Reviews

Leeds Festival 2014 Weekend Review

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Leeds Fest 2014 began with an extra-early bang, with the introduction of bands and comedians on the Thursday night.

I myself plumped for the madcap comedic stylings of Adam Buxton, the bearded half of 90's comedy duo Adam & Joe, as a result of the tirade of rain which unleashed itself on the site on Thursday evening. Whilst the comedy tent itself offered shelter from the elements, Buxton's wacky style of humour failed to warm many of the on-lookers, although his unique blend of using his laptop to show us all strange goings-on from the internet, to his own home videos was a great idea for a comedy show- I can imagine if it wasn't the precursor to a weekend of music and camping, it would be pretty enjoyable. 

As it was, once the rain had cleared, it was over to the Relentless Stage, situated in a tree-lined strip inbetween the thriving campsites of Red and Orange, following the closure of the stage during 2013's torrential weather. DJ's like Zane Lowe, DJ Fresh and Klaxons were due for the three days, but we had fun nonetheless as the riotous atmosphere was a great set-up for the upcoming weekend.

With a few bleary eyes and banging heads (althoughI like to blame that on camping just a tad too close to the campsite DJ!), Friday was kicked off for me with a slice of the ultra-cool Jungle. A mysterious act made up of an array of vocalists, guitarists, keyboardists and drummers, many of whom do some serious multi-tasking, the West London band were pretty excellent. Sure extensive falsetto vocals can wane on even the most hardened of fans after a while, but when the beats were as fresh and bouncy as they were in the NME/Radio tent, you don’t mind. After an excellent LP and summer festival shows, they have proven there worth, even getting a pre-Clean Bandit crowd to loosen up and lose themselves in the sultry grooves.

Band of the moment, Clean Bandit were next up, and showed surprisingly that there is more to them than mega-hit ‘Rather Be’. No, their live show was assured, confident and FUN! Their unique twist on the genre is intriguing, throwing in classical music influences alongside the bass beats we’re more accustomed too, aswell as the familiarity of guest vocalists peppering the majority of tracks. They weren’t mind-bending, but packed out the tent and offered heaps of fun and innocent pop music for those who wanted it.

The Kooks are another band that bring back memories of adolescence for those of a certain age, and their new wave of sound, with increased R&B influences did certainly not disappoint. Infact, whilst they didn’t match solid favourites ‘Naïve’ and ‘Seaside’ for the sing-a-long aspect, it’s arguable that new singles ‘Down’ and ‘About Town’ were the best performances of their set. The new album releases this week, and it’ll be very interesting to see whether it can revive what many thought to be another band lost to the ages. Based on this performance, the Kooks could stay with us for while.

To many Macklemore & Ryan Lewis seem wildly out of place on a Reading & Leeds bill, their chart-friendly beats and raps surely not acceptable at such a venue? Such things are simply not true though, as Macklemore proved with a friendly, yet humoured stage presence and half a set of gold. That is the one issue I had with this set, it was far too long for the one album rapper, who actually, rather embarrassingly, played the same song twice. But that aside, his song introductions may have been to mask the extended set length, but he made it work- just.

Man-children, Blink-182 made it three times they had headlined both Reading and Leeds sites, the first for four years and ahead of a new album rumoured to be released to the world by the turn of 2014.

Kicking off with ‘Feeling This’, the US rockers breezed through their set, peppering song breaks with some genuinely crude, hilarious humour and entertaining the masses excellently with their extensive back catalogue.The crowd of course reacted magnificently to all-time hit ‘All The Small Things’, but then this was Friday night of Leeds 2014, it was heaving and pits were breaking out all over the inside barrier.

The trio of songs that made up the encore summed up the evening for the Americans; ‘Violence’ a breath-taking tune that allows every band member to step up to the plate, ‘Dammit’ a veritable classic that the first strokes of the guitar riff sent everyone into a fit of excitement, and ‘Family Reunion’, a 40 second tune that manages to pack in all of the band’s trademark crude humour in an expletive-ridden blast.

One way to blast out any morning cobwebs are Derbyshire duo, Drenge. The much-hyped two are loud and fast, known for thrashing away at their instruments and barely stopping to acknowledge their audience. This mid-afternoon slot was not dissimilar to the expectations, they were impressive if straightforward, more new tunes alongside those from their self-titled LP would’ve been nice, but after a year of touring, I’d expect them to hit the studio and get more content to take their live show truly to the next level.

Firm R&L festival favourites, Enter Shikari appeared for their sixth straight festival (in more than one guise!), with circle hits in abundance as frontman Rou Reynolds took time to sprint across the Main Stage, kick out at amps and generally cause a bit of a racket- but a good racket nonetheless! Shikari have grown at this festival, as has their sound, but they know how to work their crowd and how to entertain the masses, even if they’ve never truly broken out into the mainstream, but you know what…I think they prefer things that way!

Vampire Weekend were a band I had been waiting to see ever since their inception as an act, a trio of album in and the NYC collective were incredible. They hit every right note, from Exra Koening having the nerve to play the set in a full grey tracksuit, to the imperious moods they created, from the heart-melding ‘Walcott’ the riotous ‘A-Punk’, to an exclusive track never played live before, ‘California English’, they were exceptional. The start of the set saw one of the day’s torrential downpours, but by its crescendo, the sun was beating down on a magnificent performance.

Josh Homme and Queens of the Stone Age were up first, having closed the previous night at Reading. The band put on a simply brilliant rock show, with thrills in the shape of some impressive laser-shows and some mind-melting guitar-driven beasts of songs. The energy from the band was subtle, growing and growing with each tune. ‘No One Knows’ as song number two was a daring choice, but paid off handsomely as newbies ‘My God Is The Sun’ and ‘Smooth Sailing’ more than benefitted from the buzz generated. Classics like ‘Feel Good Hit of The Summer’ and ‘Make It Wit Chu’ ensured that ardent fans were catered for too, although personally I felt that the fresher songs from 2013’s ‘…Like Clockwork’ were those more warmly received and those better performed generally.

The last coupling of ‘Go With The Flow’ and ‘A Song For The Dead’ were awesome. The latter allowed drummer Jon Theodore to take centre stage, with a sizzling drum solo, it was a song that the band performed with such intensity and vigour, it was hard to take your eyes away from it. And that was that from Queens, a band who managed to surpass my sky-high expectations.

Hoping to shake off the electrical problems which had plagued them the previous night at Reading, Hayley Williams and Paramore, started off by complimenting QOTSA and brought out an extensive light show as they closed the night. The first half of the show was full of the old fan favourites, with a big sing-a-long for ‘The Only Exception’. As a result, the second lacked the punch of the first, with many of the recent self-titled record, which featured a distinct change of sound, making it up. I felt Williams was as good a leader as a band could hope for, fully of charisma and energy, but the performance didn’t connect with myself as much as it did with the ravenous crowd, who screamed and applauded for Williams and co in their droves.

Closing off the night the co-headliners rocked with a stint in the Silent Disco was a good choice. The tent, which had to be closed in 2013 due to high winds, was packed to the brim and offered great variety of current and past pop hits on one channel, with the other devoted to the rock the Reading & Leeds fanbase are more accustomed too. However, it was nice mixing it up every now and then, the atmosphere crackling into life every time a sing-song came on, with each DJ encouraging their sides to make some noise, always a great experience.

The last day of Leeds Fest 2014 saw the much-anticipated Royal Blood finally play, ahead of their just released debut LP. It was a fast, frenetic set which saw the bass and drum duo tear apart the Radio 1/NME tent, packing it out and then some at two in the afternoon, a pretty decent achievement at the end of a weekend chocced full of live music. I can certainly see them making their way up the R&L bill in the future.

Another band I’ve kept my eye on for a while are Brummie starlets, Peace. Possibly the most popular of the current crop of B-town talent, the indie rock outfit made their maiden Main Stage appearance and had a sizeable crowd, their fans amongst the most passionate of the modern day indie era. It was nice for new single ‘Money’ to get an outing, and their new material may swing towards a more poppy sound, but if the UK is to re-start its Britpop scene, look no further than these guys.

Next up was a guaranteed party with the madcap antics of The Hives. Sure they’d released no new material since last appearing at the festival in 2012, but they really didn’t need to, as they performed a masterful set dripping full of favourites like ‘Main Offender’ and ‘Walk Idiot Walk’, beginning with the customary ‘Come On!’, descending into a crowd sit-in and ending with the front section losing it to ‘Hate To Say I Told You So’. Sure, I heard some complaints about frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist’s extended crowd interaction…but I loved it!

I caught only the backend of Foster the People’s Main Stage set, but from what I saw I regretted not seeing the previous half-an-hour. A more mellow version of ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ was pretty memorable, but more than anything they were a band full of confidence and had some good crowd interaction, you got the feeling they were genuinely excited and ecstatic to be with thousands of us in a field in Yorkshire.

One band who’ve had an incredible 12 months are Imagine Dragons, going from a smallish spot on the NME tent last year, just before they made it big, to collaborating with Kendrick Lamar, selling bucketloads of their debut record and making it up to third on the bill on the Main Stage. Again, frontman Dan Reynolds was immensely likeable and thankful for being up there, complimenting R&L for believing in them when no one else would and taking a chance on them. Crowd favourites, ‘Demons’ and ‘Amsterdam’ peppered the set, before a cover of Blur’s ‘Song 2’ paved the way for the rendition of ‘Radioactive’ Leeds had been waiting for. Album number two should bring more exciting times ahead for the Las Vegas act.

Bombay Bicycle Club were as charming as ever as they headlined the NME/Radio 1 Tent, packing it to the rafters, as slices were taken from 2014 album ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’, most notably ‘Feel’, ‘It’s Alright Now’ and ‘Luna’. I’d seen the polished show around the time of the album’s release, but it was nice to see it having been developed and smoothed out for a festival crowd. Collaborators Rae Morris and Liz Lawrence added that little bit extra to one of the most satisfying hour the weekend had to offer.

From the NME tent, it was a mad dash to see the band most had been waiting for the entire weekend; Arctic Monkeys. The Main Stage field was packed as far as the eye could see, as the Yorkshire quartet cemented their status as one of the biggest rock bands in the world, even if their set wasn’t entirely perfect.

One look at the setlist would tell you the Arctics dusted off all the favourites, alongside extended coverage of latest record ‘AM’, but the performance was rather erratic, as frontman Alex Turner was occasionally slurry in his delivery and a bit out of it, plus the performances of songs like ‘Brianstorm’ and ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’ lacked their usual rapid rhythm, for whatever reason. But come the end of the set, it was hard to come away having not enjoyed at least a portion of the set, whether you were an old or a new fan, there was something for everyone in this intriguing 90 minutes.

And that was that for Leeds 2014, another grand Bank Holiday weekend with stacks of memorable moments and top performances by some of the most exciting acts on the planet, Leeds '15 can't come quickly enough!

 


Photos by Gary Mather

 

Leeds Festival 2014- Arctic Monkeys Review

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Arctic Monkeys were the band handed the honour of closing this year's Leeds Festival; the self-anointed Kings of Yorkshire playing a set just short of 90 minutes to a bumper 90,000 crowd.

Alex Turner and co followed on from the acoustic stylings of Jake Bugg and took the majority of the audience by storm, blasting out crowd favourites 'Do I Wanna Know? and 'Brianstorm' in a powerful 1-2 punch that set the tone for the rest of the set. 

Turner was his usual uber-cool self, the man practically oozing cool in a jacket with emblazoned with Yorkshire badges and drummer Matt Helders' famed '0114' bass drum adding to the sense of this being the Monkeys in their natural habitat, as close to a grand homecoming as they've managed and what turned out to be one of the last few shows supporting 2013's successful 'AM' LP.

However, I felt this record's slow and steady pace was reflected far too much across a number of their others tunes, the beat often being diluted especially prevalent in their breakthrough 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor'.

The mix-and-match nature of the set was a nice touch though, as the decade in which the Arctics have been around have seen them grow from a bunch of scruffy kids from Sheffield into the polished rock band they resemble today; having the likes of 'Dancing Shoes' alongside the mature, crisp 'No.1 Party Anthem' tells you all you need to know about the growth the band have had in a relatively short space of time.

A four-song encore saw fan favourites 'Mardy Bun' (albeit a short acoustic version) and 'When The Sun Goes Down' receive airings, alongside possibly the biggest song for the lads, 'R U Mine?', which had an extremely elongated ending which almost came across as tedious.

So that was the Arctic Monkeys; a reliable as ever headliner for a festival the size of Leeds and a set that a massive crowd lapped up, with Alex Turner immortalising himself as one of the leading frontmen in the industry.

Reading Festival 2014 – Friday

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It’s officially been one week since we were stood in the middle of a field, listening to some of the best talent that one of the best festivals the UK has to offer. Back this year with some killer headliners and an insane line up; Reading Festival was set to please gig goers far and wide. With thousands heading towards the southeast, wither you are a metal head or EDM lover the line up catered for everyone need. We were lucky enough to head down to the festival to see what went down in arena. Wither you’re in the middle of the annual post festival flu, post festival depression or just looking to see what went down, keep reading to hear our thoughts on this years performances.

One of the first bands we checked out on the day were main stage openers Hacktivist, having headlined day festivals such as Camden Rocks before this summer, the boys had in store a treat for the festivals early birds with the bands remix of Jay Z’s ‘In Paris’ was certainly a crowd pleaser. Crossfaith were a personal highlight of ours, having seen them previously and known what a show they put on, seeing the crowd react in such a positive way for the Japanese metal band proved that they are truly infectious. Despite not being to everyone’s musical tastes, their stage presence along was enough to attracting ongoing passers by.

Mallory Knox took a well deserved (and earned) step up on the Reading Festival ladder going from main stage openers to NME stage midday artists, attracting a very large crowd showed just how much these boys have stole everyone’s hearts. Playing their newest track ‘Ghost In The Mirror’ proved a crowd favorite, especially after the significant backing from BBC’s Radio One. Enter Shikari gathered a decent size crowd on Friday evening, playing crowd pleasing ‘Arguing With Thermometers’ and ‘Sorry You’re Not a Winner’ creating mosh pits that many up and coming bands would love to see at their show. Showing no matter how long they maybe away from live music for, the fans still wait.

Duke Dumont played a very energetic set over in the dance tent, proving ever so popular there was no room to move within the tent with many more bodies trying to squeeze their way into the full capacity tent.  Following on the same stage is a Summer Festival Guide favorite, Wilkinson created an atmosphere that grabbed and held everyone’s attention from the word go. With not one body stood still, MC Adapt was a great addition to the set constantly keeping the crowd going. Playing the new track ‘Dirty Love’, Wilkinson proved to be one of the best artists Friday’s line up.

To hear our thoughts on this years headliners and the rest of the weekends artists, make sure you check back here each day until Sunday night as we look back one week on from Reading Festival.

SW4 2014 – Saturday Review

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SW4 always promises to deliver a huge lineup; and this year was no different. Clapham Common battens down the hatches once a year for an onslaught of thousands of festival-goers eager to experience some of europe’s finest EDM DJ’s and Producers in the flesh.

We arrived at Clapham Common to a slightly cooler day and walked around the site to get our bearings; there was four stages this year, The Gallery, The Last Day on Earth, the DJ Magazine Arena, and of course the Main Stage. The set times had been posted so we knew where we needed to be and when; and first up was Oliver Heldens on the main stage. Somewhat predictably the early crowd knew exactly what they wanted to hear – Gecko. He set the scene well for the early comers, and we got some great photos of the crowd enjoying a rave in the sunshine.

Next up on the main stage was Danny Avila, who has had a quick rise in EDM, and now normally plays with the big names in the US – but his UK festival appearance this year shows his universal appeal. His bootleg of Ellie Goulding’s Burn went down particularly well. 

Leaving the main stage, we headed over to catch Loco Dice in the DJ Mag tent  – at our earlier interview with Tristan Ingram, he’d said how much he was looking forwards to Loco’s set, so we couldn’t miss it either and made sure we were right there to catch all the action. He didn’t disappoint and obviously really enjoyed his set; bouncing around the stage like it was midnight! It was still early, and the sun streamed through the tent’s openings – it got pretty hot in there, but the crowd stuck with him on his deep but funky journey. 

This is where it all got a bit hectic; we rushed back to catch Fedde Le Grand, saw him play a few stormers including Off With Yer Head, but we had to rush off again for Booka Shade – who were playing live in the Last Day on Earth arena. The stage had been cleared of the DJ booth, and in its place was two ‘pods’, one containing percussion, and the other, synths. The crowd was in for a treat! The guys gave a really expressive and vibrant performance, interacting throughout on the mic. Off again to catch Super8/TAB in the Gallery briefly before we rushed back to catch Seth Troxler while it rained (timing!). Seth is a relative newbie by comparison to Sasha who followed him in the Last Day arena, but by no means less impressive, and he really delivered a storming set to amp the crowd up for Sasha.

The festival site isn’t too large, so all the running about wasn’t too difficult. The entire central area was made over to food trucks and rides which made a welcome distraction for some.  We made it back in time to catch New World Punx on the Main stage – Markus Schulz and Ferry Corsten are ever the showmen and put on a fantastic show, really hyping up the now growing crowd – the huge screens had some amazing visuals and NWP had the pleasure of playing as the sun started to dip in the sky – what a beautiful sight it was. Alesso followed NWP and played a lovely dj set, warming up nicely and building the vibe for W&W, but it was over to catch Aly & Fila for us in the Gallery arena where the crowd were really getting into it. 

Knowing that Markus Schulz was up next we stuck around and were treated to a great set, punctuated with classics – always one to play to the crowd and we were not disappointed! The vibe was electric and you know when Ferry Corsten is hanging around back stage that something special is going on. I could have stayed front and centre there for the whole set, but Above & Beyond were up on the main stage, and we had to go capture!

By now the sun was well and truly down, and the lighting on stage picked up a notch- the Above & Beyond show had begun. Huge vocals, and reach-for-the-lasers tunes are what A&B are known for, and they certainly delivered right til the very end. 

Thank you SW4 – a fantastic day with some amazing moments and something I’ll remember for a long while. The journey home with the sorest feet I’ve had in a long time, and I can’t wait to do it all again next year!

Highlights for me were Loco Dice, New World Punx (Markus!), Aly & Fila and of course Above & Beyond. Epic day

Photos by Reetesh Rambhai

 

Steve Levine’s Assembly Point Sessions @ St Georges Hall Review

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St. Georges Hall has been transformed for tonight's event, the statues and pillars are hidden away with black curtains, the beautiful tiled floor is covered in artificial grass, and with the white picket fences in front of the stage, it has the feel of a rural village fete.  Material is draped above the audience and glows with the magenta coloured lights. The wonderful original architecture and decor of the ceilings and stain glass just peak through.

Steve Levine was commissioned by Liverpool International Music Festival (LIMF) to produce this collaborative event, hand picking performers, including artists he's produced, Boy George and Natalie McCool, along with Mark King, Bernard Butler, Tim Burgess, Hollie Cook and Mary Epworth. Each would perform a mini set backed by the others, with the night being finished off with a headline set from Boy George.

First up was Level 42's Mark King who opted to go with a cover of the Cream song 'Sunshine of your Love' and didn't leave the mixed audience disappointed with the pensioners rocking along with skinny jeaned teens.

Natalie McCool, Liverpool Music Awards' female artist of the year and possibly the hardest working live performer on the local circuit was next, performing 'Thin Air', an obvious choice for tonight as Bernard Butler supplied additional guitar on the track from her brilliant debut album. Bernard and Natalie were then left alone on stage to perform a track he produced and co-wrote for Duffy, 'Syrup & Honey' was one of the highlights of the night and showed just what a great vocalist Natalie McCool is.

If the audience were happy with what they had seen so far then they were about to be blown away with a full on onslaught of stomping Rock from Mary Epworth performing another of the nights highlights 'Black Doe' with the addition of almost every performer along with a horn section.

Hollie Cook certainly has a good musical pedigree, her Mother being Culture Club vocalist Jeni Cook, her Father Paul Cook, was the drummer in that little punk band The Sex Pistols and her Godfather is none other than tonight's headliner. Following a stint doing backing vocals for the reformed Slits in the late 2000's, Cook went on to release her tropical pop sounding debut in 2011 and released her second album using PledgeMusic this year. Her performance tonight is a little change from the rest of the acts, infusing her unique blend of reggae and pop to great effect on tracks such as 'Postman'.

By the time Tim Burgess hit the stage the audience had already been treated to what felt like a real celebration of music both old and new. With his blonde bowl cut almost covering his eyes his 4 song set list was stripped down, acoustic and laid back which was slightly disappointing at this stage of the night, although it was well executed and probably more suited to this one off event. 'The Only One I Know' being the stand out track.

Following a short interval it was Boy George's time to step into the limelight for his headline slot. If the set list was picked to please an indifferent festival crowd then he certainly achieved it. Mixing old solo tracks with a few Culture Club bangers, along with his newest solo tracks such as 'My Star' and even classic rock covers in the form of 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' and T.Rex's 'Bang a Gong' a song he recently collaborated on with The Black Lips. He never left out the obvious, if you could pick one of your favourite Boy George songs then it probably made an appearance, whether it be 'Hare Krishna', 'Karma Chameleon' or 'Everything I Own'. Boy George kept the crowd thoroughly entertained throughout, ending by inviting the rest of the performers on stage for a final bow.

A little clunky at times which is expected at this type of event with little rehearsal time. It felt a little like a one off live T.V. special. Directed by Steve Levine, and presented by Radio 6 DJ Chris Hawkins, the event had everything, interviews between sets and also the recording of a track throughout the night with performers (and the audience acting as a choir) adding overdubs to a new version of Gerry Marsden's 'Ferry Across The Mersey' in Steve Levine's stage side studio.  As far as collaborative one off, one night only live music spectaculars go, this was a massive success.

 


Photos by Stuart Moulding

 

Leeds Festival 2014- Queens of the Stone Age and Paramore Review

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The second night of Leeds Festival saw one of the more intriguing partnerships around; Queens of the Stone Age and Paramore split the honour of playing to the biggest crowd of the evening.

Queens were up first, having closed the previous night at Reading. Josh Homme and his extensive band put on a simply brilliant rock show, with thrills in the shape of some impressive laser-shows and some mind-melting guitar-driven beasts of songs. The energy from the band was subtle, growing and growing with each tune. ‘No One Knows’ as song number two was a daring choice, but paid off handsomely as newbies ‘My God Is The Sun’ and ‘Smooth Sailing’ more than benefitted from the buzz generated.

Classics like ‘Feel Good Hit of The Summer’ and ‘Make It Wit Chu’ ensured that ardent fans were catered for too, although personally I felt that the fresher songs from 2013’s ‘…Like Clockwork’ were those more warmly received and those better performed generally.

The last coupling of ‘Go With The Flow’ and ‘A Song For The Dead’ were awesome. The latter allowed drummer Jon Theodore to take centre stage, with a sizzling drum solo, it was a song that the band performed with such intensity and vigour, it was hard to take your eyes away from it. And that was that from Queens, a band who managed to surpass my sky-high expectations.

Closing Leeds on the Saturday night meant a shot at redemption for Paramore, whose Reading set had show-stopping delays of up to 15 minutes after a power shortage saw Hayley Williams have to resort to an acapella version of ‘The Only Exception’.

However, there were none such issues during the Americans set, featuring just over a dozen songs and a heap of Williams have a general chat with her adoring fans, one of whom she plucked from the front barrier and brought on stage to share the chorus of ‘Misery Business’.

Photo courtesy of Leeds Festival – Giles Smith

It was a slick show with pyro, confetti cannons galore and a couple of ‘I had to be there’ moments; the band’s newer material didn’t bring the same sort of attention and clamour that the classics did, but Williams has an endearing quality about her, as she represents that you can be who you want and rock out to 90,000 in a field in Yorkshire.

The experiment between two American rock-bands worked; both Queens and Paramore had some cracking moments, and I wouldn’t really be surprised to see extended full-headliner status for them over the next few years.

Leeds Festival 2014 – Blink-182 Review

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The event music aficionados had been waiting a solid 12 months for finally arrived last night as pop-punk kings blink-182 took to the Main Stage at Leeds for the coveted Friday night headline slot.

Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker and Tom Demonge made it three times they had headlined both Reading and Leeds sites, the first for four years and ahead of a new album rumoured to be released to the world by the turn of 2014.

A single black curtain covered the Main Stage, as the anticipation reached breaking point, before the music stopped, the drape dropped and the trio emerged to a Union Jack with the unmistakable blink logo taking the centre stage.

Kicking off with ‘Feeling This’, everyone’s favourite childish rockers breezed through their set, peppering song breaks with some genuinely crude, hilarious humour and entertaining the masses excellently with their extensive back catalogue.

The crowd of course reacted magnificently to all-time hit ‘All The Small Things’, but then this was Friday night of Leeds 2014, it was heaving and pits were breaking out all over the inside barrier.

Photo courtesy of Leeds Festival – Giles Smith

The trio of songs that made up the encore summed up the evening for the Americans; ‘Violence’ a breath-taking tune that allows every band member to step up to the plate, ‘Dammit’ a veritable classic that the first strokes of the guitar riff sent everyone into a fit of excitement, and ‘Family Reunion’, a 40 second tune that manages to pack in all of the band’s trademark crude humour in an expletive-ridden blast.

And that was it! Around 90 minutes after they’d first taken to the stage, blink were done and dusted. They’d brought bags of humour and energy to the Leeds Main Stage, not to mention a number of outrageous drum solos from the magnificent Travis Barker. Sure leadman Delonge was a bit off-key at moments, but the show that was put on by these three over-sized children was still a sure-fire, reliable way to kick-off another year of Leeds.

V-Dub Island Festival Review 2014

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V-Dub Island Festival – The Summer of Love, took place last week, running from 14th-18th August, at East Afton Farm, the former site of the legendary Isle Of Wight Festival that started in 1970.

Now in its fourth year the festival is still cutting its teeth on the circuit but growing in popularity each year particularly with VW lovers.  Previously held at the County Showground,  the new site with its views over the Solent to the New Forest and Lemington Spa, as well as panoramic views of the Island and coast line are worth the trip alone. But if like us, you like a bit of nostalgia, partying on the famous site where the likes of Jimmy Hendrix, The Who and The Doors all played together really made it that little bit more special.

V-Dub Island is unique for many reasons not least it community spirit amongst its organisers and supporters. It is an affordable and family friendly festival, where even dogs are welcome and life on the road is celebrated by Volkswagen enthusiasts, travelling from all over the country and abroad. Campervans, beetles and VWs of all shapes and sizes filled the site creating a beautiful scene from the surrounding hills, with thousands in attendance who come to show, view and even sell their beloved motors.

This year the campsite opened the week prior to the festival, allowing families to camp out under the stars for a few extra nights at ‘Carry on Camping’. And yes there were showers, and even a very helpful shuttle service taking you across the Island to play tourist or just to grab some essentials for just £1 as well as music in campsite café/bar each night.

Created by VW enthusiast for VW enthusiasts, the festival is first and foremost a VW show but it still boasts a great line up of music. Three stages played host to hundreds of bands and artists,  including highlights from  Rob Da Bank, and the Dub Pistols, The Skatonics, Jess White, Save the Dinosaurs and tribute bands Wight Floyd and the Jimmi Hendrix Tribute to name a but a few.

Other entertainment came in the form of Cabaret performances by Painless Parties, fun fair attractions, a giant water slide with extra bubbles and even a best dressed pet competition.  Our personal favourite was the Sheep Dog (Pictured). And that’s just for the big kids, the organisers make sure it is as family friendly as possible with magic shows, swings, story time, Bushcraft and Lego tents and a beach, known as Fantasy Island in the middle of the arena for all to enjoy.

Thursday saw the main arena open up to hundreds of Festival goers checking out the trade stands and entertainment while Friday saw hundreds more arriving in an array of colourful campers just in time for the Soap Box Derby trails, a terrific traditional event for all the family.

Saturday played tribute to sites famous beginning with a Summer of Love 1970s fancy dress theme, as well as the annual drive out and run to the surf where hundreds of camper vans, Beetles and VW Transporters drive in convoy to Colwell bay, famous for its views and surf. We spotted headline act Rob Da Bank in his camper amongst the crowds joining in the fun ahead of his Sunday night set, which saw the main stage area rammed with people of all ages dancing the night away.

We loved this cute family focused festival, it’s totally chilled out, and you can do as much or as little as you like and still soak up the atmosphere from the camp site or take part in in adventure activities on the Island minutes away. Can’t we live in a field filled with beautiful Campervans and beautiful people forever?

Pictures 1-14 by Rob Schaverien Photography copywright images.

V Festival 2014 Review – Weston Park

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Day 1

2014 saw a strong lineup for V festival. Previous years have seen the lineup cater towards a more commercial demographic, but this year included an impressive array of veteran artists, and new up and coming talent that would please the ears of the many festival-goers that would be in attendance.

The main stage opened on the Saturday with musical legend Nile Rogers and his band Chic. Most recently, Rogers has gained exposure for his work with French dance duo Daft Punk, but what most people are unaware of, is that he is behind some of the greatest hits ever released over the past 30 years. Unmistakably tracks such as “Everybody Dance” and “Good Times” were crafted at the hands of the American singer-songwriter, along with his sensational band. It was a pleasure to watch him play with such passion for the performance: a true musician.

Newton Faulkner’s set brought a nice change of pace to the afternoon as his began his set on the main stage, enticing the audience with his enchanting voice and his impressive guitar skills. The dreadlocked singer-songwriter would not usually be seen on the main stage at a large festival such as V, but nonetheless, he proved that the spot was well deserved. His UK top ten hit “Dream Catch Me” was certainly a crowd favorite among many others in a perfectly crafted set.

Rizzle Kicks, the cheeky chaps from Brighton genuinely appeared to be having the time of their lives as they bounced across the stage to a huge crowd at the MTV Stage. The duo looked euphoric to be in the privileged position that they’re in, as the audience collectively danced to their hit “Do The Hump.”

Paolo Nutini kept the crowd suitably entertained before the main headline act of the evening. His grizzly voice warmed the afternoon air with such tunes like “New Shoes” and “Pencil Full of Lead.”

The Sun had set across Weston Park as the crowd eagerly awaited the entrance of the headline act for the evening. Brandon Flowers lead The Killers onto the stage in a rather fetching glittery purple blazer that wouldn’t look out of place in a Gary Newman video.

The band made no delay in breaking into “Somebody Told Me” which resulted in the crowd bouncing up and down in full force. With such a strong back catalogue, more hits soon followed suit, most notably “Mr. Brightside” which surely has to go down as one of the most universally loved tracks of all time. The band was on fine form, and they delivered a set that was most certainly worthy of the headline slot they were given.

Day 2

Day two arrived as many bleary-eyed faces emerged from their canvas living quarters. Despite the inevitable hangovers, the energy was still high as the last of the adrenaline worked its way through the veins of the revelers.

My afternoon began with a fantastic performance from the immensely talented Tom Odell. I first spotted Tom during his performance on Live with Jools Holland, so I was eager to see his set in a festival environment. I was sold. The combination of his incredibly powerful voice and effortless piano playing almost seemed to send the crowd into a hypnotic trance as the notes waved out across the horizon. His masterfully crafted melodies reminded me of a hybrid of David Bowie and Tom Waits: not a bad comparison to make! The highlight of his set was “Another Love” which most certainly drew the lighters from the audiences’ pockets.

I stuck around at the main stage to catch Leeds-based rockers Kaiser Chiefs, a personal favorite of mine. Front man Ricky Wilson sure knows how to keep an audience entertained with his energy and enthusiasm, running up and down the stage like an over-excited school kid to the unmistakable sound of their hits such as “I Predict A Riot” and new single “Coming Home.”

I ventured over to the MTV Stage to witness pop legend Blondie in action. Her performance was superb to say the least, entertaining the older members of the crowd with classics such as “Atomic.” It’s great to see an artist of Blondie’s caliber still wowing audiences with her performances. It surely is a testament to her determination and hard work.

I made my way back to the main stage to catch another British star take to the main stage. Acoustic wizard, Ed Sheeran never fails to impress me with his live performances. A strong set filled with old and new material from his most recent album, “X” kept the large audience entertained, whilst anticipating the headline act.

The audience could hardly contain their excitement over the anticipation of the last headline act of the weekend; the incredible Justin Timberlake. As he casually made his way onto the stage, to an almighty roar from the audience, he oozed class and confidence as the band kicked in and he began his set, filled with hit, after hit, after hit. Each note he sang was inch-perfect and his dance moves were a sight to behold.

In the same fashion as the previous night, the crowd made no reservations in signing their hearts out to hits such as “Senorita” and “Sexy Back” which resulted in an almost overwhelmed-looking JT as the thousands of voices screamed back at him in unison.

Overall, V Festival was an incredibly entertaining weekend. Every act that I was fortunate to see was on sublime form, and that (coupled with the hangover) made for some serious post-festival blues!

Green Man Festival 2014 Review

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The valleys are alive… with the sound of music.

Thousands of like-minded music lovers made camp at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain this weekend to enjoy another inspiring Green Man Festival.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the greatest festival in the UK has to be Green Man. With beautiful music in equally beautiful surroundings, the atmosphere here is unlike any other.

Last year, my partner and I brought our 7-month-old to what would be our first festival as a family and our first Green Man. Initially worried about what to expect we soon became enchanted with its approach to live music, ethical values and it’s family friendly nature – we vowed to become regulars.

Unfortunately for us we would be begin our weekend on Friday which meant having to miss Thursday’s headliners, The Waterboys but from what I was told, the classic hits from their 80s album Fisherman’s Blues was the perfect end to the first night.

It must’ve been a good one because by the time we had rocked up, pitched the tent and headed into the festival for a pint we discovered the signature Growler Ale was already on the decline, not to worry though as the on-site beer and cider festival meant there was plenty on offer for ale and cider aficionados alike.

With the ground now nicely dried from the previous days down pour and with the sun blazing above the Black Mountains we settled ourselves in front of the Mountain Stage with a couple of cold ones.

The Augustines were just about to begin and the New York three-piece were the perfect way to kick start our weekend. Their crashing sound shook us out of the slump we were feeling after the journey down and when frontman Billy McCarthy announced it was his birthday the whole crowd erupted in an impromptu rendition of Happy Birthday. That Green Man spirit and friendliness reminded me how happy I was to be there.

Photo courtesy of Green Man Festival

Our toddler had danced himself silly so we thought we’d take a walk to settle him to sleep before heading back to the Mountain Stage for Daughter and headliners, Beirut.

As a parent, other people’s judgment is a constant and irrational worry. In normal life, seeing a baby up after 9pm might invite all manner of tuts and side glances, the beauty of Green Man though is that the experience is as much for children as it is for adults. Wagons padded out and adorned with fairy lights are the transport of choice for tired little legs and are more abundant than drunk teenagers, thankfully. Hiring one of these won’t break the bank either and it ensures headliners don’t have to be missed. Everyone’s happy.

The effort to maintain the ground management to ensure it’s accessibility for wheelchair users, pram pushers and wagon pullers alike is also of noteworthy importance. The whole arena is relatively flat and is a pleasure to walk around, and as night falls, the trees light up and the place is framed with fairy lights, it truly is a magical place.

Back at the Mountain Stage, Daughter provided a stunning set playing tracks from their debut album If You Leave and EP, The Wild Youth. The ethereal voice of Elena Tonra was an early highlight. Perhaps one of the most anticipated acts of the weekend, they certainty didn’t disappoint. Hearing the hauntingly beautiful, Still come to life was earth moving and you couldn’t help but get drawn in by the raw emotion of it all.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Harris

Nicely mellowed out, we struggled to fight back the desire to head back to the tent, we knew we’d made the right decision however when Beirut burst on stage.

The rapturous trumpets blew out the need to sleep and the hit filled set soon had us all on our feet. Frontman Zach Condon seemed genuinely thrilled to be given the top spot and they were clearly the perfect choice to end Friday’s festivities.

Photo courtesy of Alex Elms

Unzipping our tent the following morning and watching the mist rise over the Black Mountains was something special indeed, and as the clouds parted across the valley all that was left were blue skies.

After breakfast we headed over to the Little Folk Enclosure to catch The Flying Seagulls. We saw this merry band of performers last year and were fascinated by their mix of energy and madness, perhaps more so than some of the kids!

Our toddler eventually pulled his parents away from the Seagulls and took us over to I See Magical Creatures, a whimsical band of characters who encourage creativity and participation through arts and crafts. We stayed and painted a rhinoceros and then as you are encouraged to do, we hid him near a tree for someone to find. This was an adorable activity that allowed our imaginations to run free and kept our boy enthralled for a good while.

After wandering though Einstein’s Garden and chatting to some very clever and creative minds there, we decided to head over to the Far Out tent to catch reformed Swansea band, The Pooh Sticks. Their inoffensive indie had us bopping along and we hung out after to catch up-and-coming purveyors of modernist pop, Woman’s Hour.

After bumping into friends and family with their children we pitched up near the helter skelter for a bite to eat and planned our next musical move.

We hung around the Far Out tent long enough to catch Fat White Family, eager to see what all the fuss was about with these young lads.

After reading about the madness from some of their earlier gigs I was keen to see what extrovert frontman Lias Saoudi would bring. Shirtless and repeatedly off stage and in amongst it, the punk-ish behavior somehow wasn’t enough to distract from how musically brilliant these guys are. Yes, they’re over the top but that’s what makes them so addictive – it was certainly up there with one of the best performances of the weekend.

We decided to forego I Break Horses in favor of a pit stop back at the tent before heading back down to the Mountain Stage for the evening.

We caught the tail end of The War On Drugs, and as we approached I couldn’t help but notice how packed the crowd was. Lead singer Adam Granduciel belted out songs from new album Lost in the Dream and had everyone warmed up for Mercury Rev.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Harris

Playing their classic album, Deserters Song’s in its entirety, headliners Mercury Rev were phenomenal. Considered one of the highest rated albums of the year when it was released in 1998, it truly was a joy to hear live.

Sunday started much the same as Saturday. We spent far too much time singing along with the Flying Seagulls but managed to pull ourselves away when we heard the band begin for No Fit State Circus who were on site showcasing some of their amazing skills and acrobatics.

Having seen the company perform Bianco last year I was hoping to see a little more from No Fit State, their blend of carnival vaudeville circus techniques were fun but unfortunately I wasn’t blown away. It was worth hanging around just to listen to their band though who were stomping out all manner of Parisian infused cabaret music which really got the audience going.

Sunday was mostly a day for lounging and exploring. We wearily wandered around the Nature Nurture area, discovering the joys of bush craft and wished we’d had the foresight to book into the spa before deciding to push on through and head to the Babbling Tongues tent.

We were hoping to catch Howard Marks who was due to give a talk on Dylan Thomas to tie in with the centenary celebrations but unfortunately this was cancelled. However, we were able to chat all things Dylan Thomas with aficionado and number one fan, Jeff Towns who was on-site with his mobile bookstore, Dylan’s Book’s.

After a good chinwag we decided to head back to the tent to feed the kid and layer up for the evening.

We made our way to the Mountain Stage later that evening and settled in to catch First Aid Kit.

“Hello, we’re two Swedish sisters,” were the first words from beautiful songstresses Johanna and Klara Söderberg and I overheard someone suggest the large crowd was probably made up of men, eager to catch a glimpse of the stunning pair rather than take in the music.

Whatever your reason for being there, their beauty was matched by equally gorgeous vocals. Playing tracks from their new album Stay Gold, and peppered with earlier tracks like Wolf, their set had something for old and new fans.

Bringing the festivities to a close were folk legends, Neutral Milk Hotel who returned to the stage bringing with them a newfound vitality and spirit. After disbanding in 1998, they returned to touring last year and the reception they’ve received every since has been huge.

After having far too much fun we couldn’t bare to stay up to watch the Green Man burn, the annual flaming full-stop that marks the end of the weekend would mean it really is all over for another year.

With such an eclectic programme of acts each year it is clear to see why thousands flock here. The breathtaking backdrop is the perfect location to what is fast becoming one of the most highly anticipated festivals of the summer. Only 360 odd days until the next one!