Reviews

Lost Village 2015 Review

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Buried in the Lincolnshire countryside, 5,000 party-goers descend upon the idyllic woodland setting of Lost Village festival. Taking place over the May bank-holiday weekend in an “ancient abandoned village”, the festival’s motto is to “join the tribe”. Set up by Moda’s Jaymo & Andy George – who later play a sparkling set on Saturday afternoon – the location is perfect for the acts performing; eclectic electronica from Die Vogel and Four Tet, crowd-pleasing sets from Ben Pearce and Annie Mac, and heavier techno-based sounds from Tale of Us, Jasper James and Gardens of God.

Aside from one shower, the usually temperamental English weather holds up, offering sun throughout the whole weekend – Summer Festival Guide even returns home with a tan! Transport-wise, there is a free shuttle bus; impressive for a first-time festival. SFG meets people who have travelled up from the Midlands, London, and one electronic music lover who has travelled four hours from Brighton.

Set behind a lakeside family campsite, it’s like a whole other realm. Attracting a multitude of types of people; when setting up camp, one middle-aged man sporting a Blasé Boys Club t-shirt is drinking with those who could be his children. Everyone who SFG meets is friendly and really here for the music.

Reasonably priced Vodka and cokes begin to flow throughout Grandmaster Flash’s charismatic old-school set, declaring the festival open on Friday evening at Basecamp. Though licensing requires music to finish at midnight each night, back in camp there’s no sign of sleeping until the early hours.

[Special mention to Diamond Dogs, who provided the best post-drinking cure with their Chilli Cheese Dogs and Tater Tots]

It’s Saturday morning, the sun is shining through the campsite and anticipation is high to see Lost Village’s main stages; the Abandoned Chapel, Forgotten Cabin and The Ruins, each with impeccable sound-systems and impressive set-design. At midday, Citizenn opens the Cabin with a groove-laden house set before Jackmaster’s housemate Jasper James – a personal highlight – delivers hard-hitting tech-house, and as one Villager suggests, “its 3 in the morning vibes at 1 in the afternoon”, another gushing, “I feel like I’m in Berghain!”

 

Later, Erol Alkan delivers an acidic electro set like a true professional, looking suave in a leather jacket, before Denmark’s Kolsch plays what everyone wants to hear; Huxley’s ‘I Want You’ and Adesse Versions’ ‘Pride’ make much-appreciated appearances as well as his own euphoric piano-led ‘Cassiopeia’. Over at The Ruins, Lost Village’s mud-filled main stage, Dusky’s ‘Yoohoo’ is blasting through the industrial-sized speakers to the packed crowd as one partyer holds up an LED lit ‘TUNE’ sign. Back at the Cabin, Four Tet closes the first night in magical, enchanted fashion; his Martyn-collaboration ‘Glassbeadgames’ becoming a highlight as the vibrant strobes light up the darkness.

Come Sunday morning, Ejeca’s defying the traditional day of rest, delivering tech-house at the Abandoned Chapel, as one guy dressed like Fryar Tuck with a massive tribal stick urges the crowd on. Theo Kottis, Moda Black’s newest signing, continues on a similar vibe at the Cabin as glittered faces – old and young – tribal hennas and selfie sticks are visible at every turn, watching the darkly uplifting set; Guy Gerber’s remix of Art Department’s ‘Catch You By Surprise’ really goes off.

Tourist attracts a massive crowd to the ruins, performing with synth pads and keyboards; Pretend, Trust In You and I Can’t Keep Up translate effortlessly in Lost Village’s mud-covered main stage The Ruins.  With a massive ‘U’ behind him, the co-writer to Sam Smith’s ‘Stay With Me’ introduces Anywhere, a new track from his debut album, appropriately titled ‘U’.

“How great is this festival?” asks William Phillips aka Tourist. It’s a statement which becomes heavily echoed over the course of the first ever Lost Village. Considering this is its debut year, Lost Village has the potential to rival the likes of Secret Garden Party in the not so distant future.

Later, after stumbling across a fake marriage – Lost Village has a plethora of spooky actors waiting at every turn – Tale Of Us deliver an intense techno set as the Forgotten Cabin’s strobes light up one of the weekend’s biggest audiences.

Jackmaster, sporting a ‘We Love Detroit’ t-shirt, follows, playing a typically eclectic set of house, techno and everything in between. Meanwhile, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs aka Orlando Higginbottom seems on a completely different trip in The Ruins; dropping drum & bass and jungle tracks, it’s a refreshing break from the weekend’s house/techno sound, before Annie Mac closes out the first ever Lost Village with on-point house tracks.

Over the course of the weekend, SFG have brushed shoulders – and taken selfies with – Annie Mac, Richy Ahmed and Tourist. It’s not often that such big names are within arms length walking through the woodland setting.

Post-festival, Lost Village’s founders Jaymo & Andy George have commented: “We never in our wildest dreams expected it to go this well! The crowd were 10/10, every stage was constantly busy, all the artists who played have said amazingly positive things and all those little elements we planned came together just how we hoped. The feedback we’ve been getting since has been unreal… we can’t wait to start planning the next one now.”

2016s Lost Village couldn’t roll around any quicker!

 

Slam Dunk 2015 Wolverhampton Review

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Saturday 23rd May seen the start of the bank holiday weekend, with a three day traveling circus thats known as Slam Dunk Festival bringing its fun and lively antics across Leeds, Hertfordshire and Wolverhampton. We went along to Wolverhampton to see what the Slam Dunk team had inshore for us this year. This year it housed seven stages, each of which held a collaboration of six to seven different bands of similar musical output. It was a surreal experience to walk no more than a few metres and be kicked in the face with a completely different genre of music and with Slam Dunk ever expanding this year provided us with a pick of 53 bands to see.

Trash Boat
After winning the fresh blood competition against 9 other bands they opened up the Kerrang! Fresh Blood stage at the festival. The band were highly anticipated and had a pretty big turn-out especially for that time of day. They performed well and put the crowd in a fantastic mood for the rest of the day.

PVRIS
had the room at full capacity nearly twenty minutes before their set, Lynn Gunn kick started the Civic Hall’s atmosphere by opening with the debut single St Patrik. The trio from Lowell, Massachusetts blew the roof off with a six song setlist, completing it with a rendition of ‘My House’ featuring You Me At Six front man Josh Franceschi. Lynn Gunn being the Iconic front woman that she is wooed the crowd and it was a huge turnout for the band which was well received by all. Seriously this band are taking over!.

Neck Deep
The infamous Neck Deep have recently had a lot of hype after news broke out that their new studio album ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You’ to due to be released soon. So with that in mind we were excited to see what these boys from Wales would have to offer. After the lads had attended the Kerrang! signing tent they proceeded to play a 35 minute set at Slam Dunk’s main stage, featuring songs from their first EP Rain in July. They also played hits from their first studio album and more recently their brand new single ‘Can’t Kick Up The Roots’ which went down a treat. The pop-punk five piece didn’t stop there and busted out the classic ‘A Part Of Me ‘ which left most of us teary eyed.

Zebrahead
Now surprisingly this band had the best sound of the day it was mostly clean and raw, which we would considered this band to be, it was such an unexpected highlight of our day. Stewards had to stop letting people in as the Desperados stage was at full capacity and it’s no wonder, they were so tight for such a large band. Amazing clean vocals, arguably the sharpest sound of the day.

While She Sleeps
The Sheffield five piece smashed out a nine song setlist,  which was well doctored if we might add for SlamDunk. Hardcore Sleeps fans were around, displaying flags of honour and affection which for a band that has had very few years, they have gained an army of loyal fans. After releasing their latest album Brainwashed, While She Sleeps have become an ever expanding name, not too big to emphasize their egos as they stuck around the festival to meet the fans.

Bury Tomorrow
After seeing front man Dani and Davyd knocking around merch tables meeting the fans, then playing an extensive DJ set on Uprawr stage, we were ecstatic to see what the very special guests BURY TOMORROW had to throw at us at 5pm on the Monster Energy Stage. As soon as they erupted out on stage there were massive circle pits from the get go this being said the band never have and never will settle for anything less. Their set consisted of mostly new material,playing half of their new album ‘RUNES’ as well as classic tracks from previous albums.

Don Broco
After witnessing the huge line for the meet and greet this was a  highly anticipated band to see. After such a hype and with them being on the main stage Don Broco didn't live up to my expectation and were the most disappointing band of the day. Overly confident lead singer "Rob Damiani"  kept the crowd waiting well into what would have been their 45 minute set. They attracted a boisterous crowd which proved to be to many members of the audience being problematic as it aggravated and distressed what should have been a fairly calm slot of the day. Overall a poor performance.

Mellincolin
have just released their latest album "True Brew" which is there first bit of material in over seven years. The four piece from Örebro, Sweden played a set consisting of mainly new material but didn’t fail to deliver absolute classics from their earlier discography "Penguins and Polarbears" with them warming the crowd up to end with arguably the one song everyone came to see "NO CIGAR"  a classic most people will remember from the days of playing old school Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2. Not only did they entertain with their music but their on stage humour kept the fans in a bright mood. 10/10 for performance.

Architects 
were without a doubt one of the most hyped up bands of the day to check out and it’s with no surprise with them Headlining the Monster Energy Stage. They played a set combined with old classics such as "Early Grave" and "Follow The Water" amongst a vast collection of their new material from their latest album "Lost Together Lost Forever". Vocalist Sam Carter was insanely grateful for the sheer amount of people that turned up to see their set as it was a  slot clash with surrey boys You Me At Six. Always promoting a good message Architects stomped home probably the heaviest set of the day.

You Me At Six
After their performance at Hatfield having to be delayed due to an injured fan, they ended Slam Dunk’s three day weekend with a bang. Stomping out old classics from their first studio album ‘Take Off Your Colours’.  Surprisingly the material, which is nearly seven years old got an amazing welcome as they opened with "The Truth Is A Terrible Thing" immediately followed by "Save It For The Bedroom". Josh Franceschi’s five piece galore seemed to take the commitment of headlining the whole festival as something on the chin and boy did they deliver. 

We caught up with a few fans who gave their appraisals in a few short words

Heather Thomson

“IT WAS RAD! Being As An Ocean were surprisingly my favourite pick of the litter. It was my first hard-core festival and it seems like I’ll be coming again next year. It was pretty cool to have loads of my favourite bands playing within a few metres of each other, my legs hurt now but it was so worth it!”

 

Josh English 

“Gloriously sunny drunk fun, big d and the kids table were f***ing fantastic and While She Sleeps smashed it as always, they never let you down just a lot of likeminded nice people all in one place, a proper friendly atmosphere.”

 

Leanda Skragg 

“Possibly the best line up I’ve ever seen at the festival. Was an absolutely sick day and I wasn’t disappointed with a single band I saw.”

Overall to sum up SLAMDUNK 2015, it was incredible and such a surreal experience. You could meet almost anyone you wanted throughout the day without having to queue for the meet and greets, it seemed the bands just like knocking around to meet fans and even catch other bands sets. The crowd to band relationships were intimate.

There was a huge variety of food and drink and very happy and helpful members of staff to serve it. There were plenty of offers from sponsors such as Desperados and Impericon giving away free goodies. The general atmosphere however was average. Maybe it’s due to the long weekend or the poor weather.

Due to the layout of the venue some of the stages would sound leak from one into the other, you'd be stood in the middle of the Monster Stage and still hear Impericon. The whole sound quality of the festival was below average, too much bass and echo for the size of the venues. It left little room for melodic instruments which had an adverse effect on everyone's performance. Despite this, the crowd seemed happy and the bands even happier.

Overall a good day and we highly recommend it, 2 thumbs up!

Arcticle By Ashley Beresford

Photographs from Sophie Jones

Love Saves the Day Review 2015

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The Bristolian two day event kicked off to a sunny start, bringing in flocks of hipsters from far and wide to Eastville Park. Saturday was a sell-out with queues of up to two hours to get into the festival site and huge lines for both the bar and toilets too. Despite the lack of amenities the curation of the festival was really well done, with all tents hosting an array of sounds for all tastes. With lots of Bristol performers, caterers and exhibitors, Love Saves the day 2015 definitely seemed a joyous celebration of the cool and diverse city.

Established as one of the best and biggest selling electronic acts, Groove Armada was one of the most legendary names to perform at Love Saves the Day this year. The relaxed and chilled vibes of daytime main stage instantly filled into a crowd of avid fans eagerly awaiting the electronic music duo. At the first kick drum the crowd went wild, kicking off the party atmosphere at main stage. Playing samples of 'I see you baby' the duo quickly move on delivering to a sea of raised arms and shoulder riders. Towards the end, the crowds attention began to slant just before teasing us with the legendary party anthem 'Superstylin' then kicking into it in full at the end just in time for sunset.

Cloud 9 presented by Apex proved to be tent for the party atmosphere hosting the likes of Tourist and Gorgon City. Tourist- a Grammy winning artist is certainly grabbing the musics lovers attention and 2015 has been a good year for him. As well as an excellent musician, he proved himself as a phenomenal DJ for Saturday Love Saves the Day. At no point did the crowds attention seem to stray. Gorgon City also provided a high finish to a night for the house/ garage fans.

The London singer/songwriter Jessie Ware, turned out to be a wonderful wind down a predominantly DJ and dance night. With some technical difficulties at the beginning Jessie Ware smoothly brushes it over by greeting the crowd. Her soulful and flawless voice eased us into sways of utter blissful happiness. Right before the end of the set Ware announces to 'slow dance with person you are standing next to' to which we complied singing the heart stopping 'Wildest Moments'. With the stage lights now turned off and heading back through the cold, the atmosphere of sheer satisfaction was upon the crowds face as you could hear passers-by singing Jessie Ware lyrics.

Saturday’s sunshine and atmosphere was the perfect way to really kick off the festival season and although the prior weather reports suggested otherwise, Sunday’s proceedings started in much the same way. Again, queues for the bars and toilets were a slight annoyance, even though tickets were still available on the door but it was nowhere near as bad as the first day. Perhaps the fewer people seeing the entire festival through were really making the most of the penultimate bank holiday before Christmas!

Giant illuminated signs outside the festival gates informed Sunday’s crowd that it was ‘party time’, and if any of the stages at Love Saves the Day lived up to this promise, it was the ‘Shambarber’ stage. Tucked away in the corner of the site, sheltered from the wind by the Paradiso tent and a slightly quieter bar ;) – this place was alive with festival spirit. It was a suntrap, with Dirtytalk and Jethro Binns providing the perfect accompaniment of feel-good house tunes making it really difficult to leave.

After a day outside, it was time to get some shade inside the paradise stage – one of the festival’s two larger tents. Floating Points’ stepped out, accompanied by a familiar face in Kieran Hebden (Four Tet), who must have been getting into the zone for his set later in the night. Floating Points’ impressed with yet another feel-good festival set – something he can be relied on. Whilst scatterings of electro-funk and disco took the premise, it was his own record ‘Nuits Sonores’ which really stood out as being something special.

After this a set by Daniel Avery which was again a lot of fun (although a little tamer than the last time I saw him at Manchester’s Soup Kitchen) it was the turn of Four Tet to take to the stage once again. Four Tet is an artist in the true sense of the word and once again he sculpted the perfect set to close the festival for the Paridiso tent’s crowd. He threw out tunes from every corner of the world, with samplings of African music seamlessly transitioned into deep electronic soundscapes. He treated our ears to some of his own tracks, with the reaction of the crowd to the haunting ‘Angel Echoes’ standing out as a highlight to the whole festival.

The time had come to get ready to round off a really memorable weekend and it was down to Harlem’s own Azealia Banks to close it out in style. Whilst Miss Bank$ has been known for a number of high profile arguments with other certain celebrities in the past, at love saves the day she let her music (and dancing) do the talking. Donning her sparkly purple jacket and white high tops and joined by her backing dancers, she covered and owned every inch of the stage. Singing and rapping along to songs which ducked and dived between hip-hop and popular dance in style, she brought her A-game from in the opening song of ‘Idle Delilah’, continuing to impress through to her arguably most famous track in ‘212’. There was no grand exit from Azealia – a simple ‘Thank you Bristol’ and she was gone.  

Liverpool Sound City Review 2015

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There's something counter-intuitive about standing in a tent when it's daylight & the sun is shining.* Ady Suleiman doesn't seem to mind. Hoodie sleeves pushed up on his forearms, he's tasked with opening the Cargo stage for Sound City 2015 & taking a suitably serious approach. It’s a small but merry crowd, one couple dancing drunkenly to 'So Lost'. Amy Winehouse fans will like Suleiman's soulful ska & straight talking. "I wonder what your body looks like." The tent grooves into the weekend.

*Behind the clouds, we assume. It's a grey day, sure, but better than many. 

The Kraken tent cheers six-strong folk act The Sound Poets. Out on the North stage, Delta Rae looks frighteningly cold. It's gusty on the docks, at ground level even. I want to dip the band in hot chocolate & wonder briefly if the Tim Peaks Diner would oblige.

London act Vaults is understated but by no means underdone. Frontwoman Blythe Pepino is unmissable in traffic light red, eyeliner streaming (intentionally, we hope). She is barefoot singing ‘Poison’ & moving from the heart. New single ‘Cry No More’ is a tricky thing, sad & hopeful. Ethereal, electronic, I hear Massive Attack & get those same goodly emotional vibes. The bass at the Atlantic is something else. I spend several minutes watching the stage skirting shudder to the beat.

The Lytics have the Cavern under command, four bright voices in unison. It’s only when the stage empties that I catch sight of one of their number’s leg in a cast. How on earth did he manage all that bouncing? Carnival Youth is perfectly sentimental with numbers like ‘Never Have Enough’ & ‘Brown Eyes & All The Rest’. Before taking the mic, the drummer warns the next is a quiet song. “So yeah, you probably won’t hear anything.” Cute.

Back at North (getting the nautical theme now?), a Jack Sparrow lookalike has one leg up in the air, posed like a plucky pigeon as he strikes the synth.

Spector thrashes out 2012’s Chevy Thunder on the main stage. Lead singer Fred Macpherson has been growing his hair since I saw him last but is no less officious in trademark business attire. New single ‘All The Sad Young Men’ is affecting. “I don’t wanna make love, I don’t want to make plans. I don’t want anyone to want to hold my hand.” It’s a great set, easily as good as later acts Everything Everything & fellow Londoners The Vaccines.

All We Are reign supreme on day two, ‘Keep Me Alive’ an understandable hit. ‘Utmost Good’ is just that, delicious summer listening and even better live. After an obligatory stop at Dogtown & a healthy bout of VIP boat envy, we’re back at base for Dutch Uncles & Duncan Wallis’ enthused vibrato. There’s a video game quality to their sound that I love, playful & rhythmic always.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra is another highlight & way more appealing to this reviewer than headliners The Flaming Lips, though without aid of flashy props. I bet Lonelady kills it too but as happens at a festival, we’re caught up enjoying & miss her completely. 

Bill Ryder-Jones is a discovery, at ease playing very personal tunes to the festival’s biggest stage. Moon King deserves a mention for their undersubscribed set at the Baltic, one of the new venue’s more exciting spaces. C.A.R. looks happy sipping Fosters in the sun & it’s ultimately refreshing to get a band all smiles.

Boys club The Raglans are raucous on the Cargo stage & give the audience an epic drumming break to close their set. Things get rowdier as the festival draws to a close, The Cribs not helping matters with older, better known material like ‘I’m a Realist’ & ‘Men’s Needs ’ stirring up the crowd. Security high-fives the first crowdsurfer to reach the front of the stage but I’m wondering if the joke is a little old the tenth & twelfth time. It’s great to watch, the hippies, mods & rockers, the hatted & bespectacled, all joining in the swell.

It’s hard to determine the ebbs & flows, the tarmac of the main stage emptying & filling in parts ahead of a hotly anticipated set from Belle and Sebastian. I’ll admit new album ‘Girls In Peacetime Want to Dance’ was my first encounter of the hugely popular indie outfit from Scotland, but I’m determined to explore their back catalogue after tonight’s showing.

I’m not sold on the new format. What made Sound City great in previous years was that it wasn’t one single identifiable & homogenous thing. It inhabited the cafes & bars of Liverpool’s cooler quarters & to that end, was supremely easy to access & enjoy. The docklands setting should be a win & there is more than enough music on offer, but I’m missing those laidback communal spaces that can make the in-between moments the best in a weekend (not counting the dodgem cars – they’re ace).

Let’s give it a year & see what’s what on the docks in 2016.

 

 

Common People 2015 Full Review

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Bank holiday weekend in Southampton, all the cool kids are down at the beach right? Wrong. This weekend there’s a new festival on the scene brought to you by the wonderful wizards behind Bestival and Camp Bestival and it’s called Common People. Held on the beautiful Southampton Common smack bang in the middle of town, it’s easy to get to and find places to stay, family friendly and with an eclectic line-up sure to please each and every person in your squad.

Saturday sees the likes of George The Poet energising the main stage whilst the rolling thunder of The Portsmouth Batala band is going strong in the foodie area, and people are soaking up the sunshine and sipping pitchers of cocktails on the grass. Around the corner from the Uncommon stage hides the exciting kids area, featuring a tiny chair-carousel, a massive inflatable slide and a whole host of activities from crafts to stilt walking. A group of dads are also haphazardly trying to one-up each other with their hula-hooping skills.

Over on the main stage The South Sea Alternative Choir are looking decidedly mod but are banging out some classic covers from the likes of The Beatles and Blur. The VIP area is awash with sunbathing bodies on the woven canopy beds and the arena is starting to fill up for the masked Ninja DJ, Jaguar Skills. Jag’s set starts out loud and heavy, mixing in his musical influences and pop culture references, The Prodigy’s ‘Omen’ makes an appearance, as does the festival’s (already much played) namesake tune ‘Common People’ from Pulp. Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’ gets a round of applause from the Dad contingent, and everyone loves a bit of Faithless ‘Insomnia’. It’s a powerful set, if a little weird to witness in the daytime, instead of a dark grimy warehouse. 

DJ Yoda is up next, a Bestival stalwart who usually has an incredible AV show, which was advertised but doesn’t seem to have materialised. Nonetheless, Yoda’s mixes are seamless and the guy just looks permanently happy. From Macklemore to The Sugar Hill Gang, Chic to the Sesame Street theme, DJ Yoda just knows how to deliver a great set.

Following Yoda comes De La Soul, who spend the first few minutes of their show joking with the crowd and calling “Can all the photographers, all the journalists down here, just put their cameras down for a second and put one hand up in the air… and get down” as well as teasing the VIP area saying “VIP? We don’t do that bullshit”. Their no-nonsense style brings out the gangsta in the crowd, and there are random gang signs being thrown up all over. 

Around 8pm appears to be dinner time in the south, as the queues stretch out in front of each food outlet, but the offerings are better than your average city festival. No dodgy burgers or disappointing noodles to be had here – it’s gourmet grilled cheese for us (brie, pear and walnut) from a little independent trader, washed down with a cocktail from the Day of the Dead Cocktail Bus.

Big Top headliners Waze & Odyssey are going off and the stripy tent is bouncing as the sun goes down. The Main stage welcomes firm festival favourite and long time Rob-da-Bank pal Norman Cook, also known as the epic Fatboy Slim. Bringing out a choir to intro ‘Eat Sleep Rave Repeat’ is a touch of genius and something completely special, even to those who have had the pleasure of seeing a Fatboy Slim show before. With his creepy white mask torn off, and signature Hawaiian shirt out and proud, Norm hypes up the packed arena with a host of hits and mixes at ear-bleeding levels, and everyone loves it. There’s something pretty exciting about seeing parents and teens raving alongside each other, covered in neon paint and totally lost in the music together. Giant inflatable balls are thrown out for ‘Right Here, Right Now’ and the crowd is going absolutely mental. Finishing up with lasers and another choral rendition of ‘Praise You’, it’s clear that Fatboy Slim has made Common People his own, and to top it off a barrage of fireworks breaks out as the sitewide exodus into town begins.

 

 

Read our Fatboy Slim review here

Sunday starts out a little cooler and there are decidedly less people in early, though judging by the state of some of last night’s revellers, that may be down to hangover recovery in nearby hotels and homes. Over on The Uncommon Stage a decent crowd has gathered for young bid-winners The Costellos who thank everyone for coming out to see them, before diving headlong into a fun and energetic set.

People are dancing on benches and drinking cocktails out of hollowed out watermelons over at the Day of The Dead bus, whilst the West End Kids put on a great main stage show. It’s a pretty clever and creative idea for the early slot at a festival actually, something that is lively and entertaining but can be sat and watched, it’s a wonder more festivals haven’t yet tried it. DJ Craig Charles wants everyone to know that his alter egos from Red Dwarf, Coronation Street, Takeshi’s Castle and Robot Wars are ‘not him’, and that he’s just a DJ who loves to play funk and soul. Despite a bit of a mishap repeating ‘Uptown Funk’ at the beginning, it’s a set that dragged the masses from their bums to the front for a good old boogie.

Following on comes the unstoppable and lewd force of The Cuban Brothers. For those who’ve never seen them before, it is a life-lesson in exactly what the watershed exists for. The cheeky chaps bounce around the stage break dancing and throwing shapes like there’s no tomorrow, with a couple of big jumps and lifts from One-Erection and Kengo-San, some head-spinning and of course an almost-nude run around the gangway by Miguel. Archerio in a lycra fringed onesie is an image which could haunt a child, but luckily his moves are memorable and there are more than a few kids worryingly trying to imitate his twerking. Miguel carries a kids-only chant for “Kenny… the bastard” before making up his own little ditty about touching husbands’ wives whilst they go to the bar… #miguelitomumtouch. Yelling “I’ve had five punnets of nose-whisky” to explain why he can’t run for Mayor of Southampton, Miguel drops into ‘Mike for President’ and the crowd is loving it.

Next up, Kitty, Daisy and Lewis are joined onstage by enough equipment to power the London Philharmonic, which they swap and change frequently. They do a good job and play some truly beautiful music, but in terms of atmosphere, it is a bit of a comedown after the wild abandon of The Cubans. Hot band of the moment, neo-punk rockers Slaves strut onstage and launch into an aural assault of drums and riffs that would be right at home with Vyvyan and Rick from The Young Ones. Gurning like bosses they get everyone amped up, but it might be a bit more of a style over substance situation. At least ‘Cheer Up London’ is an anthem for those who’ve travelled down from the city.

Stand out performance of the day goes to BBC Sound of 2015 winners Years and Years. The unassuming electro-popsters take to their first ever festival main stage and completely blow everyone away with their mix of soulful style of house beats and beautiful vocals. ‘Titus’ and ‘Eyes Shut’ have the (extremely young and female) front row screaming at the highest pitch, and when lead singer Olly really gets into it and winds down to the stage – the mood is electric. New single ‘Shine’ is a surefire hit, and their already fan-favourites ‘Real’ and ‘Kings’ are standalone incredible. 

Band of Skulls bring a rock and roll edge to the proceedings with ‘Hoochie Coochie’ and tell the crowd “We’re so proud to be here for the first Common People, thanks to Rob for inviting us, we hope this goes on for a very long time”. ‘Sweet Sour’ is raw and brilliant, but ‘The Devil Takes Care of His Own’ is the standout song of their set.

Up next Clean Bandit clearly have a following as a slight delay sees people chanting for them to come on, and ‘Come Over’ gets a warm welcome as we say goodbye to the last snippet of sun-sun-sun-sunshine for today. Jess Glynne collaboration ‘Rather Be’ is the final song of an amazing set, and seems like a perfect sentiment for a Sunday afternoon of revelry, especially considering it’s a bank holiday tomorrow. 

As a black curtain is raised over the main stage, it’s time for the final act of the first ever Common People. The ever bonkers Grace Jones is a breath of fabulousness that comes from years of not giving a single eff what anyone thinks of her. Striding on in an ensemble that can only be attributed to the tale of the Emperor’s New Clothes, and high heels, Jones proves that she is the ultimate performer, gadding about the two layer stage and winding with an extremely buff male pole dancer. Hits ‘La Vie En Rose’ and ‘Pull up to the Bumper’ go down well, but it’s her combination of ‘Slave to the Rhythm’ and her mad hula-hooping skills that set the night alight. Grace Jones has been there, done it, got the tshirt and discarded it for a thong. As the fireworks explode over the Common, it’s clear that Rob-da-Bank and crew are onto another winner. With Bestival, Camp Bestival and Bestival Toronto all still to come this year, Southampton has had the first tasty smackerel of this summers’ winning formula, and it is spectacular.

Read our review of Grace Jones here

 

 

Grace Jones headlines Common People 2015, in her undercrackers

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Some people just don’t give a solitary shit what you think of them. Those people make the best entertainers. A giant black screen is dropped to reveal Grace Jones slinking out from behind her backing singers who are wearing giant fru-fru net headpieces. Jones herself, never to be outdone in the mad fashion stakes, is sporting nothing more than a waspie, thong, heels and some body paint. Oh, and a giant gold skull mask with feather headdress.

As the chilly crowd look on in awe, Grace says what we’re all thinking “I was planning on it being summer when I came out naked, well, at least spring-time! Don’t tell anyone I’m naked…” much to the awe of the small boy on the front row, who is just dawning on the idea that those are really bare breasts.

Creeping around the elevated stage set wearing what looks like a painted bin-liner is certainly one of the weirder sights we’ve seen this weekend, but Grace just keeps one-upping herself in the style stakes with a host of other outfits throughout the night. ‘Walking in the Rain’ has the crowd dancing along with her but the biggest whoops are reserved for her extremely lithe male pole dancer who shows off his moves and muscles. With a glass of wine held aloft, Grace asks “To love, l’amour. How many of you guys are in love tonight?” before launching into ‘La Vie En Rose’. 

Photo courtesy of Common People

Rowdy favourite ‘Pull up to the Bumper’ goes down well, and Grace, now sporting white plumage in the style of show-horses, dramatically discards her heels yelling “Damn I just nearly broke my ankle, I should not be wearing these high heels!” and hops onto the back of a roadie for a tour around the front row fans.  

Back on stage she sports an incredible mirrored hat which turns into a live disco-ball when lasers are shone onto it, but it is the fact that at 67 years old Jones completes ‘Slave to the Rhythm’ in its entirety whilst hula hooping amid spraying confetti cannons, that really brings it home. Though the younger crowd might have been there for the likes of Clean Bandit and Years and Years, Grace Jones did more than uphold her legacy in front of them tonight. What Common People got was the kind of show you can’t take your eyes away from, and that’s what makes the memories.

BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend Norwich Sunday Review

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Despite the rain falling hard and fast onsite at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Norwich, the second day of the festival was one full of anticipation ahead of the arrival of Taylor Swift to Norwich. Perhaps perfectly timed by the universe, the clouds cleared and the sun emerged to beam down upon the incredibly large crowd just in time for Swift's performance that cemented her dominance as the biggest and best popstar in the world right now.

Having conquered the charts, Clean Bandit made sure everyone was dancing as if there were no tomorrow, playing tracks from their debut album 'New Eyes' as well as bringing out the incredibly talented Rae Morris to perform collaboration 'Up Again'. Violinist Neil Milan brought out his trademark dance moves as he bounded about the stage like he was headlining.

Rae Morris performing onstage with Clean Bandit at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. Image from the BBC

Gaining exposure at such an early stage of an artists' career brings with it an incredible weight of exepctation, and Irish singer-songwriter SOAK showed signs of nerves as the usually chatty performer kept talking to a minimum as they delivered heartbreakingly beautiful odes that would have you think she was much older than her young years. Channelling the raw emotion of legends such as Tom Waits. 'Be A Nobody' and 'Blud' brought the In New Music We Trust stage to a stunned silence, as the audience became visibly introspective about what these songs that many had perhaps never heard before made them feel. 

SOAK bringing the In New Music We Trust Stage to a standstill 

As a self confessed pop music sceptic, it was with trepidation that Rita Ora's set was approached. But such scpeticism was unfounded, as Ora delivered one of the highlights of the weekend. However you may want to criticise artists who perhaps don't have total creative input when making music, there is no denying that Rita Ora can sing. Really sing. Her set was heavy with hits from across her already impressive career and tracks such as 'Doing It' and 'RIP' went down an absolute storm with the age spanning crowd. Pop music at it's finest.

As the sun peered out from behind the clouds, Jungle took to the In New Music We Trust Stage to kickstart the carnival atmosphere ready for the night ahead. 'Busy Earnin' 'Time' and 'Julia' amongst many others had the tent bursting at the seems with people dancing and partying their way through a set that felt very much like a victory lap for a band that experienced runaway success across last year's festival circuit.

How does one describe James Bay? Well according to more than a few people poised to see him, he falls somewhere between "the most beautiful man in the world" and "his face was carved by angels" which when coupled with his amazing voice and melodies shows exactly why he was deserving of this year's BRIT Awards Critics Choice Award. 'Hold Back The River' and 'Let It Go' erupt massive crowd singalongs that are almost loud enough to drown out Bay's own voice. 

One name has been synonomous with this year's Big Weekend. You might have heard of her before? She likes to shake it off with fellas with hella good hair and recently she unveiled an already iconic video seeing her army of powerful ladies do battle against the forces of evil. Still unsure who it is? It can only be Taylor Swift.

Introduced by a BBC Radio 1 listener who won the opportunity to welcome Swiftie to Norwich, Taylor was greeted by screams of 'TAYLOR! TAYLOR!' as she emerged in a decadent sparkly outfit to reminds us all what a star she is. Opening with 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together', the next 40 minutes passed like some sort of euphoric chorus direct from the heavens. There were lifelong Swifites rubbing shoulders with recent converts following the release of '1989'. Strangers became friends over a shared love of shaking it off and that is exactly the kind of slap in the face that any present music snobs needed because in case you didn't get the memo; life's too short to be hating on someone as perfectly brilliant aas Taylor Swift. Ya hear?!

The beauty of BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, is that you don't get just one globe conquering act in a day. Oh no, you get TWO! Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters never thought he'd get to say Taylor Swift was his opening act which was greeted with thunderous cheers from a crowd who have grown up with his mighty powerhouse of a band.

Playing to a crowd of die hard Taylor Swift fans was never going to be an easy for a band who fall on the total opposite side of the music spectrum. But the appeal of the Foos is twofold – first you have the anthem after anthem back catologue of tracks such as 'Walk' and 'Congregation' and then secondly you have the heart warming personality of Dave Grohl that feels like you and he have been friends for decades. 

The euphoria washing over Earlham Park throughout 'Times Like These' induces a swelling of happiness and warmth in the heart of everybody onsite. Closing with a spectacular firework display, Big Weekend closed it's doors for another year and as the crowds poured away from the site in Norwich, there really was a collective consensus that this was without a doubt the biggest Big Weekend there has ever been.

 

 

BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend Norwich Review

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After Radio 1 announced in Febuary that the fine city of Norwich had been chosen to host it's annual Big Weekend, the
often overlooked city became abuzz with excitement of the hotly-anticipated event, Europe's largest free ticketed festival.
The local paper reguarly ran articles leading up to the weekend, transport timetables were altered, and there was a furore
on social media over gaining tickets for the most in-demand weekend of the year in Norwich. When the day came, it was a roaring 
success. 
 
Performing infront of an elaborate stage set of a dark red velvet curtain and an array of lined up lights with a harpist in tow,
you could sense that Florence and the Machine's set was going to be special, despite the usually theatrical singer's mobility being
affected by a broken foot. Singing infront of a big blue Norwich sky, Florence voiced her appreciation of doing so while singing the very
fitting new track 'How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful.' Her crowd interaction was very personable and endearing, clearly displaying a genuine
affection to the crowd. Florence belted out hits including 'Dog Days Are Over' and 'Sweet Nothing', her incredible voice showing no signs of
slowing down during the exceptionally inpressive long notes- drifting out the the crowd and probably beyond. Her heavy band only marginally
supported the already strong and sturdy voice of Florence that showed so much stamina, even overhearing a festival-goer 'getting goosebumps'
to then doing so when being encouraged to 'jump as high as you can' by Florence because she couldn't. A mesmerizing performance by the hugely-talented and remarkably humble and grounded Florence and her very impressive Machine. 
Photo courtesy of BBC Radio 1 website
 
After her performance, the crowd had an hour wait till headliners Muse made their appearance. It was easy to pass this time
looking at the big screens beside the stage seeing music revellers reactions to being spotted, some more amusing than others.
On they came, to a rousing welcome from the 50,000 strong crowd. They created a visually spectacular performance, with thunderous 
guitar riffs and use of bolts of lighting and flames firing out of the stage. Muse are known to use their music to display political views,
and their use of stage graphics depcited this by use of an authoritive and purposeful looking US military official shouting
orders at the captivated and at times on-edge looking audience. Lead singer Matt Bellamy played his signature unmistakable opening bars
to opening news songs Psycho and Reapers, followed by classics Suppermassive Black hole, Time is Running Out and Starlight. The band's
dark undertones intensified in the highlight of the set, Knights of Cydonia. By use a harmonica, bassist Chris Wolstenholme had the whole
audience on tenderhooks, with words like 'haunting' even being heard. Suddenly, that perilous sound was cut like a knife with Matt Bellamy's
piercing rythm guitar chords and riffs, proving his hype of being considered one of the best guitarists of the 21st century. With that
magnificent ending song, it was time for the crowd to head home, some coming back for the next day and some others seemingly happy with just
the Saturday's long stretch of excellent performances.
Photo courtesy of BBC Radio 1 website

Common People – Fatboy Slim Saturday headliner Review

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Over the almost two decades of Fatboy Slim, Norman Cook has been leader of the bucket-hatted masses, spaced out neon lovers with glowsticks and an assortment of psychotropic treats. So when Common People festival-goers were faced with a choral arrangement from a very serious looking but talented bunch of vocalists, more than a few confused looks were exchanged. However, the hums and notes gathered momentum into an absolutely brilliant (mad but brilliant) mashup of Norm’s super hits, from ‘Right Here, Right Now’ to ‘Eat Sleep Rave Repeat’.

As the choir wound up to a crescendo, the man himself hit the stage wearing a fairly creepy white mask and hood, looking a bit Detroit clown-gang, but tearing it off theatrically as the bass dropped for his own ‘Eat Sleep Rave Repeat’. Common People might be a brand new festival, but it’s clear some of it’s forefathers’ Bestival/Camp Bestival vibes are present, the glow-paint covered crowd are going absolutely mental already, and Norman throws off his hoody to reveal a loud Hawaiian shirt and some very suggestive hip wiggling.  

Throughout the set Norman mixes tracks from various artists, but it’s Zombie Nation’s ‘Kernkraft 400’ that gets the front row bouncing. The big screen shows computer generated graphics of his face with visable musculature and day of the dead style facepaint and when the well known ‘Samba De Janeiro’ is mixed in, giant acid-smiley inflata-balls are thrown out into the crowd.  

Talking Heads’ ‘Psycho Killer’ rolls into a mashup of ‘Right Here, Right Now’ and Underworld’s ‘Born Slippy’ as rippling blue lasers bathe the site in an otherworldly glow. Salt-N-Pepa ‘Push It’ has the rowdier (drunk) sorts attempting to push each other over. A clip showing Cook being slapped with a wet fish somehow leads us into what is understandably this festival’s herald – Pulp’s ‘Common People’.

Photo courtesy of Common People

For the finale, the choir, now in white gowns float back on stage to help with fan favourite ‘Praise You’ which has the entire crowd, even the guy inexplicably waving his crutches in the air – dancing in the traditional circle formation and singing along. As a massive array of fireworks light up the sky and mark the end of the night, it’s safe to say that Common People festival has picked a pretty epic first ever headliner. It’s amazing that one man behind a mixing desk can be such a presence, but that is exactly what Fatboy Slim does with an ease that says ‘I can do this in my sleep’ or maybe ‘I’d rather do this than sleep’.

Live at Leeds 2015 Review

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Awarded 'Best Metropolitan Festival 2014' and due to celebrate its 10th birthday next year things are going pretty well for Live at Leeds currently. One of a growing number of urban music festivals, there are some distinct advantages to be had from avoiding the expense and mud of the established camping festivals, and you get to sleep in a bed at the end of the day! Crucially though, there is a huge range of acts across multiple stages – and all at a very reasonable price tag of £27.50.

Based on an ethos of promoting up and coming bands, particularly local ones, the festival has given early career appearances in recent years for the likes of Jake Bugg, Rudimental and Royal Blood. However, a smattering of established acts are always on hand for those less adventurous punters with The Cribs, Gaz Coombs and experimental-punk-rock legend Thurston Moore all on the bill this year.

Legendary status comes in all forms and for the Leeds music scene it's a venue – in this case the Brudenell Social Club where things kicked off for me in impressive style with St. Petersburg's Pinkshinyultrablast doing their very best to revive the early 1990's British shoegaze sound. Fresh from a Radio 6 session earlier in the week their wall of sound comprising effects heavy guitar, synth and driving drum beat is well constructed and pleasingly reminiscent of their forebearers: Ride, My Bloody Valentine etc with perhaps even some Cocteau Twins thrown in for good measure. Next door on the smaller games room stage is Lancaster's Lake Komo offering up sweet pop melodies echoing somewhat The Magic Numbers. Back on the Brudenell main stage the fabulous Broncho from Oklahoma are in full swing. A raggle taggle bunch of skinny scruffs with ripped jeans, their twitchy, urgent Americana-punk is Ramones / Stooges inspired and has the afternoon audience bouncing joyously at the front.

In town at one of the bigger venues, Leeds Beckett University main stage I caught local band Hookworms' set of synth-led droning psychedelic rock. It's clearly a sound these boys take very seriously – powerful and confident; undoubtedly a band to watch for the future. Over the road Palma Violets open as they mean to go on with their driving, heavy blues rock sing-along anthems, sending a packed Leeds Town Hall into euphoria. Fans sitting on shoulders, jumping up and down, fists in the air: this is rock'n'roll as it should be – inspirational and ecstatic. On leaving the venue the queue for The Cribs was round the block leaving me questioning whether I would be able to get back in for the headliners but I was determined to catch Eagulls back at the student union, and was glad I made the effort. In the home of goth these Leeds locals are doing an admirable job of keeping the genre alive. The influence of Sisters of Mercy and The Mission is evident here using many conventions we have come to associate with that often, but unfairly, derided sound – scything guitar, walls of screechy feedback and a fabulously gaunt, waily voiced front man, complete with black over-coat.

Next up is Thurston Moore and his roots in experimentation and pushing the boundaries of New York's 1980's hard-core punk scene with his band Sonic Youth are very much on display in an elongated minimal Phillip Glass like intro plucked out on his guitar. However, this gives way to a catchy garage-punk chugging guitar groove which sustains his 15 minute opening track admirably. His vocals relatively quite in the mix, this is an altogether lighter, more melodic and easier on the ear sound than much of Sonic Youth's often challenging hard-core. Perhaps a little phased by the sparse turn out in the venue – packed to the gills for the previous set by Eagulls – Moore is initially rather taciturn but visibly perks up after a “We love you Thurston!” emanates from the audience, and finally breaks his between songs silence with a “Thank you” and introduction of his band as “Slade”!

Happily I am able to gain access to the town hall again for the second half of The Cribs set despite there still being a queue, albeit a diminished one. There is little that can go wrong here: the band are local boys made good (strictly speaking from nearby Wakefield rather than Leeds itself), now internationally famous rock stars playing a suitably rapturous homecoming gig. They belt out their catalogue of pop-punk anthems to an adoring crowd, surpassing the response, even, gained by Palma Violets. As has become customary in these parts at major homecoming gigs, the chants of “Yorkshire, Yorkshire” go up at the end and the band politely thank the audience before duly smashing up their instruments, denoting their now fully fledged rock star status.

To finish the day I can't resist making my way back to the Brudenell, which is at the fullest and sweatiest I have ever seen the venue, to catch the end of Slaves set. Keeping the DIY spirit of punk alive this is a primal and energetic two man drum and guitar assault, a Sleaford Mods / Rage Against the Machine hybrid perhaps. The security are kept busy by multiple stage invasions while band members Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent repay the compliment by jumping into the crowd themselves and completing the final song held aloft before embracing and leaving the stage – the gig clearly a powerful experience for them as well as us, and a great way to end Live at Leeds 2015.

 

Photos by Paul Jones