Truly the best family-festival of the summer, Camp Bestival returned to Dorset with a kaleidoscope of music and entertaining fun for all ages.
This years theme was out of this world, with intergalactic aliens and astronauts joining the love-bot at Lulworth Castle.
Throughout the magical weekend, there was something for everyone – from the toddlers, children or simply the young-at-heart.
Bluey and Hacker T Dog, our favourite terrier from Wigan, brought the CBBC magic to life on the main stage early on Friday, before Ellie Sax, appropriately came with the glitz and glamour, playing a mix of old school house and rave favourites.
The Magic Numbers followed, showing they still have their incredible harmonies and timeless classic melodies and bittersweet love songs. Although much of the crowd may not have remembered them from their early 90s hey-day they appeared to win many new fans.
Designer-turned-DJ Gok Wan returned to Camp Bestival again, this year on the main stage, for an invigorating set of party favourite tunes, ensuring the crowd were jumping throughout. This was followed by the inevitable DREADED CLASH ON THE LINEUP! It happens every year at all events, but it means the crowd have to make a choice, as well as, of course, Summer Festival Guide. Do we photograph and cover the main stage with McFLY or our personal favourites, ORBITAL in the Big Top?
We opted for McFly who never fail to impress live. The band played a string of their catchy tunes, including Five Colours in Her Hair, One For The Radio, Shine a Light, and Star Girl. Before ‘All About You’, they selected young super-fan Grace from the audience to play tambourine, Clearly overwhelmed, she did a great job on a night she’ll clearly remember.
The party intensified on Saturday. Camp Bestival regular favourite Mr Tumble returned with his antics and confetti canons for the young ones, before 90s BBC legends Dick and Dom played a selection of ‘noughties’ (or is it written 00’s) bangers while repeatedly shouting their catchphrase ‘Bogies’. They’re no Ant and Dec, but maybe that’s a good thing!
Not to be left out, The Darkness brought the rock anthems (and some expletives) and are always a true festival highlight – clearly working out before each set, singer Justin Hawkins still can reach the high notes on hits such as ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’, and even played the opening lines of their Xmas Hit in the gorgeous summer sun.
Disco hits followed from the frontman of the legendary Scissor Sisters, Jake Shears. Mixing a few of his solo songs with the classics everyone wanted to hear including Comfortably Numb, Filthy/Gorgeous and of course, I Don’t Feel Like Dancing – there was no stopping the crowd partying in their fancy dress and space-suits.
Headlining the Saturday night was self-proclaimed MILF (well that’s the name of her book) Paloma Faith. Playing a mix of songs from her latest album ‘The Glorification of Sadness’, with her biggest hits, she finished with the song which she stated changed her life – ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’.
The beauty of Camp Bestival is the party starts when the headliner finishes each night, over at the eclectic Caravanserai. For the unitiated, its a heady after hours mix of circus, fairground and vintage nostalgia all mixed in a cocktail shaker, with a sprinkle of jaw-dropping entertainers.
Sunday morning begins in traditional style with Mr Motivator to re-invigorate the crowd, but possibly the strangest act seen by Summer Festival Guide followed – Dogshow. Two grown men, positioned in their own instrument cage with poodle face-mask coverings banged out some pretty good techno while howling at the crowd. It has to be seen to be believed – although much of the crowd appeared to question whether they were still recovering from the cocktails at Caravanserai the night before.
Craig Charles followed with his Funk and Soul Party on the main stage, before pop royalty Sophie Ellis-Bextor was welcomed back to Camp Bestival again with her kitchen disco. She mixed her own hits with Gimme Gimme Gimme, Vogue, Like A Prayer, before finishing with ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’.
X-Factor’s very own James Arthur was next up, apologising for the fact he was losing his voice, he made clear he didn’t want to miss this special festival. It’s a shame though as he was clearly unable to sing many of his songs or hit half the notes throughout his set, relying on the enthusiastic crowd to sing most for him – perhaps he should donate some of his fee back to the festival’s good causes.
Bringing the main stage to a close was Pete Tong and the far more impressive 60-person Heritage Orchestra, conducted by Jules Buckley. Playing classical versions of Ibiza hits, it was a delight to be transported to the Balearic Island with the impressive lightshow.
After the annual explosive fireworks synced to extremely impressive space themed projections, the night was far from finished. Summer Festival Guide favourites The Cuban Brothers closed proceedings in The Big Top with their hilarious mix of hip-hop, breakbeats and funky infection dancing.
In the words of Camp Bestival co-founders, Rob and Josie da Bank, “wowzers… we did it again and this time the weather was on our side! We hope everybody enjoyed the festival”
We certainly did – roll on 2025. Early bird tickets are available on Friday. See the festival link below:
‘twas the week before 2000 Trees and all across the nation, the ground was being soaked by loads of precipitation!
After one of the wettest starts to the year in recent memory, hearts were sinking among ticket holders as yet more torrential rain hit the site in the days leading up to kick off – however fears were soon allayed as arrival day saw a sunny start and mostly dry conditions underfoot, even if there was a bit of mud about.
2000 Trees is a much-loved music festival that has lost none of its independent spirit since it was formed by a group of like-minded friends in 2007. The passion felt for the festival is such that multiple attendees referred to its arrival as “like Christmas” – although the weather in the build-up was more akin to monsoon season!
There are a number of ways to get to Upcote Farm, which is about six miles from Cheltenham, including a shuttle bus running on Wednesday and Thursday from Cheltenham Spa railway station direct to site and bringing you back on Sunday for £15 return. The Big Green Coach company also offered coach travel to the festival from further afield.
A taxi to site with a local company (Cheltenham hasn’t really embraced Uber yet) cost £24 which wasn’t altogether unreasonable considering my pre-festival faffing in the build-up and being keen to catch the first band on stage at 3pm.
Many drove, with car sharing encouraged – particularly given the nature of the small B road leading into site – while Campervans were again situated near the entry at the top of the site.
The site itself is within Upcote Farm, a working farm which also hosts a five-mile trail run in Autumn called Run Upcote. The entrance to site involves a few uphill and downhill bits, as well as a narrow bridge, which made my having packed so much a bit of a rookie error, but entry into the festival itself was smooth and volunteers greeted arriving revellers with smiles and cheerful dispositions.
After meeting up with friends, checking in with the Trees team and setting up my tent it was on to the matter at hand – a weekend of brilliant music!
All of the performances on day one were split between The Word stage and The Forest with the main stage area cordoned off until the next day. This made it easy to quickly slip from set to set and not miss too much of anyone. As a matter of fact, Trees’ relatively small size is REALLY helpful in that respect. The organisers produced a super handy clashfinder to help make those difficult decisions but you’re never more than a five/ten-minute walk from one stage to the next – meaning the sort of cross site marathon you’d expect from Glastonbury are not an issue here.
There have been some changes made to the Forest area for 2024, creating more space and with an accessibility viewing platform to allow viewing from further back and its own bar the Forest proved a real favourite over the week.
Kicking off the weekend were Exit Child in the Forest. Continuing with the festive theme, singer and guitarist Anya Pulver proudly stated “This is my family’s Christmas – it’s the best time of the year!” before firing through their half hour set with the bit between their teeth, despite a few initial sound issues. Earlier in the year the band announced that they were calling it a day after Trees and gave this last show their absolute all – leaving the crowd wanting much, much more.
Following the end of the set I headed to The Word tent but it was already overflowing with enthusiastic fans watching Kite Thief so I took a wander to the merch tent to see what was on offer and the answer was A LOT! From limited edition prints to Trees football shirts and band t-shirts there was something for everyone – including a corner selling vinyl. Picking up a Manchester Orchestra print (which handily came pre-tubed) I dropped back to the tent before getting myself back into the Forest for the frankly excellent Pet Needs.
The Colchester four-piecebrought huge amounts of energy and a heck of a lot of fans tree-lined Forest, encouraging them to make the most of fresh voices to set the bar for the rest of the festival. With earworm singalongs ‘Punk Isn’t Dead; It’s Just Up For Sale’ and ‘Tracy Emin’s Bed’ they duly delivered and teed up Lambrini Girls for their own raucous showing.
Frontwoman Phoebe Lunny kicked off proceedings by asking the assembled throng “Who’s ready to fuck?” and the punk rockers duly set about showing us the time of our lives. One of the themes of the festival was support for minority groups, and Lambrini Girls led from the front. Their set covered issues of sexual assault, calling on the crowd to “Believe victims” before ‘Boys in the Band’, shouting “Fuck TERFs” before ‘Terf Wars’ and calling for a Free Palestine. Their set was a highlight of the weekend and judging by the number of T-Shirts on show over the weekend they’ve a load of new fans on board.
The crowd was simmering nicely before Glasgow’s Dead Pony arrived with the first of two sets of the weekend and was soon at boiling point. Entering to The Prodigy’s ‘Voodoo People (Pendulum Remix)’, the band started casting a spell over the crowd from the off with an urgent ‘Ignore This’ from the new album of the same name. A blistering half hour set followed, including the frankly epic ‘MK Nothing’ and ‘MANA’ before a brief cover of Nirvana’s ‘Teen Spirit’ gave way to a thumping ‘Zero’. Honestly, the band’s electro-rock sound wouldn’t be out of place in a mid-2000’s Zombie thriller with Milla Jovovich kicking the arse of the undead and I’m here for it!
Keeping things north of the border, Scottish three-piece The Xcerts returned to 2000 Trees once again. Described by the organisers as “bona fide Trees royalty”, the band have a fanatical following and the Forest was packed out for the band’s set. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release of their third album, ‘There Is Only You’, the band played the record in its entirety – ending on a beautiful piano-led rendition of the album’s title track and teeing up Thursday’s mainstage set by assuring the crowd they’ll be playing eight songs they know well. “It’ll be flawless!” they promised.
In a bit of a departure from the festival’s usual position on sporting events, and following a whole lot of requests, the Trees organisers arranged to show the England vs Netherlands Euro 2024 semi-final clash in Axiom. This was my cue to check out the bar.
There are several around site, including a very swish Arbor tent and a Westons Cider bar with hay bales beneath a large oak tree near to the main stage. The bars offered lager, ale and cider on tap – as well as a non-alcoholic beer. Spirits, mixers, cocktails, wine and shots were all available – with White Russians proving particularly popular in the Forest.
Dream State were grateful for the crowd members making the choice to come and see them, describing it as a battle between “festival purists and football fans”. To help accommodate all comers, the band had set up a small screen on the stage, as well as a football net and lead singer Jessie donned an England shirt while guitarist Aled rocked a Netherlands kit and Wales bucket hat. While there may have been split loyalties on stage, the band’s heavy set unified all into a maelstrom of energy as Jessie’s vocals veered from melodic radio friendly tones into stirring the pit of your stomach growls – no more so than on 2019 single ‘Hand in Hand’.
Closing out Wednesday’s schedule before the Silent Disco took over were Lancashire rockers Boston Manor and what a close to the day it was! The Forest was packed out and vocal cords that had been warmed up all day were given a beasting akin to a sociopathic PT screaming at you in the gym by a powerhouse performance.
Kicking the set off with recent releases ‘Sliding Doors’ and ‘Container’ and adding some older hits such as ‘Laika’ the five-piece ploughed through a breathless show, rammed with heavy guitars and soaring vocals – especially during a massive singalong version of ‘Passenger’. Unfortunately, technical challenges during their set the next day cut the show short but with an eight-date headline tour across the UK in September to support the release of new album ‘Sundiver’ there will be plenty more chance for fans to see them in action in 2024.
With that, and darkness well and truly upon us it was time for the Silent Disco. In a first for me there was a channel allowing headset holders to listen in to a live performance from an act performing in the Forest creating a bit of a surreal scenario where the drummer’s tapping could be heard but no vocals unless you were on the right channel during Cody Frost’s performance. You can pre-order the headsets for £26 (£20 of which is refunded after the event) and then collect using a barcode or buy them on site for £28.
In classic “going too hard too soon” conduct, my friends and I threw ourselves into Silent Disco HARD and had a total blast. Seeing so many people with their headsets glowing, including members of staff who had worked so hard to get the festival set up in time, was a real grin inducer – as was the elder emo friendly playlist!
THURSDAY
Emerging into another beaut of a day and with the remains of several of the best French fries I have ever eaten courtesy of Smoking Buns underfoot, I headed into the now fully opened site to have a look around at the main arena.
The main stage sits between rows of food vendors creating a large bowl and allowing a decent view from the sound stage and beyond – including the VIP area’s viewing platform. During this explore I noted a few changes to the scheduling due to withdrawals – including Death Lens and Snayx – which meant some of the bands started an hour later giving me more time to check out the rest of the site.
I headed over to The Word tent to see what was on offer. On day twoit gave way to a range ofactivities for kids such as face painting, yoga and singalongs, as well as comedy in the evenings. Its proximity to the camping area and being between the main festival and Forest stages meant it felt like a bit of a bolthole from the hectic goings on of a busy site.
Further beyond there still and deeper into the woods is the Forest School where a team of experts introduced people to ways of interacting with nature, including den building and bug hunting. It was another peaceful corner of the site helping parents keep their kids entertained in between sets.
On top of these activities there are also a play area and crazy golf – meaning there was loads to do for the youngens. In fact, there were a LOT of kids at the festival, most of whom were living their best lives in fancy dress, face paint and raising their tiny devil horns to the sky saluting their favourite bands. If you’re a parent pondering a festival with a child, then you can do far worse than 2000 Trees.
The night before I’d loaned my charger to a friend which meant my phone battery was running low, but thankfully the charity, Temwa, were on site offering a phone (and vape) charging station. For £6 you can fully charge your mobile and when the charity’s profits go towards works in remote, rural areas of northern Malawi, it seems a small price to pay.
Other charities at the festival included Frank Water who offered unlimited cold, filtered water refills on site for £5 (or sparkling/flavoured for £6), Safe Gigs for Women who work with venues, promoters, artists and gig-goers to fight sexual assault and harassment at live music events and Metal For Good who use the positive values of rock, metal and other alternative subcultures to make a positive difference in communities. Seeing so many charities at the festival, with people donating and buying their merch, added even more to the feel-good factor on site.
One of the bands I was most keen on seeing during the festival was Spanish Love Songs. The LA band had two slots on Thursday, kicking off with a stripped back solo acoustic performance from frontman Dylan Slocum in the Forest just after midday.
Clearly anticipation for the performance was high, as the glade was full to the rafters. Borrowing wife and bandmate Meredith Van Woert’s guitar and with a setlist written on his phone (“No you can’t have it”) Slocum led the assembled throng through a ten-song set that delivered more than a few tears.
Brave Faces Everyone’s ‘Losers’ had fans screaming “It gets harder doesn’t it?” into the canopy above, with further leaf shaking vocals during ‘Otis/Carl’ and the always brilliant ‘Losers 2’. At one point Slocum asked the audience if they wanted to hear an “upbeat or a sad song?” and was met with a wall of noise screaming back in unison “SAD” – to next to no surprise from anyone attending – before duly delivering with ‘Exit Bags’ from 2023’s No Joy. The set ended on a – well, haunting version of ‘Haunted’ which only served to add to the anticipation for SLS’ Axiom set later that day.
While watching Dead Pony’s epic main stage set, I sampled Bunnyman’s Bunny Chow for lunch. The stall offers chilli and nachos, as well as the genuinely thrilling ‘Bunny Chow Bread Bowl’ – a hollowed out garlic bread baguette filled to the brim with delicious chilli and topped with the garlicky innards of the baguette and sour cream. It was both incredible AND portable, meaning I could watch on as Dead Pony’s singer Anna Shields made the most of the extra space on the main stage to put in another energy-laden show that had the crowd bouncing.
The next highlight was Canadian rockers NOBRO out of Montrealwhotook the Neu tent by storm during their 30-minute set. Opening with the gospel-tinged intro to the fun as all hell ‘Better Each Day’, the band’s influences Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney shine through on tracks ‘Where My Girls At’ and ‘Set That Pussy Free’. The show included bouts of crowd surfing and jumping off drum kits lending a classic rock vibe – which is probably the only time you’ll ever see that alongside bongo playing. Multi-instrumentalists, the gang switch around for “Don’t Die” by which point they were clearly showing off while having the best time of their lives – and they weren’t the only ones.
Having not yet had my fill of Spanish Love Songs I joined a packed-out Axiom tent for a set filled with anthemic, fist aloft, scream-a-long hits. Joined by the rest of the band, Dylan Slocum spoke about being due to play in 2020 but being denied by Covid. Describing 2000 Trees as being “like someone took the inside of my brain and put it in on show”, Slocum proclaimed Trees as “the best festival in the world” while delivering one of the best shows of the weekend.
Effortlessly mixing new material with old, the passion and volume of singalongs to fan favourites ‘Buffalo Buffalo’ and ‘Routine Pain’ made the hairs on my arms stand on end, with closer ‘Brave Faces, Everyone’ putting a final, resounding ‘period’ down on a day that belonged to SLS.
Kids in Glass Houses were next on the main stage and ready to give the crowd what they want, bringing a dose of nostalgia of simpler times gone by to a sunbathed stage. The set included new single, the synth-tinged banger ‘Theme from Pink Flamingo’, but it was the hits from Smart Casual that really caught the attention as ‘Easy Tiger’ slipped into the instantly recognisable intro to ‘Give Me What I Want’ and we had lift off!Acknowledging they had been away for a while and ruminating being adults, the band announced they had no plans to accept such things, defiantly stating: “Nah, fuck it! Let’s record a new album – HERE’S TO POVERTY!”
Another of the bands I had been really looking forward to was Manchester Orchestra. Despite being on the indie-rock side of the line, 2000 Trees is the only UK festival show the band is playing which shows the two-way love affair between parties is real. The Atlanta band’s opening salvo of ‘Pride’, ‘Bed Head’ and ‘I Can Barely Breathe’ saw amps turned up to 11 and any doubts as to their rock credentials were soon dispelled.
A fearsome rendition of ‘Cope’ was followed by a stunning, spine-tingling ‘The Maze’ and then Brian Fallon of Thursday night’s headliners The Gaslight Anthem joined the band on stage for ‘The Gold’. As Fallon and MO frontman Andy Hull’s voices intwined into the evening sky it felt like hearts and minds had been won over. Signing off, Hull thanked the crowd for “accepting us as we are” –
My first big clash occurred with Los Campesinos! and Hot Mulligan going head-to-head – and with it being LC!’s first grass festival ten years I opted to head to the Forest and hoped they wouldn’t be disappointed that the forest floor was covered in woodchip and not grass…
An exuberant set opened with the single ‘A Psychic Wound’ from the band’s new record All Hell before charting every chapter of the band’s almost 20 years in the game. With a limit of 50 minutes the band made no apologies for the frenetic pace as they rattled through song after song, including ‘Romance is Boring’, ‘Avocado, Baby’, ‘Straight In at 101’ and ‘Hello Sadness’ which were all greeted with top of the lungs singing. The last time the band played 2000 Trees was in 2011 and a lot has changed since then – but the band’s politics haven’t. They’re still defenders of the oppressed, with a flag hanging at the front of the stage stating ‘Freedom for Palestine. End the occupation. Stop the Genocide’ lending their voice – as so many other bands over the weekend did – to supporting those without one.
Hotfooting it back to the main stage for The Gaslight Anthem to catch the New Jersey rockers make their Trees debut, Brian Fallon and band got the ball rolling with the anthemic ‘Great Expectations’, ‘Handwritten’ and ‘American Slang’ before taking requests from members of the crowd holding up signs.
Their triumphant set spanned 20 songs in all, ranging from debut album The 59’ Sound through to 2023’s History Books and drawing from their extensive back catalogue throughout. During ‘Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts’ Fallon tweaked the lyrics to “Buy a house in England, especially how you played the game last night. It’s so expensive in London, you definitely need double income, or we could sleep on the beach all night” simultaneously drawing chuckles from the crowd and stabbing straight at the heart of some of society’s many issues.
The crowd was already at fever pitch before the band closed their set with the almighty “45” (ably supported by Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra) and a throat shredding ‘The ’59 Sound’ to draw a line under one of the most anthemic nights in Trees history. But the music didn’t stop there.
In 2018, Scott Hutchison was due to play 2000 Trees with Frightened Rabbit and his side project Mastersystem but lost his battle with depression and heartbreakingly died by suicide. From Scott’s death a legacy has emerged, with his family setting up a mental health charity Tiny Changes in his honour. Trees also pays tribute to Scott in the shape of Camp Frabbit – one of a number of stages dotted around the campsite where musicians play after hours sets.
Pet Needs returned to play a set, drawing a sizeable and enthusiastic crowd along who delighted in fulfilling the band’s desire for a Wall of Death in between the tents and guylines – even if it was carried out in the gentlest of manners by bodies already aching and fatigued after a long day. At that point it was time to retire ahead of another jam-packed day of music.
FRIDAY
Day three brought an overcast and cooler start with it, which required the addition of another couple of layers in the wee smalls of the morning, along with a few threatening clouds – but thankfully still no rain!
Over in the Forest Eighty Eight Miles capped off their set withan epic cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’, while Bex helped early risers loosen up with an energy-filled set on the Main Stage and four-piece hardcore band Fangs Out packed out the Cave tent with a super heavy portion of rock for breakfast – including ‘Get Grim’ with the call to action of “Let’s all get grim, There’s nothing to it! Savour the sorrow and rejoice in ruin!” which the crowd dutifully obliged in!
Artio were a band on a mission as theydemanded the mid-morning crowd indulge them with a mosh pit. If the vibe check was ever needed at 2000 Trees, here was another act using their platform to lend their voices to supporting the Trans community – announcing ‘Head in the Sand’ as a song about leaving Trans people alone.
The Main stage introduced Norway’s Sløtface to a crowd still jacked up from Bex’s set and kept the momentum going. The band last played Trees in 2018 and in that time there has been a lineup change but the band are still super slick, and their power punk sound led by frontwoman Haley Shea gets the crowd bouncing. Thanking them for coming out early to see them play at their “favourite festival”, Haley reflected on comments she received about how refreshing it was to see a woman in her 30’s fronting a band – a comment that came mere days after turning 30. Saying “I know they meant well, but it hurt” she offered a shoutout to any over 30’s camping at the festival as “the real heroes” before enjoying a very wholesome mosh pit at the front of the stage.
I joined a mysterious queue outside the Marshall Funhouse signing tent which led to a free t-shirt printing service offered by Marshall amps and an amplifier mascot that emerged from behind the presses to entertain both children and adults alike – even if their spatial awareness was found a little wanting…
The Rumjacks arrived on the main stage from the land down under, but their Irish folk infused set could well have pegged them as men from the Emerald Isle rather than the other side of the world. Remarking on “play between a pie shop and a sausage roll shop” and how it made them feel at home, the band got a huge amount of people dancing along to their raucous brand of Celtic punk – especially the penny whistle solos!
Lunch was calling and on recommendation from a friend at the festival I visited the Paellaria stand and for £12 got a big portion of tasty Paella with chorizo to fill the belly for the rest of the day.
Having followed one recommendation for lunch I followed another for my next act – heading into the Forest to see Katie Malco.
A lot of people were taking the opportunity to sit down for the set which offered a welcome sonic pace change, kicking off with the Phoebe Bridgers inspired ‘Fatal Attraction’. Proclaiming herself as a “miserable bitch!” Malco’s half hour set drew a reverential hush from the gathered audience before fulfilling her ambition of shouting “2000 Trees! I’ve always wanted to do that!”.
2000 Trees organisers always put together an official playlist in the build up to the event, including bands from across all stages, of all sizes and types. On listening to that I heard As December Falls and was wooed by their pop punk/early Paramore-esque sound so made sure I was in place for their Friday afternoon main stage slot.
Hailing from Nottingham, the band last played Trees a couple of years ago and clearly left a mark as the crowd was packed out. In a set filled with rocky bangers the audience moshed, crowd surfed, clapped and “woah oh’d’ along to the catchy tracks including latest single ‘Mayday’ and the call and response of ‘I Don’t Feel Like Feeling Great’ – having a frankly excellent time in the process.
Over in an incredibly busy Cave were unpeople. The crowd were clearly pumped up for a band that recently supported Metallica and they provided a set filled with heavy rock, kicking off with ‘Waste’ from their self-titled debut EP. The band clearly had a ball on stage; “We’re gonna have some fun now” they threatened – and they weren’t the only ones.
Changes to set timings, delays and technical issues are all things that occur at festivals – but having your set cut short by the wheel coming off your van is probably one of the stranger causes! And that’s exactly what happened to Crawlers. Lead singer Holly Minto said the band nearly died on their way to the festival – “One minute you’re eating your Greggs on the M6 and the next your wheel flies off!”. Despite this undoubtedly traumatic event, the band did brilliantly to play even more so to put on such an impressive performance. Hopefully they’ll be back in 2025 to play a full set – maybe staying over the night before next time…
In the Neu tent, Belgian boys Ramkot are here in the UK for only the second time, and they are here to rock! The band waste no time getting stuck into things and their bass heavy sound is a perfect whistle wetter ahead of Death from Above 1979’s set the next day. With a set mostly made up of tracks from last year’s album In Between Borderlines including ‘Exactly What You Wanted’, ‘Tied Up’ and ‘One More’ the Ghent natives are ones to catch when they return to tour in 2025.
Nova Twins are one of the biggest draws of the weekend over on the main stage. The duo takes to the stage in matching outfits and blast through a 10 track set at blistering pace. “Where all my boss bitches at?” asked singer Amy Love before ‘Cleopatra’ – the bossest bitch of them all! One of the most surprising things about their set was the age profile of some of the audience – little ones no more than 6 or 7 years old on their parents’ shoulders throwing shapes with the best of them and clearly enjoying the energetic performance from Love and bassist Georgia South. The pit was full of people losing themselves in the performance, just as well when both members went for a crowd surf – not missing a beat of set closer ‘Choose Your Fighter’ as they were held aloft by adoring fans. Saluting 2000 Trees, Amy Love declared “It takes a lot for women to play the main stage, even more to headline. Keep supporting women!”
As names befitting a festival goes Bears in Trees rather nailed it, thankfully while there are plenty of the latter at 2000 Trees we were mercifully lacking in bears. What we weren’t lacking in during the South London foursome’s performance was fun. The self-styled ‘dirtbag boyband’ had the crowd in the palm of their hands with keytar solos and dance routines during ‘Hot Chocolate’ before further engaging the crowd by getting in amongst them during ‘Heaven Sent is a Coffee Cup’. Beaming faces leave the darkness of the tent and head back out into the evening light.
In the first of two sets this evening grandson, AKA American-Canadian Jordan Edward Benjamin, emerges on stage with a backdrop of Joe Biden and Donald Trump in a passionate clinch which is still etched onto my eyeballs a week later. His 45-minute set charted an extensive, genre-hopping back catalogue of sound which splices rock, hip-hop, and electronic including ‘Drones’, ‘Something to Hide’ and ‘Despicable’. An acoustic version of ‘Bury Me Face Down’ gives a teaser of the Forest set to come, albeit this one comes with an inflatable alien held aloft.
The Neu tent was packed out for CLT DRP so I headed to the Arbor bar next door to listen in while supping on a few delicious beers and indulging in a much needed sit down. Turns out, knocking on for 40 years old, being on my feet all day and camping takes its toll more than it ever used to!
Revitalised I followed the rest of the festival to the main stage for Bob Vylan. It wasn’t just the festivalgoers making their way to see the duo, as soaring birds of prey spiralled around the main stage to catch their own glimpse of an epic set.
Bobby Vylan begins the set with some light stretching and meditation, encouraging the crowd to join in – which this achy thirtysomething duly obliged in – before renaming the festival “Vylanfest” in honour of their having appeared for three years on the trot and rising up the bill with every year. As Bobby says, “it’s unprecedented and that’s why we’re commandeering this festival”. Bob Vylan go by many names, including: The Most Important Band in Britain, Two Bobs in a Pod, The Cutest Band in Punk Rock, the Slam Dunk Mafia, The Metallica Murderers and the Fred Perry Mafia. What they stand for is to give the people watching their shows the time of their lives.
The set was filled with hits including ‘GYAG’ and ‘Ring the Alarm’ which triggered crowd surfing en masse, including Bobby and his daughter and the littlest Bob – Moonrise Vylan – with a request from the frontman that the crowd look after her (and they did!). Lending her the mic and encouraging her to address the crowd, the littlest Bob asked: “Can I swear?” and when Bobby gives her permission, she shouted: “Let’s fucking go!” followed by a cackle for the ages. Representation is important to Bob Vylan, with a Palestine flag draped on stage and chants of ‘Free, Free Palestine’ they also urged the men in the crowd to step back and allow women and non-binary people down to the front of the stage to mosh without fear of getting clobbered. Ending on Wicked & Bad, Bobby Vylan split the crowd in two and made his way to the sound stage before jumping into the crowd and being carried all the way back to the main stage “where he was supposed to be” – and judging by this performance there are many more main stages to come for this epic duo.
Hunger struck and a pizza from Pommarola Pizza Gardens was calling. I’d had an energy boosting espresso from there the day before and the sight of pizza stuck in my mind, so a ‘Garden’ pizza (the works) for £18 was my choice. It was delicious, with a crisp Neapolitan base and tasty toppings. The only downside was the wait, with everyone seemingly having the same idea – but it was worth it!
The benefit of the pizza stand’s location is that it sat directly opposite The Axiom meaning I could hear Hot Milk in action while stuffing my face. The tent was packed out and Hot Milk have headed back to the UK from touring the US supporting Blink-182 just for Trees. Kicking off with ‘HORROR SHOW’ and seamlessly segueing into a huge singalong for ‘BLOODSTREAM’ the band have the audience in raptures. Arms aloft, crowd surfing, bouncing non-stop and throwing as much into it as Hot Milk themselves the fans definitely made this feel more headline show than support – and they’ll be there before long.
I was torn at this point as to who to see. Metal supergroup Empire State Bastard held court in the Cave and Aussie garage rockers The Chats took to the mainstage for the headline slot. Having been impressed by grandson’s set earlier on I decided to tweak my plans and left The Chats shortly after their set began to head into the Forest once more for a stripped back, acoustic set that delivered the perfect antidote to the rowdy Aussie garage rockers.
After the Forest it was to one of the campsite stages and Camp Turner to bathe in the bearded delights of Sweetchunks who’s comedy songs had the crowd in stitches and singalongs to songs such as ‘Greatest Love song in the World (I Would Punch a Bear for You)’, ‘Bees’ and an ode to the accidental purchase of a submarine instead of a new van for touring in ‘Independent Nuclear Deterrent’. I’ll be honest, the chorus is seared into my psyche even now.
SATURDAY
We woke to the pitter patter of rainfall on canvas and feared the worst for the day ahead, but by the time The Meffs took to the main stage at 11am it had all but cleared giving way to another sunny day.
The Meffs asked the crowd whether they were “ready for some noise?” and the baying crowd was fully up for it. An epic cover of The Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’ was a highlight of the set, while ‘Clowns’ (an ode to the government) and ‘Wasted on Women’ were filled with furious energy.
Snake eyes brought a great backdropto the Axiom tentas well as a well-oiled indie-punk sound that the band describe as ‘grit pop’ and wouldn’t sound out of place on a FIFA (or whatever it’s called now) sound track.
Into the Forest once more and this time Tokyo Toy Company straight out of Bristol. Energetic front man Rhys Worgan led from the front as the remaining five members of the band filled up the Forest stage and played a chaotic set of ‘math rock’ that brought out the cover of the weekend – ‘A Thousand Miles’ by Vanessa Carlton!
Saturday is fancy dress day, with this year’s theme being 2000 Screams – encouraging revellers to embrace the horror and bring their most terrifying looks to this corner of Gloucestershire. This reviewer opted for Shaun of the Dead and set about finding Zombies to dispatch, via an unsuccessful hunt for a Cornetto and a much more successful search for lunch in the shape of No Fricken Chicken’s Three Piece of ‘Chicken’ and fries which came in at £10.50.
One of the weekend’s highlights was the newly formed Interlake, featuring David Jakes of Lonely the Brave (who were also performing with their new singer) and Jack Wrench of Arcane Roots. Jakes left the band due to anxiety in 2018 and while he’s still clearly not totally comfortable being on stage, hiding himself away behind his bandmates, his talent was in no doubt whatsoever. The performance brought tears from crowd members – of which there were a LOT! Closing the set with a vicious cover of Nirvana’s ‘Breed’ the band are clearly supremely talented musicians and it’ll be exciting to see where they go from here.
Sadly, Indoor Pets turned out to be a band rather than an immersive pet-fest with a load of housebound cats, dogs, hamsters and such as I had hoped – but they were a lot of fun nonetheless and didn’t require any antihistamines to be enjoyed. They’ve been around for a while but with their first new record (‘Pathethic Apathetic’) in five years released earlier in 2024 they’re on a bit of a comeback after an agreed hiatus. New songs ‘Fidget Panic Restless Static’ and ‘London (Love to Hate)’ are laden with energy and catchy hooks – it’s a breathless, fun filled set and over all too quickly.
In the first of THREE, yes THREE, appearances of the day Frank Turner has filled the Forest for a Q&A and live set as part of the Mark and Me podcast recording. Turner and Trees have history. Literal history. He was there at the first Trees in 2007, has been immortalised with an acoustic stage in the camping area and has played the festival roughly 100,000 times in the years since. While most of the hour-long slot was taken up with questions, both from the crowd and interviewer, Frank did manage five songs including ‘The Way I Tend to Be’ and ‘Somewhere Inbetween’ as well as a Million Dead song – ‘Smiling at Strangers on Trains’. Frank also teased a potential 25th anniversary reunion for Million Dead and if it happens you can bet it’ll be at 2000 Trees.
Having laid waste to the Forest on Wednesday evening, it was the main stage that was in The Xcerts path of destruction and they were absolutely bang up for it. The crowd is packed out and bristling with excitement. Kicking off with ‘GIMME’ the boys were ready to thrill fans and win some new ones with a belter of a set. Ending on the ever anthemic ‘Feels Like Falling In Love’ the band were joined on stage by You Me At Six’s Josh Franceschi. They promised it’d be flawless, and it totally was.
I managed to catch the end of Teenage Wrist in the Axiom tent which was absolutely hoaching with bodies. Finishing their set with ‘Earth Is A Black Hole’ the two-piece know how to rock the stage! I definitely need to make sure I catch the full set next time the Los Angeles natives are back in town.
Liverpudlian alt-rockers The Mysterines hit the main stage next bringing their brooding rock sound to rural Gloucestershire. The set was over in a flash, but the time they had on stage was filled with a mix of new material from latest album Afraid of Tomorrows (‘Sink Ya Teeth’, ‘The Last Dance’) and the likes of the gigantic ‘Hung Up’ from 2022’s Reeling. It does feel like they’d maybe have been suited to a later slot, or in one of the tents so the darkness could truly allow them to thrive – but festivals are a lottery and they rolled with the punches.
Into it. Over it were a recommendation pre-festival so I went with an open mind (and ears) to hear what the Chicago-based rockers had to offer. Well, they’re bringing mid-western emo to the Axiom and that is definitely my cup of tea. Last year American Football played and I missed it, so I felt like the 2000 Trees stars had aligned and had delivered unto me the sounds my ears had been longing for all weekend. The band released a new record earlier in 2024 (Interesting Decisions: Into It. Over It. Songs (2020 – 2023) ahead of a UK tour which kicked off at Trees but none of those tracks made the setlist. Instead, the set explored the band’s extensive back catalogue and closing with ‘PROPER’ from the 2011 LP of the same name Into it. Over it gave this and many other elder emos in the crowd exactly what they wanted for an early evening show.
Strapping in for a big night ahead I manage to convene with friends (the phone signal at Trees is basically non-existent) before heading to see Canadian two-piece Death from Above 1979 at Axiom.
I last saw them in 2015 and it is seriously good to see Jesse F. Keeler and Sebastien Grainger back at it. The show at Trees is part of a 20th anniversary tour of You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine which the band plays through from start to finish and it’s an absolute masterclass. The minute Keeler’s signature bass sound fires in along with Grainger’s frenetic drumming and yowling vocals its hard and fast ‘til the last. Having belligerently thundered through the album they close out with 2021’s ‘One + One’, Outrage! Is Now’s ‘Freeze Me’ and the sexy as hell ‘Trainwreck 1979’. It’s a brutal, heavy as hell set and it’s totally thrilling to see them going so hard. Welcome back, chaps!
And now for something entirely different, but no less brilliant. Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls are on the main stage to the delight of a considerable crowd. The set is packed with a mix of new and old – with this year’s release Undefeated taking pride of place both in terms of the song selections and the massive fabric backdrop. All eras of Frank are on show though, including ‘Worse Things Happen at Sea’ from 2007’s Sleep is for the Weak as requested by 2000 Trees founder James Scarlett on his 2 Promoters, 1 Pod podcast, ‘The Next Storm’, ‘Haven’t Been Doing So Well’ and ‘Recovery’.
The audience loved every minute of Turner’s set – singing back every word, crowd surfing and even engaging in a circle pit. It’s perhaps a surprise that Frank isn’t headlining over the weekend, but with multiple performances (more of that later) it probably suited him to come on a bit earlier.
As darkness began to take hold local legends Thrill Collins came to blow people’s minds with their whirlwind set of immaculate covers. Having played Wychwood Festival and Glastonbury already this summer, 2000 Trees was next up for the boys and they came to burn the mother down! A series of kids got their first taste of crowd surfing, although with security being a little short handed and Creeper and Holy Wars on at the same time the band had to request the crowd surfing stopped. While the crowd surfing did come to an end, the good times did not. Their now patented UK Garage mash up of ’21 Seconds’, ‘Rewind’, ‘7 Days’ and ‘Gotta Get Thru This’ to name a few triggered some confused looks from an American friend but the millennial Brits in the crowd were spitting bars back with gusto. There’ll be some saying I missed a trick not seeing the other acts on, but Thrill Collins are always box office and I regret nothing.
Don Broco were the last of the weekend’s headliners and the anticipation among the crowd was palpable before Rob Damiani and co got things started with an incendiary (well, there were fireworks!) ‘Everybody’ – launching the assembled throng into a fervour for the next hour and a half.
In a set packed with the hits including ‘Come out to LA’, ‘Bruce Willis’ and ‘Manchester Super Reds No. 1 Fan’ there was something for everyone from the band’s extensive back catalogue. They brought out Kid Brunswick for ‘ACTION’ before ending on ‘T-Shirt Song’ and another headliner worthy fireworks display. As the boys saluted the crowd with an “It’s coming home!” and sent fans off into the night, ‘Three Lions’ filled the air in anticipation of the next day’s ill-fated Euro 2024 final between England and Spain. Though the football team couldn’t deliver, Don Broco definitely did – cementing the band’s status as one of the hottest bands in Britain with a powerhouse set.
Over in the Forest, Skinny Lister were offering an altogether different kettle of fish…or rather jug of unidentifiable spirits to a boisterous audience and the energy-filled set full of sing-along folk tales was frankly mental! They’re the ultimate party band and not a soul was left behind as the good ship Skinny Lister kept the good times rolling to the sound of accordions on tracks such as ‘Rollin Over’ and ‘John Kanaka’. If I had to sum the set up (beyond mental) then life affirming would be my summary – if you get the chance to see them in action then go, and be prepared for a whale of a time!
As people started making their way back to their tents to pick up their headphones for one last Silent Disco, Frank Turner thrilled hundreds of fans with a show on Camp Turner’s stage. The congestion on the throughway did lead to a few grumbles, but it was hard to hear them over die-hard fans singing along to tracks that hadn’t made it into his main stage set or Q&A in the Forest earlier in the day – including a cover of Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love’ and
This was my first time at 2000 Trees which is a bit embarrassing considering I live down the road, but it won’t be the last. The vibe throughout was immaculate, with friendly staff and volunteers, cheerful festival goers, great music, a huge array of food and drink to sample and a frankly lovely setting.
The official Facebook group for the festival was filled with celebratory posts in the days after – all congratulating the organisers for putting on another epic weekend of rock music and sharing their memories (and sometimes lack of) with other attendees.
If you haven’t been before, check 2000 Trees out – this first timer is a total convert. All hail Trees!
The UK summer might have called in sick for the last month and a half, but we’re on our way back up to tropical climes starting today; the final session of BST Hyde Park – featuring K-pop icons Stray Kids. With 50 thousand through the gates and the sun actually shining, we are in for a delicious day in that there London.
Taking a stroll around the arena for a bit of sight-seeing, we clock the lovely uniquely BST pastel faux storefronts that house the bars, even more eateries than in previous years where you can get anything from prawn tempura bao to roast duck wraps or a gourmet pizza.
Volvic are out in force giving away cans of their fruit-spiked sparkling water which is really welcome today, and you can even throw it into your new American Express stanley-dupe cup because they’re giving away free ones all over the site. We make a pilgrimage to the very back of the arena to the toilet block, which honestly are some of the nicest festival loos I’ve ever experienced. Kudos BST, the tickets may be spendy but the perks are perky.
We toddle back to The Great Oak stage to check out another K-Pop crew, also on the JYP entertainment label alongside Stray Kids – NMIXX. A six-strong dynamite gang of fierce women, Lily, Haewon, Sullyoon, Bae, Jiwoo, and Kyujin, bounce out onto the stage with all the adorable exuberance you would expect from a kawaii cartoon. They’re all rocking some very Taylor-Momsen-Gossip-Girl-Era school uniform outfits, featuring tartan, ripped shirts and specially designed pink silk ties, featuring the band name in Korean Hangul.
There’s a massive crowd out already, and they’re all screaming as the band bust out two immediate bangers ‘TANK’ and ‘DICE’ (with some interesting MC Escher style visuals splashed across the giant stage screens). Being a total NMIXX rookie, I was kind of expecting the traditional cookie-cutter approach to K-Pop girl bands but they instantly blow me away with their raw take on the K-pop meets rock sound. It’s clear they’ve all got fantastic voices, and can throw down some classic choreo for sure, but there’s edge and individuality that comes through in both parts. It’s hard to explain but it certainly seems like they’re actively pushing against the uniformity and clean-cut stereotype of K/J-pop that has gone before.
@ISHASHAHPHOTOGRAPHY for BST
“We are so excited to perform our songs in front of you” they yell out, before hitting us with ‘Run For Roses’ and the hugely popular ‘DASH’. I also really enjoy the tongue-in-cheek juxtaposition of the cutesy candy backdrop and the actual sentiment of ‘Young, Dumb, Stupid’, and I can’t even be mad at their sample platter of covers – Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘good 4 u’, Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ and Oasis’ ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ – particularly when the gorgeous harmonies in the last of those makes the performance better than the real version. I said what I said.
We get a sneak preview of brand new track ‘Moving On’, and they finish strong with ‘Love Me Like This’. They’re unpolished, punchy and know how to push their rock-edge – I’m a new fan.
We caught a little of Alec Benjamin in passing I’m afraid, lovely soft acoustic American-indie in the blazing sunshine, but we are scooting across to the Peroni bar for a swift mini beer and some absolutely delightful lemon butter tagliatelle for late lunch. This lovely serene pretend-Italian scene, is only slightly overshadowed by the ear-piercing screams emanating from the nearby chair-swing ride. Despite the din, I do really enjoy Alec’s ‘I Sent My Therapist to Therapy’ because – is there anything more millennial than that sentiment… and ‘Let Me Down Slowly’ is beautifully done.
Reinvigorated and full of pasta, we head over to The Cuban Garage Stage, 11-year BST home to resident mischief-makers, TheCuban Brothers who promise us a slightly less risqué show due to the average age of the crowd today. Somehow I don’t quite believe them. We get a dance-party vibe, with Miguel giving Music Producer pal Andy Franks an excellent leaving-do on stage, Kengo on rollerskates and Dom busting out the breakdancing and flips. As always, a pleasure, and truly there was only a smattering of rude jokes, bravo.
Next up on the main stage, manic pixie dreamgirl fantasies come alive with the absolutely adorable Maisie Peters. Don’t let her young age fool you, this firecracker knows how to drive a crowd wild. The folksy ballads with her acoustic guitar are great (they bring to mind notes of Taylor Swift and First Aid Kit, and fit right in with her signing to Ed Sheeran’s Gingerbread Man Records) but I want to talk about her scorching power-pop tracks instead.
Before ‘You’re Just Another Boy (And I’m Kinda The Man)’ she jokes about her embarrassment over being sad about a boy, but the softness is quickly replaced with a fiery edge in ‘Not Another Rockstar’ – straight to my playlist that goes. Her breathy cover of The Killers’ ‘Mr. Brightside’ is very soothing and ‘John Hughes Movie’ is, well… exactly what it says on the tin. As a lifelong Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller fan, you can stack me up on the giant inflatable cloud Maisie has along the stage, and let me listen in bliss for the rest of the day thanks. Oh and it absolutely must be said, that the BSL interpreters who have been covering all the main stage acts today, have been incredible and look like they’re having the best time. We stan an inclusive festival.
Following that we scuttle away to the leafy solace of ‘The Hydeaway’ a VIP perk area full of lovely tables to hang out at, with a big bar, extra food options and some even fancier loos. We take a quick squiz at the merch on our way past but lanyards have completely sold out and £40 a tshirt is a little rich for our blood. Cozzie livs innit. Instead we spend our cash on snacks, mine being a cup of incredibly fresh strawberries mixed with marshmallows and covered in dark melted chocolate. It was decadent af, as always I am absolutely sold on the bougie city festival vibe.
Heading back into the now teeming arena, we weave our way amongst screaming teenagers waving SKZ light-sticks aloft. What they’re actually screaming for isn’t clear – it seems to be whenever anyone roadie or otherwise, simply steps one foot onto the stage… ah to be part of hysterical teenage fandom again. Anyway, after fighting our way through the cutesy lolita outfits and homemade signs trimmed with lace, we get to a good viewing area just as a giant red Stray Kids banner is hoisted up in front of the stage.
With the eardrum piercing banshee shrieks of the girls behind us, and the dramatic dropping of the banner, Stray Kids are revealed atop a raised platform at the back of the stage wearing matching beige fatigues in various states of DIY. Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. are all undeniably pretty, and the deafening screams of fans are all but drowning out opening track ‘S-Class’.
Self-proclaimed as a band with an experimental music style, influenced by everything from hip-hop to heavy metal and electro (which has been named “Mala taste music” since, referencing spicy Chinese mala seasoning) they are definitely another JYP Entertainment band who don’t fit that classic clean J/K-pop sound, and it’s evident from the off. Another unusual note about Stray Kids is that they’re mostly self-produced and write a lot of their own music, rather than being fuelled by a team of external musicians – that’s pretty rad right?
‘Freeze’ features a barrage of on-stage fireworks, followed by flame cannons and a lot of raunchy dancing. “You guys miss us?” they yell, to a solid wall of screams in return, from what sounds like all 50 thousand voices in attendance. Having made their UK debut in 2019 to the comparatively tiny Brixton Academy, this is an incredible step up – and it’s easy to see why.
@ISHASHAHPHOTOGRAPHY for BST
‘TOPLINE’ features striking red, yellow and black text on the screens spelling out the lyrics so that even the casual fan (or dragged-along partner) can join in with the fun, and before long we too are swept up in yelling “Karma!” and “We don’t give a fuck!”. There’s something almost pantomime about K-pop that has a way of making you participate and I really think it’s a big part of the pull – after all, for every early noughts pop fan who learnt the dances of their favourite boyband, this hits that nostalgia button really hard.
‘Domino’ sees the band rushing down the runway and spraying the close-up crowd with bottles of water, and more intricate choreography featuring a lot of holding hands, adorable. They take a quick break as their house band give a truly excellent solo interlude – it’s very metal inspired, and I’m going to have to research their personal projects a bit I think.
Back again with an outfit change to a Timberlake-adjacent double-denim effort, we spot Felix sporting a Louis Vuitton jacket (having been a house ambassador for the brand in 2023) and Hyunjin with a Versace snapback (he was a Versace global ambassador last year). In fact, there’s a lot of bling across the board with this crew, perhaps unsurprisingly as they also made their Met Gala debut as a band earlier this year, as guests of Tommy Hilfiger.
Ballad ‘Lonely St’ is a light and soft pause, before busting out a Korean version of ‘Social Path’, followed by ‘Charmer’ and ‘Back Door’ which I’m sorry but I cannot help but laugh at. Yes I know that they all get the pun, frequently slap each others’ arses and call Lee-Know ‘Butt Hunter’ but, well… bum jokes are funny and the English love when people make mistakes with our language to comic effect. Sue me.
‘MANIAC’ seems to be about Frankenstein (cool) and comes with some Thriller-esque dance moves, while ‘God’s Menu’ is replete with choreography depictions of cooking such as mixing, chopping and frying. Because why the hell not. Nothing surprises me at this point.
Coming in with their meteoric hit ‘LALALALA’ which has been used in so many ad campaigns and tiktok videos you can’t fail to have heard it before, it elicits the biggest scream from the crowd yet, and is accompanied by a huge set of pink fireworks behind the stage. It’s half an hour before curfew but this feels like and ending songe… and it’s at this point that everything starts to fall apart. After that absolute blinder of a song leaving us all hyped up, there follows a long rambling speech, with backing music that completely drowns out anything the band members are saying. It’s confusing, it’s irritating, and we only know what is actually happening when the ripple from the front starts chanting “one more song”.
Equally confusingly, they play ‘TOPLINE’ through again, and then ‘Megaverse’ (which I can’t lie, sounds exactly like Megabus… which then led me to sing Vengabus throughout…). After yet another round of chanting “one more song” the finale is left to the comparatively quiet ‘Haven’. It seems like the sound has been massively turned down at this point and we can easily speak over it, but the Stays are still bouncing around having a lovely dance party. There’s a bit more of a “Who’s seen Stray Kids before?” talk from the band and a “thanks for coming” at the end but it seems very unscripted and messy, compared to the seamless first half of the show.
All in, it’s been great to see another top tier K-Pop band on top at such a massive UK event, I’m just not sure they accounted for the extra time they appeared to have on hand at the end of the show. Hopefully with two years in the bag for BST down this track, we can look forward to another incredible show in the future – topping my wishlist are BTS and BigBang… see you in 2025 Hyde Park!
With a line up throughout the day better than many festivals this summer, BST Hyde Park certainly knows how to put on a show.
Kate Nash began the party in style, celebrating her birthday on the same day – she certainly laid good ‘Foundations‘ (excuse the pun) for all the acts which followed.
Shaun Ryder’s Black Grape were on next, and welcomed a large crowd to the Great Oak Stage. Beginning with ‘In The Name of The Father‘ from their iconic It’s Great When You’re Straight album, it’s incredible to still see Ryder & Co still performing to such a high and party atmosphere.
Over on the smaller Birdcage Stage, Davina Michelle showed what a voice she has. With over one million followers on Instagram, she rose to fame after last year’s Hyde Park star P!NK saw her on YouTube covering her hit ‘What About Us‘. Definitely one to watch for the future.
(Photo by Dave Hogan/Hogan Media Shutterstock)
Gaz Coombes followed on the main stage, making reference to England’s Euro 2024 quarter-final match which kicked off at the same time as his set. As well as demonstrating what a strong singer-songwriter he is, he mixed a few classic Supergrass tunes in for good measure, with ‘Moving‘ getting a large part of the crowd on their feet.
Over on the stunning Rainbow Stage, duo Soft Play (formerly known as the iconic Slaves) blew away any clouds from the sky with their short-sharp punk rock. Joking that Robbie Williams asked them to support after stating on Twitter (nee X) that singer Isaac Holman looked like a cross between Robbie himself and Ant McPartlin, they invaded the crowd on multiple occasions, starting their own mini moshpit, playing crowd favourites ‘Sockets‘, ‘The Hunter‘ and of course, ‘Where’s Your Car Debbie‘. One to catch at other festivals this summer if you get chance.
Seal followed, fresh from his appearance the previous night with Andrea Bocelli (our review of that legendary set is available here: https://www.summerfestivalguide.co.uk/reviews/2024/07/08/andrea-bocelli/). As well as his own timeless hits, including ‘Killer‘, ‘Crazy‘ and ‘Kiss From a Rose‘, he admirably covered T-Rex’s ‘20th Century Boy‘.
(Photo by Dave Hogan/Hogan Media Shutterstock)
The crowd were here for one man and one man alone though. Mr Robbie Williams.
He proved why he is one of, if not the best entertainer in the UK after all these years, arriving on stage to a magnificent ‘Let Me Entertain You‘.
Defying his age having recently turned 50, Robbie has clearly been working out, and launched into ‘Land of a Thousand Dances‘, joined by an impressive line up of backing dancers.
After telling the story of his life, from Take That to Glastonbury misadventures, Robbie seamlessly went from ‘Could It Be Magic‘, into a crowd singalong of Oasis classic ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger‘. To ensure other Britpop favourites were not left out, he was joined by Gaz Coombes for a joyful version of their 90’s anthem ‘Alright’, before performing a cover no one knew they needed. Cockney cheeky chap Danny Dyer took over the vocals from Phil Daniels for a cover of Blur’s charming ‘Parklife‘.
(Photo by Dave Hogan/Hogan Media Shutterstock)
Visibly emotional, he declared he is now the happiest he has ever been in his life, thanks to his wife Ayda and his young family positioned on the nearby sound-stage.
Hit after hit followed, with fans enjoying ‘Millenium‘, ‘Kids‘, ‘Feel‘, ‘No Regrets‘ and ‘She’s The One‘, which, as has become part of his repertoire, Robbie serenaded a young Italian lady in the crowd with.
There was only one song Robbie Williams can finish with. The epic anthem ‘Angels‘ which elevated him above many of his peers and demonstrated his ability to write an anthem for the generation closed the evening in style with all of the crowd raising their phone cameras and lights.
Fireworks lit up the sky as the 65,000 strong crowd sung every word in unison.
This is how to perform an entertaining headline show. Nobody does it better.
Despite the heavy rain throughout the day typical of the British summer, spirits remained high on Day 5 of the BST Hyde Park series of concerts.
As host Myleene Klass explained, this was the largest classical concert, not only in Hyde Park, but for the whole of Europe this century.
Andrea Bocelli clearly has a very talented family, with Matteo Bocelli opening proceedings on the main Great Oak Stage.
Playing a mix of classical and contempory songs, Matteo’s voice shone through the clouds, with a mix including ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’, ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’, with his own compositions including the song he wrote for Netflix series ‘Scratch’ – ‘All Because of Love’. A true talent, with the glint of charm from his father in his voice.
(Photo by Dave Hogan/Hogan Media Shutterstock)
Following on from Matteo was Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins – a true national treasure.
She could well be headlining Hyde Park herself one day, mixing classics from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, with an unscheduled if beautiful rendition of ‘Singing In The Rain’. Before finishing with Queen’s classic ‘We Are The Champions’, she delighted fans by putting on her Hunter wellies and showcasing a medley of James Bond themes, including ‘Writings on the Wall’, ‘We Have All the Time in the World’, ‘You Only Live Twice’, ‘Nobody Does It Better’, ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ and of course, Adele’s ‘Skyfall’. Not many people could cover the latter and improve on the original, but Katherine’s voice is truly spectacular.
Again, there are few people who could follow Katherine, but of course, the tenor Andrea Bocelli managed it with his incredible voice, charm and wit.
(Photo by Dave Hogan/Hogan Media Shutterstock)
Celebrating over 30 years in music, Andrea was joined by very special guests throughout his two hour performance, all backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Crouch End Festival Chorus.
The first half comprised classical and operatic pieces, beginning with ‘La donna e mobile’ – before Andrea continued to demonstrate what a talented family he has, with his daughter Virginia joining him on the huge stage, without any sign of nerves despite being only 12 years old.
Throughout the second half of the set, Andrea was joined by more very special guests, including Zucchero, Seal and one of the greatest film composers of all time, Hans Zimmer. Mixing their own unique talents, each were graced with opportunity of playing their own classic tunes with the incredible backing of the orchestra, with Seal’s own ‘Kiss From A Rose‘ taking on a whole new dimension.
(Photo by Dave Hogan/Hogan Media Shutterstock)
Saving the best for last, Bocelli concluded with his passionate ‘Con Te Partirò’ (Time To Say Goodbye), which never fails to leave goosebumps (and a few tears) with its beautiful lyrics and music. Finally, ‘Nessun Dorma’, possibly the best known tenor arias from opera left the crowd leave with huge smiles over their ponchos.
Here’s hoping Hyde Park will welcome more classical concerts in the coming years.
It’s an overcast but warm Sunday in London town, and we’ve come all the way from Leicestershire to the Olympic Park to attend an extremely rare and exciting event. Once a year, London Stadium (which is now the given home of West Ham) is transformed from a classic football pitch into an enormous baseball stadium. The build itself is truly something to behold, you can watch an incredible time-lapse of it on MLB Europe’s social media, but turning a rectangular pitch into the iconic diamond is no mean feat.
The first MLB London Series was held in 2019 with the original grudge-match of Yankees vs. Red Sox, and was then disrupted by Covid for the next three years. Returning last year with a St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs match it has already cemented itself as a true London summer essential, with fans rushing in from all over the UK as well as from overseas.
Driving to London is nowhere near as chaotic as people make it out to be, especially if you’re heading to one of the Westfield malls (conveniently located outside of the congestion charge zone). We park at Stratford Westfield for a purse-friendly £13 flat day rate, which is incidentally cheaper than parking in our own mall all day in Leicester, and it’s a very short walk from there right into the Stadium grounds. With fuel and parking all in, we’ve probably saved ourselves around £300 for three of us on public transport, as well as a whole lot less stress.
Heading into the arena we are surrounded by baseball jerseys of all kinds, not just the two teams that are playing today. In case you were wondering how a sporting event fits into our ‘Summer Festival Guide’ parameters here, this is truly like walking into a metal fest and seeing a sea of band tshirts – and I’m about to give you all the reasons this stacks up as a must-do Summer Festival.
Outside of the security entrances we spot a decent sized merchandise stall with a hefty queue around it, and there are flags, banners and backdrops for taking photographs everywhere. There are also plenty of stewards with selfie-frames and foam fingers who are there to help you get your perfect game day group shots. It’s a really nice touch, and adds to the atmosphere. To make things go smoothly, they open the gates to the arena area 3 hours before the event and have security entrances on at least two sides. It’s a quick bag check and we’re in!
Around the front of the stadium there are yet more photo opportunities, live entertainment in the form of percussion bands, stilt walkers and more. There are set ‘Fan Zones’ for each team which house have-a-go pitching cages, mini merch stalls and food stands curated from the hometowns of each team. at the Mets Zone you can grab a mouthwatering New York Pastrami sandwich, pizza and fried chicken. Over at the Phillies Zone you can feast on a classic Cheesesteak, Phanatic Fried Chicken (isn’t he meant to be a bird? That’s a bit gauche if you ask me) or some punny ‘Batter Up’ fish and chips.
Now situated at the back of the stadium, the huge MLB superstore has an hour and a half queue to traverse (so said the helpful steward at the entrance) which unfortunately would put us past opening ceremony time so we decided to hit it up later on. This turned out to perhaps be a mistake, as by the time we made it back there – the entire store was bereft of Phillies merchandise. I know the games are over two days but it does seem that if you want your pick – you’re better off going early or even the day before to one of the other outlets. The huge tailgate party at Trafalgar square also has merchandise on offer and it’s free to get in during the weekend, a good strategy for next year.
Heading into the actual arena itself, we are helped to find our seats by another lovely steward and end up parked alongside third base, and in front of a huge contingent of US fans who have travelled over for the games on a tour holiday. Mostly Phillies but with a few Mets mixed in, they’re raucous, flamboyant and funny – shouting and singing along with all the exuberance I expect of an American audience. The view we have is phenomenal, but to be honest it looks like you get a great view from anywhere in this arena, we sat in the nosebleeds in 2019 and still had a magical time.
Pre-show entertainment includes the introduction of the Mascots, the Phillies Phanatic – who according to Wikipedia is meant to be a green flightless bird. Our 4 year old referred to him as “The funny alien” and absolutely fell in love with him. We went hunting for a plushie for her, but alas none on site (at least at this late stage). I must say though that the tongue which protrudes from his… beak… mouth… hole… is more than a little unsettling, but we laughed our heads off at his sassy dancing.
The Mets mascots are well, cute but ultimately less inspiring. They’re just people with giant baseball heads clled Mr. and Mrs. Met. We’re team funny alien. Sorry not sorry. On the VIP green stage, the incredibly talented Jess Glynne warms up the crowd with hits ‘Hold My Hand’, ‘Rather Be’ and ‘Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself’ before giant flags are splayed out on the field for each country’s National Anthem to be sung. First up the USA’s star spangled notes are belted out by Broadway star Marisha Wallace, and then Welsh classical vocalist Katherine Jenkins hitting those insane high notes for God Save The King. It’s still weird to hear King, if I’m honest.
The first pitch is set to be given by Rob McElhenny of Always Sunny and Wrexham fame, Philly born and bred – but he is joined on the field by Kaitlin Olsen (also of Always Sunny fame, also his wife) and Chase Utley (former Phillies player) to instead do a ceremonial ‘First Double Play, roping in Bryce Harper.
We also get a starting line up of players for each team, which included an extremely random set of pyrotechnics – huge flame cannons which weren’t then used at any other time during the game, and then it begins. The first inning is so fast we barely have time to register what’s going on, and though it isn’t an entirely sold out stadium, the sound of the entire ballpark roaring as the Phillies’ Nick Castellanos takes first base is wild.
It’s not a difficult game to get to grips with, which is part of the appeal I think. The native Philly fan behind me is coding all of the game stats into her worksheet from inside the programme though, and that is a step too far down the rabbit hole for me. I’m here for less pure reasons, one of which is to unironically wear my Benchwarmers jersey and see how many people notice. My partner is also wearing a Milwaukee Beers Baseketball jersey and it is niche enough that even amongst baseball fans only a handful of people have picked him up on it.
The game goes a lot faster than I remembered it last time, but these players are not here simply for a jolly weekend. I really love that this is a part of their regular season, so we’re actually getting to see a true unfiltered game day, not just a ceremonial fun game. Having the home fans behind us also really helped with the mood – they were all so animated by every single play, and got our daughter involved in all the clapping/chants/general baseball crowd participation too.
The one thing I will say about US sports is, there are so many breaks during game play! I understand needing re-set time but there’s a lot of mid-game entertainment to cope with it. We loved the Phanatic dressed as a Royal Guard, joined in with the seventh inning stretch, and sung along to ‘Take me out to the ball-game’.
At one point giant baseball shaped beach-balls were thrown into the crowd in a race to get them back to the dugouts, the very strange mascot race which included King Henry VIII, Freddie Mercury, Winston Churchill and Nessie, who cheated bigtime.
We also love the random trivia that comes up with each hitter on the big screen, for example – did you know that Mets’ Jeff McNeil“was a judge at the 2019 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island”? Incidentally, the breaking news in the hot dog community (which obviously runs parallel to the baseball community, 16-time winner Joey Chestnut announced that he has been banned from entering the competition under MLE’s (that’s Major League Eating obviously) new rules. That’s my trivia gift to you today.
The chaotic joy doesn’t stop there, as Phillies’ David Dahl hits the first home run of the game to rapturous applause – the black cab on a plinth in the VIP area explodes in a haze of sparkly fireworks and disco lights, which is apparently now our UK ‘home run tradition’. Love that we’re just making stuff up at this point. I’ll take one Black Cab jersey next year please. It’s hitting close to the end but we make a break for boomstick nachos (that’s a 2 foot box of loaded chilli nachos, that spanned the laps of two adults and one child) which was truly epic. We wanted to grab a cheesesteak but unfortunately they sold out early on, but we did grab one of the very silly and fun baseball bat shaped beer cups. I have no idea what we’re going to do with it… maybe make people who come to our house down pints? But it is a cool souvenir.
Anyway, back to the closing game. The thing that truly baffles me is how anyone hits anything when some of these pitchers are throwing 94mph right at their faces. It is tense and brilliant, as a non-regular baseball watcher, it’s truly engaging and edge-of-your-seat stuff when the bases are loaded. Ultimately after a good fight back, Philly are ousted with a nail biting double play (and a smashed bat!) to end the game 6-5 to the Mets. The entire stadium is up on their feet cheering for what has been a truly spectacular day. With 108,956 people recorded in attendance over the weekend, I think it’s safe to say that MLB has a permanent home in the UK and it can only get better.
Oh, and leaving London at 7.30 on a Sunday is a lovely easy trip and we’re back in the Midlands by around 9.30pm even with a stop. So there’s no excuse, book your tickets next year for a slice of that classic game day atmosphere and a really unique fan festival experience.
2024 seems be the year of the giant arena tours, with the likes of Foo Fighters, Bring Me The Horizon and Taylor Swift busting out the big guns all around the UK, you’d be forgiven for thinking a mock-rock band of humble origins wouldn’t be a huge scene this year. JB would tell us to never underestimate the power of rock, and with over fifteen thousand piling into the Birmingham Resorts World Arena tonight – a completely sellout show – it’s clearly going to be a wild one.
We take a quick gander at the merchandise offerings, but are unsettled to find t-shirts peaking at £50 (ouch) and the cheapest being £35 – half of what a standing ticket cost tonight, which is diabolically expensive when you consider two non-purchases of a tee could get you another ticket to a huge tour show. I do rate their alternative merch choices like tabi/sandal socks, bags of branded plectrums, and crocs charms – they’re much more in the realm of affordability and are something different than yet another black band tee. Here’s my heartfelt plea to bands to push smaller merch offerings that are at the £5-£20 mark, we all wanna participate but… cozzie livs innit.
VIP Nation patrons however, were also able to pick up a Jack Black curated fan gift with their priority seating tickets, comprising of a very fun Tenacious D pizza box, red apron, tea-towel and lanyard – all branded with the Spicy Meatball artwork.
Dave Hill
As the arena begins to fill, we are treated to the very weird but funny musical/comedy stylings of support act Dave Hill. Dressed in a Slipknot-esque boilersuit which is covered in whimsical floral and animal patches, he races onto the stage pretending to… well, fuck shit up, I suppose. He proceeds to play three or four chords on his axe between mumbling, kicking and moshing. I am bemused, but also amused. At one point he even grabs a pair of nunchucks and cavorts wildly about the stage.
Finally he settles down slightly, and jokes “Great to be back here in Birmingham… The Paris of the Midlands. I’ve not been back here in ten years! For legal reasons…” before taking requests, for what turns out to be the first 5 seconds of any song yelled out. Yes, it was Freebird.
What follows is a very strange rant about Poundland – “Poundland, we sell everything but dignity” and then some pick-up lines that “will only work in Birmingham”. Dave smiles slightly, betraying his persona “Are you the west midland metro making stops between Birmingham and Wolverhampton? If you are I’d like to ride you all the way free of charge”. I don’t really know what I make of it all to be honest, he’s definitely not a traditional opener, but he gets the laughs and is actually a more than decent guitartist. Oh and I will always appreciate someone who exits the stage on a BMX for no discernable reason whatsoever.
The stage lights dim to the mightiest roar from the packed arena, as the choral opening music from Tenacious D’s ‘The Pick of Destiny’ movie, sets the scene.
Strutting calmly on stage the duo, Kyle Gass and Jack Black revel in the full force thunder of the crowd. Taking their places in front of two red devil-hand mic stands they steal a quick nod to each other before launching into story-setting memoir song Kickapoo. Despite knowing the words myself, I don’t think I was really prepared for how much of tonight would feel like a Rocky Horror singalong – EVERYONE and their rockin’ mother was giving it a ruddy good go.
With his signature wry smile, Jack laughs “So Birmingham… Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin. There must be something in the water here, Rock. Rock is in the water. This might be the rock capital of the world” before sweeping his sweaty hair out of his face and catching a helpful fan’s scrunchie from the crowd, to tie it up.
Low Hangin’ Fruit and Rize of the Fenix come with a side of “Any of you seen our film ‘Pick of Destiny’? NOT AT THE CINEMA YOU DIDN’T” referencing the flop that almost scuppered the band, and requesting pyrotechnics which never materialised. “When we planned this tour, we had to rock a bit harder, be a bit spicier, we had to have pyro!” they yell as a very underwhelming single flame spurts from the stage.
Wonderboy rolls on to arguably the most anticipated song of the night, whose opening chords draw a huge cheer from the fans. A huge inflatable Satan at the back of the stage heralds the iconic
Tribute, and at one point the band are almost drowned out by everyone singing. Coming up from their bows, both adopt a slight stagger, joking “We’re getting too old for this shit.” before Jack snaps a quick high kick and a toe touch jump and shouts “Nope, still got it” to tremendous applause.
Next up is Video Games, followed by The Metal – in which a very Iron-Maiden-esque stage walker robot (that looks a bit like one of the goblin suits from Labyrinth with David Bowie) stomps his way across the stage to dance, rock, and at one point pretend to slam Jack doggy style. Then, as a treat “I need a palette cleanser… Sax-a-Boom please!” Jack shouts, and the now infamous children’s toy is ferried to the stage.
The Sax-a-Boom solo is summarily upstaged when KG brings out a ‘Max-a-Boom’, a giant version which plays funnily enough like a real sax, and the iconic Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty solo. Miffed, Jack calls for a Max-a-Boom removal, “Oh my fucking god, that’s Dana! She’s best roadie in the business right there” and a nice segue into Roadie, with the pronouns thoughtfully changed to ‘she’ throughout the song.
There’s a fun little skit of a silent argument “Hey Kyle can we talk by the drums, no mics please?” and KG pretending to quit, which lines up the lament Dude (I Totally Miss You) and the whole arena using their phone torch lights to join in. Kyle returns, there’s a joyful screened video of the pair leaping through the waves on a beach, and we get a rendition of Chris Issak’s Wicked Game before we come to another iconic D song. “KG… I think there’s something wrong with our electric guitar player… I think he’s possessed… BY SATAN”.Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown) is everything you want from Tenacious D, kinda camp, slightly ridiculous, and heaps of fun. We even get a double recorder solo from KG – which in the UK is everyone’s starter instrument at school, and every parent’s worst nightmare.
A traditional band intro/solo section is absolutely gratuitous but in keeping with their classic metal pastiche, they thank the sound crew and the lighting crew (who also get to do a lighting solo, love that) before Jack Black takes his own solo starting with the opening of Black Sabbath’s War Pigs. 10/10 very topical and locational, absolutely every voice in this place is joining in.
After a brief encore, Good Times Bad Times (a Led Zeppelin cover) is chased up by the excellent Master Exploder. “We don’t often perform this one because it’s too hard to perform live. This is The Spicy Meatball Tour though… are you ready KG?”… “Hahahaha I’m not ready, it’s too hard!” they joke. There’s a moment where Jack finally produces the Pick of Destiny and holds it aloft “God that would have been a good time for pyro. I even cued it up! BIFFY PYRO TO THE STAGE NOW”. It is a very kitschy skit with a bumbling pyro guy and a big red button, but it’s part of the charm and comedy. The Spicy Meatball Song (to the tune of Indiana Jones) is very funny, but we close with Fuck Her Gently and the entire crowd singing along again. Finally, we get the big stage fireworks and flame cannons, and the band triumphantly leave the stage with their arms in the air. Biffy Pyro is left alone, grinning smugly.
It’s hard to categorise Tenacious D, because ultimately they are a comedy show – and all the skits drive the narrative of the night, but I think it’s really important to note that underneath all of that, they’re just damn good songwriters and musicians. Tonight was a blast, a well deserved sell-out tour.
Scuttling into the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, we arrive into a deep softly illuminated world of chirping crickets and the trills of minibeasts, and take our seats facing… the giant egg. The circus has finally come back to town, in the form of Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Ovo’.
Before the show starts I got the lowdown on some of the incredible things that have to go on behind the scenes to make it work. The mammoth effort involved in the costume department cannot go un-written – their touring vehicles house six washing machines and three dryers, to cope with the sixty loads of washing that were required for tonight’s performances, and they have an entire in-house tailoring team on hand for quick fixes as well.
The cast and crew comprise of a whopping 100 people of 25 different nationalities, 52 artists, and 23 huge semi-trucks to cart everything around in. The stage is fantastic, and the herculean effort it must take to organise and do this type of show is absolutely phenomenal.
The show opens with our host/ringmaster the Scarab Beetle ‘Master Flipo’, dressed in a very comic book Joker-esque ensemble, and his friend The Ladybird witnessing the arrival of ‘The Foreigner’ (who I can’t help but see more as a Covid-19 spike protein than a bluebottle fly – but that’s the trauma speaking) who is carrying a giant egg on his back. Immediately all of the characters are endearing and interesting, but the star is definitely Coccinella (Ladybird) – portrayed by the wonderful Neiva Nascimento. Clad in a cute latex outfit she totters around the stage chirruping and making complete sense, with almost no actual dialogue at all. In fact that is the part I find most charming about all of this, we get a complete theatrical story conveyed almost exclusively visually. It’s powerful stuff.
The skit where the insects steal the egg and The Foreigner sadly calls out “Ovoooo” are very funny, but when the Red Ants take to the stage on the vertical parallel bars I am immediately overcome with wonder, exactly as I was, seeing circus skills for the first time as a child. Spinning and jumping between the poles, or sliding down them at death defying speeds and then freezing into impossible human-flag shapes is what circus is all about – the suspension of your innate belief in how gravity works.
Next up, the Gracious Dragonfly gives an absolutely beautiful hand-balancing performance atop a vibrant green spiral that is reminiscent of plant-stamens, or coiled corkscrew rushes on the surface of a lake. The clever costuming of iridescent wings spanning the length of the artist’s legs, allows for some stunning shapes as he deftly moves from one delicate position to another.
During stage setting and the continuing escapades of The Foreigner, Coccinelle, and Master Flipo – the back wall of the stage, covered in wall climbing rocks, is subtly used as an outlook for sly Spiders. The three of them take turns to scale and pose themselves as portraits across the background before The Black Spider takes to the stage for an aerial hoop performance, one of the most breathtaking parts of the show.
The sleek red and black suit, coupled with the stark ghostly face-paint of The Black Spider invites you to view him as something otherworldly, and he certainly lives up to the idea as he soars across the smoke-covered stage on his hoop-web. Unbelievable feats of strength and flexibility are bolstered by his powerfully emotive dance elements, all undeniably spider-like in feeling.
The high-flying Beetles navigating the three Korean-frame stations set high in the rafters, bring the first half of the show to an end with a sizzle. There’s nothing like looking around a crowd while aerial performers are on, and seeing every mouth agape, young and old alike. The frames are stacked with muscular Beetles banging chalk between their hands, before swinging the lithe flying Beetles through the air to one another. The tricks are incredible, tucks and spins – even one that flew a complete circle around the centre post, look inches away from death, but this is a party of replete professionals and the set is perfect. Touching down onto the trampoline net to finish, they garner the biggest cheer of the night so far.
After the Intermission, we see White Spider drop down to centre stage to show us some of her stunning contortion techniques, bending gracefully into inconceivable positions. The Red and Black spiders join her for some partner balancing, and then she takes to a very unique piece of equipment which allows her to spin and contort whilst balanced on… well… her mouth. There is a small part of me that was initially revulsed, but I think that’s because I know the damage I would inflict upon myself were I ever to drunkenly try this. The sheer strength of mouth and neck muscles it must require is frankly mindblowing.
Following this, we are treated to another classic circus skill – Firefly, with his diablo. Now, I expect that most of you reading this, and the majority of the people in the audience, have probably had a go with a diablo once in your life. Maybe at a kids party, a summer event, or a school fair. So you know how bloody hard work it is to even keep one of those things balanced never mind actually spinning. Firefly wowed us with one, then two, then three, then four diablos bouncing off the same string. While he turned. While he shot them up in between the lighting rigs high above the stage. I think he may have been a lot of people’s unexpected favourite of the night, and that diablo sales on Amazon probably rose immediately following the show.
As in a proper circus environment, a little audience participation to fill a gap can be fun, and the two people brought on stage to play unwitting romantic interests for The Foreigner and Coccinelle, were very good sports about it. However, what came next was a true highlight of the night – a crackle textured bug, attached via her hair to a ceiling rope and pulled skyward like a marionette. This whole scene was gorgeous, from the music and the lighting, to her elegant and nimble body positions as she swept and spun across the stage.
The final big act of the night was down to the bright green Crickets, displaying wall-climbing and trampoline skills across the backdrop of the stage. Two giant concealed trampolines provided the power for the artists to run up the wall and land on top, before pelting themselves back down for tucks and tricks, even jumping over one another in a waterfall presentation, but also taking the time to perform and show their cheeky side (literally, they shook their bums at the audience at one point). The air-track between the two trampolines also provided a runway of layouts, twists and double back tucks that came in waves towards the audience, a plethora of skills shown in quick succession.
Sadly the time is over far too soon, but a happy ending with The Foreigner winning the hand of the Ladybird (and kissing quite a lot) and the return of his ‘Ovo’, to the stunning vocals of Bossa N’Ovo – The Cockroach. As she sang, the cast emerged to rapturous applause and made their farewells after an incredible night. As the stage darkened one last time, Ladybird is left alone to witness, the cracking of the Ovo…
Ending on a comedic cliffhanger really seals the tone of this brilliant show. It was funny and beautiful in equal measure, turning adults into awe-struck children seems to be the modus operandi of Cirque, and we loved every second of it.
Berlin based talent Inox Traxx has experienced a significant growth in recent years, thanks to her rapidly evolving, hypnotic, and distinctive sound, releasing Two EPs last year on Ben Sims’ labels (Hardgroove and Symbolism) as well as making regular appearances at Berghain.
She now brings her stylish techno sounds with a new EP that again stands her apart on Charlotte De Witte’s Sub label RPM, now available to listen via KNTXT. The EP consists of 3 tracks:
In My Darkness kicks off with heavy, rock solid drums that are peppered with whipping snares and dark synth lines, and is about facing your fears and pushing through.
Close then gets more kinetic and stripped back, with brilliant hits skating over the drums and a distant vocal luring your attention into the shadows. A track about a distant love.
Titles is about big changes and believing in a bright future. The track shuts down with a crisp tech feel and howling solar winds that bring mood and menace to the high functioning drums.
Starting the year off with a few warm-up gigs to get into the festival spirit, SFG took a trip to Nottingham for the Enter Shikari tour last month. The show was incredible (read our review here) but today we’re focusing on something a little different.
It would be an understatement to say that social media has changed the way we interact with artists and their music; the immersive experience of multi-angled viewpoints, re-living events through the eyes (phones) of thousands of others and even from the band themselves. Enter Shikari for example frequently share backstage snippets of them walking onstage or hanging out in the city that they’re playing in.
The hundred-degree view we’re able to access now as fans, is so normalised that it’s probably quite hard to do something unexpected and new. So you can imagine my delight when I spotted during this gig, that the fun was being captured by drone cameras, racing around above our heads. As I crept up into the bleachers to take some still photos, I noticed drone pilot JR in his VR headset, working hard to avoid crowd surfers and flying shoes with his speedy little drone zooming around the arena.
After the show I had the pleasure of catching up with the Dirty Dishes Productions crew, to get a little insight into what they do, and post-event – JR has kindly answered some questions for us, below.
Tell me about yourself and your company, what do you do?
I’m JR, an FPV Drone Pilot and founder of Dirty Dishes Productions. We’re an aerial production company that believes in defying boundaries, whether it’s capturing footage indoors over crowds, zipping through tight spaces, or even filming underwater – all within the commercial drone world’s rules, of course. From film and TV to sports, live events, and groundbreaking live concerts like Enter Shikari in Nottingham, we aim to put a drone anywhere it can capture the unseen.
How do the drones work/what is it like to pilot them?
Our specialty lies in racing drones equipped with a 4K camera for capturing footage and an FPV camera that feeds directly into my goggles. This setup, resembling a VR headset, immerses me into the drone’s perspective for piloting. It’s a thrilling experience, similar to being in the cockpit, requiring acute awareness and precision, especially since we always operate within sight and in compliance with a drone spotter for safety and legality.
We met while you were covering the Enter Shikari gig in Nottingham, what was your favourite filming moment there?
Nottingham was a landmark event for us, marking the first time drones flew inside the arena for a concert. My favorite moment was the sense of accomplishment post-show, having successfully captured every element of the production, from the lasers and lighting to the pyrotechnics and confetti, in ways never seen before.
Were there any difficult moments to film?
Navigating through confetti showers presented a unique challenge, risking blocked vision and potential collisions. We meticulously assess air quality before flights, especially when lasers are involved, to safeguard against damaging the drone’s cameras.
Do you have any plans for future live music events?
Our experiences with UK Afrobeats band NSG touring with them across venues across Europe, Mike Skinner at Ally Pally and Enter Shikari at Nottingham and Wembley have set a new benchmark for what’s possible in live event filming. The exhilaration of performing live, especially with the innovative step of broadcasting directly from my goggles to the big screens at Wembley, keeps us hungry for more. We’re eager to extend our pioneering FPV drone services to more music tours, continually seeking to elevate the live event experience.
Do you have a bucket-list/wish-list event you’d like to cover?
The dream is to cover the full spectrum of musical genres, adapting our flight style to the unique atmosphere of each concert, from high-energy rock and roll to the serene tones of a Celine Dion performance. Every artist and show offers a new canvas for our creativity.
Where can we see your work?
Our adventures and achievements are documented across all major social platforms, from Instagram and TikTok to LinkedIn, under @JR_DDP and @dirtydishes.tv. We’re passionate about sharing our journey and continuing to push the limits of FPV filming. My YouTube channel @JR DDP also has longer behind the scenes / vlogs showing how we do these operations.
I’m looking forward to potentially featuring in the Summer Festival Guide and sharing our story far and wide! I’ve also attached a video of the big screens at Wembley for you where people could watch the action live.
Having since seen some of the footage shared on Enter Shikari’s own social media, there is such an intimate and interesting quality to the type of footage that drone cameras can capture – something that seems to have been previously reserved for other types of events, for example sports.
Though there are clearly huge challenges with filming music events, as JR points out above, being able to delve into what I see as the personality of gigs – showing the crowd as individuals not just as an undulating swarm, is a move in the direction of the contemporary connection we experience in social media.
Yes we’ve always had flat-on filming of shows, dollies and on-stage cameras to get up close and personal with bands, but the un-intrusive drone footage brings a new element of ‘looking-behind-the-curtain’ that I am absolutely fascinated by. Not having an extra person running around the stage to get the shots also means that the stage show itself remains unblemished, something that seems really important in the type of cinematic show that Enter Shikari put on. I suppose though, the main thing I enjoy about Dirty Dishes’ work at this event is that watching it back – I am transported there immediately, to how it actually felt to be at that gig.
All of us photographers, videographers, writers, artists, musicians alike – we are all just trying to find new ways to capture moments in time, and I think the new horizon of drone videography in music is going to be really interesting to watch.
