Reviews - Page 8 of 51 - Summer Festival Guide

Boardmasters 2021 – Review

August 17, 2021August 17, 2021 by Graham Tarrant

After a two year absence, Cornwall saw the Boardmasters festival return in style. Set at the stunning location of Watergate Bay in Newquay, over 50,000 people descended to the coast for a mix of sun, surf and superb music.

On Friday, Foals took the main stage by force with their headline slot. Playing their biggest hits, including Mountain at my Gates, What Went Down, My Number and finishing with singer Yannis Philippakis joining the crowd for a thrilling finale of What Went Down and Two Steps, Twice.

It was refreshing to see so many female artists on the bill at this festival – take note mainstream festivals such as Reading and Leeds with their continuous dirge of male dominated line-ups – there was a wealth of female talent throughout the lineup here. Earlier on Friday, Lianne La Havas delighted the crowd dressed in sunflowers, playing a mix of her soulful tunes, with a cover of Radiohead’s Weird Fishes chucked in the mix for good measure. Elsewhere, Holly Humberstone gave off early Avril Lavigne vibes, while Jade Bird delighted the crowd crossing so many genres with a fine mix of pop, americana and country.

To make the point that women can fill any festival bill, Georgia blew away the Land of the Saints stage single-handedly with her solo drumming and singing combo, while Mahalia filled the tent with her mix of R&B and soul.

As well as music, as the name suggests, the beauty of Boardmasters is its surfing connections. During the day, if musically nothing floats your boat (or board), Fistral Beach is a stone throw (or skim) away. Hosting the UK’s biggest surf competition, the BFGoodrich Longboard-open and Animal-open were exhilarating to watch, with the pro’s catching awe-inspiring air on the waves, and the occasional wipeout for pushing it to the limit.

The sun shown again on Saturday morning. Maisie Peters was a little ray of light encouraging the crowd to shout names of ex’s in anger in cathartic fashion. Fresh from her headline slot at Camp Bestival two weeks’ prior, Becky Hill demonstrated the power of Boardmasters that she could only make it to late-afternoon on this bill. Shamelessly plugging her new album continuously, it was clear many fans would be lapping it up when it is released the following week.

Mercilessly, the crowd surged for Loyle Carner, before Damon Albarn and his Gorillaz made their Cornish debut as headliners on the main stage. Playing hit after hit, with majority of songs coming from their acclaimed Demon Days album, it was incredible to think this is no longer a side project for Damon after over 20 years’ since their debut song, Clint Eastwood.

The Kooks clashed on the Land of Saints stage with their indie pop. With the sun set for the day, dance lovers headed to the stunning The Point overlooking the coast, where Basement Jaxx drew a huge crowd for their DJ set.

On Sunday after dancing ‘til early hours, Sunday’s mix was even more eclectic. Gentleman’s Dub Club began proceedings in style (despite being a headliner at upcoming Mucky Weekender festival). Sharply dressed in a suit and bow tie, the singer opted for no shoes or socks, presumably off for a dip afterwards.

Local Cornish royalty Katy J Pearson drew a loyal audience in the nearby tent. Later, Goat Girl (with appropriately named lead singer Clottie Cream) are surely a future headline act in the making with their grunge guitar band.

Mercury Music Prize nominee Arlo Parks followed. A definite highlight of the weekend with a huge crowd filling the tent. With so many memorable songs, from Hope, Black Dog and Collapsed in Sunbeams, Arlo truly deserves to win – singing ‘We all have scars, I know it’s hard, you’re not alone’, her songs uplift but contain powerful messages for us all.

So, as if Maisie Peters, Becky Hill, Lianne La Havas, Katy J Pearson, and Arlo Parks powerfully lighting up the bill wasn’t enough, Jorja Smith showed that Queen Bee Beyonce better hold on tight to her crown – Jorja is a worthy contender and an incredibly inspired headline booking to close the festival.

Stunningly mesmerising the crowd, it’s truly evident she has been writing songs since she was 11. With so many catchy songs, it was a true festival closing performance, sending everyone home. Be honest, we need more of this elsewhere in summer festivals.

See you at the beach next year!

Review and photographs: © Graham Tarrant

Metrofest 2021 Review

August 12, 2021 by Summer Festival Guide

This weekend, in North London’s Trent Park was the scene of what was supposed to be a day of winding back the clock and enjoying some of the world’s finest RnB and HipHop musicians. The lineup read like a who’s who from back in the day; Fat Joe, Blackstreet, Mya, Horace Brown, Bobby V, Eve, Jon B, Tony Touch & Fatman Scoop were all set to perform at Metrofest.

With lockdown rules lifting across the country and various restrictions for international travel still in place, there was always a risk that an international artist may not make it into the country or fall ill and test positive for COVID. This is the risk one takes with organising a festival during these times. Did this have an impact on Metrofest? Read on and find out.

A few days out from the event, Eve cancelled citing ‘unforeseen circumstances’. Cancellations happen, it’s just a part of the industry. Other artists that travelled to London from USA had arrived days earlier and were quarantining in various hotels in London (as far as we know).

Fast forward to Sunday, the weather was holding out, the ground was soft and not too much of a mud fest and the crowd was building after the event opened 90 minutes later than it was supposed to, with very little warning to those already arriving on site at the original 11am opening time.

As I arrived mid afternoon, there was still a fairly sized line of people waiting to get in via the General Admission entrance. As I entered the festival grounds, Horace Brown hit the stage and belted out his big tracks like ‘One for the Money’ & ‘Things we do for Love’. Horace is pretty chill and was great live, his soulful voice played out over the sound system and pulled in a huge crowd. Next up was Mya, whom a good number in the crowd came to see.

We waited patiently for the transition but the minutes turned to hours and there was no sight of Mya, a DJ was playing music on the main stage trying to keep a nervous and anxious crowd entertained. During this time, there was no official message or comms from the organisers that anything was changing.

Jon B was supposed to be on at around 5pm, but that time came and went. Bobby V and Blackstreet were up next but again, there was no sight of these artists on the main stage. Fatman Scoop was supposed to be hosting the main stage for most of the afternoon, but he also was not seen until late into the evening.

You could sense the frustration of the crowd, some who had travelled from various parts of the country, drove hundreds of miles, spent money on trains and accommodation to see their favourite old school artists. With just a DJ on the main stage for a large part of the afternoon, the noise from the restless crowd grew louder.

Eventually Fatman Scoop turned up and hit the stage to bring the crowd back to life as he got the crowd to join in on tracks like ‘Be Faithful’, before Jon B then arrived, almost 3 hours after he was scheduled to perform. Performing a short set full of classics including ‘Are U Still Down’, ‘Someone to Love’ & ‘Dont Talk’, he quickly left the stage before the nights headliner Fat Joe took over.

Walking out to his classic collaboration hit ‘New York’, the crowd piled into the main stage area to see the Brooklyn rapper in his first UK live event. Taking us through his hits from his vast back catalog, he played ‘Whats Luv’, ‘All the Way Up’, ‘Lean Back’ and this years big hit, ‘Sunshine’.

Cut short from what was supposed to be an hour’s performance, Fat Joe left the stage, only then for Bobby V to come out and perform. With a tight cut off time at 9pm, the Atlanta singer performed for less than 10 minutes before the sound cut his performance off and the crowds were informed to leave.

Meanwhile, as Fat Joe was performing, Blackstreet released a video on their Facebook page apologising to fans for not performing at Metrofest due to a number of organisational issues. You can see their video here:

After the event, social media was brimming with unhappy festival goers who felt cheated and wanted their refunds back due to a number of high profile artist no shows and their inability to cash out the remaining money from their wristbands. The cash out system started working after a day of technical glitches & three days after the event finished, Metrofest posted on their Instagram the following statement:

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by METRO FEST (@metrofestuk)

As a reviewer, I must be transparent and fair and my honest view of Metrofest is summarised here:

It’s important to remember, logistically running a festival in these unprecedented times is extremely difficult and risky and it has reflected as such at Metrofest.
There was a great crowd in attendance!
The main stage lineup promised so much yet failed to deliver with a number of no shows.
The transparency and comms from the organisers needed to be much better, especially as the afternoon went on and immediately after the event.
As a member of the press, the press area wasn’t fit for purpose, one portaloo for some 50+ people which by 3pm was not a pretty sight.
Exiting the festival was problematic if you were in the VIP area. You needed to exit through the general admission exit, but it meant heading out into the main stage crowd which was pushed up against the VIP entrance. It was dangerous with people being pushed up and squashed against the temporary fencing. I feared someone would get seriously hurt and eventually security opened another exit.
As a member of the press, I was issued a press pass, only to have it confiscated off me mid-festival due to too many people backstage. This was extremely embarrassing for me and uncalled for.
The above issue stems from either a lack of security and people without the correct passes being allowed backstage. Two security guards mentioned to me they were understaffed at the event.

Do I hope that Metrofest will return again next year, absolutely. The idea of an old school RnB music festival has a wide appeal, but there are some fundamental things that need to be sorted before the organisers gain the trust back in those that attended!

Macka & Lowree deliver the ‘This Is It’ EP

August 9, 2021 by Alex Jukes

Date: 6th August

Purchase:https://mackaroons.bandcamp.com/album/this-is-it

Glasgow based Macka & Lowree are back following their Mood 4 Love release on Fresh Take Records with a new two track euphoric, summer dancefloor filler EP titled ‘This Is It’.

Containing House fueled vibrant strings, pounding basslines and grooves that will bring some serious energy to any dancefloor. With B-Side ‘El Renacimiento’ featuring soothing saxophone and vocals from Scott Bathgate and Frankie Elyse respectively, the combination is sure to have a big impact in the return of modern day club culture.

Camp Bestival 2021 – Review

August 3, 2021August 3, 2021 by Graham Tarrant

After the past 18 months of lockdown, it would be easy to give undue love to any festival returning this summer. With Camp Bestival arriving in such energetic flamboyant style, there’s no need for faint praise here.

It’s always difficult to name the highlight of a weekend at Camp Bestival. It could be one of the musicians or headline acts. Or possibly the entertainment and performers around the site for younger ones. It could even be the dystopian Caravanserai area with its heady mix of trapeze artists, sea-shanties and steampunk aesthetics. Hey, it might even be the Blue Coats holiday camp entertainers doted throughout the site. But for me, it was the world’s best chocolate brownies from the campsite coffee shop after enjoying all of the aforementioned.

On Friday, with gale force winds across Dorset, the festival literally took off the ground. Based on the popular tv show, Brainiac Live supplied explosive action and daredevil stunts for all the family…following this, Junior Jungle were booked again this year after an unbelievable tour-de-force in 2019. Described by organiser Rob da Bank as one of the “top 5 acts ever booked for Camp Bestival’, words simply cannot describe the show (hence the photo below…) Nick Terrific and MC Rocky’s hot costumes and energy literally brought the crowd on stage with them for some smooth moves and a whole new interpretation of a lateral flow test, which has to be seen to be believed.

On a more serious note, Georgia took to the Big Top in impressive style. Very few people would be brave enough to attempt to cover Kate Bush, but her solo cover of ‘Running Up That Hill’ was arguably a match for the original. It’s always a sign of a strong line up at a festival when there are clashes – two bands which you want to see, playing at the same time. In this case, 2-Tone favourites The Selecter took to the main stage at the same time, still showing such class and style after 40 years.

Becky Hill closed the Friday night with impressive pyrotechnics and banging hits. This was her first headline slot at a festival and it won’t be the last – having earned her way up the line-up over the years, she delighted her fans with charm and modesty. A contrast to Jess Glynn’s diva behaviour two years’ prior at the festival.

Everyone emerged from their tents early on Saturday morning, and there could only be one reason at Camp Bestival – of course it was Mr Tumble. Performing his japes and nursery rhymes, young fans (and many parents alike), watched with unparalleled excitement. Without his best friend Dick, Dom’s performance seemed a little less enjoyable this year without the banter the two have built.

Sara Cox really got the party-started again with her 80s pop extravaganza and equally impressive shoulder pads. With two dancers joining her to perform the classic lift-off dance from Dirty Dancing, the crowd had the time of their lives.

What can be said about the next act though. The Cuban Brothers led by Miguelito continue to be highly inappropriate and great fun. With Kenny (the Bastard) and Dominic providing break dance moves and back flips, it’s clear why Los Hermanos Cubanos return every year, even if their language isn’t suitable for all ages. Yes friends!

Heather Small displayed her impressive back catalogue playing hit after hit, while Level 42 made everyone realise how many classic songs they had.

The funk soul brother Fatboy Slim was the star of the show on Saturday night. Celebrating his birthday, Norman Cook embraced the fancy dress theme dressed as the Pink Panther and kept the crowd raving with his rockafeller skank and deep bass.

Sunday was a hazy start for many, especially for those staying up late the night before to hear snooker legend Steve Davis’ incredible hardcore DJ set. With such an eclectic mix ranging from Craig Charles‘ funk and soul, indie darlings The Sherlocks, rock from Reef and pop from Max & Harvey, there was something for everyone. Dom Joly even managed to provide the laughs with his Powerpoint presentation of unique holiday snaps and escapades from around the globe. Yes, it was definitely funnier than that sounds…

Despite the Friday gales, sharply dressed Dub Pistols made everyone glad it wasn’t a truly mucky weekend with sunshine and occasional showers across the weekend. Groove Armada were the final act on the main stage at the weekend, with a full band line up. Compared to their DJ-only sets in previous years, this year their set was engaging, energetic and a highlight of the weekend. It truly finished the party in super-style before the emotional firework finale.

In conclusion, a big heartfelt thank you to Rob and Josie da Bank for their tireless work in putting on such an amazing show again in the face of such adversity.

In the words projected onto Lulworth Castle, We Are Family. Roll on 2022!

WORDS AND PHOTOS: GRAHAM TARRANT

Unum Festival, First Unrestricted Festival Happened Last Weekend in Europe

June 10, 2021 by Alex Jukes

Thousand of Revellers Attend First Festival in Albania – Backed by Albanian Government

Albania’s Unum Festival took place this last week as the first unrestricted festival in Europe with no hiccups and just pure joy coming from all the clubbers. The whole festival was supported by the Albanian Government through the Ministry of Tourism and Environment and Ministry of Health.
Over the whole event, close to 14,000 people turned up from all over England, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and even Israel, the USA, with 3,300 people from Kosovo,2,600 from Albania and 2,050 from other Balkan places such as Montenegro, Serbia, Romania and Macedonia. The country of Albania dropped all restrictions because of the low overall contagion rate in the country, recording only two new infections on Saturday. At the event, 100% of staff – both local and overseas – were fully vaccinated. Gloves and masks where mandatory for the cleaning team and toilets and mass-access areas were disinfected regularly. As a result, so far everyone who had to do a PCR test on their way back home has tested negative.
The happy smiling faces at the event were a thing to behold – everyone in attendance was beaming from ear to ear, delighted to be hugging each other and in close, cuddly proximity to other dancers. After such a long time away from the communal experience that is a dance music festival, many people were literally hopping with joy as things got underway. People climbed on each others shoulders, high-fived and made new friendships quickly and freely right from the first beat.
Says the Director of UNUM Festival, Kushtrim Sahiti, “In the wake of one of the worse years for the music industry, UNUM Festival came as ship of hope in the sea of don’t and do’s for Festivals and events of this size. It was a huge success and we’re exhausted but glad that we managed to give music back to the people. And even better, it sure was hella good music!”
After debuting in 2019 and missing 2020, Unum finally got to build on its impressive early momentum with heady techno sounds, a gorgeous setting on the Albanian Riviera and a crowd so up for it they’d have dance for a week let alone a weekend. After some warm up sets for those who arrived on the Thursday, Friday really finds the festival hit its stride. There are three stages in all with music on the Main Stage, the Pine Stage and on the Beach Stage all playing late into the night. Each one is a mass of writing bodies, dancing energetically from the first to the last beat.

The beautiful Pine Stage, set amongst the tall, sweet smelling trees was a real standout and is fast becoming one of the most iconic in the European scene. The music runs on for 24 hours straight with standout performances from Frenchman Dyed Soundorom who played a deep, groovy set of house music that was as warm and balmy as the sun kissed day time had been. Raresh also lit up the place with a solo set before he went back to back with Praslea as Pralesh which was one of the festival highlights for five hot and unforgettable hours later on the Sunday morning. It is fitting that such a special stage was brought to a close by a suitably special DJ with the one and only Ricardo Villalobos closing it down with a left of centre masterclass on Monday morning. The world class underground sounds were in fine flow for the whole weekend, with master minimalists Cap, John Dimas, Digby and Cesare Merveille all getting particularly good crowd reactions as they waved their way through slick, stripped back sounds, the odd playful party classic and plenty of deeply dug out delights.
The crowd is made up of eager locals and few people from various spots around Europe who had navigate restrictions to make their way here. They were in loud voice on the Main Stage when techno titan and Cocoon chief Sven Vath drew the biggest crowd and really served up a huge set on Friday and Saturday. Berghain’s Ben Klock also brought his heavyweight techno sounds on Friday and Saturday next to party-ready cuts from Leon. The Beach Stage was a great place to hang during the day. The views out to sea are epic, the open beaches inviting and the soundtrack first class from the likes of Jamie Roy and Traumer who really found a perfect musical sweet spot to match the atmospheric vibe.
All in all this was a fantastic first dance back for many people after so long away.

Kiefer Sutherland @ Cambridge Junction 26/02/2020

March 5, 2020 by Kimberley-Anne Simmons

Wednesday February 26th (a rather chilly evening), well known venue Cambridge junction welcomed Canadian musician and actor Kiefer Sutherland. Sutherland is extremely well known for some major movie roles as well as playing the unforgettable role of CTU agent Jack Bauer in the very popular TV series 24. However he isn’t just known for his acting career. As you may or may not know, he is also a dedicated and talented musician with many of his songs relating to his personal experiences in his lifetime. His musical style is primarily that of traditional country music however there is a great mix of rock and roll too.

Of course that evening, he wasn’t the only act to perform in J1. The night of music was kicked off by the country music all female trio The Adelaides. The band is made up of Paris Georgia, Alicia Alba & Abi Phillips and are originally from Birmingham, UK. They are gaining more and more recognition and growing their fan base with each performance ever since their first tour with The Only Way Is Essex beauty turned country star Megan McKenna back in 2017. The ladies took to the stage around 8pm looked radiant dressed in somewhat stereotypical but fabulous boho/country chic attire including the infamous ‘cowboy hats‘ as they performed their hits while playing their own acoustic instruments.

The ladies had a great stage presence as they interacted well with the audience as they flew through their set. During their time on stage they performed a number of their singles including their first release “Leave” as well as their latest record “I’d Do It Again”, “Sweet Temptation” (which was actually recorded in Nashville,USA, the home of country music) and not forgetting the song that had me in hysterics with its memorable lyrics, “Jelly Baby” which by the way is the perfect song to listen to after a break up to see the funny side of things during a difficult situation. The Adelaides also performed a number of cover songs which included “Hit The Road Jack”, “Sweet Dreams” and the infamous “Jolene” which we all know from the ultimate country queen Miss Dolly Parton.

These Birmingham country sassy lasses are definitely worth checking out.

As expected after the finale song of the first act of the night there was a short interval where ticket holders were left to mingle and keep their cups topped up. Speaking of cups, the venue has recently moved to a more eco friendly option when it comes to purchasing from the two bars in the room. Attendees are encouraged to purchase a plastic refillable drinking cup for a small fee to save on waste and more than likely finances too. A lot of music venues and festivals have now adapted to this idea, so it’s great to see that Cambridge Junction have jumped on board too rather than using single use materials for beverages.

Around 9pm the lights dimmed, instrumental music played and band members walked onto the stage. The last person to make their appearance was of course the night’s main act. Kiefer Sutherland!

The actor/musican was hidden for most of his opening song by his wide brimmed hat, however that really didn’t matter. The music was great, the lighting was colourful and the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement. Now I knew that the man had stamina going by his numerous acting roles that I had previously seen him in but I really didn’t expect as much energy as I had seen from him that evening. Just amazing! The musician performed a wide variety of genres, country, rock and heartfelt ballads. Before he performed each song of the night he would take a few moments to tell the audience a story or a history of just how the song came to be. I’ve not seen an act with such great communication with their audience as much as Kiefer showed during his show. He would often talk to the fans in front of him as if he had known them for years, he had also shared many personal stories about himself and his family. One of the most prominent ones was about his mother becoming incredibly unwell and him rushing to be by her side only to arrive and find her happy and filling the room with her lovable humour. It was definitely a story that tugged on the heartstrings. He also expressed his fondness for country music legend Johnny Cash.

The recording artist performed his hits “Shirley Jean”, “Going Home”, “I’ll Do Anything”, “Saskatchewan” and many more. He finished the evening with the energy fused “Agave” where Sutherland was seen regularly interacting with his band and making good use of the space on stage while generally just rocking out like the awesome guy you’d expect him to be.

On a personal note, this is the first live music event I had attended in the last year due to the fact I was expecting my second child. Now here and being rather sleep deprived I was apprehensive about feeling too tired to go to this show despite desperately wanting to go. Honestly I am so, so glad that I did. Not only did I get to stand in the same room as Jack Bauer (being a total ’24’ fan) which was awesome in itself but the music I heard that night was definitely what I needed to hear to introduce myself back into the writing game. If you ever get the chance to see either The Adelaides or Kiefer Sutherland live then I highly recommend that you take up such an opportunity.

Review by Kimberley-Anne Simmons

Photos by Kane Howie

The Hu @ Electric Ballroom 11/02/2020

February 16, 2020 by Kimberley-Anne Simmons

A few years ago, one evening I started browsing through music videos on YouTube and came across Mongolian rock band The Hu. I remember thinking how different these guys were and that I doubt they would ever tour the UK, but i was proven quite wrong. In 2019 they played in the UK and then announced a Spring European and UK tour for 2020. All the shows had sold out.
I was lucky enough to attend their show at the legendary Electric Ballroom in Camden, London on Tuesday 11th February. It was a cold evening in which I was warmed up when entering the venue to a packed out room with eager fans awaiting for the music to start.

Up first was support act , the American heavy metal band, Fire From The Gods who put on a great performance full of energy and built up the crowds anticipation for The Hu. Fire From The Gods will be performing Download festival this year on The Dogtooth Stage so make sure you check them out.

During the interval the crowd were mingling, drinking and loudly chanting ‘HU! HU! HU!’ When the time had come for The Hu to enter the stage the four main band members stood along the front of the stage with a backing band behind. The band had initially formed back in 2016 and have since gained a huge following online with 624k subscibers on Youtube alone! The members are Jaya, Gala, Temka and Enkush. The band were dressed in Mongolian attire with leather and top knots.

The traditional Mongolian instruments were amazing to see with the horsehead fiddle, Mongolian guitar, Jaw Harp and the Monglian flute. The craftsmanship on the instruments were quite incredible. The band bring together traditional Mongolian music with their throat singing and combine it with heavy metal.

The opening song is Shoog Shoog followed by other songs off their debut album The Gereg. The band also performed Black Thunder which has become widely recognisable after being featured on the hugely successful 2019 Star Wars game Jedi: Fallen Order.

The members didn’t appear to have a good grasp of the English language knowledge apart from “Thank You”, but honestly it really didn’t matter as the audience could still relate to the band during their set.

They are one of the most intriguing bands I had ever seen as they have created such an unusual yet enjoyable style of music based on throat singing. They put on a great show and I can highly recommend checking them out if you have not already.

Review and Photos by Kane Howie

Bombay Bicycle Club @ Cambridge Corn Exchange 20/01/2020

January 22, 2020 by Kimberley-Anne Simmons

After a three year hiatus, indie artist Bombay Bicyle Club made their return last year with a few select shows and a headline performance at Wilderness Festival. The band also announced that they were recording a new studio album and touring once again in 2020.

The band consists of Jack Steaman, Edward Nash, Jamie MacColl and Suren de Saram.

The first stop of their current UK tour was in Cambridge where they had arranged an instore signing and live set at Fopp. Shortly after the signing, they were due to perform at Cambridge Corn Exchange for their evening show, which was a sell out!

Not only did ticket holders get a great deal for their money when purchasing their tickets for the big return of BBC, but they were also treated to performances from support acts too.
First up was Liz Lawrence , a solo artist from London. She appeared on Bombay Bicycle Club’s latest album ‘Everything Else Has Gone Wrong’. She performed a few songs which saw the night set off to a great start.

After a short interval the second act entered which were four piece all female band The Big Moon. They perfomed songs from both albums in which their second album which had only just released ten days before the show and peaked at position 19 of the UK album charts. Its clear that these girls are going to do quite well on the music scene in the near future.

Soon after the end of the second of the night’s support act, everyone was left eagerly awaiting for the main act of the night to make their way to the stage. The background of the stage had two rock like ramps at the back and four squared lights at the top. The band entered with two other members (including Liz Lawrence).

The first song to hear from them was ‘Eat,Sleep,Wake (Nothing But You). After performing a few new songs, band member Jack said they had celebrated the ten year anniversary of their debut album ‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Off’ last year which was a reason the band decided to get back together. The crowd really loved to hear these classics.
With the band’s music, everyone could dance along and have a great time. After the encore they perfomed the title track of the new album and ended with the single ‘Always Like This’.
The band also mentioned they would be doing a signing after the show in the foyer at the merchandise stand.

I have a feeling that Bombay Bicycle Club will be in high demand when it comes to the festival scene throughout 2020.

There are still dates available on their UK tour and European and American shows, so make sure you go and check them out.

Review by Kane Howie

The Faim @ Electric Ballroom,London 13.12.2019

December 21, 2019 by Kimberley-Anne Simmons

At one of Camdens most well known venues, on Friday 13th December, the doors of The Electric Ballroom opened to welcome Australian rock/alternative band The Faim. The band have had anabsolutely fantastic year which has included touring the world on their own tour as well as appearing at some of the biggest festivals, they also released their highly anticipated debut album ‘State Of Mind’.

Kickstarting the evening at the venue were Californian band Cemtery Sun. These guys really knew how to put on a show! The audience appared to really enjoy their very energetic set. The guys have announced that they will be returning to the UK in 2020.

After a short interval which gave us enough time to grab a quick drink and a nosey at the merch stand, the second act of the night to take to the stage were Hot Milk, a male and female dual fronted emo power-pop band from Manchester. 2019 has been a very busy year for them, having played 69 shows in 20 different countries! Without a dount, this band will be ones to look out for as they areexpecting to be making it big on the music scene next year. The audience got to see them playing numerous hits inluding ‘Wide Awake’, ‘Awful Ever After’ and their latest single ‘Candy Coated Lie$’.

Later in the evening came the act that we had all been waiting for, The Faim. The lights dimmed on walked Steve rocking a heavy bassline ready for the rest of the band to join. The band played a variety of songs from their album and their earlier EP release. As expected after seeing previous live shows from the band, their entire set proved to show so much passion, energy and a huge appreciation for their ever growing fanbase.

After seeing the band first perform back in early 2018 supporting Lower Than Atlantis its great to see how much they have grown as artists and also how they have diversified their music. They really have come such a long way in such a short space of time. At the end of the night it was clear to see that they were incredibly thankful for their fans, family and friends as the band members eyes were filled with emotion.

The Faim have announced that they will be back in 2020, I can assure you, I don’t intend on missing out on seeing them perform live again, so neither should any of you reading this article. Defintely a band that we here at Summer Festival Guide can reccomend time and time again as they never ever fail to put on an amazing show!

Review and Photos by Kane Howie

The Darkness @ Cambridge Corn Exchange 6.12.19

December 11, 2019 by Kimberley-Anne Simmons

On Friday 6th December in the remarkable city of Cambridge, we waited in anticipation outside the doors of the Corn Exchange. A fantastic venue to which has played host to many events including music artists, theatre productions, comedians and more. The reason why we were there was to attend another awesome event The Darkness live!
The Darkness are an alternative rock band originally from Lowestoft. The act formed back in the year 2000. The band consists of musicians Justin Hawkins on vocals and lead guitar, Dan Hawkins on guitar, Frankie Poullain on bass and last but not least Rufus Tiger Taylor on drums and percussion.

Upon entering the venue, our photographer and I came into the foyer, which inclued a bar at either side and also a merch stall selling products for both The Darkness and also the evening’s support act Rews. The venue filled up fairly quickly with eager and excited fans.

First, to take to the stage, were Rews, a female fronted alt/rock band that formed in Northern Ireland back in 2014. Shauna Tohill, Ele Lucas and Scott Hislop really got the night off to an energetic start! Their first realeased albums were titled ‘Pyro’ and ‘Your Tears’. The band were so full of energy filling the stage with jump kicks and lots of dance action. They sang a total of eight hits, including ‘Shake Shake’, ‘Can You Feel It?’ and their latest single ‘Birdsong’. Their music had a great variation in style, so there was something for everyone, including a mix from heavier rock to softer more ballad like tones. A great all rounder. The band showed great interaction with the crowd and you could tell the audience really loved their musical styles. Their new album is due for release in 2020, so make sure to be on the look out for that!

After a short interval, the band members of the night’s headline act, The Darkness entered wearing white suits and Justin Hawkins donning his expected flamboyant and show stopping attire. The band had performed two sets on the night in which they played the whole of their lastest album ‘Easter Is Cancelled’ and then the second half of their show featured their older well known hits. The audience was a wide range of ages, from older generations, to younger ones. Their was one young lad in the crowd who looked only around six years old, who was clearly having the time of his life, sitting on his parent’s shoulders wearing a sleeveless denim jacket with band patches on. His parents must be so proud!

There were 3 arches decorated with lights at the back of the stage in which cartoon clips were playing during the band’s set, this included cows in a field and also characters from the James Cameron’s infamous film Titanic. On the last song of the first half the band all except Justin left the stage. Justin was left on stage with just an acoustic guitar in which he sung ‘We Are The Guitar Men’.

After another short break, Frankie came back on stage with a cow bell and got the crowd to clap along with the beat of the bell. After a quick costume change the band returned to the stage once more. Justin wore a festive red jumpsuit with the front uncovered showing his tattoos and all kinds of nipple.

Justin was brilliant at getting the crowd involved with the show. He was getting them to try and reach the same pitches that he can even chanting out “F**k’. The whole room filled with amusement and ended up singing throughout the whole performance. When the initial bars of their infamous 2003 hit ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’ were played everyone was elated and sang along. The night was brought to a close in the only festive way that it could have been, the band ended with their Christmas song ‘Christmas Time (Dont Let The Bells End)’, this was great as Christmas is only a few short weeks away.

Both bands were highly enjoyable to watch live and a definite must see if you get the chance.

Review by Ellie Siemianowicz

Photos by Kane Howie