Reviews

Standon Calling 2016 Review

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The ever-popular annual music festival Standon Calling is back. With its biggest number of attendees on record, this lively garden party turned festival drew the crowds to Hertfordshire for a weekend of sun soaked fun. Running from the 29th-31st of July, this boutique festival is set in an idyllic location, with easy access from both Cambridge and London. 'Legend of the Lost Seas' was this years theme, and from the moment I entered I was transported into founder Alex's imagination.

It is my 3rd time at Standon Calling, and once again they have provided a knock out line up that rivals that of larger festivals. Suede closed Friday night, whilst Jess Glynne and Kelis headlined over the course of the weekend, providing something for all age groups. Jess Glynne was my particular favourite, belting out hit after hit whilst maintaining a down to earth, grounded persona as she chatted between songs. Blossoms, Clean Cut Kid and Everything Everything also took to the main stage, The Hives rivalled the headline slot on Friday night, sorry Suede. Standon Calling has always championed up and coming music, proving to be a great source of discovering musicians, or genres that you may not think about listening to. The Hot 8 Brass Band came in to that category; fresh from New Orleans, their hip-hop, jazz and funk filled sound brought something completely new to Standon, proving to be a crowd favourite. A multitude of smaller stages showcased a variety of musicians, personal highlights being Flyte, Nadia Nair and Blood Red Shoes.

Alongside the music, Standon put on a variety of extra activities to pass time between acts.Rockakoke and Gospeloke at the Old Mout Kiwi Camp was the perfect opportunity for an out of tune sing along, whilst the Clock Tower hosted a 2 hour dance off. A music quiz brought out revellers competitive side, culminating in a 'show us your dance moves' round which got everyone young and old off their seats. Sunday began with the notorious dog show, which saw the return of the legendary Nigel, a beautiful and rather photogenic pooch who earned a respectable 3rd place in best dressed! Fairground rides proved popular with the younger generation, offering a spectacular view over the festival by night. Standon is not only renowned for its music; it provides an excellent array of comedy acts too, from stand up to improv.

Plenty of food stalls across the festival ensured no one went hungry, ranging from delicious macaroni cheese from the Mac Factory to headline act Kelis' Le Bun pop up restaurant, which offered mouth watering burgers for a bargain price. Pizzas, Nachos and Beef topped fries were a plenty, but no meal was complete without a slice of cake from Kitty's Cake Emporium. Bars offering beer, wine and cocktails kept the adults happy, and although at times the queues were vast, cheerful staff did their best to keep punters happy offering a large selection of drinks at reasonable prices, my favourite being a Gin Fizz from The Flaming Lips Bloody Mary Bar.

I will definitely be returning to Standon Calling; there are few festivals which manage to give you that same buzz you get from the first time you visit 3 years on, yet Standon does just that. Remarkably, it manages to appeal to everyone without trying too hard; an outdoor pool for the youngsters keeps children busy, late night music in the Cow Shed after festival face painting means teenagers can dance the night away, and music spanning all ages followed by a soak in the Soulful Sanctuary and Hot Tubs means the adults are pretty happy too. Families are well catered for when travelling as a group too; a baby and toddler area in the Kids Area keeps children occupied, and family camping area guarantees a good nights sleep. I will certainly be purchasing an early bird ticket to secure my spot for next year, as this hotly anticipated festival continues to grow in popularity. Be sure to get your tickets soon, you certainly don't want to miss out!

Bracknell Festival – Featuring The Shires, Space and the Hoosiers

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I had never heard of Bracknell Festival until I was told that The Shires were going to be headlining. Looking further, it seemed like it was going to be a lovely event. A festival in just a day, it had an attractive draw with not just The Shires playing, but a great line up in general, with 90’s band Space and chart toppers The Hoosiers, as well as many other performers.

Tickets were just £30 for adults, £8 for children from 6 yrs to 17yrs and a VIP option at £110 – I was intrigued to check out the perks of the VIP option, as i wanted to see if it was worth it! More about that later!

Upon arrival, there were three entrances: the main entrance, the VIP entrance and the Press/Artists entrance.

The VIP area was in the bar/restaurant area, inside the main building, with a fenced-off veranda outside complete with picnic tables and benches.

The layout of the festival was very easy. The main stage was located on the main field which was surrounded by various food and drink outlets for paying customers and there were various kids’ areas, including face painting, bouncy castle/slide and a stall selling inflatable guitars and microphones which many children were running around with. There was also a stall with headphones to test out music for a silent disco. Guests were allowed to bring portable chairs and blankets, which many people did, so they could relax in the sun whilst listening to good music.

As well as the main stage, we had a secret garden stage where local artists played an acoustic set. This was lovely and located just up some stone steps on a small balcony where people sat on the grass and listened to the artists. From what I could hear, the music was all of great quality and we did manage to catch a young girl called Rebecca Jayne who is a local Country singer. Rebecca had a lovely gentle tone to her voice which sounds beautiful acoustically. Rebecca has released a single on iTunes called I Want More which charted in the top 100 iTunes Country Music Charts and can be purchased here: Listen to I Want More – Single by Rebecca Jayne on @AppleMusic.

https://itun.es/gb/zpbOdb

I think Rebecca has a great deal of talent and potential and I would be interested to hear more.

We caught the last few songs of Australian Country singer Caddy Cooper. Caddy has a very powerful voice which created volumes of sound surrounding the entire festival. With a confident and fun stage presence, Caddy was impressive, crowd pleasing and left people in awe of her vocal ability.

Sally Barker was the next main stage artist we watched. Achieving recognition from her appearance on The Voice as Sir Tom Jones’ contestant, Sally proved to her audience just why she belonged on the stage – with vocal perfection showing years of experience and talent, her sound was of the folk genre and was simply beautiful.

I was especially excited about Space. This was a band I spent a lot of time going to see when I was a teenager, especially around the Reading area in clubs such as Alleycat Live! Space were as good as ever, with great personalities and fun banter – and of course, great music. They played all the hits we love, such as Neighbourhood, Female Of The Species, Avenging Angels, Me And You Vs The World and Mister Psycho. The audience sang along to pretty much every song and the band seemed very happy to be there and enjoyed interacting with the crowd. Their set brought back so many great memories and I was so happy to have seen them and not to be disappointed. I believe Space have a new album coming out soon so watch this Space! Ha!

The Hoosiers were up next – one band I have never had the pleasure of seeing before and they really blew me away. The band in general played such an impressive set with amazing guitar skills. Lead singer Irwin Sparkes was thrilled to be there as Bracknell was his home town and it was funny to hear stories of his school. I never actually knew just how good The Hoosiers were – obviously I knew their big hits: Worried About Ray and Goodbye Mr A, but all their songs were really very good and they certainly deserve significantly more recognition, as they are far more talented than a many of the artists charting today. I would go see The Hoosiers again. They have four albums out which I will certainly be purchasing.

Next up were headliners, The Shires. Now, being a huge fan, I knew what to expect, but for those of you who do not know them – The Shires are a top ten album charting Country Pop Duo from Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. They have recently taken the music industry by storm with their music and live performances, touring with greats such as Sir Tom Jones, The Corrs and American superstars Little Big Town. With a Grand Ole Opry debut under their belt – The Shires have made their mark in Country Music and have paved the way for other UK Country artists and helped make the Country Music scene in the UK a scene to be proud of. As their lyrics say ‘we can build our own Nashville underneath these grey skies’– which we certainly have now.

Throughout the day I saw people in ‘The Shires’ T-shirts, which was a lovely thing to see. As soon as it was time for them to come onto the stage the crowds got bigger and the atmosphere excitable. With the band coming on stage first, we were hyped up when they played the intro to All Over Again. Crissie and Ben, who make up The Shires, skipped on stage with beaming smiles looking amazing in smart-casual attire. The audience were really enthusiastic throughout, singing every word back to The Shires with such passion. I say passion, because I saw many people sing with their partners or friends, whilst holding hands and singing to each other. Also, peoples’ eyes were welling up during the heartfelt ballads such as Brave and I Just Wanna Love You and everyone was belting songs such as Friday Night, Tonight and Nashville Grey Skies. Songs off the new album – Save Me and Beats To Your Rhythm did not disappoint, and it was great to see Beats To Your Rhythm live with it being the current and debut single off the new album My Universe. The live version of that song was electric and fun, with the drum beat and ‘Hey’s’ making it a song I can see being a live favourite amongst fans. Crissie’s vocals are undeniably flawless as she hits every note with what seems such ease. Her vocal range is very wide and she has the ability to captivate the crowd with not just her vocals but her personality and appearance too. Ben Earle always seems so humble on stage, always grateful to his audience. He was beaming throughout the set, impressing the audience with his vocals, guitar skills and keyboard playing. The Shires write almost all their own material with a few co-writes with other songwriters and played an impressive set with all catchy, infectious, beautiful songs leaving the audience blown away and fulfilled. I heard many people who had never seen them before say how amazing they were.

Overall, Bracknell Festival was a lovely, fun, family Festival which shouldn't be ignored. It was very well organised giving it a relaxed, fun atmosphere with many things to do and see.

If you are local and love music or just want a fun-family day out, then this is a must. If a band you love is playing and you are not local then the trip is worth it!

I did speak to a few people who raised concern about the festival now charging when previous years were free and I understand the dilemma. However, I have to say that with the calibre of artists we had this year – and with The Shires’ rising fame – you will fail to find a more intimate setting to see such artists again so, in my opinion, £30 is good value. As I previously mentioned, children under 6 were free and children from 6 to 17 were only £8 -perhaps next year they can offer a family package ticket to offer a discounted overall price – but, in all honesty, if they keep securing great artists then it isn’t necessary.

Regarding the VIP option – a lot depends on how much you want to eat and drink throughout the day (and whether you have to drive home or not!). Bearing in mind the generally high prices charged at festivals – especially for alcoholic drinks – and the unlimited amounts of good quality hot and cold food (such as Beef Stir Fry  & Noodles, Lamb Curry, Cod & Chips and with various sandwiches and cakes), constantly refreshed all day – then maybe the premium of £80 isn’t so much. On top of this, of course, you do get your own separate VIP area to eat & relax in, and the opportunity to see many of the artists who also hang out in the VIP area.

Y Not Festival 2016 Review

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After receiving the award for 'Best Medium Sized Festival' of 2015, Y Not Festival stopped at nothing to raise the bar this year. Returning to the festival for the second year in a row, I had high hopes that it was going to phenomenal, with headline acts this year including Editors, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and Madness along with many more huge acts covering every angle of music. Once again situated in the beautiful fields of the Peak District, the festival itself has grown a huge proportion in comparison to last year. With thousands more people attending the sold out festival, it can only mean the food's greater, the crowds are better and the energy is bigger. The arena itself has transformed, keeping the traditions of the Y Not sign, the Helter Skelter and the Saturday paint fight, we now had the addition of a few new stages including Arnie's in association with 'British and Irish modern music institute' and The Neon Coconut featuring acts Craig Charles and Mike Skinner.

On Friday there was an already huge excitement for the day's lineup. We had the main stage feature the forever returning Lancashire Hotpots who never fail to put a smile on the crowd's faces. Not only were the acts gaining a crowd but the events surrounding the arena, away from the music, were just as popular. An indoor cinema which across the weekend show cased popular classics such as The Goonies, Star Wars IV – VI and Ghost Busters proved to draw a huge crowd throughout the entire weekend. The first act which is got the chance to see as well as photograph was Everything Everything who took to the main stage. Having been a fan of their music for a few years now, as well as catching them at Leeds Festival last year, I was expecting them to be as awesome as ever. Kicking it off with the song ‘Blast Doors’ from their 2015 album, ‘Get to Heaven’, Everything Everything picked up the energy of the crowd almost as fast as Mr Motivator.

 

 

Later on the main stage we saw an outstanding performance from The Cribs. With resemblances to The Sex Pistols and the Smiths, the Yorkshire trio played some of their biggest tunes from ‘Men’s Needs’ to ‘Different Angle’. On the Giant Squid stage we had YAK who have been becoming increasingly popular with the younger crowds over the last year, playing across the UK. This stage is notorious for having the heavier rock and alternative bands. DJ Fresh headlined the second stage Friday night, but it was safe to say he was definitely placed in the wrong slot on the bill. His crowd was without a doubt the biggest of the night, filling and bursting out of the small tent, with many spectators saying he could have easily headlined main stage at the festival. It is reasons like this that you can see how big Y Not has become even within a year. The festival will grow and grow, as all I could hear throughout the weekend was how incredibly the atmosphere was. Headlining the main stage Friday night were the Editors a band which I was not too familiar with. Walking into the pit and seeing their industrial sized props and elaborate stage setup could only mean that these guys were pulling out all the stops. The crowd was a big as that of DJ Fresh with the intense build up of energy as the minutes drew closer to the Editor’s appearance. Opening their set with ‘Sugar’ the energy transgressed from the instruments directly into the crowd. With fire blasting from the stage and a wall of sparks cascading down from the roof of the stage, the band was a spectacular start to the weekend of strong headliners.

 

 

Waking up on Saturday the energy of the festival was low. The sun was shining but after a fantastic first night at Y Not, the crowds were definitely in the need to recover. That’s why, year after year, the first act on the main stage was Mr Motivator. GMTV star Derek Evans knows how to wake everyone up with his classic 90s spandex and crazy wake up moves. For a man of 63, he has the energy and the motivation of a man more than half his age.
With the tradition of the paint fight, the performances from acts Blood Youth, and HECK, Saturday was off to a crazy start. After seeing HECK a few times over the last year, they have never failed to surprise the crowd, as well as the security. Matt Reynolds pulled out all the stops, as much as he could, since his leg injury from 2000 Trees Festival. Jonny therefore took this into his own hands and went as crazy as he could for the both of them. Some of the best acts of the weekend appeared on the main stage on Saturday, including Eliza and the Bear and Catfish and the Bottlemen.

 

 

 

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds were the headliners for the night. After seeing a lot of    impressionable ‘Gallagher style’ haircuts throughout the day, I was sure that he was going to draw one of the biggest crowd’s of the weekend. The majority of his set included songs from Oasis including ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Half the World Away’ and ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’. As impressed as the crowd were, even Noel Gallagher himself was proud of the crowd saying on his Instagram @themightyi ‘If you were in that crowd last night at Y-Not then I salute you!! One of the best We've ever played for’.
 

 

 

The final day of the festival brought us a lot of cold windy weather but that did nothing to stop the crowd’s high spirits. With performances from DJ Yoda, SIKTH, Blossoms, The Hives and Madness, the final day of the festival had some of the most diverse range of music going. The Hives were undoubtably one of my favourite acts of the festival. They could have easily been up there with Madness and Editors to headline the festival. Their crowd was also one of the roughest I’ve seen on main stage all weekend, as no one can beat the crowds for HECK, they’re simply too rough. After being in the photo pit for less than a minute for The Hives I was already drenched in beer and bruised from crowd surfers. They opened with ‘Come On!’ and finished with ‘Tick Tick Boom’.

Madness were personally not as strong as The Hives from a younger generation’s perspective. Yes, they encouraged a huge crowd by playing classic such as ‘Our House’, ‘House of Fun’ and ‘Baggy Trousers’, however it was definitely from a slightly older generation who preferred Madness over The Hives. Still Madness were a throwback which grew a heartwarming atmosphere amongst the crowd. Covering songs such as ‘Highway to Hell’ by AC/DC, they encouraged the rocker loving youths in the crowd to join in on the fun.

 

 

Overall it is clear that Y Not festival has increased and grown to an ever improving festival. Taking considerations from the public, they have made this year as popular as the last. I hope I can watch as this festival continues to rise. If anyone has yet to visit the Peak District to take part in Y Not then I can be sure to you that it ill be worth it. A family safe festival full with music of all genres. I look forward to 2017.

 

Leefest Presented The Neverland, and it was awesome. Review 2016

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The Neverland, Leefest

 

The last weekend of July, deep in the woodlands of Kent, after taking the second star to the right and straight on till morning, Neverland itself appeared for a brief window, boasting a three-day escapade of music, madness, and absolute magic. Surrounded by Pirates, Mermaids and mischievous lost boys, you would be forgiven for truly believing you were in the middle of a fantasy world, but in fact, this was Leefest, 2016.

 

Small, sweet and charmingly rebellious, the story of Leefest almost writes itself – spawned from a classic act of teenage rebellion, the festival started in Lee’s back garden. Under strict instructions not to have a house party, Lee and a few of his friends built a stage, gathered some bands, got in some food, some booze, and started the adventure of a lifetime.

 

Map of the Neverland

 

It may be 10 years old, and have substantially grown in size from its original gathering, but it still boasts that friendly, backyard vibe that many flock from all around to be a part of. It’s still small, it only has a 5000 person capacity – but it has enough life to surpass anyone’s expectations. Lee, masquerading as Peter Pan himself, can often be found floating around the ‘Neverland’ – smiling, cheerful and just generally warm, his refusal to grow up has resulted in an incredibly organic experience that can only be described as Secret Garden Party meets your local village fete.

 

The site itself is quite small, there’s one large campsite for punters, and the arena is stretched out over three different ‘realms’ yet would probably take about 5 minutes to cross completely, yet it’s littleness gives off a more collective, cosy feel than a cramped one. The three realms are focused around the peoples of Neverland. The Lost Boys rule the roost, the main stage is placed bang in the middle, with tree houses, ropes and various bushcraft surrounding the stage, often with the lost boys and woodland creatures perched in their nooks and crannies. The Pirates rule Skull Ridge, substituting Hook for Captain Morgan, most of the heavier bands played the little garage-like venue Hooks Rock and dirty DJ’s heading the Gold Mine, an alleged old bomb crater that was kitted out to look like a true pirate quarry, complete with a wooden structure complete with a platform and dancing pirates. Heading over the other side, you’ll find Mermaid’s Lagoon, where colourful sea creatures will greet you to the colourful, eclectic 50’s retro style area, with an airstream cocktail bar, the Wondersands beach where Neptune will keep you moving, hot tubs and the Rainbow Rooms. Alongside the realms are those who control it; the mermaids are glamorous and fabulous, and mainly mind their own business, which is a good idea when the Lost Boys pull their own pranks and the Pirates are the chaotic havoc wreckers who are meant to terrorise everyone, but in reality are happy to give you a sip of their rum, or a gold coin if you pledge allegiance.

 

 

The Pirates of Skull Ridge

 

Though there are performers and punters alike going a little crazy, the festival is incredibly family friendly. Throughout the day, the place is awash with kids, there are tonnes of activities from face-painting, to swing dance lessons, and water fights between pirates and lost boys to keep the little ones occupied. As the night gets on, you see fewer kids, but the good-natured attitude doesn’t change.

 

The Mermaids at Mermaid Lodge

 

Leefest is pretty famous for discovering bands before they blow up, and a lot of the past performers are now incredibly popular. The bands themselves can quite often be seen wandering around the festival and stopping in on all the various artists, the crowds are just incredibly accepting. The beautiful thing about Leefest that I found was the complete lack of celebrity culture. Everyone just seems to accept each other for who they are, people for people, and just genuinely excited to be there. Maybe that’s even due to Lee himself, who never without a smile, is often wondering around the grounds, happy to stay and chat to people, or jump on wherever necessary, in fact on the Saturday he jumped behind a busy bar to serve me a couple of beers.  

 

Though the crowds aren’t big, they’re lively and loving, and this passes into the acts themselves, many putting so much energy into performances. A lot of bands that play Leefest blow up in the months and years to follow and this is certainly to be the case for a large amount of the artists there. Saturday Headliner Lianne La Havas serenaded an entire festival with her melodic, soulful voice and faultless charming personality. Genuinely humble about the headline slot, and overwhelmed by the love and support of the crowd, her multi-instrumental set was a glorious end to the three-day gathering.

 

Lianne La Havas at Leefest

 

In terms of the rest of the music, there is not one artist I could even begin to fault. Leefest is a little different in the way it's a Thursday, Friday, Saturday lineup, which mixes up the whole ‘sunday feeling’ kind of vibe, but it works the way it does. Thursday was a fairly quiet day, everyone was just getting into the swing of it, and performances by Everything Everything and Ghostpoet paved the way for what was to come. Everything Everything were on the bill as special guests, but their impeccable energy and infamous stage presence gave the crowd a perfect start. A contrast, but equally spellbinding performance by Ghostpoet left the festival goers content and blissful as they headed back to the campsite ready for an earlier start on the Friday.

 

Everything Everything at Leefest

 

Friday saw an incredible mixture of artists, me myself discovering new bands and artists to fall in love with. Peluche kicked off the main stage, followed by the melodic compilations of Corey Fox-Fardell. Roots Manuva played a brilliant but short sub-headline set, followed by the Liverpudlian indie rockers Circa Waves. In terms of the main stage however, I was most impressed with Lil Simz, the North London, grime-esque artist that completely took over the energy of the crowd, and I fully expect to see her take over the scene in the coming year.

 

Lil Simz on the main stage

 

Over the other stages, the growth garage/grunge rock movement and Lo-Fi sound was increasingly obvious, much to my delight, with bands Beaty Heart, Get Inuit and Spring Kings gaining hype and support and playing amazing sets. Otherkin are another of those bands I expect to see blow up in the next year; in the middle of a European tour and set to play the Festival Republic stage at Reading and Leeds this year, the band are a mix of punky pop meets grunge rock and have a live show that’s one of the most ferocious I've ever seen, the band themselves heading into the crowd, complete with mics and instruments, and oozing a carefree attitude, which was easily caught up by the crowd. Inviting the crowd on-stage for the last song, the boys really brought it all, and I'm converted a few more fans than just me.

 

The crowds at Leefest

 

As Leefest closes on Saturday, that sloppy Sunday feeling got a bit mixed up, as the latest, busiest night was also the last. Acoustic, Ellie Goulding inspired pop artist Hannah Trigwell took the main stage following her Sofar Sounds set earlier in the day, wooing the crowds with her catchy melodies, a perfect precursor for Lianne La Havas, the soulstress herself and beautiful human to play as the main headliner. Pop punk indie band We Are Scientists also took the main stage, themselves fascinated with the various tribes of Leefest, as did Shura, whose mass popularity after the release of her first album really showed as fans were wowed by her performance. Saturday was also definitely one for strong female artists, with The Big Moon, Skinny Girl Diet, King Kwong, She Drew The Gun and GIRLI playing amazing sets. Vant also hit up the circus tent, with their politically fueled music proving a hit on the Leefest crowds.

 

Frank Carter and the Rattlesnacks

 

Though all good things must come to an end, the festival does not stop when the music does, with the pub-like structure on site hosting Electric Swing and DJs Madame Barducci and the fierce Rumpsteppers, plus still serving drinks until the beginning of the sunrise at 5am.

 

Skull Ridge, Leefest

 

Honestly, there aren’t even enough words to truly describe how beautiful this little festival is. I don’t know what I was expecting but whatever it was, was truly blown out of the water.

Fire Dancing Pirates, Leefest

Wondersands at the Mermaid's Lodge

All photos supplied by official Leefest Photographers

Splendour Festival 2016 Review

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The sun was shining hotly and brightly on Nottingham’s favourite festival, Splendour 2016.  Set in the grounds of the stunning Wollaton Park, I was delighted to be attending for the second time and it didn’t disappoint.  There was definitely no shortage of festivals this weekend but with a fantastic line-up and variety of entertainment, Nottingham’s sell out festival was definitely the best place to be.

The site was well set out with plenty of toilets and water points.  The food stalls were spread evenly across the site and offered plenty of choice including vegan and gluten free options.  I enjoyed a gorgeous gluten-free chicken and chorizo paella topped with a delicious salsa and lemon for £7.  Later on I tucked into nachos with guacamole, salsa and cheese for only £3.50!  Drinks tokens could be purchased for £4 each or in multiples.  Tokens were then swapped for alcohol and soft drinks at a choice of 3 bar areas.  Given that there were over 23,000 people attending, we didn’t have to queue once to get a drink.  The bar staff were really friendly although with only beer, cider, JD and coke and wine, there wasn’t much choice.  More spirits would have been welcomed.  Stalls offered a variety of clothes, jewellery and trinkets all reasonably priced.  Fringe entertainment included songs and laughs from Mrs Green; circus shows; activities for youngsters in the Kids’ Zone, silent disco and Magician, Daniel Dore.  It was clear that Splendour has a great family atmosphere and well catered for all age groups.

Headlining the main stage was Grammy award winner, Jess Glynne.  After dropping out of Splendour last year due to illness, her appearance was hotly awaited.  She opened up with ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself’ which instantly got the crowd dancing!  She looked stunning in a two piece gold outfit and I loved the focus that she gave to the music and the audience rather than dance moves and outfit changes.  She followed up with hit after hit; ‘Rather be,’ ‘No rights no wrongs,’ ‘Gave me something,’ ‘Not letting go,’ and ‘It ain’t right.’  She then did a beautiful acoustic version of ‘My love’ which she dedicated to her dad who is from Nottingham, which the crowd loved.  She engaged with the crowd and asked everyone to shine the torch on their phone which created a beautiful sea of light as far as the eyes could see.  She followed up with hits such as ‘Home’ and ‘Real love’ and then did a cover version of Chaka Chan’s ‘I feel for you’ where she pulled off some funky dance moves with her backing singers.  For the encore she sang ‘Right here’ and her number one track ‘Hold my hand.’  The crowd went crazy singing and dancing and it was a perfect end to a fantastic headlining artist.  Jess Glynne did Nottingham proud!

Over on the Confetti Stage, a large crowd gathered for the headlining act, The Darkness.  Donning a flamboyant purple one-piece glam-rock-esque cat suit, Justin Hawkins thrusted himself into their opening track ‘Black shuck.’  The charismatic front man belted out ‘Growing on me’ ‘Love is only a feeling’ and their original glam rock track ‘I believe in a thing called love.’  Justin entertained the crowd with his own brand of sweary banter adding to an electric atmosphere.

Set list was

Black Shuck

Growing on me

Givin’ up

One way ticket

Love is only a feeling

Barbarian

Get your hands off my woman

Stuck in a rut

I believe in a thing called love

Love on the rocks with no ice

Scottish rockers, The Fratellis,  kicked off with ‘Henrietta’ and finished with a crowd-rocking ‘Chelsea Dagger.’  Earlier in the day veteran Irish punk rockers, Stiff Little Fingers, played a fantastic set to a large crowd.  Legendary tracks ‘At the edge, ‘Tin soldiers’ and ‘Gotta gettaway’ got the crowd rocking.

UB40 got a warm response with one reveller shouting ‘UBeee, UBeee, UBeee!!’ ‘You gotta love UB!’ she tells me.  The crowd are dancing and singing to the glorious reggae tunes of ‘Cherry Oh Baby’ and ‘Red Red Wine.’

The Human League put on an impressive show opening with ‘Mirror Man,’ and ‘Electric Dreams’ is slickly played into ‘Don’t You Want Me’ for the finale.

Over on the acoustic stage, Jonny Olley kicked the day off, with acts like Josh Wheatley, Bru-C and Brad Dear performing throughout the day.

With its eclectic mix of artists and bands, there is sure to be something for every age group at Splendour Festival which makes it the perfect family day out.   I cannot wait for next year! Roll on Splendour 2017!

Latitude Festival 2016 Review

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As the crowds roll in to Henham Park, Suffolk, the diversity of those in attendance is obvious. Families have ditched their usual Europe summer escape, festival virgin teenagers carry crates of Strongbow and enthuse each other to get as legless as possible and the religious yearly attendees bond with campers who they have met on previous years. The sun is beaming, the atmosphere is emphatic and there is a stir of excitement in the air; because this is Latitude and everyone knows what’s in store, a weekend of unforgettable music, weird and wonderful art and a community with one thing in common- to have a bloody fantastic time!

Singer and songwriter Lapsley kicks off the weekend of faultless performances on the Friday afternoon, encapsulating the crowds that flock with her ambient yet electronic songs. This is followed by the much awaited U.K  duo, Slaves who channel their despair of modern day life into charismatic punk and gritty 1970s pub rock. Renditioning favorites from old albums and new, fans are enigmatically dancing and full of satisfaction at the carnage on stage. The first night ends with a pleasing and well-executed performance from the Maccabees on the main stage. Despite their performance of popular songs like ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ their slow set list left some revelers wanting more and wondering if the Maccabees really were the right choice for the headline slot. As the sun sets, the kids slope off to kip, and the rest head to the woods for a set from Artful Dodger  followed by Mike Skinner and  Murkage which ignites a long night of raving continued. And suddenly, this is where it’s evident that no other small British festival quite manages to strike this balance between established names, shrewd gambles, newcomers and DJ’s.

Saturday afternoon, Daughter gives those with sore heads from the night before the perfect opportunity to lie back in the grass and stare into the blue skies in utter content at the perfection and raw talent of the moody folk trio.  Scottish electro-pop band Chvrches then produce one of the best sets of the weekend, their vivid, upbeat anthems slaying the Obelisk Arena. With ‘Never Ending Circles’ and ‘The Mother We Share’ being particular crowd pleasers.

The legendary Belgian electro-rock act Soulwax headlined the second stage on Saturday night. As a long running duo the set delivers a striking balance between highly anticipated new material and some pretty robust takes on their Nite Versions classics. As a 10 year old album, Its clear to all the sheer power music can have, as the young old and crazy get into tracks like ‘KracK’ and ‘E-Talking’ all together.

Getting straight into the mix with a knock out performance of ‘Don’t Swallow The Cup’, the only ever act to headline twice, The National, made latitude history on Saturday night at the obelisk stage. Enthralling the crowd with an array of music from all 6 albums, and Surprising everyone with a couple of new tracks, The National really shone through and it was obvious why they deserved this headline spot with their enigmatic and victorious set.

As the Festival rolls to an end, it just get better and better. Melbourne music scene; vocals hailing from the Melbourne music scene, Chet Faker kills it on Sunday afternoon, combining electronica with acoustic elements and soulful bliss.  Over on the BBC Radio 6 stage UK hip-hop pioneer Roots Manuva kept the tempo and spirits up high, the sea of hip hop fans reveling in every moment. As ‘Witness the Fitness’ began blasting through the tent he made sure to let us all know why he’s King of UK Hip hop.

Iconic Mancurian band New Order are the final headliners of the weekend and their set is much more electronically-orientated than in the past, with cuts from their new album like ‘Plastic’ and updated classics  like ‘True Faith’ and ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ forming a faultless playlist. An encore of their signature song ‘Blue Monday’ and ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ tribute to their past as Joy Division, cause thunderous applause and bring a highly enjoyable festival to an end.

However, this little Festival hidden in the woods doesn’t only kill it when it comes to music, but also knocks the ball out the park with its array of theatre, comedy and arts acts. Surprising crowds over the weekend with attendance from the likes of Adam Buxton interviewing journalist Louis Theroux, and Florence Welch introducing her documentary ‘The Odyssey’.  And with this plethora of random theatre acts, surprise performances and surprises round every corner, Latitude Festival continues to go from strength to strength, reinforcing its status as the ‘biggest small festival’ in Britain.

For a weekend you will never forget, whatever your age and interests, Latitude has is all…. Including multi-coloured sheep!!

Beat-Herder Festival Review 2016

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So here we are for Beat-Herder number 11. How do you follow last years’ amazing 10th Birthday celebrations I wonder, surely there can’t be more naked camel riders? With more fireworks, new venues and a cracking line up featuring huge names from across the dance spectrum Claude Vonstroke, Booka Shade, Miike Snow, Todd Terje, Jesse Rose, Justin Martin, Marshall Jefferson and Riton to name but a few. This is my sixth time at this small but perfectly formed festival in the Lancashire Dales; you could say I’m huge fan of what the brothers do. BH is different to other festivals; there’s attention to detail and creativity everywhere you look, and sixteen unique stages dotted around the site provide something for everyone.

Beat Herder 2016

Friday

Friday greeted us with all-day rain, which turned the main arena into a mud fest as soon as the gates opened. Not that little bit of mud is going to deter the Beat Herder loyal posse. They have also been coming here for years too and have a tattoo to prove it.

A quick pitch of our tent and were off to go on a tour of the new site. There're a couple of new venues to take in. Bubba Gumma is a 60s Barbarella-esque, bubblegum disco box that you enter from a long dark bunker. The DJ spins rhythmic Afro disco beats, and the party gets going. Psychedelic hippy den Sunrise boasted a thumping sound system. The Illustrious Society is home to the good, the bad and the glitterati. You can only enter if you are suitable dressed. Steampunk, monocles, and Victorian cloth to be precise.

Avoiding the soupy mud and relentless rain we hide out at the undercover venues Trash Manor, BH&DWMSC (working men's club) and Maison D’etre until the evening.

On the main stage on Friday night we catch German duo Digitalism, Swedish band Miike Snow, who drew large crowds and James. Booth enters the stage and delights the crowds with the promise of a decidedly dancy set. He shouts ‘This is dance festival isn’t it.' They performed a number of songs from their new offering ‘Girl at the End of the World’ alongside classics ‘Come home’ and ‘Laid’.

Miike Snow

James

On to Pratty’s ring and we catch A Skillz. The whole of the ring is erupting with his face-paced turntable trickery. The crowd was jumping and singing along. The rain pelted down again, and performances from Dirtybird founder Claud Vonstroke, and Radio one’s B-traits suffered smaller numbers than they should, save a few hardcore fans. We took shelter once again in the Parish Church and spent the night dancing away on the pews.   

A Skillz

 

Saturday

Salvage came on Saturday morning in the form of the sun, a welcome relief from Friday’s heavy downpours. Trudging around in what now is a soupy smelly quagmire is quite a workout. It's times like this that I remind myself that this is exactly why I like small manageable festivals and couldn't deal with the trauma of glasto. We take a bit of respite in the only bit of green grass we can see. We were swooped on by the Samaritans who are keen to talk to anyone in trouble. That certainly wasn’t us, unless they could resolve the mud, we just needed somewhere to eat our yummy cheese Raclette. It’s reassuring to know that they are there for people who needed it over the weekend.

Scottish singer, songwriter Donovan took to the main stage Saturday afternoon, an older crowd waved their arms to ‘Mellow Yellow’. Not really my cup of tea and he seems oddly placed for a predominantly dance festival, but that’s the beauty of the Beat-Herder offering. They are plenty of curveballs from folk, gypsy, indie, reggae and downright weird.

Local lad Paul Taylor brings with him an array of followers, and it is heaving inside The Fortress as fans scrambled to get on shoulders. I do like DJ, who knows how to work the crowd, and this was mightily evident in his set.

Paul Taylor

As the late afternoon cracked on, we saw the annual fancy dress come into play. This year’s theme was the letter ‘R’. We caught glimpse of Ron Burgundy’s, Ronald McDonald's, the Red Arrows, and an abundance of rodents and robots. Groups of revellers played paint powder fights in the afternoon glow, covering me and my camera. It's all good fun and warm vibes and I join in the banter. Gentleman's Dub Club and the Easy All Stars provided a particularly bouncy evening on the main stage, bringing some much needed energy to the fatigued crowd.

Beat Herder Fancy Dress

Gentleman's Dub Club

We headed up to the Toiltrees to catch one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend, house legend Marshall Jefferson.  He belted out house classics Peter Brown’s ‘Miracles’, Derrick May’s ‘Strings of Life’ and of course ‘Move your body’. He certainly didn’t disappoint and was one of my highlights of the weekend.

Firework cannons boomed before house veterans Booka Shade took to the stage. Despite playing their hit seminal hit 'Body Language’, it was a rather lack lustre set for a Saturday night headline act. Anyway onwards and upwards to Pratty’s Ring and the Fortress, which had a distinctly heavy bass and DnB feel to it. The evening sun played out and the parties across the site got dark and dirty.

Marshall Jefferson

Sunday

Sundays are for lie-ins, and we arose to the sounds of Mama Jerk and the Lady Fingers. The energy of jungle gypsy band Ushti Baba made us head to the main stage. Crowds started to gather and swing each other around to hypnotic trans-European melodies. There was an unmistakably chilled vibe to Sunday and everyone seemed smiley. 

Next up was Essex folk singer Beans on Toast who opened his main stage set with apt track called ‘2016.' “It’s got a short shelf life” he claimed. The emotional song brought unexpected tears to my eyes.  He recalled the unfathomable news that we have had to deal with this year; (Bowie, Prince, Paris, Victoria Wood, Lemmy, Turkey, Syria and the migrants, Brexit and our current state of political affairs). He jumped down into the crowd to get closer to the audience, pulling the leads behind him. He ran through an hours worth of his best from ‘Outlaws’, ‘The Chicken Song’ and ‘MDMA’. Like the 2pm slot at Glasto he drew the largest crowds. It was satirical commentary and storytelling at it’s best. Another festival highlight and surprisingly standout set that perfectly sums up the true spirit of festivals. 

Beans on Toast

In somewhat of a tradition at BH, we head up to the Toil to catch the laid-back grooves of Mr Scruff, and have one last boogie in the church. There’s a nun in the pulpit kissing her cross, as she waves and raves. It’s gone all heavy hip hop and breakbeat as they blast out Ice Cubes’ ‘You can do it’. Back to the main stage, we catch London reggae singer Kiko Bun's, before heading to the Fortress Krafty Kuts is kicking up the mud with a storming set. Taking to the stage in the Toil is the man of the moment Riton. A favourite for many, and drawing a largely youthful crowd. His mega hit ‘Rinse and Repeat’ pounds out of the Toil Trees system. 

Mr Scuff
 

It's difficult for any solo headliner to stand behind a desk of kit on their own, but Norwegian producer Todd Terje commands stage presence with ease. His set plays like one long soundtrack that undulates & bounces, with good visuals to boot. Girls get on shoulders for 'Delorean Dynamite', 'Disco Circus', 'Inspector Norse' and a superb mix of Stevie Nicks 'Stand Back' bleeds out into the night sky. At 12am dead on all the music across the site concludes and punters scurry off looking for sound systems across the camp area large enough to carry on the party. Many huddle round the fire not wanting it to end.

That’s it for another cracking Beat-Herder. Despite the mud, the organisers have done themselves proud and put on another party to remember. I hate that pang of sadness and a heavy heart that's it's all over you feel as you pull away from the site. You've had an incredible weekend, left the cares of the world at the door and entered into the spirit of abandonment. But soon enough it's back to reality, more politics and a Turkish coup. Take me back Beat Herder I don’t want to go home. See you 2017!

 
 

Truck Festival 2016 Review

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This weekend saw Truck Festival joined by more music-lovers than ever before and over 200 performers and DJs who basked in glorious sun rays amid the Oxfordshire countryside.

Recent years have seen a boom in the number of big festivals as well as an increase in the commercialisation of smaller festivals. Truck has always been proud to be an independent festival with a niche list of performers and a very intimate vibe.

While Truck stayed true to it’s roots as a smaller and less commercial festival, it has still been growing ever since it was established in 1997. This year saw a major expansion of Truck with increased tickets, an additional arena, a new entrance, and an extra day.

Truck prides itself on providing a platform for local and underground artists to showcase their talents alongside big, well-known artists such as 2016 Brit Award winners, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Manic Street Preachers, and Kodaline. Truck’s local connections run deeper than just the line-up however, with the local Rotary Club handling a large proportion of the food catering (although their importance is shrinking as more food stalls are being sourced to feed the growing audiences).

The music at Truck Festival is so diverse that there really is something for everyone. Each of the stages has it’s own style – The Truck Stage is most diverse with the headliners playing alongside a mixture of bands including Band App winners; The Market Stage is second in command and hosts some of the most popular bands of the weekend including Mystery Jets, SOAK, and Switch DJs into the early hours; the new Nest stage hosts the bands previously seen in the Barn (which continues to be a favourite for many) – with a more hard rock and punk vibe, such as NeckDeep and Mooseblood; the Saloon is famous for its ‘great western’ style; the Veteran and Virgins has a mixture of styles playing hosts to bands who have stuck by Truck for its 19 years and others using it for their first Truck experience; and finally, the Palm City and Horizon stage was a favourite by many teens for the DJ’s Roughion and club vibes.

Each of the headliners was distinct from the others and all graced the stage for a different reason. Catfish and the Bottlemen are very popular following their Brit Award win for Best Newcomers, and have been played by the likes of Channel 4’s Hollyoaks recently. This made them a hit with the younger audience as they played all of the most popular songs from their May 2016 release, ‘The Ride’.

The Welsh 80’s rock band, Manic Street Preachers, pulled in a strong Welsh fanbase for their set on Saturday evening and their ‘glam rock’ vibe was enjoyed by all, even though some of those attending with their parents clearly were not familiar with the songs.

 

The final headliner for Kodaline had a slightly quieter response as a small number of festival goers began to leave thoughout Sunday ready for Monday morning. Despite this, the whole of Arena 1 was rocking to the band, who were known as ’21 Demands’ until 2012. The Irish born band are known for their unique mix of ‘folk rock’ and they gave Sunday evening a very relaxed and content vibe – ending the weekend with confetti cannons and streamers being blasted into the crowd.

While the three-day event was a bargain (working out less than £30 per day), returning festival-goers may have been shocked at the increased charges once they were there. Truck Festival has always boasted a large “children’s tent” for the under 12’s, full of creative arts and crafts and some poets etc to entertain them. This year the children area had expanded but with everything charged at a minimum of £3, it was difficult to last out the morning without going bankrupt. There was plenty on offer – climbing frames, dream catcher workshops, jewellery workshops, rubber archery, etc. but everything was charged which was not mentioned prior to arrival and was unexpected for anyone who had attended previously. Prices for food had also increased dramatically at the Rotary Club stalls, with a bacon sandwich costing £4, and only a choice of 3 stalls for breakfast.

But this didn’t effect the overall vibe of the weekend which was completely laid back and inclusive, once again. It was in no way about wearing the right clothes or being seen, but rather about kicking back and enjoying the unique atmosphere while soaking up the festival sun. There was no fancy VIP area like you’ll find at other big festivals; backstage was purely functional. Instead, everyone mingles in the main arena – the artists roam the site, picking up beers at the bar just like everyone else. Truck is clearly about the music and people enjoying themselves, something that feels lacking at the bigger festivals which seem to be just money-spinning corporate beasts.

Organisation had also failed slightly this year when it came to the much-loved paint fight. I have been to the paint fight every year I’ve attended Truck – it is one of my personal highlights of the weekend. But this year I was one of many who missed out because it was advertised in the wrong arena. There were crowds of teens clad in all white waiting at 4 o’clock on Saturday in Arena 2, but when 4 o’clock came and went, cheers were heard coming from Arena 3, and paint covered bodies began walking passed. And that was that – we had missed what, for many of us, was something we’d been very much looking forward to.

With the fabulous line-up, a new site layout and even a new bridge across the stream, alongside the perfect festival weather, this was the festival you’ll be gutted to have missed.

The Adventure that was Benicassim, 2016.

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You’ve all heard of Benidorm, I presume. That Spanish resort town, filled with sunburnt brits and head fuckers for breakfast, even with its own TV show about the life and times of its seasonal inhabitants.

For one week of the year, however, the brits are pre-occupied with a different kind of Beni, Festival Internacional de Benicassim. As a veteran fib goer myself (this year was the fourth) bringing along a backpack with an Argos tent, a Chromebook, a few different cameras plus their owner, the only clean clothes I had left, and flashbacks of Benicassim campsites and extreme heat, I felt well equipped and mentally prepared to tackle the biggest party of the summer, all in the name of journalism.

Benicassim itself is one of the friendliest experiences you will ever have. International is mentioned in the name because that is truly what it is. Though I felt there were considerably less Spanish goers (and noticeably a lot less Spanish acts) the multicultural vibe is definitely known, and with the gloom of Brexit still hovering over our heads there felt a definite subconscious need for camaraderie, which when you consider the amount of EU flags we saw dotted around and more often than not, wrapped around sleeping people, is a comforting thought.

The general atmosphere of Beni and it’s set up is really what makes it. Your ticket entitles you to 8 days of camping in their main area ‘campfest’ (you can also opt for glamping at a fairly reasonable price) and whilst alongside the various parties and events, the actual festival itself doesn’t start until 7pm, leaving you plenty of time to head to the beach, go into town, get your shopping done, and pregaming started, whilst not missing anything, and saving insane amounts of cash by raiding the Mercadona or the Lidl for the supplies you need to survive the night.

Financially, unlike British festivals, it won’t cost you a kidney and your first born child to enjoy Benicassim. Early Bird tickets start at 85 Euros, building to not more than 120, factor in the low, low cost of living out in the Spanish desert and even with a flight you’re still way ahead of the game, as long as you don’t mind inhaling 6 metric tonnes of dusk every time you wake up in the morning, and a hell of a lot of sun.  

 

Musical Highlights

 

Although Benicassim has become almost a rite of passage, the reason we all keep flocking to this ant infested wonderland every summer is not only for its general atmosphere but for the music. Although fib tends to have a smaller lineup (spread over 5 stages) than the majority of British Festivals, its headliners alone have enough pulling power. I’ve found over the years that a lot of the Glastonbury lineup will make a few sneaky appearances, but you’ll have to take my anecdotal word for it.

 

Thursday /

 

The shortest of all music days, but what turned out to be one of the best, Thursday boasted sets from DJ Hannah Wants and Irish rapper Rejjie Snow, however, the two main acts of the night by far were grime music artist Skepta and electronic music entity Major Lazer. Skepta, who halfway through his set worshipped the crowd as individuals, claiming he ‘hated celebrities’ became the simultaneous shunner and bringer of hype. The energy in the crowd was electric, and the growth of the London grime scene became increasingly obvious from the gigantic, international crowd that flocked to see him. The first headline act of the long weekend extravaganza, however, was Major Lazer, which gave the newbies a taste for FIB life and veterans like me a heightened nostalgia of what it’s all about. Their set was planned to the millisecond and mixed in a haul of different samples from Eurotrash, bashment and dancehall, and of course starting with Pon de Floor, the absolute tune that filled me with nostalgia and brought me back to being a fifteen-year-old getting drunk on a bottle of Lambrini. Moving forward, they started the encore with their feelgood hit of last year, Lean On, which shows just how much their popularity has grown.

 

Friday /

 

Friday saw the likes of more bands take to the stages, including the British rapping, indie, all-round shabby Rat Boy, the lo-fi garage rock Spanish girl band Hinds, now increasingly veteran rockers The Vaccines, and an emotional set from the harder rock of Biffy Clyro. Hinds played the main stage fairly early in the day, and although they started out with a small crowd it had almost quadrupled by the end, obviously attracted to their dynamic and the energy oozing from all four of them. They seem to be drawing quite a following from their various performances around the globe the last couple of years, and I’m pretty sure next year their names will be way higher up the bill. Finishing with Davey Crockett, throwing in a couple of new songs and even a Dead Ghosts cover, Hinds were one of the highlights of my weekend.

Though Friday was technically a lot more band heavy, Jamie XX took over for a disco-heavy and grime influenced set later in the evening, and the heavyweights of electronic music and putting on a fantastic show The Chemical Brothers headlined that evening. Starting with Hey Boy, Hey Girl and finishing their set with a combination of Galvanise and Block Rockin Beats, the show itself boasted spectacular lights, visuals and sound that made pretty much everyone go nuts.

This year Benicassim decided to up the ante with the dance stage, turning their previous second stage into the South Beach area set up complete with a ‘pool party’ – basically borrowing some Ibiza vibes from the another well known Spanish turn-up. Though the pool got pretty dirty after day one, the area itself was a success and saw the likes of Dan Deacon and John Talabot tear it up on the Friday.

Saturday /

 

If you’re a Muse fan, Saturday night was what you were waiting for. They headlined the main stage with a show-stopping two-hour set, incredible lights, showmanship and Matt Bellamy’s vocals in full force. Bringing out all the classics such as Supermassive Black Hole, you really cannot fault this band for doing what they do, and doing it heart-stoppingly well.

But on the contrary, it wasn’t just the superband that got the crowd going on that day. Disclosure followed suit on the main stage, starting with White Noise and playing a mix of tracks from Settle and Caracal, the boys radiated buzz as they always do whenever they take to the stage.

For the earlier parts of Saturday, however, it seems the indie and rock bands were out in full force, with Irish rockers Walking on Cars taking the main stage with the sun still glaring. For relative newcomers, they gathered a lot of support from a ferocious fan base, which, given the amount of Irish melodic voices heard around the festival is quite unsurprising. Bloc Party also mesmerised the visa stage, back with a vengeance and a beautifully revised selection of their catalogue, after a hiatus left them with just Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack as the original members. A brief chat with Kele himself before the show lead me to believe we can expect some new music from the new lineup very soon, and the band is sure to go from strength to strength after the writing process gets well and truly underway.

Echo and the Bunnymen and The Coral also played incredible sets, giving us a little blast from the past. For E&TBM we came for The Killing Moon but ended up infatuated with the set list, and after a five year hiatus, old time rockers The Coral perfectly matched their classics Dreaming of You and In the Morning with the release of their new album, Distance In Between, including track Chasing the Tail of the Sun, which Skelly himself thinks is the best to get the crowd going.

Although Muse did steal the show on the main stage, whilst the heavyweight rockers were letting the crowd fall in love we did sneak away for a few songs at the Visa Stage, where The Kills created an atmosphere that was lively, dramatic and addictive, even though a major amount of their fan base was stolen away. They were definitely one of my surprising highlights of fib, and deserve a medal of musical adoration in my eyes.

 

Sunday /

 

Sunday finally came around, and although I was completely shattered after running around a festival in sweltering heat, sleeping on a dusty floor of a tent and getting accidently sunburnt with the most awful tan lines you ever did see, the nostalgia was creeping in and I didn’t really want to go home. The mix of genres on this day was pretty special, Jess Glyne took the visa stage, where a surprising collection of men found themselves bobbing along to classics Hold My Hand and Rather Be. She also did a solo rendition of My Love, the Route 94 song that helped propel her solo career, as well as a collection of her own material. Following on from Glyne, Mac Demarco and The 1975 also played the Visa Stage, Demarco drawing a sizable crowd, arguably just as crazy as him. Known for his antics and his love of crowd surfers, he let good old ‘Tony’ climb his way onto the stage for a spot of light conversation before prompting his guitarist to crowd surf himself. The topless boys definitely knew how to do a show, and hardcore fans were lapping up every second, in fact every time they play they look like they’re having the best time, which is first and foremost what you want from a performer. The 1975 followed suit, again drawing in a large crowd with a pretty serious fanbase.

The main stage saw the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen, who this year decided to make some festival appearances after cancelling a load of them last year. The northern rockers played a great show but I’m yet to be fully convinced of their staying power. Kendrick Lamar took the headline set that night, bringing in a gigantic crowd and a chilled vibe all across Benicassim. The setlist was perfect, with How Much a Dollar cost, B*tch Don’t Kill My Vibe, of course King Kunta and after a profound, heartfelt speech that referenced the attacks in Nice, Turkey, and the need to unite at the state of the world, Lamar ended his set with the notion that we’re all going to be Alright.

DJ’s Snakehips took to the South Beach stage later that night to help bring the festival down to a close, and although I would have perhaps liked to see Lamar play the friday alongside Skepta, especially seeing grime music start to crack america, I was more than content with the set up as it was. All in all, I ended up completely delirious with sleep deprivation, but it was so worth it just to be at fib again.

 

Would I come again? Just try and stop me.

 

T in the Park 2016 Review

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T IN THE PARK kicked off on the Friday with an absolute belter. The sun was shining, The Stone Roses were headlining and un characteristically there wasn’t a mud puddle in sight – of course that didn’t last. Of course it wouldn’t be T without its trademark mud and after dodging it on the Friday the patchy rain hit hard throughout the next couple of days – festival goers brushed it off as nothing and cracked on. Situated at Strathallan Castle close to Perth, it was the festivals second attempt in its new location and 26th year overall. The festival bill was a strong one, a splutter of genres merging together throughout the three days. Blending together the new, the old and the loved by all, every age group was covered with a stella line up. 

With other headlining performances coming from Calvin Harris & Red Hot Chilli Peppers plus support acts including Major Lazer, LCD SoundSystem, Disclosure, Chase & Status, The 1975 and more, it was bound to be a good weekend of music.

The Stone Roses hit the main stage on the Friday. The bands merch floated around the festival site like nothing else and as the day progressed it began to get difficult to be difficult to spot anyone NOT in a signature bowl hat. The bands ‘second coming’ was surely seen as the whole weekends highlight. Performances by the Manchester group aren’t quite as sparse as they have been in the past with their reform back in 2011, but its impossible to ignore the effect the bands presence has on its crowds. The Stone Roses were bred for the festival set up – it is surely the definitive way to see the cult band. The band played a full set of tracks from their self titled debut album, favourites from the much under-rated second album ‘Second coming’ alongside a few new tracks including the new single ‘All for one’. The crowd followed every word of every song sung by Ian Brown, tambourine in hand, who finished the act by waving on the Scottish flag to applaud a fan base at T that he has become very accustomed to.

Disclosure opened up for The Stone Roses – a difficult transition however they easily held their own and as soon as the opening track ‘White noise’ was belted out, they had the audience in the palm of their hands. Disclosure are always capable of surprising people wherever they sit on the bill and if this set was anything to go by their headline act at Reading/Leeds festival could prove to be something huge.

Elsewhere on Friday, festival favourite whereever she goes, Annie Mac packed out the Radio 1 Dance stage with a typical fun and bouncing set.  In contrast Rodrigo y Gabriela performed at the same time in the King Tuts Tent with a smaller crowd who enjoyed the spanish infused heavy guitar riff style of music they are most famous for.  

Huge crowds swamped over to the main stage to watch Calvin Harris headline the Saturday. Quite the regular at T, Calvin is just behind Biffy Clyro for most appearances at the Scottish festival. Quite the transformation from the geeky looking artist of 2007 to the huge international DJ and producer that he is today. Its been a undeniably huge rise from the Scot who is now considered to be the face of modern dance music. He played a typically impressive set, reminding everyone just how many huge tracks he has notched up under his belt. Track after track of number one hits alongside new song Hype which included an appearance of fan favourite Dizzee Rascal.

 

Saturday's lineup also showcases Bastille, Jess Glynne, Tinie Tempah, Kaiser Chiefs and more.  With health issues in the past year, Jess Glynne is one that I was very much looking forward to seeing.  Her amazing soulful and powerful voice fills the main stage with hits like 'Dont Be So Hard on Yourself', 'Not Letting Go' & 'Right Here'.  She sounds just as good live as she does on the radio, its a great performance to head into the evening.  Prior to Jess Glynne, Tinie Tempah fresh off his new album knows how to get a crowd going.  His music is perfect for the festival atmosphere and having seen him numerous times before, I know exactly what to expect.  Hits like 'Mamacita', 'Pass Out', 'Written in the Stars' have the crowd singing throughout the entire performance.

 

Over on the Radio 1 stage, The 1975 close out the day as the rain dies down and the sun sets over Strathallan Castle.  There is nothing fancy about this performance, just a great selection of tunes which have a die hard crowd singing along to almost every track they belt out whist competing with the echoes of Calvin Harris on the main stage.  This isnt an energetic performance by all means, but its worthy of the headlining spot for this stage.

 

Red Hot Chilli Peppers topped off a superb weekend with a headline act reminiscent of their last 2006 headline appearance. Even strangely leaving hits, Californication and Dani California off the set list didn’t make for a disappointing show. The Chilli’s in full form played a huge set filled with crowd pleasers, new singles, Chad Smith solos and the occasional handstand back onto stage from Flea. The strong set was played with swagger from frontman Anthony Kiedis backed up by plenty of energy and gratitude towards the crowd from the rest of the band.

 

One of the most unfortunate festival appearances would have come from LCD Soundsystem who barley drew a crowd to the Radio 1 stage.  Major Lazer however drew a huge crowd to the Radio 1 stage with their mix of dubstep, reggae and house music.  With Diplo flying all over the stage mic in hand hyping the crowd up at every opportunity, its an entertaining set bringing all sorts of dance moves and hands in the air reactions.  Comeback king of 2016 is surely Craig David, armed with a DJ Booth and mic in hand, this is a talented performance as he single handedly mixes the music and sings.  Singing over tunes like Justin Bieber's 'Love Yourself' and mixing it with his skillful rapping, his set ensures the crowd is bouncing for the entirety.

 

Its fair to say that this years T in the Park was a marked improvement on last year.  Most of the issues that were encountered have been resolved and the event is well oiled engine that ran smooth over the entire weekend.  Regardless of the wet weather and the muddy grounds, the performances across the weekend leave us feeling satsified & happy.   We look forward to another year at the castle in 2017!

 
Photos by Kristian Lissimore

T IN THE PARK 2016