Reviews

Beacons Festival 2013 – Review

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Nestled within the picturesque North Yorkshire countryside, Skipton has been home to Beacons festival in mid-August for the past two years (or three if you’re counting it’s disastrous debut year which was cancelled before It’d even got started due to flash floods), the question upon mine and many others lips when arriving on site was: “Is it going to be third time lucky for this independent festival?”.

Early indicators this year were hinting at a successful affair with the capacity of 2012 doubling to 7,500 for 2013, the festival organisers boasting themselves of an increase in the number of toilets, a dedicated family camping area, aptly named ‘Diddy Rascals family field’, a vast increase in entertainment with added tents for visual arts and spoken word performances and if all of this wasn’t quite tickling your fancy the weather forecast looked far more cheerful than previous years.

After arriving at the festival Friday afternoon I was greeted by its small but quaint layout within the dales, there was only a small arena area with three tents dedicated to music bill, although amongst the other tents dotted about I was pleasantly surprised to see sponsors Whitelock’s, Kopparberg and Urban Outfitters with their own respective tents to entice the weekend festival attenders with food, fashion and by the looks of it a lot of fun! Furthermore on the other side of the site was the wide range of arty stuff with the tea rooms, ‘Beacons Boutique’ and ‘Into the Woods’ tent standing out as a popular choice with the latter showing art house films throughout the day.

Beacons Festival

To kick off the proceedings on the Friday afternoon I went to check out Esben & the Witch in the smallest of the three music bill designated tents entitled the “You need to hear this” stage, and was taken aback by the Brighton three piece’s sound of atmospheric rock which more than filled the rather small tent. Sticking around the tents vicinity was a certainty shortly afterwards as one of the hottest tips of the festival Dan Croll was to appear. Opening with catchy hit ‘From Nowhere’ it was a sign of things to come from the 22 year old Staffordshire singer songwriter throughout his whole set consisting of up tempo indie pop tunes, which went down pretty well with more than a satisfied crowd in the Yorkshire sunshine.

Over at the “Loud And Quiet” stage Mercury Prize nominated sub headliner Ghostpoet was about to perform the best set of the Friday with his set of hip hop rhythms which definitely filled the tent with people as well as an atmosphere that would definitely beat that of headliners Bonobo, with a massive reaction from the crowd for sing-along favourite “Cash And Carry Me Home”. To close Friday night was headliner Bonobo hailing from Yorkshire himself, accompanied by a diverse band and a female vocalist, his electronic beats set went down relatively well with the crowd but nearing the latter half of his set I began to feel a very samey vibe which is inevitable but hard to avoid playing songs of that nature for a long duration. To end the night myself and the majority of the crowd made our way to the “Residential Adviser’ tent for celebrated Spanish DJ John Talabot for more house vibes reminiscent of headliner Bonobo.

After John Talabot I was disappointed to find that the arena closed at 2am sharp to mine and the other festival attenders dismay which was also worsened on the Sunday night with all entertainment finishing at midnight leaving many people scratching their heads with what to do immerse themselves in for the remainder of the evening. Although the “Into the woods” and other artsy tents remained open till later I feel this is something organisers should address for next year to keep campers occupied instead of them resorting to creating their own amusements which coincidently occurred on the Sunday evening when a make shift drum and sing-along accompaniment was heard travelling through the camp long into the night.

Saturday started off on a high with rock and roll Manchester girl Findlay taking to the “You need to hear this” stage, with catchy singles ‘Off and On’ and ‘Your Sister’ and the latter reminiscent of 70’s Bowie, the reasonably early bird crowd were definitely woken up from their slightly hung-over state by this loud bluesy outfit. Closely following Findlay with a similar old fashioned vibe were Temples who took to the “Loud and Quiet’ stage on the Saturday afternoon with their set of 60’s psychedelic rock screaming out late Beatles/Pink Floyd.

Saturday night brought a rare treat in non-musical form which would turn out to be the highlight of my festival – this being a showing of the film “The Stone Roses: Made of Stone”, followed by a question and answer session with the director Shane Meadows, of “This is England” and the consequent TV series “This is England ’86” and “This is England ’88” fame. I felt that this late addition to the bill was a very smart move by the Beacons organisers and this is proved when I arrived at the ‘Into the Woods’ tent to find that it was completely full for the film showing. Afterwards I was pleasantly surprised by Shane’s honest, humble and thorough answers to questions fired at him and this left me and the other eager fans in the room with a developed insight into his different film and TV involvements throughout the years.

Shane Meadows @ Beacons Festival

Kicking of a rather gloomy Sunday afternoon on the “You need to hear this” stage were the aptly named The Wytches. The Brighten three pieces' dark psychedelic sound with loud drums and wailing vocals filled me with promising unique vibes which were strangely out of place for that low down on the bill – definitely one to watch. Later on in the afternoon was the time for the much anticipated Sheffield two piece; Drenge. Consisting of brothers Rory and Eoin  Loveless, they enticed the large crowd playing furiously loud riffs twinned with screaming vocals, furthermore with confirmed support slots for fellow Sheffield band Arctic Monkeys and Indie Pop band Peace things are looking pretty promising for the Loveless brothers at the moment.   

Closing the ‘Loud and Quiet’ stage and indeed the festival were Django Django, who have achieved much critical acclaim across the UK after 18 months of touring their mercury prize nominated self-titled debut album. Their psychedelic themed show got off to a slow start but with hit singles ‘Hail Bop’ and ‘Default’ winning the crowd over it was an atmospheric end to the festival.

Uniquely arts orientated as well as hosting a list of flourishing musical artists, this independent minded and family friendly festival is definitely worth a trip. If not for the breath-taking scenery, or its diverse range of food, drink and ales then with ticket prices at less than half the price of a mainstream festival admission I’m struggling at reasons for why you shouldn’t give Beacons the light this time next year.

Dan Holderness

Leeds Festival 2013 Review

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Typically the last 'big' festivals of the summer months in the UK, Reading & Leeds are a special pilgrimage a combined audience of hundreds of thousands of people make every August Bank Holiday weekend. This year I headed to Leeds Fest to check it out, here's what happened!

Arriving on Friday morning, the site was buzzing with campers dampened slightly by a little storm on Thursday evening, but nothing to put off the masses from what was hopefully going to be a great festival.

Don Broco, a Bedford-based alternative rock band took to the Main Stage, and were an unexpected surprise. 'Hold On', probably their most popular tune got everyone going, as did the band's in-time dance moves, steps to the side, hand-claps, a cheeky boyband touch for the popular quartet, who's lead singer had an Elvisy-look going on.

Then it was time for something different, a rapper by the name of Wacka Flocka Flame took to the brand-new Radio 1Xtra Stage, to a huge crowd. His hype man got things bouncing, as the man himself finally arrived 15 minutes late. Wacka wore a Leeds United shirt and some appropriate bling, as his set saw him get a few headbanging fans up onstage,along with a girl plucked from the crowd who 'twerked'. It was an interesting 40 minutes or so.

Just over the way to the NME/Radio 1 stage, where American girl trio HAIM were the main attraction, bringing their guitar-laden hooks to the masses. They played favourites like, 'Forever', 'Falling' and new single, 'The Wire', all from their much-anticipated debut album. One of the best things about HAIM is Este, their bassist. The older sister likes to have coarse, blunt banter with crowds during gigs and is famed for her 'bassface'. You can watch her facial expressions for 45 minutes and be easily entertained. 

Overall, their performance was better than expected and I left happy, as did many others who had squeezed into the tent.

I took a bit of a wander around the Arena site afterwards, taking note of the wide variety of stalls, grabbing a few ponchos for the oncoming storm and taking in some pizza (note: this was at a time when you could actually SIT on the ground and not get covered in mud…)

Then it was time for the sub-headliners, Nine Inch Nails, almost a cult band, such is their feverent support. Being a few rows from the front barrier, I couldn't tell the size of the crowd at the time, but having seen so afterwards, it wasn't very busy, but then that should be expected given Trent Reznor and his merry band have never been notable to a mainstream audience. 

NIN @ Leeds Festival 2013

NIN were good. They missed out a couple of hits, like 'Closer' and 'Hurt', but if a newcomer like me could get into it, I'm sure the hardcore fans were ecstatic with their 80 minute set. Reznor is a tense, serious stage presence and if memory serves me right, he didn't interact with the crowd one bit. At the time I didn't question this, but afterwards it turns out he put out tweets suggesting he was 'lied to' by R&L boss Melvin Benn, which Benn himself has since said is a lie. 

It's all very confusing but what we are led to believe is that Reznor was promised a more extravagent stage show than the one he got, as headliners Biffy Clyro would've had stage priority, it resulted in a bank of lights instead, still impressive but not the full NIN experience. 

There were probably the perfect set-up for what was a definitive headlining performance, from Biffy-motherf***ing-Clyro, as they were known for the evening. 

Some doubted they had it in them to headline a major UK festival, but they delivered in spades, with a strong set packed full of their more recent mainstream hits, with a few golden oldies squeezed in for long-time supporters. Simon Neil, lead singer, was very appreciative of the crowd, telling them, '"It all goes downhill from here…I'm only joking"'. Their 'banter' was limited, but the shirtless trio let their epic music do the talking, which really got the crowd going too. 

Lasers, fireworks, smashed up guitars, sing-a-longs, a massive tree prop, mental mosh pits; the show had it all, and despite the swirling wind and rain it was a fantastic way to close the first night of Leeds 2013.

Saturday came and the site's landscape had changed drastically. Rain had come in a big way, with heavy rain in the night, turning the lush green grass into a mudbath. Wellies were a necessity, as were ponchos, it was 'proper' UK festival weather.

As a result of the poor conditions, I was stationed in the NME Tent for a good few hours and was lucky to see what I saw!

Fatigue seemed to have set in during the first half of Deap Vally's set. At the 20 minute stage, drummer Julie Edwards instructed the crowd to wake up and have fun, reminding them they were at a festival! They promptly did so and the atmosphere was quite good afterwards, shame the music wasn't quite as good. I sort of like Deap Vally, but their music is too samey for my tastes, I liked their energy during the gig though, they played at such a frenetic pace I'm surprised they managed 2 shows in 2 days!

Next up were fellow Americans Fidlar. A little heard of band, but an excellent band, one of my finds of the festival. They played a clutch of quick, simple songs that relied on great riffs and lead singer Zac Carper's hyper vocals. I was reminded of a very low-fi Nirvana, if you want to see for yourself I recommend you check out 'Cheap Beer', the slogan that adorned their merch and the song that really had the crowd going wild. 

I suspect that the crowd was boosted because of the next act. Brummie stars Peace, were as flamboyant as predicted, lead singer Henry Koisser striding out in a leopard print jacket and hat to a loving audience. Tracks 'Follow Baby', and 'Lovesick'', got the best responses and saw the band at their most confident. Sure the live set isn't yet perfect, some of their songs weren't the most interesting in a a live arena, but they are getting there as one of a few bands that could really kickstart the era of the British guitar band.

After a bit of Peace, I ventured into the now spitting rain to find some fresh music. It was the Rock Stage that I found it, with The Computers part way through their set. Instantly I thought I'd been transported back to the 1950s as they were all dressed in slick suits, with even more slicked back hair. Their tunes matched the image, and were a breath of fresh air. Sure the lead singer's attempts at telling a story inbetween songs were a bit manufactured, as were his off-stage antics which saw him join a wet, muddy mosh pit. But it was pure fun, reminding me of The Hives' eccentric set from 2012, in a good way!

Then, then it was Major Lazer time. Now I didn't know what to expect, a pure DJ set? 

Headliner time had come, and the pop-punk of Green Day was blasted from the Main Stage. Now I was a fair distance back, and wasn't massively impressed with the size or energy of the crowd, but to be fair, it was constantly raining, muddy as anything and the band were just okay, nothing more, on reflection. Billie Joe Armstrong annoyed me, with his political speeches and subtle nuances. However, I did enjoy songs off 'American Idiot', which I loved at the time of release, with their comprehensive playing in full of 1994 album Dookie, released the year of my birth, missing the mark for me, but not for the legions of loyal fans down the front.

Come Sunday, the thousands of campers were weary and out on their feet, but ready for a fantastic days's entertainmen The site was still a swampy mudbath, but with forecasts of clear skies and sun, it was looking promising for the final day of the festival.

Similarly to Saturday, I spent a good couple of hours in the same place on Sunday, this time the Festival Republic Tent, a place full of new talent waiting to be discovered. I saw Drenge and Swim Deep, back to back. Both were good in moderation, with outstanding songs, like 'Honey', 'The Sea' and 'She Changes the Weather', from the latter Brummies. Crowds were pretty decent too, with plenty of shoulder-riding and singing going on for the latter. Drenge were slightly more subdued, as the duo rattled through some awesome sounding music, but I'm not entirely sure whether they fit the tone of the stage.

Then it was time to check up on another NME darling, Palma Violets, a group who I was undecided on, their first album deceiving me at times. However, their blistering live set had people jumping around and going crazy. They are energetic, cocky and funny, all great features for a band to have. 'Best of Friends', was the highlight, a song that evokes the spirit of the Libertines when they were in their prime. With a couple of albums under their belt, I can see the southerners living up to the aforementioned hype, they look like they believe it too!

Palma Violets @ Leeds Festival 2013

With that brief foray to the NME tent, it was off to the Main Stage for the remainder of my 2013 festival. White Lies were 4th from the top of the bill, but didn't really live up to expectations. For a start, I wasn't the biggest fan, I think a lot of their material sounds very 'samey', which was true of the performance, a performance hampered by sound problems and a pretty uninterested crowd, most of whom were hanging around for Chase & Status and Eminem later on that evening. Their early hits, 'Fairwell to the Fairground', and 'Death', were nice, but the longer it went on, the longer it felt they were 'going through the motions'.

Up next were Foals, again a band I was wary of. I like a lot of their songs, but had never been impressed by their live performances I'd caught on TV. However, they were great fun, energetic and had some good banter with the crowd, lead singer Yannis ending up in the crowd by the end of their set. Before that though, songs like 'Spanish Sahara' and 'My Number', showed the variation in their song-craft, going from the deep, building tunes to a catchy pop number. The boss of the festival Melvin Benn has since claimed they could headline the festival, which I think was a slight over-exaggeration, although he said the same about the next act, something which may be true…

Chase & Status, an incredible act and a perfect appetizer for what was to come. Their set up saw the duo positioned behind a 'C' and 'S' DJ booth each, with MC Rage effectively the ringmaster of proceedings, dragging out the likes of Liam Bailey as guest vocalists, with Plan B and Delilah projected onto a humongous video screen above their heads. It was impressive to see such a stage show, especially given the problems Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails had.

Chase & Status

When tracks like 'No Problem', 'Let You Go' and 'Hypest Hype', dropped, the crowd went nuts for it, descending into mosh pits and general dancing. It was amazing to see, and one of the loudest, best atmospheres of the festival I had witnesses (more of which later). It was strange, given all I'd heard and read online prior to the festival was that their booking was a poor one, not in-keeping with the tradition of the festival. Sure, that may be correct, but why not move with the times, book popular acts who DO have crossover with the rock, alternative and indie music scene (you'd have been surprised just how many 'metalheads' were enjoying themselves to C&S). I don't see it as an issue, especially as it helps to keep the festival going, something which the next act definitely helped with. 

The rap legend that is Eminem graced the stage for his second headline set, amongst a bunch of questions and fears. I got talking to people around me beforehand and whilst everyone was excited, noone knew what to expect! Old material, new material- a mixture of both? Would he mime? Well whilst that wasn't really clarified (although personally I think he relied on backing track the odd time, but was at his best and actually rapping for the majority of the set), one thing was clear; Eminem was back. 

Whilst a lot of the first half of the set was his newer material, from 'Recovery' and 'Relapse', it was bearable in a live environment. This was partly due to the live band AND DJ he had accompanying him, aswell as the buzzing crowd, still excited from C&S who were devouring his hit-packed set.

My favourite moment of the festival came with the 3 minute medley of older songs, that was, 'My Name Is/The Real Slim Shady/Without Me'. For 3 minutes I was a child again, and it was amazing! As was the special guest for 'Stan', Dido herself. Both of those moments were special and brought much acclaim from the audience. Then a one-song encore came about a great rendition of the intense, 'Lose Yourself', before Em headed off for good. It may have been a fairly brisk, 25 song, 100 minute set, but god was it good. And that was Leeds Fest 2013, done just like that!

So, to round it all off, Leeds 2013 was fantastic, perhaps as an overall experience outing 2012's edition, Foo Fighters and all! We saw the newly anointed Biffy Clyro become the rock gods they were destined to be, a return for the veterans of pop-punk, Green Day and Eminem finish it all off with a blistering display of a hip-hop gig. Other personal highlights were the likes of HAIM and Peace on the NME stage, Chase & Status killing the Main Stage, Major Lazer bringing the party to the tent, aswell as echoes of the Libertines, with Palma Violets giving a confident, humourous performance.

It may have been muddy, it may have been soaking wet; but Leeds Festival 2013 was bloody good!

Photos by Danny Payne

 

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.