Once upon a time there was muddy swamp seated in the backwaters of the Bayou… oh wait a second, sorry, scratch that… it’s Drownload Festival 2012!
For early birds in the campsite on Wednesday, crowing over their favourable release from the workplace, it may have seemed like a rock-filled dream… until Thursday. The heavens opened and smite was heaped from on high with almost constant downpour from the get-up. Campsites quickly turned into duck ponds with many having to evacuate tents in favour of sleeping in the car or even leaving the festival entirely, and going to the portaloos was practically a mud-slalom event worthy of the Olympics. Welfare tents overrun with various ailments and incidents, fallen victims staggering about like bilge-monsters from the deep, and forlorn looking metallers with sodden dreadlocks were the scenes of Thursday and Friday morning.
But wait, this is Britain and these are The British. This nation was practically built on the ability to keep calm and carry on, or in the average Download goer’s case – get wasted and rock on. However, spirits aren’t exactly lifted with a two hour pushback for the arena opening, forcing some bands off the bill entirely and others to play later slots, as well as having ‘cleverly’ closed off nearly every available motorway junction to the event, creating great backlog for folks trying to get into the site. Those caught in the hours long traffic included Swedish rock legends Europe, presumably doing the final countdown to missing their slot completely. As sludge-ridden fans waited for the absent band a huge karaoke Final Countdown was paid in homage.
It is the warm/violent embrace of a circle pit that welcomes the first mainstage band Fear Factory (due to Cancer Bats and Rise to Remain being shimmied around) who proceed to rip through to closing favourite ‘Replica’ with gusto and Fat Mike of NOFX brings a little comedy to the mix whilst they roll out the likes of ‘Dinosaurs Will Die’ and ‘Perfect Government’. Billy Talent invite Cancer Bats on stage for a collaborative effort on ‘Hail Destroyer’ and over on the Jägermeister acoustic stage Skindred’s Benji Webbe is showing off his Michael Jackson dance moves and singing whole songs in ‘little kid crying’ style… just for the craic. Oh and he forgot the words for Doom Riff. Call it a warm up for tomorrow.
Machine Head’s explosive performance was foretold by reports of their not-so-secret Ten Ton Hammer gig in London earlier in the week but there’s something utterly great about seeing a band thrash it out in the open like wild things and the huge sweaty mosh pits tell a tale of a ruddy good show. ‘Imperium’ is received in exactly the manner it’s intended – a war anthem with the cry of thousands of fans going berserk.
Controversial dnb booking Chase & Status are hands down a triumph, the thumping basslines of ‘Eastern Jam’ and ‘Hypest Hype’ can not only be heard, but felt all around the arena, and Nightwish’s ‘Amaranth’ on the Encore stage is completely overshadowed by the London duo’s ‘Pieces’. The rest of Nightwish’s set though pretty, is largely uninspiring. Sure ‘Last of the Wilds’ is a beautifully haunting piece, but vocalist Anette Olzon doesn’t stack up to axed band member Tarja Turunen’s operatic style in old tracks ‘Wish I had an Angel’ and ‘Nemo’. It’s not that she’s bad, it’s just that if you already own the albums – it’s a bit disappointing. The pyrotechnics and Tuomas’ giant Phantom-esque pipe organ is interesting but they just don’t have the spark that their Tarja fronted Download appearance in 2005 did.
Encore headliner Slash wails like no-one else on earth and the second stage arena is awash with shred-fans for GnR song ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ and Velvet Revolver’s ‘Slither’. Friday’s mainstage headliner The Prodigy finally get underway 30 minutes late, opening with ‘World’s On Fire’ and enough decibels to reanimate the dead. Super hits ‘Breathe’ and newest album tracks ‘Thunder’ and ‘Omen’ are instant fodder for rave hungry revellers, but classic ‘Firestarter’ is the body-thrashing anthem everyone has been waiting for. ‘Smack my bitch up’, ‘Diesel Power’ and ‘Take me to the Hospital’ are as firey as expected and The Prodigy go out with an almighty bang. That’s one flame the rain couldn’t dampen.
Better late than never, sunshine graces the Download Arena as the stage screens go black in anticipation of the Godfathers of metal, Black Sabbath, headlining and closing out the 10 year anniversary of the festival.
An intro video of highlights is played, shamelessly thin on clips of Bill Ward who is not performing with the band tonight due to a public online spat over 'contractual issues'. It is Ozzy's tour drummer Tony Clufetos who is to take his place.
As the skies begin to darken, the maniacal signature laughter of Ozzy Osbourne can be heard behind a black curtain across the stage, which is lifted to reveal the band with huge screens featuring a flaming backdrop of the Black Sabbath logo, straight into namesake track 'Black Sabbath'.
Whilst Ozzy appears to have an abundance of energy, playing harmonica and careering about during 'The Wizard' there is a zombie-like quality to his movements these days, which is sort of disturbing, yet sort of endearing and as the band launch into 'Snowblind' Ozzy's sweat beaded brow and crazy eyes are projected on screen whilst he screams for everyone to jump.
Ozzy's second-puberty voice is crackling as he gets more excited and screams "I can't fucking hear you" repeatedly, and the stage goes black once more for the air-raid sirens of the iconic 'War Pigs'. Thousands yelling out the lyrics "Generals gathered in their masses" is a spine-tingling thing to witness and Black Sabbath absolutely blast it out. Despite Iommi's public battle with illness he is shredding as hard as ever with Geezer Butler providing the signature Sabbath rhythm to the sound.
A massive Tony Clufetos fuck-you-BW drum solo makes the crowd roar as they drop into 'Iron Man' after Ozzy laments on Iommi being "The real Iron Man" and then into 'Fairies Wear Boots'. Ozzy gets down on his knees and praises the crowd, and the band encore with the inevitable 'Paranoid' and a bombardment of fireworks for a sensational finish. You might be forgiven for saying Ozzy's voice isn't quite there anymore, or that it wasn't the fast-paced go-nuts finisher of a festival, but, this is original metal, in the original home of metal, with the Prince of Darkness. It's metal cubed, and everyone loved it.
After a brief glimpse of sunshine and a compacting of mud, the Download site seems to be in much better spirits as the main stage is set for the return of Metallica to it's hallowed ground. As Download veterans they pretty well have the home-team advantage with anything they play, but this year sees Metallica revisit their 'do a whole album' idea (having performed Master of Puppets in its entirety at Download 2006) with a complete run through of The Black Album. Backwards.
As the sky darkens and the arena fills up with expectant fans, Metallica arrive with all the collected-calm you'd expect of rock legends, and hammer out some taster tracks to the tune of 'Master of Puppets' and 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' with the accompaniment of thousands of voices from the crowd. Despite the fact that Metallica are clearly absolutely smashing it, taking a walk around the arena shows a very different picture. Go ever so slightly up the hill from the sound desk and suddenly you're in Metalli-karaoke land. The sound is so low and tinny you could be forgiven for thinking Download were using ipod speakers down there, and a lot of people are upset – made ever more apparent as song by song, irked fans get up and leave. Hetfield's shouts of "Are you with us Download?" are unfortunately met with cries of "We can't fucking hear you". Is it to do with the fact that the speaker stacks were lowered because of windy conditions? Did they have to turn it down because of the other stages? Given that The Prodigy's set last night was clear as bell around the whole site, it would seem something is amiss.
As Metallica take a breather, a making-of video is screened about The Black Album, lamenting the incredible 300 tour dates the band made when it came out and various other insane statistics (as well as a lot of very bouffant mullets, both from fans AND the band) and Metallica begin the album with gusto, from 'The Struggle Within' and backwards through The Black Album from there. It's 'Nothing Else Matters' that really takes the prize for most-crooned though, a sea of lighter flames ripples toward the stage where Hetfield's face, eyes closed, is plastered onto a giant back screen.
With crowd-pleasers 'Wherever I may roam', 'The Unforgiven' and monster smash hit 'Enter Sandman' Metallica close out The Black Album in style, with ear-busting fireworks and a thank you to the Download family. The inevitable encore is a scorcher, 'Battery' is followed by 'One' complete with fireworks used to project wartime missiles and 'Seek and Destroy' which is accompanied by huge black blow up beach-balls thrown into the thrashing crowd, as huge fireworks fired from the top of the stage crown the performance. Metallica were undeniably spectacular and clearly a Download favourite, it's just a shame that not everyone got to experience them at their epic, amazing best.
Despite the day's earlier setbacks – road closures, 6-hour traffic waits to get into the site, the arena opening being pushed back 2 hours, bands missing their slots entirely (Europe) and all the campsites looking more like the bog of eternal stench than a home away from home, it's Friday night, the day has been full of rawk and it's time for a bit of a rave yeah?
Like mudcrabs scrabbling in a swamp the main stage arena is filled with dirty Downloaders heading towards the front for Friday headliners The Prodigy. 30 minutes late, the band ignite the stage with 'World's On Fire' and Keith's red trouser/white leather jacket combo can be seen jerking around a mile off.
With a cosmic ripple from the front, Breathe drops with all the force of a clubland superhit, there's no doubt The Prodigy deserve to be here – the crowd is loving it. Hits from their most recent album, the aptly named for the weather 'Thunder', and 'Omen' go down a storm with fans glow-stick dancing in a 90's rave fashion, but it's still the iconic 'Firestarter' which gains the biggest roar from the crowd.
Over on the Encore stage Slash is ripping it up with the obligatory 'Paradise City' and a shred-tastic version of 'God Save The Queen' to an absolutely rammed arena. I mean like, people standing shoulder to shoulder right up to the food stands kind of rammed. The kind of rammed where you can not only smell, but taste the person next to you. Oh and every single hand is up in the air saluting the rock.
However, The Prodigy's hit parade of 'Smack My Bitch Up', 'Diesel Power' and an encore including 'Take Me To The Hospital' is the full force finisher to the night, with lasers strong enough to bring down the East Midlands Airport planes and a barrage of strobe lighting, swampy Download goers have clearly forgotten that it's cold and wet and are just having a fucking great time.
The three day festival started on Friday 1st June with a performance from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Britain's Got Talent finalists, Lovable Rogues, with entertainment going on late into the night.
Smaller acts – some of which were chosen to play in connection with Live and Unsigned UK – performed throughout the Saturday and Sunday, playing on the smaller stage from 10.30AM, through to 8PM when a DJ took over for the last slot of the night before the headliners. A steady crowd of people stood to watch the acts, despite the rain!
The event was sponsored by Levi Roots who used the opportunity to promote his new soft drinks, giving them away for free out of a camper van painted red, green and yellow (reggae colours), outside the festival arena. He also took the main stage on Saturday where he performed his infamous song about his product 'Reggae Reggae Sauce', also showcasing his daughter – one of his backing singers – giving her the opportunity to perform her own song to the audience. After this we saw performances from Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Stooshe and Delilah, before the final act of the night, Dappy.
Dappy was late for his performance, not taking to the stage until 11.30PM; which is when that days festivities were meant to finish. He performed with rapper Baker Trouble, bringing a great show including confetti cannons and fireworks.
Other things that were available to do all weekend included a roller disco, a dance area and a silent disco; also sponsored by Levi Roots.
Sunday started off at the same time of 10.30AM, with the rain still going strong from the night before. The main body of people were gathered in the undercover bar, as opposed to by the stages; where the ground had turned into large a mud bath (wellies needed). More unsigned acts performed with the main attraction in the day time coming from Singer/Songwriter Maz Totterdell, who performed a cover of Amy Whitehouse's Back to Black on the main stage, while expressing how sorry she was for the people stood out in the mud.
Goldie Lookin' Chain were one of the first main headliners of the night, with an entertaining performance full of immature jokes and well known tracks, including “Guns Don't Kill People”; definitely managing to lift peoples spirits and get them back into the festival mood. Up next were The Big Pink, Missing Andy and Hard-Fi, with Razorlight closing the festival, drawing in a large audience despite the mud.
The festival exceeded my expectations.Being a smaller event I wasn't expecting such a good vibe from the audience and performers; I'm sure everyone who attended this year will agree with me, and will look forward to a bigger, better festival next year (with hopefully better weather)!
Saturday was looking to be a scorching day with the weather forecast to be bright and sunny and a huge line up to keep the majority of tastes in music happy with the likes of ASH, Pigeon Detectives, Shy FX and Roots Manuva playing late into the night.
Throughout the early afternoon the seven stages took host to some of the smaller and local artists with a very chilled-out atmosphere in the crowds of people that were starting to form, the only place where this was an exception was the bright fluffy neon pink mobile disco booth ingeniously named the “Porta Party”, Throwing out cheesy and classic disco tunes, it seemed that more people where dancing here than everyone in the Dance Arena.
As the evening progressed and the sun started to set was when the headliners came out to play for the evening and the chilled out atmosphere changed to more of a concert vibe, Roots Manuva completely filled the Big Top tent with people spilling out left, right and centre and certainly getting the party going. Ash being the last act on the Main Stage on Saturday night did not disappoint with everyone at Play Fest going wild right up till the last song.
Sundays day was not the best of starts, Waking up to a flooded tent due to the torrential downpours throughout the night, But what’s a UK Festival without a little bit or even allot of rain, after a quick stop off at the car to put on a dry set of clothes it was time to head back to the stages and see what todays festivities bring.
Due to the sporadic rain, the open air main stage stayed very quiet for the early afternoon, with the dance tipi being a big hit with both old and young. Dumbfoundus managed to change this filling up the main stage during their performance and even inviting a festival goer who was dressed as Chewbacca onto the stage for the entirety of their set, their party vibe defiantly made people forget about being cold and wet and put a smile on everyone’s faces.
The main stage acts continued where Dumbfoundus left off, Scroobius Pip in my eyes being the best act of the entire weekend, his mix of electronic bears with hip-hop spoken lyrics making for a very rowdy crowd, exacerbated by him deciding to go crowd surfing.
The Correspondents, being the last act in the Big Top, provided a very visual and energetic performance; I’ve never seen anyone with as much energy on stage and not keep still for anything longer than a split second for the entire time being on stage.
Despite the rain, Sunday easily matched if not beating the expectations left by the sunny Saturday already amazing day.
I’m sure everyone who was at PlayFest over the weekend is already looking forward to “Playing” again next year.
300 bands, 19 venues, a music expo, the student music awards and an industry conference crammed into 3 short days. Is it possible? Well according to Sound City, yes. Born in 2008 its grown from strength to strength and this year was set to bring bigger acts from a wider range of genres than ever before. Headliners included, Professor Green, Temper Trap and Alkaline Trio among a host of other local and international acts. Armed with a festival map and a list as long as our arms of bands we wanted to see, we headed down to check out the action.
After a few misses, another attempt with google maps, and some friendly bar staff we managed to find our first venue, a little later than we'd hoped, to catch the Mystery Jets, woo an audience back to optimism and a belief in love at first sight. The band was tight and sounded as harmonic as ever, and the crowd, loved every minute of it. We're not sure the venue itself was a real life music venue in its everyday existence, in fact, we're pretty certain it was a dressed up car garage, but, we'll give it to them, it worked.
Other highlights for us were Alkaline Trio, performing the last date of their European tour at the O2 academy and GhostPoet who played an intimate gig at a great boutique theatre style music venue called The Kazimier, performing tracks like 'Survive It' from his latest album Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam. If anyone had any doubt about this artist's skill and talent, they were forgotten by the time he finished with his infectious hit Cash and Carry Me Home.
Overall the festival was a mixture of chaos and good fun, if map reading isn’t your forte you may find yourself wandering aimlessly through the back alleys of Liverpool, but once you found where you wanted to be, you're sure to have a good night.
Arriving at the campsite on Friday we were greeted by a new look Bearded Theory, with more stages and more space across the scenic gardens of Kedlestone Hall. The festival grounds were dotted with models of giant cyborg rabbits and dancing robots and it was immediately clear, even very early in the weekend, that Bearded Theory was going to be a bigger event this year.
Throughout the weekend the dance tent was jumping with the younger and more beat minded festival goers. Serenaded by DJs including System 7, Zubzub, The Ashan Project and Banco De Gaia and entertained by some truly incredible and at times highly trippy visualisations, the dance tent was at much appreciated alternative for many at times over the weekend.
The other stages brought some of the best live acts in the world, young, old, new and established, everyone was represented at Bearded Theory 2012.
One of the first acts I came across was an old favourite of mine at the small, intimate Water's Edge stage. Over the last few years Jemma Johnson's name has become synonymous with top class festival performances. This talented young lady charms crowds wherever she goes and Bearded Theory this year was no exception. A stunning set of covers and originals that went further to cementing Jemma's place as a real rising star on the UK music scene.
Also entertaining crowds on Friday daytime was the 360 on the second stage, Tornado Town. A ska outfit who after many years of playing together appear to be gaining the recognition that they clearly deserve. A high octane, high energy, fun and skilled performance that set the crowd up perfectly for the party to come.
The first big name headliner of the weekend came in the shape of Doctor and the Medics. As the set began a cyberman took to the stage, with a mop. He then proceeded to use that mop to knock over model daleks, before picking them back up and placing them where they had previously been. An odd introduction, but somehow one you couldn't take your eyes off. Then the Doctor and his trusty Medics took to the stage, looking just as fabulous as they ever did. Dressed in a full length faux fur coat, the Doctor led his band through a series of rock and roll covers that had every crowd member bouncing along. Finishing, as expected, with their smash hit Spirit in the Sky, Doctor and the Medics did exactly what was expected of them, and they did it with style.
Everyone knows the feeling, you're watching a band who you've heard of, then they play a song you love and you have that "oh they did this song" moment. I have never had that sensation as many times as when watching Terrorvision on Friday night. I have always been a fan of Terrorvision, but I never realised how much. A full set of top class tunes back to back, performed with aplomb by their incredibly charismatic frontman Tony Wright made this the stand out set of the day and one of the best of the weekend. After breaking up for a number of years early in the millennium and going through a few reshuffles, Terrorvision are back and are firing on all cylinders.
The came the much anticipated headliner, the "one way or the other" performance. Unfortunately for all in attendance, it went the other. When the Levellers fiddle player gained an injury Adam Ant heroically stepped in to save the day. He then proceeded to produce one of the worst performances of the weekend. Perhaps hindered by taking to the stage after Terrovision's sublime performance, Adam's vocals seemed constantly flat and his performance and times touched on desperate. I am not one to revel in disparaging comments and I shall not change that now. To me I feel the performance can be summed up in one moment. Twenty minutes into the set, a man dressed in full Adam Ant costume and make up walked sullenly away from the arena and did not return.
For those who didn't want to stay for Adam Ant's performance, a phenomenal performance was happening at Tornado Town. Karl Phillips and the Midnight Ramblers bring something very different to the stage. A mix of rock, hip hop, dubstep and various other styles fronted by Karl's full throttle rap style. A man who does not mind offending a few people, Karl is an outspoken, brash and cocky individual, but that works perfectly with the style of the band. After a lot of unsurity at the beginning of the set, the band won over the crowd within a few songs and by the end of the performance the packed out tent was begging for more.
Saturday started slowly with a plethora of fairly generic, fairly average acts. There came a point where doubts started to fester about whether the momentum of Friday night would be lost. And then Cara Dillon happened. I have been a big Cara Dillon fan since the first folk festival I saw her at some years ago now and she is still going from strength to strength in terms of performance. The purest voice that has ever existed in music, Cara's first note brought silence across Kedlestone Hall, a respectful and awe-filled silence that remained for her whole set. With her very talented band, who had their own moments with some foot tapping jigs and reels. With possibly the best performance of the weekend, Cara Dillon single handedly changed the complexion of Saturday and from that point onwards it was one of the best festival days I have ever seen.
The soft, flowing folk sounds of Cara Dillon were echoed through the next two main stage acts. Show of Hands brought a beautiful set of strings and vocal harmonies, even with the unpleasantly grey weather that was a feature of the festival, the band still warmed the hearts of all festival goers with their mesmerising songs. Following Show of Hands was the legends that are The Popes. Folk standards, their own classic tunes, a smörgåsbord of folk instruments and an infectious charm and energy helped The Popes end a stunning three act line up and set the stage perfectly for the night's festivities.
Highlights from the other stages on Saturday came in the shape of power folksters Pronghorn, who whirled the crowd into a frenzy and ended their set with half of the audience on stage. Also outstanding were the Boot Hill All Stars, who presented some very original covers ranging from metal to pop, their versions of them ranged from folk, to punk, to ska. An effotrlessly entertaining performance and a chance for a good dance for all in attendance. 3 Daft Monkeys are the reason for Bearded Theory's existence, so their placement on the smaller Water's Edge stage was probably their choice. The intimate setting was perfect for the leftfield folk band but the volume issues that came with the stage were clearly an issue to the audience. Shouts of "turn it up" were heard throughout the set. Regardless of this, it was still a lovely performance.
Taking the crowd home through the rest of Saturday on the main stage were Dr. Feelgood and the Damned. Two classic acts, neither of which have lost a step. If anything it's possible that Dr. Feelgood have gained one. A virtuosic performance from the musicians, an unsurprisingly charismatic and energetic set, true wonder in musical form. The Damned were clearly highly anticipated by the packed out crowd, but unlike Adam Ant the night before, they did not disappoint. A stunning set of classic tunes to close out a spectacular day of live music.
Sunday's at festivals are traditionally a slower day, designed for those with two day hangovers. Bearded Theory understood this and built the day's music accordingly. Starting off the day in the Tornado Tent were Wheatus. Everybody went, because it was Wheatus, nobody was expecting to be amazed and nobody was, but a solid set from a band that are a cause of nostalgia for many.
The day stayed pretty chilled until the arrival of the Urban Voodoo Machine. Truly one of the most insane bands I have ever seen, in one of the most beautiful ways. With a beautiful young burlesque styled lady playing a tuba, a giant green drummer (playing one of two drum kits, the other was often played by another member to great effect) and a spectacularly dark front man, the band put on the live performance of the weekend. Stepping close to cabaret at times, but always keeping the quality of their music up, Urban Voodoo Machine were my personal find of the festival. Having not heard them before, I shall be attending many more of their shows in the future.
One of my favourite bands in the world played the main stage on Sunday. To many, Chumbawamba are famous for only one song, to those who know them better, they are one of the best folk bands on the planet. Chumbawamba produced their trademark minimalist performance. Many of their tracks are entirely a capella, or using small amounts of percussion. The sparse and slight use of a trumpet is a beautiful touch, adding to the flowing harmonies of the five voices that at times sound like 20. Political statement, social commentary and rebellion has always been close to the band's heart and their songs continue to reflect this, in their words "because they still have to." The stand out performance of Sunday and many who turned up expecting to hear Tubthumping, which they didn't, became Chumbawamba fans on the spot.
Then came the close down for the evening, in the shape of three performances which managed to be both full of energy and wonderfully chilled out at the same time. Ska legends The Selector came first, all the classic tracks of the 2-Tone days sounded as good now as they did then, a great performance. Following on were the unpigeonholeable band that is Kissmet. Mixing bangra, hip hop, rock, folk, ska and many more styles than I can mention, Kissmet were possibly the most intriguing band of the weekend. The mixtures didn't always work, but even when they didn't, they still kind of did. Then came the official end to the weekend, in the shape of Reggae dance act Dreadzone. Just the most blissfully chilled out way to end a festival weekend, they sent everyone off with massive smiles on their faces, tunes in their hearts and high expectations already forming for next year's festival.
The first festival on the official calender, Bearded Theory has to set the tone for the year. Based on this weekend's events, it's going to be a real challenge for anyone to wrestle the Best Independent Festival honours away from the Bearded crew this year. A spectacular beginning to the summer, even with all the rain.
Set in the spacious grounds of Croft Farm, the lakes and Malvern Hills provided an idyllic and breathtaking back drop. The lake also provided a second purpose of being used for water sports for those who dared to brave the cold waters.
With the last few weeks of torrential rain across the UK, a very muddy and messy festival was expected, fortunately the weather held out for the entire weekend, with even a break in the clouds to allow summers rays to shine down.
The atmosphere of the festival was something I’ve not experienced before; friendly would be an understatement to describe the festival goers, staff and numerous dogs.
The Garden Tent, The Roots and The Blossom Stage all had their own unique blend of styling, atmosphere and music. The children’s area was a hit for both children and parents, with music sessions, arts & crafts, horse rides and entertainers, such as the two stilt walkers who seemed to amuse more than just the children.
Gloucestershire’s biggest band in history EMF took the stage on Saturday evening for their first gig of the year; they delighted festival goers both old and young by performing Schubert Dip, their acclaimed multi-million selling debut album, in its entirety.
Straight after EMF’s electric performance, Reef performed pretty much instantly keeping the crowd dancing and singing along to their best known hits "Place Your Hands", "Come Back Brighter" and "Consideration" The bands vivacious energy kept on right up until the end of their set.
Among those two, festival folks were also able to indulge in music from the likes of Top Loader, 3 Daft Monkeys, Miles and Erica of The Wonder Stuff , Avert Francis and Chesney Hawkes.
In spite of still being a small event, the organisers managed to pack a huge amount of festivities into the two days. This was “the one and only” way to start the summer festival season.
As I made my way to the daffodil on Friday evening for my first event after arriving in Cheltenham there was a quite atmosphere in the town. I walked down the promenade and past the Montpellier gardens where the heart of the festival was based, I saw a lot of people passing who were dressed up for the occasion. Whilst passing I could hear the Ray Charles numbers ringing from the big top which was being broadcast live on bbc radio 2. Minutes down the road I found the daffodil where the main event that was being held there was ‘Zara Mcfarlane. After the atmosphere being particularly quiet as I entered the main room the place was buzzing with people, wining a dining with plenty of staff serving them. There was a live band playing there was a great atmosphere but quite unique not one that I had experienced much of before. As the sound of groups of people engaging in conversation hummed round the room accompanied by the jazzy sounds of the house band. The venue was very swanky and suited the occasion well. High ceilings, chandeliers along with the general vibe and architecture of the venue, it suited the general impression I got from what I had seen of the town. I had entered at a good time as the dinner had passed people had moved onto desert and wine, the music from the band was creating anticipation for the main act, some of the music they played included famous jazz numbers from famous such as Miles davis and Dave Brubeck.
After the short interval and a few words about the band and the general evening Zara stepped out on to the stage, the way the room was set out and the size of the venue instantly made it a very intimate occasion between her and the audience. She kicked off her show with a well no number ‘night and day’ a well known song from the late Ella Fitzgerald however adding her on twist on it which was interesting and impressive. The reason I had wanted to see her is because in the preview to the festival they had compared her to Jill Scott who I am a fan of and I can see why there was definitely similarities in her manner, performance and especially vocals. Her voice was elegant and soft however echoing through the room powerfully, which is often hard to find. Another thing that stood out for me was the effectively time intervals the backing band and her vocals which worked very smoothly together. The room is now silent as she has everybody complete attention, as they seemed to be mesmerized, all in all a very calm and elegant but powerful performance.
Another gig I attended was Marcus Miller this was the following day, entering the busy bustle of the big top there was great anticipation for him to come on which is no surprise as a musician of his caliber and reputation. The big top was filled and there was a great applause when he entered the stage, there was a lot more hype surrounding this show in comparison to others I had seen. The funky rhythm and blues that echoed from the speakers had everyone heads bopping, of course as it is all seated there wasn’t much dancing however you could tell that people wanted to. Alongside him in his backing band he had men playing instruments such as the sax, trumpet, piano, drums and guitar each one glimmering with their own style which I was impressed with, they show seemed to differentiate in the way they all had character and all appeared as individuals playing together rather than just seen as one backing band. Maurice Brown on the trumpet and Alex Haan on the sax particularly impressed me with their stage presence, timing and skill of the instruments. Marcus performed brilliantly as a front man in a very calm and laid back manner ripping funky licks from his guitar and his solos were heavily applauded.
That following evening I went to see Candi Staton’s show, a performer of her reputation had the whole of the Jazz arena animated and the que outside grew early and quickly I noticed. Introduced by her two backing singers however took their time over it created a good atmosphere and forced anticipation upon the audience. Their was a mixed crowd as she is well known performer from many generations switching from blues to more country music Candi’s voice boomed stopping every now and again to tell querky stories mainly about love lives and relationships and men and women which to me seemed to go on a bit much however she was running the show and getting laughs to. Half an hour into the act she introduced Paloma Faith onto the stage this took everyone by surprise as this was not scheduled and Paloma was playing in the big top on the Monday however Paloma being the young and up and coming star of the festival invited candi to play as her special guest and they seemed to have a genuine connection and appreciation of each other and their work, which was definitely good to see the younger and older generations stars of the genre performing together. She was encouraging people to join in and get out of their seats which was the first I had seen but nothing short of a surprise however it seemed to be that it wasn’t what some people expected as a lot of people made their way to the exits through the duration of the show, nonetheless was great to see a music legend such as her perform, one of the ultimate divas.
On whole this was a very different experience for me however that is why I enjoyed it, having an appreciation for jazz music however only on a small scale it was enjoyable to attend. The general atmosphere was very glamorous in the evenings with Cheltenham home to some prestigious restaurants and bars however a brilliant occasion for all the family from what I saw and even if you are not the biggest fan of jazz an pleasant weekend away.
