Reviews

SW4 2013 Review – Sunday

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This year's South West Four or SW4 as its more commonly known as celebrated its tenth year anniversary and had a spectacular lineup to match.

Closing out Sunday night on the main stage was headliner Example.  His presence on stage with his live band brought a continued wave of euphoric energy over the grounds of Clapham Common as he kicked off his set with 'Kickstarts'.  Bouncing around the stage like an energiser bunny and fresh off a main stage performance at Glastonbury, the sold out 30,000 crowd filled the main arena to wave their hands in the air to tracks 'Won't Go Quietly', 'Stay Awake', 'Watch the Sun Come Up', and his new single 'All the Wrong Places'.  Complete with a massive laser display and pyrotechnics showering the Clapham Common grounds, Example sent out this years SW4 in style!

Example @ SW4

The UKF hosted main arena also had massive sets from SW4 favourites Knife Party, Dutch DJ Nicky Romero, Drum and Bass master Andy C, American Trap sensation Baauer and special guest, the one and only Steve Aoki.

Having recently started a trend of spraying champagne and throwing cakes into the crowd, we were waiting in anticipation for Steve Aoki to hit the stage to see what crazy antics he would bring to the London.  Kicking off with his new track, it didn't take long for Aoki to balance himself up on the DJ booth to present to the crowd what looked like an M&S chocolate cake.  Pointing a finger out across the crowd, he takes aim and tosses the cake high into the sky, as the crowd disperse to avoid being literally cake faced, the cake splats onto the ground spraying up onto those unfortunately enough to "get a piece".  Steve Aoki then topped his set off by running out to the barriers with a bottle of champagne to spray those that were front and centre to complete an entertaining performance.

Steve Aoki @ SW4

Earlier on in the day in the Together Arena the iconic Soul II Soul drew an packed out crowd to see Jazzy B and the rest of the troupe.  Jazzy B got on the mic to say "Its great to be on this side of the river" as the north Londoner's treated the crowd to tracks like 'Keep on Movin', 'Back to Life', 'Get a Life' and more which kept the fans grooving throughout their hour long set.

The Bedrock arena had special guest and legendary German DJ and producer Sven Vath get the mid afternoon crowd bopping their heads with a typical Vath set full of techno house goodies that you can't help but shake your ass to!  Vath is still one of few DJ's that performs with Vinyl and its a pleasure to see this against all the digital DJ's these days.

SW4 2013

Also up in the Bedrock arena is flight shy Eric Prydz whose also another SW4 fan favourite.  Featured regularly over the years, Prydz never disappoints.  His electro infused big room house sound has served him well over the years and this years set at SW4 was one of the best ones yet.

Closing out the Bedrock tent and performing in a Skull like custom made DJ booth is Alex Ridha, who is more famously known as Boyz Noise, a german electronic music producer who brings his lively and innovative live show to SW4.  His innovative mix of different genres of music with electronic music makes it easy to understand why he is in huge demand and why his live sets are praised around the world!  His energy transcends over the packed tent to ensure that everyone is treated to a special show.

With John Digweed, Pete Tong, Erick Morillo, Dillon Francis, RL Grime, Friction, Crazy P, The 2 Bears and more performing on Sunday it was yet another example that its best not to mess with a formula of bringing one of the biggest dance music lineups to London every Bank Holiday weekend.  SW4 have stuck to their roots of doing what they know best, throwing a massive weekender party in a park and have had 10 years of success by doing so.   If you haven't ever been to SW4, we recommend you prepare for next year as each year just seems to exceed the previous, see you on the Common in 2014!

 

Leeds Festival 2013- Eminem Review

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Leeds Festival 2013 was brought to a glorious end with the triumphant return of Eminem.

The rapper,  real name Marshall Mathers, brought along a live band and a couple of guest stars to liven up proceedings, as the festival revellers battled the boggy mud onsite.

In his first appearance at the festival since 2001, Mathers was majestic, spitting his way through a clutch of new songs, 'Survival' and new-ish tune, '3am'.

Whilst the bulk of his set was made up of his post-'Recovery' songs, we finally saw a little bit more of the old Em. 

First, Dido was wheeled out to take part in 'Stan', a number one single back in the day! This before an excellent medleythat consisted of, 'My Name Is/The Real Slim Shady/Without Me'.

By this point, the Main Stage was pumping, as the crowd were singing their tired souls out, jumping around and raising their cigarette lighters, to the aptly titled, 'Lighters'.

A recent hit, 'Not Afraid', followed to great acclaim before Eminem departed, leaving his epic band to play him out. 

He then quickly reappeared for one last blast of, 'Lose Yourself'.

Throughout the gig, Mathers seemed relaxed and happy in his space, not often the case given his troubled past. With claims of miming hanging over him, he seemingly blasted away any claims with his storming set that attracted the biggest crowd I saw throughout the weekend, and cheered the mood of some muddy revellers.

Eminem; the best act of Leeds Festival 2013? Maybe, just maybe!

 

 

Leeds Festival 2013- Green Day Review

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For the second consecutive evening, American punk-rock trio Green Day took to the stage, to headline the Reading & Leeds Festival.

It all began with a mysterious pink bunny striding across the stage to 'Blitzrieg Bop', by the Ramones, a surreal, but inviting image as the bunny hyped up the crowd for the main attraction of the day.

Lead vocalist and guitarist, Billie Joe Armstrong seemed to be in fine health, remarkable considering his admission to rehab just last September. He was frequently involving the crowd in an 'EYYY OHHH' chant, that personally grated after a few songs but the crowd seemed to get into it.

The theatrics didn't end there though. A fan was brought up on stage to finish off the chorus to 'Know Your Enemy', t-shirt cannons were produced by Armstrong after a short break, both highlights in what turned out to be a two and a half hour set.

Armstrong was also the ringleader of everything, from telling Leeds they were 'much louder than Reading', to earning his fellow bandmates spontaneous cheers, to starting off some Bono-esque rants against the 'system', which was a little bit tiresome if I'm completley honest and sort of took you 'out' of the gig.

Back to the music and with 30+ songs, the band spanned their history, playing 1994 album, 'Dookie', in full, wih a good few songs from the recent triple album, '¡Uno! ¡Dos! ¡Tre!', and 'American Idiot', the rock-opera that thrust them back into the limelight back in the mid-2000's.

They eventually ended the bonanza with a string of hits from their past with the likes of, 'American Idiot, 'Jesus of Suburbia' and 'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life', the last one seeing Armstrong on his own with an acoustic guitar, a fitting end to a strong set, overall R&L got a pretty good UK festival exclusive!

Green Day @ Leeds Festival 2013

Leeds Festival 2013 – Biffy Clyro Review

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Rockers Biffy Clyro closed the first day of Leeds Festival 2013 with a barrage of wind, rain and fire hitting the masses at the Main Stage.

The topless Scottish trio delved into their back catalogue of classics aswell as the recent hits which alerted the mainstream to their presence in their first major UK festival headline slot.

Crowd favourites, ‘Black Chandelier’, ‘Mountains’ and ‘Many of Horror’, were all given outings as it celebrated everything Biffy were and have become over their remarkable career.

Lead singer Simon Neil, seemed in awe of the occasion, constantly thanking the huge crowd and pointing out this was his band’s 7th appearance at the Reading & Leeds festivals.

Their success hasn’t been overnight then, but a career has been carved from the band’s post-hardcore roots and transformed into the lean, mean stadium rock outfit they are today, be that for better or worse.

The crowd certainly thought better; singing along the words to every song, participating frequently in circle pits, and generally having a great time with the first headliner of the weekend.

Neil and his band played their part too, with an elaborate stage presence. A gigantic sheet covered the main stage, before being dropped to reveal the band’s silhouettes in dramatic fashion.

It was a great way to kick off the show and with lasers, a prop of the artwork to latest album, ‘Opposites’, streamers and fireworks to top it off, Biff brought the party to Leeds.

With spontaneous bursts of pyrotechnics exploding from the top of the stage, combined with the swirling wet weather, conditions were perfect for a memorable debut headliner performance from the one, the only: Biffy Clyro.

Biffy Clyro

V Festival Review 2013

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This year’s V Festival came to a close this weekend, with the event displaying perfectly how to showcase some of the biggest chart stars in the world, as well as give some exciting up and coming artists a platform to shine.

The festival kicked off on Saturday afternoon and despite the unsettled weather, a buzz filled the air and the main stage began to fill up early with people eagerly awaiting the performance of a lady that goes by the name of Beyoncé.

First up on the main stage were The Fratellis, who played a triumphant set to seal their comeback to the music business. They helped set the tone for the day and had the crowd up on their feet and singing along to popular hit Chelsea Dagger amongst others.

 After this I headed to the 4music stage, stopping along the way to grab a drink and meet a group of lads who were dressed as power rangers. Here I had a little wait before the next act, so I chatted to a pair of girls who had been watching Gabrielle Aplin serenade the crowd at the arena stage, with her “gentle tone and heart-warming lyrics.”

Finally, out came Maverick Sabre who provided the crowd with a laidback soulful sound to accompany some late afternoon sun. He was shortly followed by Of Monsters and Men who continued in the same fashion by mixing an inviting atmosphere with some uplifting melody’s to get the crowd going.

With about 40 minutes to spare before Labrinth took to the 4music stage I darted off to the arena stage where I saw Jessie Ware get lost in the moment as she delivered a faultless set. Then I was quickly back to the 4music stage to see the previously mentioned Earthquake singer bring down the house with an electric set that included hits Express Yourself and Sunshine. Not to mention some onstage flames which lit up the crowd as the sun slowly started to set.

 I, like many other people then made my way to the main stage where a huge crowd gathered to see Jessie J do her thing. Rocking her recently famous short bleached blonde hair and dressed in a unique skimpy black and white ensemble, fitting of her personality, the singer delivered the only way she knows how, with a punch. Popular tracks Price Tag, Do It Like A Dude and Domino were accompanied by fist pumping and strutting from the 25-year-old as she got the crowd in the mood for the rest of the night.

The penultimate act to grace the main stage on Saturday evening was The Script. Despite the mellow rockers trying their best to hype up the crowd, many used this time to head to the bar and stock up on as many drinks as they could carry, or stuff their face with something from one of various food vans. However the crowd did all come together to sing along to The Man Who Can’t Be Moved, whilst frontman Danny O’Donoghue took the opportunity to connect with one of his many female fans by getting hold of her phone and singing to her ex-boyfriend, ‘Am I better off dead?’

As darkness descended on the Chelmsford site, it was finally time for what most people had been waiting for. The crowd, a mixture of Single Ladies and men too, were all there waiting to see the woman they adored, and wait they did. The delay of 25 minutes consisted mostly of fans chanting ‘Beyoncé Beyoncé’, as rain started to fall on the huge crowd. Leaving some wondering whether they should be over at the 4music stage watching as one of the world’s biggest DJ’s, Steve Angello, made an awesome replacement for Beady Eye.

The former Swedish House Mafia star absolutely smashed it with an amazing laser light show alongside dropping massive hits like, Don’t You Worry Child and Save The World,to get the respectable sized crowd raving the night away.

V Festival 2013

Back at the main stage and at last the music hit. Run The World (Girls) blasted out of the speakers and the crowd went crazy as out stepped Beyoncé. Dressed in a beaded leotard and sporting a new blonde bob hairstyle, Queen Bee dazzled the masses not only with her colossal hits but with her sophisticated video interludes, leaving them in awe. With the crowd all singing along to Love On Top, Irreplaceable and Halo, Beyoncé took the opportunity to show off a number of amazing outfits which just demonstrated that she really does know how to put on a show. All this combined with her fantastic all-female band and faultless dancers left people talking about the brilliant performance well into the early hours of the morning.

Sunday morning rolled around and with the sun shining in the sky, many people emerged from their tents looking a little worse for wear after last night’s antics. This however didn’t stop the lively atmosphere and many people were quickly back on the booze, including a large group of men spending the festival dressed as women.

I started off the day at the 4music stage where Lawson quickly got the crowd going with an excellent cover of Don’t You Worry Child. I then made the long trek to the arena stage to roll back the years and have a good ole sing-song with Five. A bigger crowd than was probably expected gathered to watch the 90’s boy band relive their youth with hits Keep On Moving and Everybody Get Up.

After stopping to grab a drink and an overpriced pizza, I headed to the main stage where I caught the end of the Jason Mraz set before getting amongst the crowd for Essex’s own Olly Murs. He provided the audience with plenty of opportunities to find their dancing feet, but it seemed like most were after a more exciting sound.

Luckily this came at the 4music stage as Rudimental’s late afternoon set attracted a large and energetic audience. Songs Waiting All Night and Feel the Love got the approval of the masses as most were going for it with their drinks being sent flying.

Later the early evening mellow atmosphere was accompanied by the elegant Emeli Sandé, who graced the main stage with her delicate vocals providing the crowd with the perfect opportunity to sit and take a break from the tiring day. Beneath Your Beautiful echoed amongst the audience as many joined in with the chart hit.

Having spent a couple of hours at the main stage, I once again made the long walk to the arena stage where I watched a very enthusiastic Ellie Goulding wow the crowd with not only her excellent voice but her ability to play multiple instruments.

With night fast approaching, it was left to two huge acts to fight out for the attention of the party-goers. Calvin Harris was in charge of headlining the 4music stage whilst Kings of Leon were given the same responsibility at the main stage, I was lucky enough to catch both.

The superstar DJ attracted a huge crowd as he closed the 4music stage in spectacular fashion, with a set of immense tunes including, Drinking From The Bottle, We Found Love and new song, Under Control. Combining this with lasers and an abundance of fireworks he was able to perfectly captured the spirit of the festival.

Meanwhile at the main stage Kings of Leon were keen to prove they were back on form ahead of their new album release, and they did just that. With new single Supersoaker and with a number of festival favourites like Sex On Fire and Use Somebody they had the crowd in raptures. With everybody singing at the top of the voices to the raw and exciting sound of the American rockers, the festival came to a close for yet another year.

All in all, V Festival again did what is does best, showcasing the best chart toppers in the business,  and with its friendly vibrant atmosphere it is easy to see why the festival is so popular among a variety of age groups. The organisers yet again managed to attract some of the biggest stars in the music industry, all of whom delivered to put on one hell of a show.

So after a successful 2013, festival expectations for next year are high, and with confidence that V will deliver it will be a weekend you won’t want to be missing, I know I won’t be. 

Green Man Festival 2013 Review – A diverse, interesting and stunning festival. Beards – optional.

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A traditionally folky affair, Green Man festival is historically known for being one of the most ethically-minded music events that takes place over summer. Priding itself on being fiercely independent, it’s a refreshing alternative to the corporate hives of pop and crowds so many festivals have unfortunately become. Now, in it’s eleventh year running, thankfully, it still maintains it’s original vision. 

Starting as a one day event back in 2003, just 300 people trickled into the stunning valley at the foot of the Black Mountains. Now, it’s grown into one of the biggest and best loved festivals of the summer. Hundreds of hippies, fanatical music-lovers, bearded gents and oodles of families poured into beautiful Brecon, ready for good music and good vibes.

Green Man Festival 2013

Green Man has an atmosphere rarely found at many festivals. The people that come here arrive with an interest in listening to some great bands, discovering new music and sampling a few specialist ales. I’m confident you won’t find anyone peeing on your tent or starting fights here. Plus the number of young children around really helps curb any potentially hostile behaviour. It really is something special.

It’s also accessibly one of the best and well thought out spaces in which to host a festival I've ever had the pleasure of walking around. The effort taken to maintain sanitary conditions and ensure wheelchair access throughout the field is phenomenal and when the sun goes down at night the whole arena is framed by fairylights, making it look truly magical.

Taking place over four days, guests were spoilt for choice this year with ten entertainment areas boasting 14 stages with more than 1500 performers running from dawn until dusk.

Seriously every taste was catered for. Green Man organisers had put masses of effort in to ensure no-one was left out. Right down to the adorably named ‘Little Folk’ tent – a magical enclosure for under twelve’s.

After arriving Friday morning and hearing about Patti Smith’s electric performance the night before, I was eager to catch up, musically speaking, so pitched up at the Mountain Stage ready and waiting for Phosphorescent. Matthew Houck’s distinctive voice sounded truly overwhelming. His warm and woody vocals would’ve been heat enough had it not been gloriously sunny.

Midlake and headliners Kings of Convenience were equally as impressive, both providing a dose of bluesy-infused folk-pop. Tim Smith of Midlake enchanted the audience with his almost floaty voice making We Gathered in Spring sound elusive yet powerful.

Green Man Festival Kings of Conenience

Lo-fi, Indie-folk duo, Kings of Convenience was an interesting choice of headliner. The lads from Norway have such delicate and calming voices at times it felt like I was being transported into an almost trance-like state. However, the duo was both engaging and sweet and peppered their performance with greetings and suchlike to the audience.

Erland Oye, one half of the band, had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand when he told us we’d, “picked the best festival to come to,” and as the music and weekend continued, I knew he was right.

Almost like the antithesis to the glorious weather the day before, on Saturday the odd rain shower was dodged by ducking into the Babbling Tongues tent.

 Here, Welsh native and ex- Velvet Underground member, John Cale took part in a Q & A with Jude Rogers. Honest, fascinating and a real treat to have stumbled upon. I’m almost glad it rained.

As the afternoon drew-on, the rain dried up, the sun put her hat on. Shortly after, a rainbow appeared and framed the Mountain Stage creating an almost ethereal atmosphere.

You could almost feel the anticipation in the air, Band of Horses was performing soon and I had a feeling it was going to be good.

Better than I could’ve predicted, the set was nothing short of impressive. Knocking out hit after hit, the worthy headliners drew in an impressive crowd, easily the biggest of the weekend.

Soaring voices and stomping Americana, the festival had reached an outstanding crescendo with an excellently delivered set. Their ability to ensnare an entire audience was striking and they had everyone on their feet dancing.

Finishing with Funeral, it was a very fitting end to what was easily the best performance of the day.

Bringing the pace back down and wrapping up a wonderful weekend of music, Ben Howard was given the accolade to close the festival.

His fandom has grown massively over the past year or so and it’s clear to see why.

He exhibits such raw emotion when he sings, it really is difficult not to find his performances utterly moving. Incredible to watch, he bought the festival to a close beautifully, encapsulating the ethos of Green Man. Chilled out, good times.

Performances across the weekend were as fresh as the air that was to be found in this lush Welsh valley, with an eclectic blend of indie, psych, garage and of course folk, enjoyed by an equally diverse crowd.

Uniquely wonderful, Green Man still remains devoted to being independent, diverse and family-orientated. It is definitely worth a visit. And I’m sure you’ll find yourself returning year after year, if not for the incredible music, then for the barrels of real ale.

Photos by Tom Proudfoot

 

 

Strawberry Fields 2013 Review – Sunday

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As the festival was coming to an end, and there was only 1 day of acts to perform, I was excited to see what was coming up during the course of the day. Everyone was still in high spirits, and most people had began drinking again by midday.

The sun was out and everyone was chilling out, probably beginning to get exhausted from the 2 previous evenings. Later on in the day, we went to check out who was on in the big top tent. There was a youngish boy, under the name of New Walk about to begin his set, so we stayed to see what was going on. He introduced himself, saying he was going to play a few songs for us, and we all waited eagerly in anticipation. Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next. Thinking he was going to sing and play the keyboard, all of a sudden the bass kicked in, and out came these dance tunes, cleverly remixed together; he was absolutely incredible and very talented.

The tent soon began to fill up, and people came in raving along to the mix, the smile on his face said he it all; he was very happy that people were receiving him and giving off positive vibes. I definitely think he’s one to watch, and in the near future, could be very successful. Next we headed back to the main stage, as we were aware the humorous Cuban Brothers were coming up shortly. The crowd began to gather for what appeared to be the biggest crowd of the whole weekend. On they came, extravagant as ever wearing bright yellow and blue suits and a bog afro. Everyone began cheering and you could tell the crowd were very excited about this performance. Imitating Geordie accents, telling members of the crowd he wanted to ‘take them to his tent’ and using the quote ‘he is sweating like a blind puff in a hot dog factory’, the crowd were in hysterics. Performing tracks such as ‘Touch the Sky’ by Kanye West, ‘The Ace of Spades’ and ‘We are Family’, they were definitely the favourites of the weekend.

The Cuban Brothers @ Strawberry Fields Festival

It was then on to the headliners The View. Taking a much more laid back approach, they literally came on and started singing. There was no engaging the audience, or saying hello, they just went straight into their set. There is no doubting that these guys are very talented and popular among the crowd, and they gave an outstanding performance.

Strawberry Fields Festival 2013 – Saturday Review

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As if the acts from Friday night didn't leave us excited about the rest of the weekend at Strawberry Fields, Saturday nights music was host to a few hidden gems of talent.

After being approached by the lead singer of These Mortal Cities asking if we could go and take some photos of them playing in the big top stage, we headed down in the afternoon to see what they had in store. Playing under the BBC introducing recommendations, we had high hopes that these were going to be something special, and we were right. The further into their set they got, more people began to fill the tent; dedicating one song to a little girl who was dancing around to their songs. Having a pop feel to their music, reminding me of a young one direction, these guys really got the crowd going, and seemed like genuinely nice people. I have high hopes for them in the future.
 
Later on came Lucy Rose on the main stage, the act performing prior to headliners 'The Enemy'. Sitting gracefully on a stool with her guitar, dressed in a baggy sweatshirt and jeans, she reminded me of an up and coming Taylor Swift; she was certainly a different to the other acts that had been performing throughout the afternoon. Her voice was incredible, with an acoustic chilled out feel, she really captured the audience and the crowds began to flock around her, enticed by her presence on the stage.
 
To follow Lucy were headliners The Enemy. Running 20 minutes late, the crowd was still in good spirit, and it escaped most people's attention that they were yet to appear. It was only one security guard I heard who seemed disappointed in them keeping the crowd waiting. But they appeared, a huge projection of 'The Enemy' filled the background of the stage, and the smoke began to create a rocky atmosphere. Not saying anything to the fans, they went straight into their set, probably aware they were running behind schedule. Their set set included 'Gimme the Sign' and 'Away from Here', to which the crowds were going crazy and a mosh pit began to form. Overall their performance was outstanding.
 
The Enemy @ Strawberry Fields Festival
 
I spoke to a group of people afterwards about what they saw and they said 'They were amazing, definitely worth coming for!'. Lets see what Sunday has to offer now after incredible performances over the last 2 days.

Strawberry Fields Festival 2013 – Friday Review

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The place was getting dark, and as the crowd began to gather round the main stage, eagerly awaiting jaguar skills, what earlier looked like a reasonably empty festival scene soon became a place of chanting and cheering, excited people running to get a spot at the front of the stage ready for the headliners to begin.

As the video game style booth set got wheeled onto the stage, the crowd began to go crazy as the wait for Jaguar Skills was almost over, and the night was about to kick off. The chanting began, people began stamping their feet and clapping their hands; he enters the stage, arms in the air, face covered with a black Balaclava, his opening line 'put your mother fucking hands up'. The party had started.

His set list included some chart toppers, including Kanye West Niggas in Paris, love me again and rhythm is a dancer. About half way through he shouted to the audience 'this is an illegal party'. People began screaming, drinks were sent flying towards the stage and people got on others shoulders and began singing along with the next song 'woo woo that's the sound of the police.' The choice to have Jaguar Skills headlining the Friday definitely got everyone ready for what was in store for the rest of the weekend, and with their outstanding performance, the crowd loved the show they put on,begging for another song at the end of the set.

Jaguar Skills @ Strawberry Fields Festival

Camp Bestival 2013 Review

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The sixth annual Camp Bestival came to a close this weekend, and married with ideal weather, a fantastic array of food stalls, and a friendly vibe, the musical line-up far exceeded expectations.

The action kicked off on the Castle Stage on Friday with the Jaipur Brass Band playing their infectious traditional Indian music among a splash of colour, followed by the impressive Kate Bush imitator Fake Bush.

The main stage action really picked up with a string of top performances; The Correspondents, Camp Bestival favourites, whipped the crowds up with their zany mix of hip-hop, drum 'n' bass and funk; The Farm took the whole field back to 1990 with a set including 'Stepping Stone' and the anthemic 'All Together Now'; and Irish rock royalty Ash played a fantastic career spanning set of hits including the wide-eyed innocence of early breakthrough 'Girl From Mars', 'Shining Light' and the all-out stomper 'Orpheus'.

Camp Bestival

Getting out of the welcome sun, we headed to the Big Top, and caught Max Romeo, late replacement for Toots & The Maytals, mid set. A raucous crowd lapped up the Reggae legends set, and the roof nearly came off for 'I Chase The Devil'.

Staying in the Big Top, London Grammar, the first of the weekend's true up-and-coming new bands, took to the stage, and the three-piece's beautiful and moody set was one of the highlights of the festival. Hannah Reid's vocals reminiscent of Florence Welch, and a musical undercurrent with hints of The XX and Massive Attack, their impending album is now a must buy.

Veering away from music for a while we stayed to watch John Cooper Clarke, and while the legendary Punk Rock Poet was in fine form, his set was slow to begin, blighted by a bleed of sound from the Bollywood Dance Tent – a disturbance which blighted many of the acts in the Big Top.
Friday's headliner was guitar icon Richard Hawley, fresh from having headlined Bridport's Electric Palace the night previous. We went back to the main stage with muted expectations, and it made what followed even more special. Hawley's languid and soulful vocals, and sublime guitar, made for a low energy but fully engaging set, with 'Tonight The Streets Are Ours' a real festival moment.

On the way back to the tents we stopped off for a late night treat in the form of the dark and humorous Filthy Boy, the young group show a sound and style beyond their teenage years, and single 'Waiting on the Doorstep' was a particular stand-out.

Saturday, as usually is the case, had the strongest line-up. The day began with kids' hero Mr Tumble delighting the packed main stage field, followed by the Horrible Histories show. Using the kids entertainment as an excuse to explore the other entertainment and food on offer, we took in some of the extreme sports in the Freesports Park; walked through the Dingly Dell; cleared our heads with fresh coconut water; and proceeded to eat brunch at the incredible Young British Foodies. The tent was a popular stop for meals at any time of day, offering everything from smoothies and waffles, to sushi and venison burgers.

Saturday's musical offerings kicked off with american songstress Lissie, whose bluesy LA rock was the perfect accompaniment to the rapidly rising sun.  Next up was one of the sets of the weekend. Gabrielle Aplin, who last year played the bandstand stage at Camp Bestival to around 100 people, has jumped into the public eye following a Christmas advert hit, and subsequent number 2 album. The 20-year-olds main stage set included a breath-taking cover of 'The Power of Love', as well as hit singles 'Panic Cord', 'Home' and brilliant cover of the Fleetwood Mac favourite 'Go Your Own Way'.

Camp Bestival favourites The Cuban Brothers were next up, mixing hilarious quips from frontman Miguelito with high energy latin-flavoured party funk. The rapidly growing Castle Stage crowd were at once laughing hysterically and dancing madly!
Spinning his wheels of steel, Grandmaster Flash took the generation-bridging crowds hip-hop, jazz, rock and more.
The church silence allowed for a break from the searing heat, and on the way back to the tent from Grandmaster Flash, I managed to catch the last few songs from country blues newcomer Valerie June. The Tennessee native performed some of the fantastic roots-inspired tracks from her brilliant debut album 'Pushin' Against a Stone'.

Returning to the main stage, Camp Bestival's 'special guest' Mark Owen mixed songs from this new album 'The Art of Doing Nothing' with Take That classics, including what has become his signature tune 'Shine'. Surely a highlight for many of the mums in the field!
Heading to the Big Top for the last time on Saturday, Clean Bandit produced a set of set of unique dance music, incorporating huge club beats with classical string parts. The Cambridge quartet had the crowd eating up every track, and seem destined for big things.

Closing off the main stage on Saturday, Kid Creole & The Coconuts return to the Camp Bestival stage for a 30s and 40s inspired party set, channelling the spirit of Cab Calloway, and leading into main headliner Levellers.
The festival favourites produced a set of high-energy folk-rock, with 'Beautiful Day' a soundtrack anthem for a sun-drenched Saturday.

The Castle Stage kicked off with cider swilling old boys The Wurzels, and was followed by the shanty-singing Skinny Lister, who joined the crowd in a drink and a good dance.
Sunday afternoon really got going and went back to the 80s with Nik Kershaw, playing hits including 'The Riddle', 'I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me', and 'I Am The One and Only', the hit Kershaw wrote for Chesney Hawkes. Heaven 17 followed Kershaw, performing a rapturously received set kicking off with '(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang' and also featuring 'Penthouse and Pavement', and huge hit 'Temptation'.

Camp Bestival favourites Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip return for their first performance for three years in the Big Top next. Their unique combination of Pip's spoken word/rap/poetry and Le Sac's bass and beats went down a storm, although the set was slightly marred by the Bollywood bass once more.
Before closing act Labrinth, we stayed after Dan Le Sac v Scroobius Pip for comedy headliner Alan Davies, and support from Ian Stone. Stone's near-the-knuckle repertoire was well received, and Davies' hilarious parental anecdotes were the perfect material for 'family-friendly' Camp Bestival.

Labrinth @ Camp Bestival

The finale for the 2013 event began on the Castle Stage with Labrinth, – Sunday's musical headliner – who delivered a surprisingly good set featuring singles 'Earthquake', 'Beneath You're Beautiful' and a cover of Tinie Tempah's 'Pass Out' (a track Labrinth collaborated on). The Castle Field was at full capacity at this point, awaiting the always popular firework spectacular, and the show didn't disappoint. Son Et Lumiere's show, projecting a wonderful animation based on the festival's 'Around The World' theme, was brilliantly interspersed with a pyro display to match any other.

By Rob Larcombe

Photos by Simon Emmett