Reviews

Sónar Barcelona, or The Best Festival Yet

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Sónar’s 20th anniversary reads like a who’s who of electronic music new and, well, more new. From Jurassic 5’s old school hip-hop and the eternally synth-pop Pet Shop Boys, to dance anthem pedlars like 2manydjs and the impossible grace of Natasha Khan aka Bat for Lashes, this was always going to be a big weekend.

The three day festival kicks off Thursday, leaving you Sunday to recover – or carry on the party. We catch Oddisee under the SonarDôme, slick rap between brassy jazz, while outside SónarVillage has exploded with the cheesy 70s hit ‘Love is in the air’. Fun is the aim of the game.

Gold Panda is another of those non-DJ DJs. In black denim and t-shirt, I picture him nursing a book alone in a café somewhere. Today, though, he hits us with playful and animalistic beats, eyes fixed on his fingertips as he bops along to perfectly haphazard breaks. The sound is of a runaway music box, and oddly relaxing.

Beer vendors wind through the crowd under a heavy Spanish sun. I worry for all the hipsters getting hot beneath their beards – at least they have their Wayfarers on. One such beardy man holds a kaleidoscope to his mobile phone to film the set (not the Beardyman, though he plays on Saturday). Lindstroøm and Todd Terje get us to nightfall. It’s the first time I’ve heard Terje’s ‘Inspector Norse’ and I understand immediately why it’s so popular. Have a listen.

Sonar

There’s action aplenty with ‘off Sónar’ events across the city, but we save our feet for the first Sónar de Noche, held in a series of warehouses at the edge of town. Of course Bat for Lashes is wonderful, but we knew she would be. Bristolian DJ Eats Everything plays ahead of Two Door Cinema Club, a sentimental favourite who move seamlessly through their repertoire. “Maybe someday, you’ll be somewhere, talking to me, as if you knew me.”

It’s worth the rush to the outdoor SónarLab to see French DJs C2C perform ’Down the Road‘. They do a Run-DMC cover and manage to hold a sound-off in the crowd, a winner-by-applause deal without spoiling the mood. The 3D Kraftwerk set is all hype and Skrillex becomes the night’s surprise win (although I’d like my ears back, badly). I’m distracted by someone so famous wearing a shirt with his name on the back, but he’s forgiven with Benny Benassi’s ‘Cinema’. I don’t like dubstep; I just love that he’s got us all dancing.

Three hours sleep gets us by, and we’re back at Sónar de Dia for some synth-disco courtesy of US act Chromatics. I warm to their 80s edge and a convincing take on the Kate Bush classic ‘Running up that hill’. We watch AlunaGeorge from faux-grass decking, and catch TNGHT open with a cinematic rendition of Billie Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’. The stop-start set isn’t my thing, and I leave early to give my eardrums a break.

Sonar

The closing night of Sónar is marked with a three-hour Ed Banger tribute. Justice scores easy points with his Simian Mobile Disco mashup ‘We are your friends’, and it’s good-time fare ‘til Laurent Garnier heralds the Sunday dawn. Even with a huge turnout, the warehouses have space to sit and take stock when needed. Revellers don’t seem to overdo it as much as back on the British Isles, and the international crowd adds to Sónar’s world-class festival credentials.

In 2014 Sónar hits five cities, so the next question is Barcelona, Tokyo or Mexico? Life’s tough.

@MirandaAnimated

Check out the photos from Sónar 2013 here.

Download Festival 2013 – Friday Review

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Avid weather watching and ultimate festival preparation was indeed necessary for this year’s Download Festival at the legendary Donington Racetrack, as the masses were simultaneously sunburnt and soaked, we thank the grand old British climate for a mostly acceptable atmosphere in which to rock. In it’s eleventh year, Download Festival draws in the metal hordes, clad in anything black, denim, ripped and studded, for a weekend of extraordinary music and warm beer.

Heading into the arena on Friday, the familiar sights and smells wash over us (portaloos, expensive burgers, eau de camping) with one particular very obvious addition – the zipline. Even at this time people are queuing up to spend fifteen smackers for thirty seconds of extreme wedgie, it’s baffling. I suppose the view is good from up there though. At the Zippo Encore Stage nearest the arena entrance, legendary hard-rocker heroes Uriah Heep draw an absolutely massive crowd and play a storming set that would have you think you’re at the ’82 heyday Monsters of Rock, not 2013 Download. Screaming “Where were you back in nineteen seventy seven?” frontman Mick Box smiles at the blank stares of all those who weren’t born yet, and pushes on with ‘Gypsy’ and some serious shredding. Despite the very recent and death of bassist Trevor Bolder, the band put on a great show and leave the stage with an outtro of ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ just to cement their homegrown status.

Over on the main stage, Yorkshire metalcore kids Asking Alexandria spin damp fans in the rain into a frenzy, whilst London based power metal heavyweights Dragonforce are beset with shoddy sound for the first few songs. Despite this they ride rambunctiously through ‘Through the Fire and Flames’ and new track ‘Cry Thunder’ is punchy enough (and almost ironic enough, in the current conditions) to gain instant earworm status. Herman Li’s frankly beautiful hair blows in the wind as he and Sam Totman shred harmoniously in their distinctive style and the crowd joins in for the chorus. Main stage emotions are running high as Papa Roach create circle-pits and drive the hits ‘… To Be Loved’ and ‘Last Resort’, and the second stage area is awash with Swedish flags for Stockholm rockers Europe. After a hugely entertaining and musically engaging set, the inevitable party-piece ‘The Final Countdown’ is final-ly rolled out, to which the crowd goes wild. It’s more comedy than it is song now, but boy do we Brits love a good cheesy anthem.

Korn, though intensely self-aware and at times quite comical, are actually rather good and manage to draw the largest crowd of the daytime. Head honcho Jonathan Davis’ looks like he’s having a fit whilst dancing/headbanging through ‘Blind’ and ‘Falling Away From Me’, but it’s ‘Coming Undone’ that really gets the audience thrashing. An unnecessary ten minute bagpipe interval (of which Davis really only plays a few notes, it’s like… if Deep Purple went highlander…) leaves a lot of confused faces, and more than a few people groan when the dubstep part hits, however, fan favourite ‘Freak On A Leash’ brings them back.

3 Doors Down do a sterling job making the afternoon light with their particular brand of American Rock, with a fun cover of Megadeth’s ‘Symphony of Destruction’ and Gypsy Punk crazies Gogol Bordello have everyone up and skanking to their weird and wonderful accordion packed sound, also rainbow stripes don’t really make a balaclava any less menacing, but we appreciate the oddity of it.

Second stage headliners Black Stone Cherry, here on merit of a forum-wide plea from fans, play an absolutely stunning set with favourites from the first three albums, and a first ever sneak peek at brand spanking new material from their studio work (see headline review for full details). Main stage masked-bandit headliners Slipknot have ditched the red boiler suits for white (much to the dismay of die hard fans who’ve spend the whole day perfecting their costumes) but other than that, not much is different from their 2009 Download appearance, except that this year they play without late bassist Paul Grey and play ‘Duality’ in tribute to him (the 2009 Download Festival show was his last appearance). Fans are fans though, and twice during the wild night, Corey Taylor called to stop the performance due to crowd surges, yelling “No-one is getting hurt on my watch, I'm not going to let that happen to my family”. Over the two hour set, hits ‘Wait and Bleed’ and ‘Psychosocial’ make for rowdy moshpits and after an extra long pause before the encore, ‘People = Shit’ and ‘Surfacing’ complete the show.

Photo courtesy of Download Festival

Download Festival 2013 Review – Sunday – Rammstein

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With a stage-wide curtain keeping the set secret, and Sunday’s sunshine dwindling into the night, the excitement in the air is almost palpable for final headliner Rammstein. The Berlin industrial metal heavyweights have been long awaited by Download-goers and tonight the arena is Ramm-packed with eager fans.

The screens turn to black, the curtain drops and Rammstein explode onto the stage, with frontman Till Lindemann being ceremoniously lowered on a firework wreathed platform from the ceiling. Whilst Lindemann’s menacing grin is enough to spark fear in the hearts of many, his pink fluffy jacket (which sort of looks like a bloody Wampa skin…) is just giggle-worthy, but the massive cobweb-like stage set and enormous drum-lights behind make for an impressive backdrop.

Without further ado the band get right down to business, ‘Keine Lust’ and ‘Sehnsucht’ get the crowd warmed up, with the enigmatic frontman maniacally wielding flaming poi, but it’s ‘Feuer Frei!’ that pushes the circle-pits into overdrive with raw firepower, quite literally as the stage lights up with fire cannons. Keyboard-jockey Christian "Flake" Lorenz, in a bejewelled suit, marches along on a rotating treadmill as he plays – which whilst mildly entertaining just doesn’t cut the mustard when you’ve seen *that* OKGO video, but the night is young…

Drawn from real-life events ‘Mein Teil’ (The Meiwes Case) and ‘Wiener Blut’ (The Fritzl case) are peppered with sadomasochistic overtones, and later ‘Buch Dich’ sees Lindemann don S&M gear to roleplay anal sex with an assless-chaps-wearing bondage Lorenze, on a rising platform. From the platform, Lindemann proceeds to spray the crowd with ‘ejaculate’ (clever/gross hose attached to inside of trousers, activated through the platform), screaming girls seen rubbing it into their hair and chests: shame on you – your mothers could see this on tv, *wink*.

A giant cauldron containing Lorenze, set alight by a bloodied-chef-costumed, flamethrower brandishing Lindemann, Bane-esque face cages which also shoot fire, guitars that shoot fire, fire cannons, flaming-spinning fire bow, a man on fire… it’s safe to say the German metallers just bloody love fire, and so do the crowd. ‘2, 3, 4 Links’ and ‘Du Hast’ are yelled simultaneously by the entire arena, with fireworks travelling along cables across the crowd to the sound tent and back to an explosive finale and the stage lighting up in a cloud of sparks. ‘Ich Will’ is the real show-stopper with every hand in the air and Lindemann’s trademark low-growl calling out “Thank you very very, very much. Danke schön, we are RAMMSTEIN” before leaving the stage.

After a brief break and a rather pretty acoustic ‘Mein Herz Brennt’ it’s back into heavy for the epic ‘Sonne’ and the band close out this extraordinary show with the comedic ‘Pussy’. As Lindemann rocks up with a giant penis-shaped foam cannon and sprays it into the crowd, completely covering the front facing security staff (who were doing a sterling job of looking like they weren’t at all bothered about being ceremoniously covered in fake spunk…) the ticker tape bombs detonate, covering the entire stage. Kneeling superman-style, the band show their appreciation for the rowdy Download crowd with a final “You are amazing, we love you, thank you very much”, and it’s over. Rammstein at Download 2013 were definitely a crowning moment in the festival’s history, and it has been more than worth the wait.

Rammstein

Isle of Wight 2013 Review

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After last years terrible weather this year was set to be different, lets face it… It had to be. A couple of heavy nights of rain meant the campsites started to get soggy and the ground was starting to churn. Fortunately for campers, the areas mostly plagued by damp and muddy environments had temporary road surfaces and plenty of hay to soak but moisture in the ground.

Despite broken and mud-logged trolleys, multiple trips to the car and a little huffing and puffing, we finally managed to get the tent set up and consulted the IOW Festival app to find out where to get our kicks (though, as expected this did indeed rinse the phone battery…). A welcome sunny afternoon broke out so we decided to head into the dance tent… inside… er, well regardless of the lack of sun indoors the lineup had more than enough clout for us to forsake the fresh air. With the likes of Ms Dynamite, GrandMaster Flash and A-Trax pumping out the hits (although Ms Dynamite was extraordinarily late, people were queuing to get in for her set) to a tent full of writhing bodies and beat-matching strobe lights, the old school mixes really went down a treat. Elsewhere, pint-sized popster Ellie Goulding belted out the chart-toppers with a crowd-a-oke of ‘Your Song’ and Delilah’s set started out with a microphone malfunction but eventually settled into a decent set.

Ellie GouldingA-TraxDeliah

Firday headliners The Stone Roses where coming hot off London shows in Finsbury park and showed no sign of slowing down as they headed onto stage to the beat of ‘Stoned Love’.  Ian Brown in his bright yellow jacket got the crowd singing the massive hits ‘Waterfall’ and ‘Made of Stone’.  It was the perfect end of a long and tiring but exciting first day at the Isle of Wight Festival.

Saturday saw strong winds tipping the balance of fun to annoyance, with tents and bins taking off like the Poppins all over the place, but at least it wasn’t raining. After a quick trip to the festival supermarket (brilliant idea thank you IOW organisers), we set off into the arena for The Killers. Crowd-pleasers ‘Mr Brightside’ and ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ went down a storm, with one enthusiastic bod even holding a lit flare out in the crowd. Confetti cannons with red and yellow ticker tape covered wild fans as they screamed for more, closing out with super-anthem ‘When We Were Young’ this was an exceptional show.

After heading to the Eco-Charge for a phone-bump (or a Kinetic bicycle charge if we were feeling fresher on Sunday) and another dousing of rain alongside periods of actual sunburn, we caught the Bedlam Take Over in the BT Infinite Tent where the likes of Zane Lowe, Andy C and SubFocus were absolutely lighting up the night with massive hits and huge helpings of chest pounding bass to a bursting-at-the-seams arena.

Closing out this years festival on the main stage was the hugely popular Bon Jovi.  As the sun began to fall on the majestic Isle of Wight, Jon Bon Jovi took the crowd on a whirlwind journey through the extensive back catalogue and tracks from their new album including ‘Thats What the Water Made Me’, sing-a-long favourite, ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’ and more!  The crowd interaction was impossible to miss and it displayed the continued popularity of the band in the UK.  Saving the best for last was number one hit ‘Living On a Prayer’ which has the entire main stage audience in full vocal swing.  Accompanied by a massive fireworks displayed it brought to the end another fantastic weekend at the Isle of Wight Festival.

Check out the Isle of Wight Festival 2013 photos here

Download Festival 2013 – Iron Maiden Review

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If you weren't previously assured of Iron Maiden's God status in the world of metal, there's absolutely no denying it now. Saturday night at Download, we're standing in a soggy field, shoulder to shoulder, shivering in anticipation… as a Spitfire – yes, a SPITFIRE, soars up from behind the main stage. As the metal horns are thrust up to the sky, the aircraft banks and continues the flyby over a stunned crowd, and the band burst on stage for 'Moonchild'. Now THAT's an entrance.

Their ice-berg styled gangways make for Bruce's personal runway as he races about during 'Can I Play With Madness', wearing a sparkly clockwork-covered tailcoat. It's definitely a step up from the swamp-thing outfit we witnessed last time. Despite a bit of wavering sound, 'The Prisoner' (complete with a clip from the 1967 tv series) warmed up for the arena-shaking '2 Minutes To Midnight', with extreme crowd participation.

The driving wind in the first half of the set was  fairly irritating, and probably worse behind the sound tent, definitely nowhere near as unfortunate as befallen by Metallica in 2012 – but did pick up for 'Afraid To Shoot Strangers' and 'The Trooper' with Bruce donning his traditional red 'Light Brigade' uniform and giant Union Flag. Bruce jokes "Welcome to Monsters of Rock '88" to which the five guys standing next to us yell "We were there!!" and certainly, Maiden are a band that people come back time and time again for. Giggling "…back then we couldn't blow things up, or use fire… Or a Battle of Britain Memorial Spitfire…" Bruce thanks RAF Coningsby for the loan, and takes a swig of signature Trooper Beer.

'The Number of The Beast' (with giant fire canons and a flame-eyed Beast) and 'Run To The Hills' (including frontier Eddie wielding a sword at band-members) are screamed at deafening levels by the crowd around us… Ok ok, it was us too… and a giant grimacing Eddie looming over the stage is revealed for 'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son'.

After a huge instrumental and some well-timed fireworks, the iconic refrain of 'Fear of the Dark' is played out to a chorus of 'woooaaahhh-ing' fans. Yes it's traditional, Yes we've seen it before. Does it mean that hearing ninety thousand people locked in song with a single string of notes is any less impressive? No. Nothing makes your breath catch like looking back at the sea of lighters waving in the dark, it's the stuff ambitions are forged from, and as Bruce drops "a little anxious, in Donington Park" the young lad in front of us turns to his mum and says "This is the best thing I've ever heard" it brings me right back to the time I first saw Maiden.

An enormous Eddie holding a writhing heart-type-beast for 'Iron Maiden' has his head lit on fire before the band depart for a short break for the encore, where we finally get to hear 'Aces High', 'The Evil That Men Do' and 'Running Free', though Bruce was less 'running-free' than 'skipping-like-a-spring-lamb-free'…

The band thank everyone for a great night, and having tantalised us with the announcement of an O2 show later in the year, it's clear they're leaving everyone on a high. As the glassy eyes of people who've just witnessed something special, turn toward the exits, we are happily singing along with 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life', as only British festival-goers – who've spent two days being sunburnt and rained on, can truly appreciate. Iron Maiden were everything they should be and more, gaining a whole new generation of fans in one night.

Iron Maiden

Download Festival 2013 Friday Review

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After a confused (yet bloody typical) day of showers, blazing sunshine, bare bodies, full waterproofs and teeth-chattering cold, the rain abated for the start of my choice of headliner – Zippo Encore stage's American rock'n'roll heroes, Black Stone Cherry.

As self-proclaimed Download Darlings, this is a fourth return but their first go at a headline slot here at Donington, as requested by the forum-going public. It's a proper Cinderella story, despite not having a new album out or any tours planned (prerequisites for booking festival slots generally) BSC are here on the back of some serious fan-fare. Hailing from the not-so-deep south (read: Kentucky) these good country boys are Lynyrd Skynyrd with better riffs, and less blue-collar/redneck jokes.

With three already stellar albums greedily devoured by UK fans over the last few years, it was inevitable that the bustling arena was going to be a good testing ground for new material and a fun soundboard for old, and as BSC drop right into 'Maybe Someday' the crowd yells right along as if the main stage (and Slipknot) don't even exist. The apt refrain "But for now I've got to rock and roll" sets the tone for the rest of the set, with fan favourite 'Blind Man' and brand-spanking-new (seriously, this is it's first ever outing from the studio) 'Me and Mary Jane' which is an immediate ear-worm.

The unfortunate opening line of 'Rain Wizard' "Here comes the rain" does indeed seem to open the heavens, but a heartfelt 'Things My Father Said', with the crowd singing the entire first verse back to homesick frontman Chris Robertson, who is for the first time away from his baby son, brings a tear to his eye.

'White Trash Millionaire' and 'Soul Creek' go down a storm, almost literally as by now it is widdling it down most ungraciously. Drummer John Fred Young's unruly mane is flapping wildly as he smashes about in a manner not unlike Animal of The Muppets, but his quick solo is a reminder that he's a technical whizz as well as a solid rock beat, and Robertson tells us how they may be four guys from Kentucky, but the heart of this band is in the UK, because "nowhere else in the world would people stand for an hour in the pissing rain to see [them]". No-one had the heart to tell him standing in the pissing rain is practically a national passtime of ours, but we certainly appreciated the compliment.

After a raucous 'Blame it on the Boom Boom', they close out with first album hit 'Lonely Train' and leave the crowd yelling for more. As the stage lights die, the sound of Slipknot on the main stage floods back into our ears but they could have been a million miles away during Black Stone Cherry's extraordinary set.

Good music with a good view. RockNess day 3 review.

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Waking up and starting off Sunday at RockNess like many others – with a handful of after sun. Although, looking around most people could probably do with a few paracetamol and a pint of water.

Fatherson, a Scottish Alt Rock band kicked everything off on the main stage with a slightly smaller but committed crowd. Soothing vocals from Ross Leighton causing girls in the front row to fan girl (actual fanning movements of the hand were seen and squealing was heard). My personal attention was split between the music and the beards but the music eventually prevailed. If you’re interested, their music can be heard via their Bandcamp page here (without the distractions of well groomed beards) http://fathersonuk.bandcamp.com/album/fatherson my personal favourite is “43”but for a more upbeat feel give “Hometown” a listen.

Having been nominated for the BBC’s “sound of 2012” poll and her debut album awarded “iTunes Album of The Year 2012”, Lianne La Havas has been very busy since she came on to the commercial music scene in 2011, and it’s no wonder why. Lianne has such a captivating, gentle voice she was able to tame a tent full of rowdy drunken Scots. When performing she seems to loose herself in the lyrics which only draws the crowd in more. With thought provoking lyrics, spine tingling vocals and a quirky wardrobe, Lianne La Havas is definitely one to keep your eye on this year.

Walking in to the tent Ben Howard was playing in, I was positive I had walked in to a tent of hyperventilating One Direction fans. Filled to the brim of teary eyed, fidgeting females of all ages, actions that were magnified when he came on stage. Ben Howard had a haunting stage set up, hiding amongst shadows on stage, showing everyone he can hold a show with his voice alone and doesn’t need a fancy light show or backing dancers.

Coming out of the tent of Ben Howard and wandering around the main arena the crowd has almost tripled in size since Friday and I have a rough idea as to why. I’ve seen Madness live before and they put on a better show to artists to half their age and yes, there is the whole “experience over age” argument but WHERE do they get their energy from? They know exactly how to please a crowd, using the whole stage, not only interacting with the crowd but interacting with one another for the crowds amusement. They definitely haven’t lost anything over the years (they even still have hairlines to be proud of!). The perfect band for a sunny day at a festival, providing sing along opportunities with their hits such as “Our House” and “Baggy Trousers” suitable for all ages present at the festival, Madness were a joy to photograph and watch live.

It’s now where I get rather emotional and start to evaluate my life choices. At the age of 19 and only a mere month younger than me Madeon took to the stage, blew everyone away while mixing AND controlling his own light show. Having played at major music festivals in New York, California and Miami, playing at Radio 1’s Big Weekend AND supporting Swedish House Mafia, I feel like I need to get off my bum and join him in world domination. Now don’t think because of his age you should expect less from his live sets than other DJ’s on the scene at the moment, if anything, he’s exceeding a lot of them.

Plan B @ Rockness

The headlining act and final act of Sunday was Plan B, someone I wouldn’t personally go see live in concert but someone I definitely would pay money to see again. The soulful voice you hear on his songs is just as good as live but sang with so much more character. Plan B put so much energy in to his performance, shifting his voice from soft and soothing to painfully aggressive, he brings something to his live music which I haven’t seen in any of the other acts over the weekend. I was so surprised with this live performance, nothing was half hearted, the band, vocals, lights, the entire energy of the show has definitely left an impression on me. Plan B unquestionably finished RockNess 2013 with a bang.

Buy your tickets for RockNess 2014 now and don’t miss out on the most beautiful festival in the world.

Check out the Rockness 2013 Sunday photos here

Parklife Weekender 2013 Review

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The lead-up to this year’s Parklife Weekender came with much trepidation, and not just over what to wear (high-waisted and dangerously short shorts, “obvs”). The move to Heaton Park from a venue much nearer Manchester’s festival-ready student population was a curious one, no doubt intended to minimise disruption to the regular flow of the city.

Officially the event was a success, but I wonder who else left frustrated by some fundamental oversights. Happy or naïve, we arrive at the park mid-afternoon on a picture perfect Saturday. Ambling amid flowered fields and deliciously shady groves, you can’t shake the feeling of summer – least of all when it’s shaking you; a heavy bassline through the trees.

We miss Aussie boys The Temper Trap, on too early. It’s the same story for Alunageorge. You’d be annoyed if you forked out for a programme since the printed set-times have changed. There’s probably a good explanation, and en masse no one seems bothered, but it’s a blow for fans negotiating  crowds in pursuit of their favourite acts.

Jessie Ware lends her sexy breed of soul to the main stage, dedicating ‘Sweet Talk’ to the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson: “Sir Alex, I love you!” she coos. People groove along to the summery track but conversations carry on. Over at Sounds of the Near Future (for the uninitiated, that’s another stage name), Baauer throws a towel over his head to soak up the sweat. Or shut out the lights. He’s allowed since he nails his set.

Despite massive headliners, the draw card of the new venue is a host of carnival attractions that have sprung up for the weekend. The ferris wheel, log flume and bungee jump are daunting, and at £20 a pop are out of this reporter’s meagre budget. We’re suckered in by the dodgem cars instead, & at only £4 the saving warrants another trip to the bar. A shout out here to all the bartenders we encountered, and not just in the lush VIP section. In absence of the friendly volunteers of say Glastonbury, they acted as a much-needed, vibrant face of the festival.

Londoners Gorgeous George make for an irreverent change in pace. Playing the smallest stage in the festival, we figure this is Parklife’s equivalent of the reggae tent. You know, the spot people seem to end up when everything else is winding down. It’s surprising and fresh. The very look of the band cuts through the day’s niggling sameness. The lead singer has that proper cockney edge, sporting an unlikely Adidas jumper.

Ever seen a trumpeter in skinny jeans? That’s not a euphemism either. Just, well, have you? It’s all very fun. The frontman asks that any booze (or worse) that wants sharing be passed to the front. When we leave we wish we’d stayed, or left much earlier. Getting out is a shambles. We’re told to follow the crowd and the rest is guess work. Fearing more of this, I’m less enthusiastic come round two on Sunday.

We race to catch festival royalty Mark Ronson in some kind of DJ battle with equally big-time A-Trak. A note to festival organisers – please, pick a name for each stage and stick with it? Sure, it’s a stand-alone festival on both days. Yes, you’ll be raking it in with sponsors. But it’s sunny, and we’re drinking. Don’t be difficult.

Under the Big Top, British duo Simian Mobile Disco are making something of a comeback. Theirs is an energetic, rhythmic set, competing against the alluring bass of the nearby Red Bull sponsored DJs. Yet again, we’re stuck at the edge of a tent trying desperately to be involved. We keep at it for a while, then allow ourselves a break to sit with burgers in the fading sun.

Everything Everything is sadly undersubscribed, possibly due to competition over at the Warehouse Project tent. I’ve seen them before, and as the action seems elsewhere we move on quickly. It’s not their fault. It’s TEED for the win you see, and after throwing ourselves about to ‘Household Goods’ we’re satisfied with the weekend’s efforts.

I won’t go running back to Parklife next year, but with a little bit of love and the right attitude it could certainly be more.

Check out the Parklife 2013 photos here.

Long Division Festival Review, Wakefield

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You’re going to Wakefield? Why? This was the reaction of several people when I mentioned we’d be spending the uncharicteristically hot, sunny day, not outside enjoying the weather in a festival field, but inside watching as many bands as possible in 7 of Wakefield’s venues.  As Post War Glamour Girl’s frontman proclaimed later on in the day, Wakefield has a thriving music scene at present, and boasts a printed fanzine Rhubarb Bomb and record label Philophobia.  Knowing this makes it a not so surprising locatioin for a multi venue city centre festival after all.
It was a return visit to Long Division Festival for me after being there in 2011, but a first visit for photographer Katie.  I was looking forward to how things had developed and to seeing the new venues.  Straight after arriving we popped upstairs at The Hop to catch a bit of The Dissolutions. Their rock was solid enough but not particularly original so we decided to make our way to another venue. The Orangery was almost ideally suited to the vocal talents of Jasmine Kennedy who kept the attentive crowd totally captivated, especially when she performed a song acapella. Her guitar strap also sported an impressive collection of Brownie Badges.  Next it was over to another new venue for me, the Drury Lane Library, for St Gregory Orange who I’d caught last time at the Cathedral. Unfortunately we only caught the last song with singer going out into the crowd as far as his mic lead would allow but it was enough to remind me not to miss them next time.
Downstairs at The Hop was the next port of call for a bit of Humanfly. I was initially intrigued by the metal stylings of the first song we caught but this was followed by a more straight forward rock so we decided to move on only to find them reprising their metal influences as we were leaving so maybe that was a hasty move. We were determined to visit all the venues so continued on our way to Velvet intending to catch Harry George Johns. Unfortunately the venue was running late and had an ammended schedule.  After a bit of a wait we caught Halifax’s punk, skiffle/country group Spirit of John who were initially meant to play two hours earlier.
I then made it over to the Theatre Royal for what turned out to be my highlight of the afternoon. This Is The Kit were definitely the right band in the right place with the beautiful pure folk voice of Kate Stables allowed to shine through. Yet it was the guitar effects that moved them up another level for me and made we want to investigate more.
Katie (photographer) headed over to Warehouse 23 to catch Wakefield band The Spills, their indie-rock has more of a nod to America than Yorkshire, but the changing time signatures and dual vocals from Rob and Chad set them apart from others.  Definitely a band to catch again.
In need of a little rest I remained at the Theatre Royal for first experience Post War Glamour Girls who were Katie’s hi light of the day.  They were preceded by Skint & Demoralised aptly doing one John Cooper Clarke poem (albeit Kung Fu International and not band’s namesake) and a well placed poem highlighting the contradictions in the tenets of EDL and BNP policy. Initial assumptions about the band themselves being moody and distant were dispelled by singer Andy’s inter-song chat. Their material was firmly grounded on the darker side of things and sounded great in the acoustics of the Theatre.
Taking a food break back at The Orangery we (and possibly the rest of Wakefield) could hear the call of Eagulls through Library’s open windows so we popped in for a couple of songs. After an initial assault of noise I was enjoying a darker and moodier song but a decision had be made and that was to go back to The Hop for Sky Larkin. However Ed Tudor Pole who I didn’t expect to see, was still performing downstairs and as he’d just started Who Killed Bambi it would have been rude to walk past. At the end of his boisterous set he was joined on stage by a few invited friends and later by a few who quite possiby weren’t for final song Swords Of A Thousand Men.
Next it was time to head over to the main venue of Warehouse 23. I had seen That Fucking Tank before and the guitar and drum duo can’t be simply pigeonholed asmath-rock so it’s very handy that they have such self-descriptive tunes as Acid Jam. The sizeable crowd of waiting Fall fans (easy to spot as they were all sporting Fall Fall T shirts and badges) seemed to enjoy their set too.
The Fall had had originally been the reason for me wanting to return to Long Division but a recent gig in Clitheroe had been a bit of a testing experience that made consider giving it a miss. However I shouldn’t have worried and even though Mark E Smith spent several songs seated on a dining chair, he and was on great form from the off. It was great to have a lot more new material in the set. Other highlights were Strychnine with Mark showing real attitude, Sparta FC and Reformation. It has to be mentioned the packed Warehouse was one of the hottest gigs I’ve ever attended, with many in the crowd having to use their programmes as fans but MES, ever the contrary bugger, was wearing a full lenght coat for much of their gig!
All that would have been enough for me, but Katie enjoyed Middleman’s set so much at last month’s Live at Leeds, she had to catch them again.  Initially, the crowd was a little sparse, probably people outside grabbing some needed fresh air after the stifiling gig, but the venue soon re-filled. Middleman’s energetic rap, rock has shades of The Prodigy and single Can’t Hold me Down and gets several fans joining singer Andy in crowdsurfing.
Overall another great Long Division.  Long may it continue especially with the promise of the Unity Hall being developed into another venue.  The variety of bands playing to help make this one of the best and importantly most compact city festivals there is.
Check out more Long Division Festival photos here

Good music with a good view. RockNess day 2 review.

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I would be cocky and say I told you so but I think I'm suffering from heat stroke. Having to take refuge under the canopy of every second food van (the sun seems like a better excuse than my ever growing appetite) and only coming out of hiding for DJ Yoda was a sensible move. I now have more freckles and a more rosy complexion than I did on Friday but it was worth it.

I saw DJ Yoda at T In The Park a few years ago and after an impressive set then, I knew his set today was a must. He mixes every genre of music from Reggae, Big Band Swing, Country, Hip Hop and Drum 'n' Bass with small clips of well known films/programmes and video games to create tongue n' cheek dance music. Combined with the comical visuals behind him as he's scratching, DJ Yoda's live sets have the ultimate feel good vibe, perfect for any festival. Q Magazine have declared him "one of the ten DJs to see before you die" so if DJ Yoda is ever playing near you or at a festival, make the effort to go and see him, you will not be disappointed!

Having been around for many years and constantly travelling the world playing shows Fat Boy Slim is still at the top of his game, ever growing and his live set today didn't disappoint. His biggest hits such as "Rockafeller Skank", "Praise You" and "Weapon Of Choice" were mixed with a heavier bass and unpredictable samples to create a compelling live set from the famous DJ.

Since the sun had made such an appearance, it would have been rude to ignore the Ice Cream vans and Slush Puppy stalls located around the main arena. Sitting on the grass, ice cream in hand looking down at the main stage with the Loch Ness shimmering in the background is just something you can't get at other festivals. I can now see why RockNess is known as "the most beautiful festival in the world".

I have never been so excited to be in a crowd before. Free cake and champagne for everyone! Well, that is if you don't mind it being thrown/sprayed on you. Probably the most interactive set so far, Steve Aoki managed to DJ, jump around, throw numerous cakes at people, spray countless bottles of champagne and bring out an inflatable mattress for people to crowd surf on. Amazing. (Although I'm biased after I got a face full of champagne). The crowd responded well to all of Steve Aoki's antics and demonstrating why Scottish crowds are always praised on their energy and enthusiasm. An amazing set from Steve Aoki, I hope after today he makes a more frequent appearance in the UK and even Scotland because we like cake.

The last act of the day I saw was Example, an act I wasn't looking forward to as I saw him at T In The Park last year and thought his vocals were absolutely dreadful but he has improved drastically. He encouraged the crowd to scream louder, jump higher and dance harder by doing all three himself with endless energy. His stage set up was probably one of the most impressive I've seen, including colourful lasers that created wave patterns in the night sky creating a picturesque image in front of Loch Ness. A perfect end to the Saturday!