Reviews

Y Not Festival 2014 Review

by

One of the UK's fastest-growing festivals, Derbyshire's Y Not returned for its ninth outing and delivered a weekend chocked full of 'I was there' moments; be it the triumphant closure of Dizzee Rascal's compelling Saturday night headliner set, the smooth hip-hop of American trio De La Soul or the rousing, foot-stomping bangers that pumped out of the Saloon Bar all weekend long, there was something for every music lover, young and old, at this year's gathering. 

For me, it began on Friday with exciting Birmingham band Superfood. Scores of teens flooded the main stage front to see the intriguing four-piece, who proceeded to belt out guitar-led anthems that were shouty, loud and fun. A band who'd been on my radar for a while, exceeded my expectations and kicked off the festival nicely. Intermittent rain showers were just a preview of the weather to come, but still it led me to the Saloon Bar in the middle of the site, to check out Three Minute Heist. 

The Saloon Bar is a perfect replica of an American Western bar, with only the stench of Somersby cider and cans of Tuborg giving away the fact we were at a festival in the middle of the Derbyshire countryside in 2014! Nevertheless, that didn't stop the aforementioned quartet bringing their brand of country blues and sing-a-longs along to transport us back a century. The packed out venue was rocking, especially so with closer 'Johnny B. Goode'.

After checking out the finest reggae and drum 'n' bass tents Y Not has to offer, it was off to the wetter Main Stage to check out London's very own Spector. Lead singer Fred Macpherson's powerful and unique vocals managed to keep his band alive, as they put in a so-so performance of their back catalogue 'Chevy Thunder' and fresh cuts from an upcoming new record, that managed to keep the crowd bobbing along to their bouncy pop-rock.

The first of the weekend's big boys then took to the Main Stage; Johnny Borrell leading his Razorlight bandmates out almost a decade after headlining a stage at Glastonbury. They reeled through a Greatest Hits set in which you could sense their class, but it was all pretty unexciting. Borrell was never the greatest of stage presences, and whilst his ambition was there, his band never quite reached their fullest of potential with either their career or this subbing set. 

A headline set by Reel Big Fish is a must-see. The pop-punk band are an assured live act, and got the Quarry crowd up off their feet for a good chunk of the gig. Live brass bands are always a plus, and the band had their crowd in the palm of their hand, with circle pits forming as far as the eye could see, a packed crowd revelled in the moment in what was surely one of the most memorable Quarry sets. Finishing with their famed cover of a-ha's 'Take on Me', was predictable, yet incredible.

A quick dash back over to the Main Stage, saw White Lies begin. Despite their tunes lacking the considerable 'oomph' of their fellow headliners, the indie-rockers kept sections of the crowd entertained, with an enjoyable if forgettable set. 

My Saturday began over at the Quarry, to check out up-and-coming rap/pop artist Ady Suleiman. Describing him as a 'better' Ed Sheeran might be a step too far (and I'm not a fan of Sheeran!), but Suleiman was the perfect hangover cure for many, as he and his band rattled through their half-an-hour set, leaving you wanting far, far more. If there could be any criticism, it would be that his lyrics could develop moreso, hearing song after song about the generic 'lost woman' does tire after a bit, but this is a man to watch out for. Equally experiemental beatboxer Shlomo was another top pick. Using his loop machine, he treated us to stories of how he discovered his talent, a great cover of 'No Diggity' and a pulsating climax.

One of the most anticipated artists of 2013 were Brummie's Swim Deep. Scintiallating cuts of sun-laden summery tunes were released periodically by them throughout the year, before the release of debut album, 'Where The Heaven We Are' disappointed many, myself included. This set though, reignited some hope within me, that they can reach the heights promised by songs like 'Honey' and 'King City', as they impressed hugely in 'Arcade Fire'-esque blue facepaint. The all-important second record could make or break them.

Scots The Fratellis, know all about that, debut album 'Costello Music', providing them with a springboard into British music, before their follow-up 'Here We Stand' flopping, and the inevitable hiatus following. But they brought back memories of their 2006 breakthrough with hit after hit. Even the songs that weren't ingrained into our brains, were pretty good, bouncy tracks. However, throughout the set, bottles and cans of beer littered the stage, leading to frontman Jon Fratelli to warn 'one more of that and that's your lot'. It ceased the flow, but still was an unsavoury incident, and not the last of it at all…

The man most of the 12,000 festival-goers had flocked to see, Dizzee Rascal took to the stage a little after his 10pm start time, but delivered in a massive way. His set was eclectic and his famed live show, was a tour de force in pure entertainment. All he needed was his DJ, a couple of hype men and the stage was set for a victorious performance. His collaborations with other artists, opener 'Here 2 China' with Calvin Harris, 'Heavy', from Chase & Status and the excellent 'Dirtee Love' with Florence + the Machine, reminded you of the quality of Dizzee's back catalogue, but his standalone hits, 'Holiday', 'Bassline Junkie' and the sheer power of 'Bonkers', makes you wonder how long it will be before Dizzee headlines ascends to headliner status at one of the UK's greatest and biggest festivals.

With the crowd size having thinned out following Mr Rascal's Saturday night slot, I thought it best to check out the finer sights of Y Not on Sunday…the funfair! With a cheap roller disco, a cracking dodgems and a postponed paint fight, Sunday was a riotous day, with the sun finally coming out to dry the festival site considerably by the evening. It boosted the fatigued amongst the Y Not crowd, and was grand preparation for a fantastic end to the festival.

Derby band Joint Honours managed to fill the Allotment stage to the max, bringing some poppy, guitar-driven tunes to the fore and getting the crowd going hugely for late afternoon on a Sunday. One of my favourite bands of the minute, Palma Violets did not disappoint on the Main Stage. The powerful rock band, were uber-confident and strutting around the stage for an extended 45-minute set. 'Best Friends' has to be the biggie, but I cannot wait for their second album to drop so they can expand their ambitious sound and step up to the next level.

A switch in sound, to the hip-hop stylings of legends De La Soul. Hit after hit followed as the trio participated in some hilarious crowd participation, promoting inter-crowd rivalries, before daring the very same idiotic people who had pelted bottles at the Fratellis the previous day to try the same with them, but letting them know how stupid they were, provoking yet more acclaim. Their set was a perfect exercise in getting a field full of weary bodies to dance to some classic tunes for one last hour.

There was only one man who could close such a festival, take to the stage Y Not three-timer, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls. Frank's last outing in these parts came in 2009, a well-overdue return saw him rise to headliner status. The cult rocker entertained in huge doses, as he reeled through tracks from 2013's 'Tape Deck Heart', his fifth studio album, as well as crowd favourites 'I Still Believe' and 'Wessex Boy'. The riotous fireworks that marked the end of his hour and the end of the Y Not weekend were special and poignant.

Here was an artist and a festival that have never been better, Y Not will celebrate its tenth birthday next August and whilst it is hard to see just how it will be able to cram more goodness into one weekend, you can bet that organisers will try their hardest to make 2015 bigger and better than this stellar weekend!

Guilfest Review 2014

by

After a year out, Guilfest returned with a bang to entertain with resounding success. The forecasted thunderstorms somehow avoided Stoke Park and apart from a few fat droplets, audiences basked in the heat of the weekend and took full advantage of all nine stages,

Guilfest may not have banked all the big names it could have, probably due to the gap year of red tape restrictions (and to predict the ticket numbers would be as difficult as Michael Fish predicting a storm) but there was certainly enough amazing music and entertainment for any festival goer (and their brood) to boast a rocking weekend.

Arriving Friday, it seemed quiet, but the punters soon gathered on Friday evening to see The Boomtown Rats, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, The Farm and Sham 69 to kick-start the weekend.

Guilfest catered for most tastes with the smaller Big Cheese and Vive La Rock stages throbbing with Punk, Ska, Metal and alternative bands, to help audiences forget the working week. Sham 69, Buzzcocks and Ruts DC were sharing jack leads with new up and coming bands, packing out the tents so that the audiences were bulging around the edges every night.

The ACM (Academy of Contemporary Music) stage was a great show of local talent: where new artists climb the ranks to make the main stage with a mix of special guests thrown-in including Roni Size.

The Good Time Guide Stage provided real rivalry to the main stage. Headlining on Sunday were Boney M taking audiences back to the 70’s and surprisingly announcing that they sang ‘No Woman No Cry’ before Bob Marley and performed a fantastic version along with all the hits giving everyone from 6 to 60 a chance to boogie and wiggle the balmy night away.

Juggling your viewing strategy was tough as there were often two or more cracking bands on at the same time on different stages but a swift trip between performances gave the opportunity to see a bit of Space, Public Service Broadcasting and Dreadzone and still benefit from the main stage atmosphere.

Friday day held great sounds from the likes of Doors Alive and Radio Riddler and all credit due to the artists to hold up the audience on the build up day when the crowds were still forming and the temperature was hitting a 30 degree high. I do struggle with crowds sitting around reading the Telegraph when there is a banging band on, but nonetheless the crowds grew by the minute creating a big atmosphere for the headliners.

Friday night rocked with charismatic Huey Morgan and the Fun Lovin’ Criminals blasting their alternative Hip Hop sound across the field getting everyone on their feet. The Boomtown Rats on full PA with Sir Bob strutting his stuff in some spangley getup, came on to close the night and fired on all cylinders with some great new-wave sounds as well as pounding through hits ‘Like clockwork’ and ‘Rat Trap’. The sound was good and still punky and for punters who remember ‘Tonic for the Troops’ were sent home happy festival goers.

 

Sunday night’s finale came around quickly when The Human League took to the main stage. The Sheffield band looked fresh and iconic on their neon dressed stage. They absolutely delivered to an excited audience and every song was a driving synthpop melody stirring our 80s nostalgia to the hilt. ‘Mirror Man’, ‘Don’t You Want Me’, ‘Love Action’ and all their hits reminded the crowd how good the songs still are and holding the test of time.

A perfect encore of Being Boiled ( their 1st single in ’78 ) followed by ‘Together in Electric Dreams’ produced by  none other than Giorgio Moroder was Phil Oakey’s greatest triumph and a fitting close to a very successful return of Guilfest.

Exit Festival 2014 Friday Review

by

The morning was filled with the soft sound of rain on tent covers. The almost open air tin showers, which the day before had been filled with sweaty travellers washing lay empty and the open air pool seemed slightly desolate under the grey sky.

People sat and chatted and drank beer under the two large gazebo areas, now and again a cheer would rise up but nothing too raucous. The site was muddy and the rain incessant. But the mood was relaxed and comradely.  At 8 o’clock as Horchester took to the main stage they were greeted by sporadically spaced plastic poncho covered people.

However in true EXIT style as the moon began to rise and Serbian soft rock  outfit Van Gogh began their performance slowly and surely the fortress became swollen with people. Van Gogh are known as one of the biggest bands in Serbia, having started their career in the 80’s when the country was still known as Yugoslavia. There were a lot of people singing along and by the end of the set the front section of the crowd were raising their hands and pumping them in time to the beat.

As they finished up and the crowd moved away in different directions to ready themselves for Gloria Gaynor “A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong came on while the roadies set up. It was a lovely little soft moment in the rain, people were singing along or dancing slowly with each other cheek to cheek.

Gloria Gaynor kept the good mood going despite the moistness with a casually nuanced performance only an old hand at the game could give. She paced the stage hitting every note easily with a voice still soft like honey, and seemed genuinely happy to be there. People boogied along to the disco beat and sang up the words they knew back at her.

Friday night was arguably the biggest of the weekend, and it seemed as if the entire festival was decanted into the Main Stage area as the lights went up for Rudimental. Their live show didn’t disappoint, even if the squish factor went from medium to high, (both around and on the ground) the mood was electric and every song was a belter. Vocalists Anne Marie Nicholson and Bridgette Amofah brought the noise working their way between them through the whole Rudimenatal’s debut EP with style and panache, while DJ Locksmith kept the crowd upbeat and on their feet throughout the entire set.  The musical collective were as tight as a tiger and it was a pleasure to watch such talented performers have a party on stage to which everyone was invited..

At roughly the same time across at Huawei Fusion Stage, Asian Dub Foundation were also bringing down a banging set, with enthusiastically dancing crow. Ghetto Priest was a beast, and obviously enjoyed getting to use his commanding presence on stage.

 There was a point when the speakers blew, which is fair enough considering the amount of noise that was being pumped through them. Someone threw a beer and Chandrasonic gave them an intelligent dressing down, in a softly softly quick fire rap tinged with melancholy about how shit we are to each other. The feel good factor could not be dampened, and when the sound came back on the party started back up in earnest.

Even at 3am with the festival site now a sticky sloppy mess every stage was packed with muddy shoed happy smiling people, the festivities went on till the wee hours with the MTS Dance Arena packed out until 6 am when the sun finally decided to break through the clouds and the die harders making their way back, with raised voices, to the campsite.

EXIT Festival had pulled of another banging evening in the rain.

Rhythms of the World Review 2014

by

Ablaze in colour, sun, world music, art and local talent, the annual Rhythms of the World festival in Hitchin stuck true to its slogan, showering visitors with “music from around the world and round the corner”. The two-day event which begun in 1992 regularly sees up to 30,000 festival-goers over the weekend and, after a year off, 2014’s Rhythms was set to be enjoyed by all.

Heading toward the main stage at opening on Saturday with the sun blazing down, anticipation is seeping out of every passer-by. With first act Sir Walter J Wallis Band already on stage, a crowd had started to descend, setting up picnic blankets and camping chairs in prime positions for the day. With the stage being set for the next act, Kev Maher entertains the growing audience with his acoustic covers, playing hits by The Killers, Jonny Cash and Erasure, all met with cheers and claps to which he gleefully responds “Are you getting drunk?!” Next up is Nadeem Leigh and Dubious Luxury, fresh from last years BBC’s The Voice, whose eclectic mix of jazz and blues with hip-hop is the ideal scene setter for the beer-in-hand weather of the first day. Leigh’s cover of Tinie Tempah’s Pass Out as a jazz/funk remix was a standout track of the set, taking the crowd by surprise and loudly followed by enthusiastic woops and cheers.

Taking over the stage with americana, CC Smugglers encouraged the first mass dance of the day, joining the two boho ladies who hadn’t stopped hipshaking since opening. Between bouts of wild west music and harmonica blues, frontman Richie Prynne gave a shout out to his mum which he quickly followed up with asking if there were any drunk girls in the audience, dedicating song ‘Whiskey in the Morning’ to the delighted responders.

Over at the BBC Introducing Stage, Kumara opened with a longer than average 40 minute set to a younger audience, swimming in flower-garland headdresses, denim, and fringe. On the return for Spacepope, a band with a classic American rock sound and vocals with a Kings of Leon edge, the crowd make up had grown to include many pierced and black clad individuals, with a kaleidoscope of hair colours, eagerly awaiting metal band Kill Confirmed.

Later in the day, the Priory Park Stage – weekend home of the DJ’s, was the place to be for some euphoric dancing in the sunshine. Reggaematic brought a purpose to the pleasure, pleading for justice for Leon Briggs, a local Luton man who died in hospital after being in police custody last November, before bringing the tone back up and dropping more beats.

As the torrent of rain began its assault on the festival, Soma in the St. Mary’s stage tent was everyone’s first choice as they sheltered from the rain, to which the world music performers joked “This rain is very good for business!”. With the weather continuing to drive people toward the tent, the Kakatsitsi Master Drummers from Ghana played to a packed crowd after a few technical difficulties, subtly covered up by a lesson on how to pronounce the bands name (Ka-ka-chi-chi, if you were wondering). The drummers, who played at Glastonbury last year, soon got into their rhythm and chant, increasing their tempo, with one member impressively using both his feet and hands to bang the drum.

The sun came back out for Toque Tambor on the Main Stage who, adorned in colourful Carnival costumes and dancing girls, brought the spirit of Brazil to Hertfordshire. On the way over to the BBC Introducing stage, Indi and the Vegas,- as well as half the crowd – could be heard covering the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song, followed up by their own upbeat sound and funky bass putting everyone in the mood to party. Dancing about, bopping the occasional beach ball, or lying chilled out in the sun, Indi’s high-school summer ambiance was soaked up, all topped off with explosions of rainbow-hued confetti. Far from over, the festival continued with Tides picking up where Indi and the Vegas left off, the audience blissfully unaware of the dark storm cloud looming ever closer, and despite the fat raindrops beginning to slowly fall, the crowd continued to dance and shimmy to the local band.

After procuring some noodles from a Thai food stand, Ryddim Kings ft. Kareem were next on the list at the Arcadeclectic Stage, where the Kings surprisingly consisted of two Queens providing vocals, as well as male guitar, bass and keyboard players. The combination of the ladies and Kareem’s voices created soothing tones, enticing a growing crowd hipshaking in the woodland setting, peering into the bohemian dressed Arcadeclectic tent.

Behind the Introducing Stage, the dipping sun bled across the darkening sky while Atlas vocalist Flo Kirton aptly crooned “the light might be fading but the sunset’s not the end”, with the haunting siren calls of track ‘Summer Jams’ still resounding in listener’s ears days later. Inviting hip-hop duo Phili’N’Dotz onstage, Atlas combined rap and bassy beats with Flo’s melodies, turning day into night before Phili’N’Dotz took over the stage for their own set. Unleashing newfound energy into the bouncing crowd, the duo rapped “put your motherfucking hands up” to which an 8-year old boy on his dad’s shoulders dutifully pumped his fists in the air.

Headlining the first night of the Introducing Stage were Josephine and the Artizans with their unique blend of hip-hopera. Classical instruments opened track ‘Dies Irae’, closely followed by Josephine’s operatic vocals, the crowd reacting by looking at each other in stunned silence, until the rap kicked in and the crowd started jumping, hands in the air, with onlookers surging to join them. Whilst Josephine and the Artizans' opening song didn’t stop drawing a bemused crowd, Main Stage headliners Freshlyground maintained a dense, dancing crowd with their plucky guitar strings, feel good beats and girlish vocals from Zolani Mahola. The South African pop band left festival-goers twirling round in circles long after the main stage closed for the night, providing the perfect music for sipping beers in a park with mates.

Camping not included at this festival, we entered the arena on Sunday fresh after a nights sleep in a bed followed by a shower, etiquette previously unheard of at a festival to see  Garden City Samba already in full swing outside the Icehouse, greeting new arrivals with the sweet sound of samba. Scattered about, families picnic and watch the performers of all ages playing drums and twirling ribbons, with the gentle breeze carrying over the rhythmic sound of Alex Bay on the main stage. Bay’s smooth soul accompanied by his full band of guitar, bass, keyboard and drums set the scene for day two as the arena begins to fill. More family based this morning, the air is rife with the smell of suncream, the fierce sun creating the illusion of holidays. Chilled vibes thrive with Nathan Watson and the Freakanomics onstage next, playing their funky electric soul, the crowd cheering when hearing they still have another two songs left.

Over at the Arcadeclectic Stage, a crowd has gathered in the dapple shade of the trees, taking in Laura Victoria’s playful acoustic verses. Meanwhile on the BBC Introducing Stage, Herts Music Service present The Prophecy, covering recent hits including Paramore’s ‘Still Into You’, with confidence and a strong stage presence, the lead singer shimmy and shaking across the platform, interacting with both her band and the crowd. Later, male traditional heavy metal band Neverworld, bedecked with long hair and dreads, are met with a crowd of cheers and metal horns to their Jack Black ‘Tribute’ styled guitar, drums and high pitched screams. Vocalist Ben Colton remarked at the crowd changing atmosphere with, “Nice to see people standing up now, I’ve never played a gig with people sitting down!”, whilst somehow managing to sound like he’d be a top gentleman offstage, metal band aside.

Next up on the Introducing Stage was Electronic/Dance act One Bit, who were an instant hit between their techno and echoey vocals. With poppy beats to get your body in motion, track ‘Daydream’ was something for everyone at Rhythms whether chilling or dancing. Met with loud cheers and applause, the crowd “fell into a daydream”, thriving off One Bit’s stage presence and club music vibe, with haunting cover of Vance Joy’s ‘Riptide’ only recognisable by the lyrics.

After a brief respite from the sun, taking in the artsy vibe in the shady Holistic Garden and watching some wood sculpture carving in action, it was back to the main stage for The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. His chilled out vibes and crowd sing-alongs made for idyllic summer day music, before heading back to Introducing for girly pop band Delora, whose whimsical nature had us falling head over heels to catch the wristbands thrown into the crowd, and feeling light-headed after spinning in dizzy circles to Whirlwind’s chorus.

Then it was a quick bite to eat backstage, and a re-energising under the Quiz In The Tree before the headline acts, soaking up the atmosphere and attempting to guess as many artist names as possible from the paintings swinging in the branches. Whilst hearing artists from the Icehouse and Arcadeclectic stages either side, battling it out to be the loudest.

Headling the BBC Introducing Stage were Childhood, whose indie summer beats had the crowd non-stop dancing, including a 50 odd year old man going absolutely mental for them on his own, whilst Ben Romans Hopcraft played his guitar in the air next to his head, completely owning the stage. Meanwhile over on the Main Stage, the steel pan drums of Courtney Pine were being enjoyed by all as the last act of the weekend, gathering a huge, dynamic crowd, with the finale of the set including a cover of The Lion King’s ‘In The Jungle’, the audience a sea of bobbing heads, hands in the air and inflatable giraffes.

Pleasantly surprised as a first-timer to Rhythms of the World, this festival holds the excitement of hearing local up-and-coming bands, dancing to your hearts content at the DJ stages, and experiencing the wonder of world music, I will definitely be returning for future years.

Eastern Electrics Festival 2014

by

It was certainly an intriguing decision when cutting-edge electronics festival Eastern Electrics announced a one day event at ‘Hatfield House’. Now in its third year as a festival, it began in 2012 as an unassuming one day affair, which expanded greatly to the behemoth of a three day event in 2013 with an unforgettable line-up boasting a plethora of world class DJs. You’d only assume it would do the same again, considering its vast popularity as one of the most spoken of electronic festival in the UK. But it returned with fewer large names in a quaint yet stunning backdrop of a mansion, reverting to just one day again. But did this take away from the experience? Absolutely not.

Considering a last minute rampage to get cagoules galore in preparation for the rain, it was scorching as we entered the festival and headed straight to the Art of Dark tent for Dyed Soundorom. After taking over Ibiza with DJ outfit Apollonia alongside Shonky and Dan Ghenacia, the Parisian DJ returned alone playing a to crowd that were lapping up the set, putting on an impressive display that most certainly testified the idea that you can’t get people dance at such an early time. The atmosphere within the tent however was an unbearable sweaty pit of sighing bodies that had to relinquish to the outdoors to be able to breathe, which somewhat ruined what could have been an incredible set.

Over in the Rinse FM tent were duo Dense and Pika. After favouring their remix of Paul Woolford’s Erotic Discourse, I was excited to see the gritty and glorious sounds of the techno pair as they played to a somewhat empty tent. But empty or not, they certainly received an energetic reception from those who attended, with songs such as Alden Tyrell  ‘Wurk it’ and Josh Winks ‘Are you there’ solidifying their stance as DJs that certainly the ones to watch at this event. The same tent played host to London DJ Route 94; admittedly, we were only passing through the tent as his set played, but we halted to a stop as the commercially well-known hit ‘My Love’ began to play, and the echoes of a singing crowd erupted into a guilty pleasure performance that we couldn’t seem to stay away from.

It was tINI who was inevitably the highlight of the festival. The characteristic deep blow of her selections were both intense and electric, igniting the crowd to full attention as she commenced tracks such as Cid Inc & Victor Hugo’s ‘Made in Brazil’ and transforming the outdoor Switchyard venue into a sea of adrenaline fuelled fist-pumping. As she unleashed Floorplan’s Never grow old, goosebumps appeared as the crowd were divulged in a euphoric state that only the Desolat master was responsible for. It only took a few years for tINI to make a name for herself, and it only took a few moments for her to create an incredible and unparalleled atmosphere at Eastern Electrics. At a climactic moment in the set, a torrential pouring of rain began, and a huge rampage of waterproof handing out activated; no one left their post, however, and a sea of umbrellas and awkward plastic cagoules continued to dance regardless of the showers falling over us.

What was frustrating about the festival was the queue for drinks tokens; having to wait to purchase non-refundable pieces of card to use as currency, to then wait again for a drink seemed somewhat pointless, and many I spoke to were agitated that they had to waste time doing this instead of seeing the acts they wanted. After a swift wait however, we were back and ready for the exciting duo Serge Santiago and Firas Waez, also known as Waze and Odyssey. They were playing at the Red Bull tent – a gloriously compact outdoor venue that played host to an array of exciting acts that day, including Catching Flies and Ali Love. Waze and Odyssey’s set made for a refreshing change from the deep and bellowing techno that seemed to be echoing throughout the rest of the festival, incorporating faster-paced beats, plenty of energy and a steady fuel of bass incorporated into their distinctive house/garage sound. The atmosphere was further lifted as the smooth elements of jazz began to play as Lil Louis ‘Why’d u fall’ was blasting through the tent, much to the delight of the revelling crowd who seemed truly captivated by the duo.

Onto the main stage, and Canadian techno heroes and headliners Art Department began their extraordinary set to a field of fans ready to be driven into a whirlpool of synth-driven house and techno. Comprising of Johnny White and Kenny Glasgow, the duo’s alias ‘Art Department’ have long established a distinctive and pioneering sound, consistently pushing the boundaries when it comes to their music. It was certainly an incredible experience to finally be able to see the pair in action, as their unique elements seem to captivate the crowd and infuse a sense of energy with the bridging together of each track, which was done so in an artistic way. The final act of the night to close the festival was the soulful house pioneer himself, Kerri Chandler. With an abundant body of work behind him, his renown bass-lines create instant excitement, intrinsically hooking between catchy choruses and impressive kick drums, marking him a true legend and ‘King Kerri’ to some. However, tonight’s set was much mellower from the usually up-beat soul DJ, and although the crowd were content, it failed to consume and amaze like his predecessors had done this day.

Eastern Electrics, although downgrading in size, has still managed to pull of an incredible, memorable and equally exciting display of DJs. I’ve attended all three years of the festival; although it doesn’t compare to last years, the atmosphere, acts and overall experience certainly didn’t fail to impress, and thousands of revellers would absolutely agree with me. 

Secret Garden Party 2014 Review

by

“The longest yard”

Wow, where to start? Secret Garden Party blew my mind. After spending seven hours on a coach to get there, which was inevitably delayed, I got into the festival just in the nick of time and met up with my photographer. We’ve done a dozen festivals together and he took me on the short walk to the campsite where I was reacquainted with our trusty festival tent, the nickname of which I probably shouldn’t share, but nonetheless, this sagging, red mess was our dishevelled but not unloved HQ of the next three days and for its part, it did the job.

So bag down, party gear on, we headed into the festival proper. Our first port of call was the Fox, a giant, hay-filled canid used several times thereafter as a meeting point for lost friends. Atop its tail, during several conversations with excited randomers, I got my first real inclination of the scale and atmosphere and it was impressive, but at that point I had seen nothing.

Our first taste of action was Little Dragon on the Great Stage where thousands were crammed in to take in the surreal sounds of the Swedish synth-pop veterans. It was here that we met our extended group and after we made our way back towards the main area of the festival to take in more of the mise en scene: all kinds of different bars and hang-outs, food vans, huts, shacks, bars, art installations and of course people; lots of people.

“Are those people hanging from the ceiling?”

The next two acts we saw took us by great surprise as they were two of our favourites and yet we hadn’t even realised they were on the lineup. We noticed the familiar gait of Skream silhouetted against a constantly pulsing, fractal visualisation behind him. Then straight off the back of that the MC announced the arrival on stage of none other than DJ EZ who eased us in with some UKG classics before showcasing his flair on the ones and twos, bringing dirtier, grimier sounds to a packed crowd of willing skankers at the Drop, plus a gratuitous three minutes of ‘Deep Inside’. 

I rated SGP highly already. I came to the festival with a head full of names, my top DJs and artists and everyone who I’d planned to see but what I hadn’t bargained for was the rest of the festival experience being so fun. I could have stayed there for a week. Under the dark, expansive sky, bright lights shone and big beats rumbled; a different vibe around every corner. I got my first taste of the Drop coming from the back end and the way the wooden overhangs looked over the arena – like the wall around a fort – meant that the excitement of what I had in store over the next couple of days was growing with every moment. 

As the house beats rolled and the visuals evolved, surrounded by trees, lakes and these wooden platforms, the revelry atmosphere was almost spiritual. Gas canisters lined the floor, we danced on hay bales as night turned into day and the sun came up to techno rhythms. I got to see the festival in a completely new light and it was from this point that I got to fully appreciate the size and effort SGP had put into every single detail. Friends that had been before told me that in fact this year had been scaled back slightly and there were a few things missing and I remember thinking there wasn’t really anything I could imagine being better.

“This is the first festival where I’ve seen a dog shit”

Then came Saturday. All the days blurred into each other, so much overlap – the hallmark of any good festival – but there are distinct parts of each day which makes it impossible to pick a favourite. Saturday started with a walk to the lake where we sat by a cloud on the shaded banks. I could’ve stayed there all day, it was idyllic. We had a picnic, of sorts, and drank happily in the summer heat, the sound of Spitfires swooping above and balloons here there and everywhere.

Most of our group were SGP veterans, unlike my photographer and I who were straight up virgins to the Huntingdon festival, so I was happy to take their lead and they assured that the next stop was the Pagoda. The queue was huge and I couldn’t really see what all the fuss was about. Then our time came and on we got in, a floating stage on the edge of the lake in full sun with banging, hypnotic house and techno. The Pagoda was unbelievable, packed full of likeminded ravers, intermittent squirts of Super-Soakers and scantily clad, golden goddesses. We raved there for hours before heading back to campsite in the evening to recharge our batteries. This where my lack of sleep caught up with me. 

“Make sure you see the fireworks, you’ve gotta see the fireworks, the fireworks are the best bit, are you coming to the fireworks?”
“Yeah I’m coming, sounds sick, can’t wait!”
“Did you go to the fireworks?”
“Nah I fell asleep.”

Yeah I flopped on the fireworks which I was naturally wounded about. I sat down for a rest about 9pm and came-to in a tent around 1am. What I was playing at I don’t know, but I can tell you what everyone told me and that was I was an idiot for missing them and to be fair, the photos looked incredible; and I have it on good authority that Public Enemy smashed it shortly after, just like they had at Parklife when I saw them earlier in the year.

When I woke up, alone at the campsite, with a phone with no battery I set forth into the festival to find someone, anyone. Our group was led by the high leader Larry whose bright, yellow face you could pick out of a crowd from any distance; Larry was a flag. But after two hours of looking for my compadres – while simultaneously dancing ruts into the ground as I circled the Drop, Temple of Boom and everywhere in between – I decided probably just to make some new ones; and so I did. A bold claim maybe, but I think SGP had the best crowd I’ve ever seen (aside from one or two goblins and Technicolor madmen) and even the brief but fierce rainstorm couldn’t dampen my spirits.

I managed to find the crew just in time to see Route 94 at the Drop and when he brought in ‘My Love’ just as the sun was rising up, followed by his remix of ‘Fly 4 Life’, it was going off; that was until the technician told him to pack it in and (light-hearted?) boos rang round the venue.

“We’re a travelling rebetiko band”

After that I found myself on my own again, in a peculiar little tent in the early hours with fiddlers three and all kinds of mad ukuleles and mad, eccentric instruments being strummed, plucked and banged. I sat on a bench and a man in a fez carrying a violin pulled apart the curtains that formed the wall and sat down next to me. We sipped (“proper”) cognac and chatted at length about all sorts, then all of a sudden he popped up and said “oh I’ve gotta play now,” and off he went onto the stage.

SGP is the first festival I’ve been to where the place itself was more impressive than the music. There were bars hidden in secret wooded paths. You could go through a wardrobe in a fence and into Narnia, with snow-covered paths and its own ice rink and a toilet cubicle through which was a field of six-foot sunflowers and various specimens of wristband-wearing flora and fauna. Hay bales stacked 20 feet high with hologrammatic faces singed into them, fire pits, rolling fields, soft hillsides and ponds and lakes surround you; believe me I’m going back next year.

“It’s going off in these glasses”

Sunday came and it was a dream. Off we went again to the cloud by the lake and lay in the sun, swigging Kopparbergs like they were going out of fashion. We got to the Great Stage to see the Correspondents tear it up – another hot tip from the regulars – then we had the paint fight. If you’ve never been in a paint fight with tens of thousands of people, I’m inclined to say you’ve never been to a proper festival, but then again that wouldn’t be fair. 

Cannons of dry paint, fireworks cracking in the sky, grenades of powdered blue and red tossed back and forth between the two sides and no one left unscathed. Everyone was covered in dry paint, gold glitter and all kinds of festival wear and tear as ‘Jump Around’ blasted out across the heavily populated fields and hills. David Rodigan was next to do his thing, with sweet reggae music pumped loud from the Funktion Ones, followed by more bass-heavy sounds from Fat Freddy’s Drop in probably the most chilled environ possible.

The rest of Sunday was spent exclusively at the Drop with b2b sets from the likes of Joy Orbison, Optimo and Jackmaster. In between pounding four-four beats and intangible vocal whirls came classics like ‘Sugar is Sweeter’, timed to perfection – this was heaven for me. There’s something about house music that never ceases to amaze me and I found myself in awe at times wondering how the DJ was gonna play himself out of this tune or that tune, but they always did. 

“Chaise-Lloyd”

Rather than go out with a bang however, the music fizzled out around midnight and we were left to collect ourselves and head back to the campsite. Somewhere in the distance lightening filled the sky, like one final goodbye, and that for me was the end of Secret Garden Party.

Review by Lloyd Wall

 


Created with flickr slideshow.

 

Photos by Paul Taylor

Tramlines Festival 2014 Review

by

Tramlines Festival has become one of the biggest events on the inner city festival calendar. From its early days as a free-to-enter event subsidised by the local council and corporate sponsors, the festival now attracts visitors to Sheffield from all over the country due to the fantastic value of £28 for a full weekend pass to see some of the biggest names in a wide range of music genres including Katy B, Sister Sledge, The Cribs and Public Enemy.

Last year saw over 100,000 music lovers attend the festival, and although this year’s statistics are yet to be announced, attendance had been forecasted to be even higher, which is feasible judging from just how packed the city centre was over the weekend.

Tramlines brought a carnival atmosphere to Sheffield. The city had a palpable buzz, with bars and pubs full to the brim, revellers spilling onto the streets and people of all ages and music tastes enjoying the wide variety of artists on the bill.

Walking around the city, it felt like bands were playing everywhere they could be squeezed in. From car parks to beer gardens, to squares, libraries, museums and even double decker buses, music could be heard. If it wasn’t a band, it was a DJ or an acoustic singer/songwriter. The city was host to a three-day long party, fantastic for the profile of Sheffield and the local economy.

Tramlines has been described as an ‘Urban Glastonbury’ by its organisers. Big boots to fill for a festival only in its sixth year. How did it stack up against its contemporaries and does it deserve such lavish acclaim? We tried to find out.

 

Friday

When the first song by the first band you see at the festival makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, you know you’re in for a special weekend. That’s exactly what happened during Post War Glamour Girls who opened proceedings at City Hall. Roaring single ‘Little Lands’ from the talented Leeds four-piece kicked off a 25-minute set mainly showcasing material from their upcoming second album. Due to being scheduled to play Deer Shed festival at 11am the following day, their relatively early starting time meant they were missed by many, but they fully deserve to be back headlining one of the venues next year.

Bathed in purple light, Sheffield Blessa played in the hugely impressive Cathedral. With parallels drawn to The XX, the dream-pop act drew a crowd of around 300. They couldn’t have suited the venue any better, with vocalist Olivia wearing a nun-style robe and her soaring vocals accentuated by the reverberations of the Cathedral’s acoustics.

A hot, sticky and packed Leadmill was headlined on Friday night by The Wedding Present, an indie-rock band whose success spans a period of almost 30 years and 8 studio albums. Inexplicably starting at 9.30pm rather than 10pm as billed, a constant theme running through the festival, their hits ‘My Favourite Dress’, ‘Corduroy’ and ‘Brassneck’ got a rousing reception from the crowd.

Saturday

Day two kicked off with the masked and feathered post-rock duo Nordic Giants, who drew a near-capacity crowd to the City Hall. The band played soundtracks to five short, surreal and disturbing films designed to provoke an emotional response from the crowd. Right at the start of the unforgettable set a member of the audience asked, “What the hell is this?” but the originality and compelling showmanship unequivocally won the crowd over.

Next up in City Hall were instrumentalists Brontide, delayed around 10 minutes due to guitarist Tim’s broken looper pedal. Luckily, Talons who played earlier donated theirs to save the day – and it’s a good job they did – the trio are all about complex, multi-layered riffs backed up with hard-hitting drums. The short set of five songs was one of the highlights of the weekend; Brontide’s technical intricacy is softened and made accessible by catchy bass hooks and Tim’s fist-pumping and infectious enthusiasm.

“If you added our ages together, we’d probably be over a thousand years old,” joked Chuck D of Public Enemy. Although his comment was tongue-in-cheek, the experience and calibre of the group showed through in their fantastic hour long headline performance. Many fans were left disappointed as they were unable to get into the full to capacity Devonshire Green. Those lucky enough to gain entry were treated to DJs spinning old-school hip hop tunes which got the crowd in a party mood before Flavor Flav in his trademark clock pendant and Chuck D exploded onto the stage blasting out classics including "Bring the Noise" and "Fight the Power”. Their hour long set finished off with "Harder than you Think" before Flavor Flav declared in a final parting rally cry for peace and unity, "The only race is the human race."

Psychedelic indie rock sextet Neon Waltz drew a crowd of around 150 to the Leadmill. Their set was characterised by slow-tempo tracks breaking out into feverish jams. Although the young Scotsmen rarely showed signs of originality, they ended on a high point with ‘Perfect Frame’.

Leicester instrumental outfit Maybeshewill played a captivating 45 minute slot back at the City Hall. Deviating from a typical post-rock formula, the band relies on keyboard and samples, in addition to having a guest cellist and violinist for Tramlines. No surprise that there was a grand, orchestral feel to the gig, which climaxed in a spine-tingling version of ‘He Films the Clouds Pt. 2’, with the vocal sample sung by the crowd.

Headlining a rammed City Hall were Future of the Left, who provided a contrast to the mainly instrumental bands so far in the venue. But FOTL were distinguished by more than just Falco’s vocals; the star of the show was Jimmy, not only a fantastic guitarist, but whose antics included taping a bottle of beer to the head of one of the crowd members, lifting him up and using him as a drink dispenser. All in all a thrilling and memorable end to the day by the Welsh quartet.

Sunday

A sparse Sunday afternoon calendar was livened up by Physics House Band at Corporation. The experimental trio from Brighton at first glance seem like a band aimed at other musicians, with mathy riffs and complex time signatures, but their tracks are definitely ‘noddable’ by the crowd, who appreciated the quiet/loud dynamic. Despite the bass being a touch too loud, Physics House Band were one of the top performers of the festival.

Also in the nearly pitch black Corporation were Rolo Tomassi. This is certainly a band to keep in mind the mantra, “appearances can be deceiving”. Softly-spoken vocalist Eva welcomes the crowd and mentions that Sheffield is her hometown. But she’s not softly-spoken for long – once the track starts, she’s growling and hurling blood-curdling screams down the microphone, making for an utterly spellbinding 30 minutes whether or not you like mathcore.

Back to Devonshire Green, The Rifles kicked off a snoozefest on the main stage. Another victim of cranking up the bass volume, there’s frankly more life in roadkill than the Chingford quartet and this reflected in the bored-looking crowd.

Luckily the main stage finale was spectacular with a rousing performance by The Cribs. One of the UK’s top live bands, the Yorkshire trio launched into a crowd-pleasing set heavy on tracks from the album ‘Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever’, ending with the explosive ‘City of Bugs’.

Tempted for one more band before the trip home, Bo Ningen appeared to be an intriguing option for Sunday night. The official programme, describing them as ‘Psychedelic art-rock’, didn’t hint at what was to be the most thrilling and unique set of the weekend. Bo Ningen are a quartet of absolutely insane Japanese guys with waist-length hair, wearing dresses and catsuits. With Queen’s Social Club so rammed that the crowd spilled out into the corridor, the group made the air fizz with their hypercharged brand of glam rock. In an electrifying finale, lead singer Taigen jumped off the stage onto a table at the front of the room and whipped the onlookers into a frenzy, miming stabbing himself with his bass guitar, all the while playing it with sublime technique.

It’s clear that musically the festival was an absolute success, but what about the organisation? A common theme over the weekend was inaccuracy of the printed schedule guide. The Wedding Present, Brontide and The Beat suffered from either having conflicting times published in the programme or being moved without proper communication. Yes, the unexpected usually does happen and bands have to be rescheduled. But how about having an app to send push notifications to attendees when things change? Or even just clearer social media communication. On Facebook, the organisers had announced High Hazels would take Catfish and the Bottlemen’s slot on the main stage. In fact, they took The Beat’s place. We were left having to check various bands' twitter/Facebook accounts directly to determine what time they were due to play.

Another theme of the festival was overcrowding. It’s understandable that world famous acts such as Public Enemy have a pull larger than the capacity of Devonshire Green, but one example of avoidable disappointment was Slow Club on Sunday evening; a homecoming for the successful Sheffield duo and the Leadmill was one-in-one-out, with a queue right down the road and round the corner. Surely O2 Academy, Devonshire Green or another sizable venue would have been a more sensible choice, especially as the festival was winding down and there were so few gig choices at this point.

But even with these minor gripes, the atmosphere in Sheffield was electric over the weekend. It may not be Glastonbury in terms of scale and organisation, but Tramlines is definitely up there with the most enjoyable of the inner city festivals and a bargain for £28 for the whole weekend's entertainment.

Global Gathering 2014 Review

by

Global Gathering the festival that sets the benchmark for Top Dance festivals in the UK is back this year at the prestigious long maston airfield in Stratford Upon Avon. This festival goes back 14th year and has won many previous awards for Best Dance Festival. DJ mag were responsible for naming this baby giant and it has always lived up to the name year after year. 

2014’s headliners are set to be big with the likes of Prodigy heading up the main stage on Saturday evening and Chase & Status on Friday . Global is set on Long Maston Airfield giving it a post apocalyptic and industrial feel. The stages here are of true brilliance and are by far one of the best parts of the festival, with unique simplicity stages like The Global Freight Depot and the Bunker always turn a DJs set to stun. 2014 at Global Gathering brought a number of tents such as the returning BBC 1XTRA stage , the futuristic GodsKitchen , UKF Stage , The mighty new Hanger arena and Defected in the House along with many more smaller stages dotted around the landing strip.

Taking the main stage just before sunset, the 25 year old Belgian known as NetSky took the crowd by storm to give them the injection of pure energy, while the hot orange glow of the afternoon sun dropped into the hills around the airfield gearing up the masses ready for the headliners that evening. Playing some of his new material like ‘ Running Low’  due to be released inside a new album sometime this year and available to listen to via the official Youtube channel for NetSky. 

Dusk is here and its time for the ever powerful electronic sounds of Chase & Status. Production and stage precedence this year made for an incredible set from the two British Producers Saul Milton (Chase) and Mr Will Kennard (Status) playing all the big tracks such as ‘Time’ Feat Delilah as well as ‘Take me away’ To fit in with all the base and hands in the air what finale would be complete without lasers and fireworks. Exploding to the sounds of ‘Fool yourself’ lighting the crowd for the final time that day and completing what was a truly perfect hot summers day. 

Clearing the main stage theres still plenty going on and depending on your music palette you can head to a range of different artists and stages. Heading up the Hanger stage in the after hours the chart topping David Guetta performs at the top of the towering wall of light situated in this oversized super tent. This stage would rival many main stages and despite its size was full to the edges. If Guetta isn't for you though don't worry you've got visual delight of Subfocus sitting proud amongst the giant rings of light over at the 1Xtra Stage. Happening all around the top DJs like Aly & Fila , Hot Since 82 , James Zabiela, Alesso and so many more converge for 1.5 days worth of pure magic. 

Waking up to yet more sun beating down on the masses the day was off to a great start. Global is an action packed weekend with little down time. Acts are on from 12 mid-day and go all the way into the wee hours of Sunday morning. The main stage started to fill out early afternoon with the masked DJ Jaguar Skills. Next to entice the masses was the RAM Records Heavy weight Andy C & MC 2SHY, seeing Andy perform in sunlight was a strange experience as normally confined to the early hours of a set list. Never the less a set filled with all the right tracks including the Andy C Remix ‘Get Free’ with all the heat and pumping base the security were constantly handing out a good supply of water to the crowd and making sure anyone who needed fluids got a drink of water. 

Leading on to the penultimate act of the day Knife party were set to get the crowds ready for the headline act. Sitting behind a pretty impressive LED Bank located centre stage Knife party originally formed of Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen which you might remember from The Drum & Bass superstars Pendulum, Knife party was a side project that went main stream. 

To Headline this year Global Gathering pulled out the stops for one of the biggest most widely known electronica big beat acts around. Prodigy are a phenomenal act to witness and had great little surprises through the set. Red flares lit at certain points within songs like Fire Starter and ‘ Smack your bitch up’ illuminating the crowds hands and a sea of iPhones and mobile phones taking video could be seen. Keith Flint lead for Prodigy got the crowds running in circles at 3 points within the main area creating a tornado of people all under his control. The stage consisted of a semi circle of tribal symbols and lights, flickering stage lights to imitate fire and plenty of disorienting strobes to give it that truly cereal experience! All the original hits previous mentioned as well as ‘ Their Law’ including the new creations from Invaders Must Die, singing along to OMEN the atmosphere and energy was relentless. Global Gathering as a festival is truly a one off masterpiece and to its credit has survived and battled its way through the financial crisis and out the other side its 14 incredible years are a testament to its amazing DJs, stages and organisation. 


Created with flickr slideshow .

www.James-Bridle.co.uk

Create Festival 2014 Review

by

This was my second year shooting Ashford’s Create Festival, although my first year shooting for the Summer Festival Guide. This is also my first written review!

So, what can I say?

For a start, it’s free to gain entry – anyone and everyone can attend. It is promoted as a family day out and it is exactly that! With a great range of entertainment for the kinds, ranging from a giant inflatable slide, so water-zorbing and a beer tent for the adults, it’s fun for all!

Create is held in Ashford’s Victoria Park and is easily accessible by car and train networks. It boasts four stages; Main stage, the Right Track Music Stage (which is sponsored by a local music business called… you guessed it, Right Track Music), the Revelation Stage (which houses acoustic acts and this year, poetry) and the Create @ Canterbury College DJ Stage. Supporting local bands, acts and artists, it actively gets the public involved in the music culture that surrounds Kent which they may not have otherwise seen and has BBC Radio Kent turn up to help introduce the acts, provide radio interviews and a little Dj set.

This year, Create celebrated it’s nineteenth birthday and had an expected turn out of 13,000 people, which is impressive by any means. The weather was perfect, for about an hour. Then the clouds rushed to the main stage and let loose their contents for a solid five to six hours. Although this put some people off, an estimated 2,500 people stayed at the main stage during the torrential down pour, which has absolutely no protection. The other three stages housed around 100 people all in all and no one could quite believe that people would hang out in the rain, for free, just to help support local acts. It was breath taking. We are all used to seeing images from Glastonbury of people covered in mud from head to toe without a care in the world, but those festival-goers have payed hundreds of pounds to see international artists. So for a free festival which is mostly populated with local artists is heart warming and touching. It provides hope and support to those acts.

Besides, let’s be honest. It’s not really a festival if it doesn’t rain, right?

For eight hours, Victoria park [in which it is situated] is the epicentre for local talent – right down to the stalls selling clothes, or raising money by cycling on static bikes. There is something for everyone – acoustic to rock, a little death core metal to BBC Radio Dj’s, Create has it all.

Headlining the Right Track Music Stage were the trio known as Old Town Souls, who's blend of excellent guitar shredding and wide vocal range, provided an energetic and powerful hour-long set end to day before handing over to the Main Stage to close the day. Covering artists from AC/DC and Black Sabbath, to proving the can write music as well as they play it, but showing us some original material. The crowd where won over by the front man’s very young son, all of four years old, who kept wanting to get on stage and join in with his Dad on the microphone! Some superb talent from these guys, definitely worth keeping an eye out for!

Of course though, everyone was there to see the Main Stage’s headliner act, known other than Nizlopi! Wearing what I can only describe as very colourful, very baggy trousers and no shoes, the lead singer, Luke, brought a torrent of passion to the closing forty-five minutes of the day. Joined with his back up singer/guitarist/treble bassist, the due wowed the crowed right from the off. I lost count how many times the lead singer jumped off stage to meet the crowd, even jumping the barrier to hand out hi5’s and hugs! They of course played the song they’re probably best know for – the JCB song but actually ended their set with a song about bringing peace to all man-kind, saying that we are all fundamentally the same and how we should all stand up to the Government to defend our rights. It was also eluded that a little known artist – by the name Ed Sheeran – used to be Nizlopi’s rodeo before his career took off!

Luke of Nizlopi

Latitude Festival 2014 Review

by

The 9th Latitude Festival in Suffolk, England drummed up great interest after winning Best Line-up at the 2013 Festival awards.  Trying to live up to expectations this year, they enlisted big acts like Damon Albarn, the Black Keys, Robyn & Röyksopp, as well as up and coming bands like Jungle, Childhood, and Bondax. Aside from the comprehensive bill of musicians and bands, Latitude also had a wide variety of cultural offerings ranging from theatre, comedy, cabaret, to literature, poetry, and dance. 

Photo courtesy of Latitude Festival – Marc Sethi

Day 1

The festival opened with a huge surprise last Thursday but not exactly of the good kind.  Friday headliner and crowd favorites Two Door Cinema Club cancelled the very last minute leaving plenty of fans heavily disappointed. Vocalist Alex Trimble was reported to have collapsed at Seattle Airport en route to England due to stomach problems.  With many traveling from as far as Japan just to see the trio, the cancellation led to an uproar and a huge pile of heatbreaks.  TDCC was the first band to be announced to headline the festival– as early as December 2013. It was supposed to be their first festival headline after touring for 5 years and climbing up the ranks.   

Filling up that glorious headline slot, Lily Allen agreed to step up to do the job; but not without getting loads of backlash from disappointed festival goers.     One twitter user compared the change as paying to sleep with Keira Knightley and ending up with Susan Boyle.  Tired of the negative reaction the change elicited from fans, Allen wrote on twitter:  “If you’re going to be rude about my replacing @TDCinemaClub on here, can you just un @ me please ? I’m so exhausted by the nastiness”

Despite that, Lily Allen’s courage to still show up was commendable.  She paid tribute to the trio by wearing a Two Door Cinema Club shirt and doing a cover of ‘Something Good Can Work.’  This seems to be an olive branch offering to TDCC fans and it was gracefully received.  The main stage didn’t end up a disappointment and the night ended with the crowd chanting her name. 

At the BBC Radio 6 Stage,  festival goers were treated to some excellent show of guitar skills starting with Anna Calvi and Slowdive.  Calvi treated fans with some new songs from her album ‘One Breath’ and with classics such as ‘I’ll be Your Man’ and ‘Desire’.  There was a silence of deep awe during the last few songs, and the following band, Slowdive proved worthy of the momentum.  The band from Berkshire had their own strong following with their announcement of a comeback this year after more than a decade of absence.

Headlining on the same stage was Scotland’s well- respected guitar band Mogwai.   The set was expected to be an attack to the senses and they certainly lived up to expectations.  More than an attack to the senses though, it was also an attack to the ear drums, with Stuart Braithwaite cheekily saying “I hope any children in the audience are wearing earplugs” before playing 'Master Card.' 

Other acts to note on the first day was the surprise show by Rudimental on the main stage and the highly energized performance by the Editors.  

 

Day 2

The second day provided some dilemmas to festival goers as to which stage to go to.  It started early with Simon Amstell packing the Comedy stage with almost triple its capacity.  The Essex local gave fans a peek of the show he will be touring this coming autumn. It was slightly peppered with some past materials but it sure didn’t leave fans short of laughter. 

After that, all roads led to the BBC Radio 6 stage where the legendary duo Hall & Oates were welcomed with much gusto after almost 10 years of absence in the UK.  They started with ‘Maneater’ which got the audience and even the BBC cameramen up to their feet.  They followed it up with huge hits like ‘I Can’t Go For That’ which included a breathtaking 5-minute solo (forgive the pun)  by saxophone player Charles "Mr. Casual” DeChant.  They came back for an encore playing  ‘You Make my Dreams Come True’ which prompted mass sing alongs from the old and young alike. 

Photo courtesy of Latitude Festival

It was also a big day for Swedish musicians, with First Aid Kit bringing sunshine to the Oberlisk Arena with some delightful harmonies from their new album and a beautiful rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘America’.  Swedish singer Robyn & Norwegian electronic duo Röyksopp also fired up a party at the BBC Radio 6 stage.  The 2-hour set probably saw the most excitable crowd that day and they proved worthy of the adulation.  The audience danced along to  the long string of hits and went wild to ‘Dancing On My Own.’  The light show and production were far from bad too.

The night ended with some thunderstorms and with Damon Alborn capping the night by bringing Blur band mate Graham Coxon onto the stage, much to the delight of fans.  They played a captivating performance of the Blur song ‘Tender’ amidst all the lightning and heavy downpour.  Simply memorable. 

Photo courtesy of Latitude Festival

Day 3

The thunderstorms from the previous night didn’t seem to dampen the spirit of festival goers.  The last day of the festival saw the new chart-topper George Ezra croon fans at the BBC Radio 6 Tent.  The 21-year old seemed to be overwhelmed by the amount of people who came to see him, but managed to meet and beat all expectations with beautiful melodies from ‘Budapest’, ‘Cassy O’, and ‘Leaving It Up To You.’

Hardcore fans of American bands Phantogram and Tycho didn’t mind the muddy trek up to the iArena stage to watch the bands from New York and San Francisco do their take on synthpop music.  Sarah Brathel of Phantogram unleashed her inner beast and performed singles like ‘Falling In Love’ and crowd pleaser ‘Black Out Days.’  They were immediately followed by Tycho, aka Scott Hansen, which along with his band, brought his design works and projected them on the wall to accompany their music.  To say it was a hauntingly beautiful set was to say the least.

The big responsibility of closing up the festival was left up to The Black Keys.  The backdrop to this much-anticipated show was an elaborate set-up including multiple screens and painted theatre curtains.  The crowd which was eager for a great send-off sang along to hits like ‘Lonely Boy’, 'Howlin' For You' and ‘Fever’.  Although the set was mostly well-received, it was also noticeably lacking in energy compared to the previous nights’ headliners.  One festival goer quipped, “They don’t seem to have much chemistry between the two of them tonight.”

Overall, it was a successful festival. It had minor glitches and the wellies were certainly put to use, but what would be an English music festival without those?