isle of Wight festival. As a performer, he sounded just as good today as he did 56 years ago. He hasn’t lost his vocals but yet adapted his performance.
He added layers to his sound and used beautiful musicians to capture the sound of his songs that he has created over the last few decades., His performance was strong and epic to watch he was outstanding and charismatic with the audience. His many clothing changes brought out his fun, loving and cheeky side whilst he performed songs such as 'Maggie May', 'I don't want to talk about it', 'Do Ya think I'm sexy' and ended the night on 'Sailing'. He was for me the highlight of the weekend and provided great entertainment. What a great way to end 2017. Now here’s to 2018 IOW festival…. Let's hope it’s as good as this one.
