Calling Festival Review: Aerosmith rock Clapham Common

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If you're in London this week-end, there is a lot going on around the Capital. If you love music, your choice is pretty clear: Set sail for Clapham Common's shores and drop the anchor at Calling Festival. Headlining tonight was America's greatest Rock and Roll Band and Rock veterans: Aerosmith. But before this epic show, there is a day packed with great acts.  

On the Main Stage, The 3 Dudes opened the show : With bags of energy and confidence, Sam, Jack and Roger Ploch are the three teenage brothers behind the 3 Dudes. They sang their main title Superheroes, as well as cover such as Blur's Song 2 amongst other titles. 

Running towards the Pepsi Max stage, Chantal Claret is performing. She is very happy to be part of Calling Festival and surprises the crowd: witty, funny, cursing at times, and a voice to die for. What a performer! In the middle of her performance, she sang in the middle of the delighted audience, a song dedicated to the dads called "The pleasure seeker". She also included more recent songs like "Bite your tongue" and Light it up". Dancing, making faces, jumping, Chantal Claret pleased the crowd throughout her performance and felt very honored to perform at the Calling Festival as Aerosmith was the first act she saw on stage.

Where to get a bite to eat? Calling Festival provides an impressive choice: from Thai food, to Mexican, with Crepes, or Strawberry and cream, It will satisfy all tastes and wallets. We opted for Saul's Hog Roast for lunch but Mrs Gauthier offers a mouth watering menu as well. For a sugar treat, Churros Garcia is a very popular option as festival goers are queuing all day.

Back to Main stage for Heaven's Basement: the lead singer, Aaron Buchannan has a great engagement with the crowd and even shyly attempted a handstand supported by some daring fans. They don't hold back in their performance and are also very humble. Throughout the show, the crowd was smiling, jumping, dancing. I really enjoyed the song  "Nothing else to lose" and will follow this band from now.  

By the time Radkey is ready to start, It is raining quite heavily but the crowd keeps the spirits high and wants to listen the three brothers from Missouri. Dee, Isahia and Solomon Radke a.k.a Radkey are listed amongst the bands to watch by the Guardian. Even though their style is more grunge or 80s hardcore than rock, the vocals are far from metal. Dee Radke has a punk crooner tone. Check out some of their powerful songs like Romance Dawn or Cat & Mouse. 

Heading back to Pepsi Max Stage for Tax the Heat: I have been told and read that this is a band to watch! Four smart-dressed lads producing ballsy rock music. The venue is fully packed by fans but also festival goers looking for a shelter who won't believe their luck finding this gem of a band. Alex Veale wowed the crowd with his amazing vocal range and energy. He also cracked jokes between songs like Fed to the Lions or Caroline. There was a queue waiting outside Pepsi Max Stage; all of us were charmed by these boys from Bristol.

On my way to the Main Stage, There is a group of women celebrating a Hen Do. They chose the Calling Festival as the perfect event because the bride-to-be is an avid fan of Aerosmith. They had matching outfits and tshirts made for this occasion.

On the Main Stage, Richie Sambora is performing. Wearing very tight red trousers, a leather vest and a red leather jacket, Richie charmed his fans as soon as he arrived. He performed some classic songs of his last album Aftermath of the Lowdown but the highlight was the long guitar solos and instrumental performances especially from guitar queen Orianthi Panagaris.

Another highlight of the day was Thunder. A lot of fans travelled from around the UK to Calling Festival to see them perform. As they were about to start, a ray of sunshine reappeared as well and more people seemed to have joined the event. Danny Bowes really engaged with the crowd. Everybody was singing, clapping in unisson. Some songs generated gasps or screams like She's so nice. The last song "love walked in" was the crowd pleaser and closed the show on a high note. 

Now back to Pepsi Max Stage for Walking Papers. The venue is already full with the crowd clapping and screaming. The American band from Washington was introduced on stage using a Enio Morricone track with castagnetes. Each member of the band was announced but the crowd really went for it when Duff McKagan arrived on stage. Even if Walking Papers were formed in 2012, Benjamin Anderson, Jeff Angell, Barrett Martin and Duff McKagan are experienced and recognized musicians that don't need introductions. The crowd was excited and screaming wanting more songs. 

Heading back to the Main Stage, I only had the time to watch the end of Joe Bonamassa's performance. His blues voice, guitar solos and amazing musicians surrounding him never disappoint. The Jezabels, Lonely the Brave, Toseland, No Hot Ashes and Yellowire completed today's line up! The crowd was getting bigger, tightly gathered opposite the Main Stage and our minds were now focused on Aerosmith. The weather was also playing up but the sun came out three minutes before Aerosmith came on stage. We enjoyed a pink sunset over Clapham Common tonight and everybody was happy and excited. 

Photo courtesy of Calling Festival

The veteran 5-piece rock band arrived on stage to rock Clapham Common. They.Steven Tyler's entrance was epic arriving on stage dragging his microphone stand. Wearing leather pants, leather vest and animal print scarves and shirt he wowed the crowd with his psychedelic dance moves and flaunting his scarf in the air like a bull fighter and his cape. Opening the show with "Mama Kin", the crowd already at their feet. Before starting "Love in an Elevator", Steven Tyler used the camera close up to do a massive burp. The tone is set! After  Joe Perry's "Oh Yeah", we all started singing "Cryin" during which Steven played the harmonica and used his leopard scarf as a headband. When did he have the time to do that? Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, a.k.a the Toxic brothers showed us that music is about friendship and a group of mates making music together. Their voices did not change over the years and are still harmonious and powerful, their songs timeless and ageless. The Demon of Screamin' went down and sang with lucky and hysteric fans "Same old song and dance". During "living on the Edge", Steven invited his friend Richie Sambora to sing along as he was in the crowd. The biggest crowd pleaser was "I don't want to miss a thing": Everyone from front row to back of the park was singing and smiling. They decided to perform a song from the Beatles "Come Together" a la Aerosmith! The cover was amazing, followed by "Dude looks like a Lady" and "Walk this way", which made everyone dance in the park. we thought it was the end but Aerosmith came back for a beautiful piano version of "Dream on", Joe Perry playing the guitar standing on the white piano. the very last song was "Sweet emotion" with a big finale with confettis and Steven Tyler with fluorescent face paint. Aerosmith are always the band who deliver the goods and tonight was no different. I was seduced and overwhelmed by the generosity and energy of this band who are still eager to give an epic show and entertain the fans. They get so much love and respect but it is nothing compared to what we lived tonight. Everybody left smiling, singing, dancing from Clapham Common and it was all because of these Bad boys of Boston. 

Skrillex @ Eden Sessions Review

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Back once again to raise the roof in a quiet little corner of Cornwall is The Eden Sessions. Held in the futuristic agricultural experiment, The Eden Project – these one night concert spectaculars have seen some incredible names grace the stage in front of the Biomes over the years, and this year sees the likes of Ellie Goulding, Pixies and Elbow top the bill. 
 
However, tonight is the night Eden comes alive with a dose of electrifying bone-shaking beats from misfit messiah DJ Sonny Moore‎, aka Skrillex.
 
‎After a heavy-handed search by the mass of event security (we are told that quite a lot of 'interesting' items have turned up already and that searches have been significantly upscaled for this particular night of the sessions) we head out to take in the view of Eden from the top of the hill. Giant caterpillar-like Biomes nestled in a lush valley of vegetation are the sci-fi lovers wet dream, and with their burst looking skylights you could almost imagine some kind of alien escape scene. As we stroll down towards the stage and café area, a screeching man flies past attached to a perilous looking zipwire.
 
The cafes offer pasties, burgers and sweet potato fries (all Eden specials of course, no rubbish festival food here) and the hippy-tastic Carrot, Lemon & Sesame burger with a dollop of extremely hot Eden-made sweet chilli sauce is exactly the kind of meal you need before you spend a few hours raving in a garden.
 
The arena itself faces towards the hillside and visitor centre, with the Biomes making for a stunning backdrop, and the curved amphitheatre has a grassy area for reclinin‎g, which many people are doing in the sunshine.
 
Warm up DJ's Chris Lorenzo, followed by Tchami are perfect for the event, a nice mix of heavy drum and bass, and samples of stuff everyone knows to get us in the mood. Running in to join/take over from DJ Tchami, Skrillex in his signature black uniform, black scruffy hair and black Wayfarer sunglasses – looks so out of place at the vibrant Eden, but gets down to business straight away with devastatingly loud bass-drops.
 
Jumping atop the deck rig as flame and smoke canons erupt, Skrillex yells "Yo everybody is participating, I wanna see your hands up like this"‎ and initiates a side-to-side wave from the crowd, whilst simultaneously keeping the music going and smoking a cigarette.
 
As an artist who travels seamlessly between songs and samples, it can be difficult for fans to snatch a bit of tracks they know, but Skrillex makes sure the major favourites are included in snippets all the way through as he energetically leaps and bounces through the set.
 
After a particularly weird set of VT's involving aliens and computer error messages, the opening scenes of Disney's The Lion King appear on screen, accompanied by a heavily remixed and scratched version of 'The Circle of Life' and Skrillex screams "Light it up Eden" to an ecstatic crowd.
 
‎Fan favourite 'Kill Everybody' goes down a storm, with everyone up and dancing, throwing clothes and shoes to the floor in an attempt to be more free, and Skrillex wears his white headphones around his forehead like a halo as the sun dips on Eden.
 
‎For ex-girlfriend and ex-collaborator Ellie Goulding's Skrillex track 'Summit' the stage is filled with stars and white beams of light, but the wonder is short lived as the song is well and truly clipped short in favour of 'Vikings' and 'Rock and Roll'.
 
Calling "Shout out to mother nature for giving us a beautiful day, no rain! Shout out to eden for saving mother nature"‎ Skrillex gives the frenetic crowd what they want, 'First of the Year (Equinox)', samples of MGMT's 'Kids' and some seriously heavy basslines.
 
With Nyan-cat floating across the screen, the night drawing in and the lasers getting sharp, 'Kyoto' is enough to flutter the eardrums of the furthers alien planets, and 'Bangerang' (with a little sample of 'Work It' by Missy Elliot in there) as expected gets the biggest roar of the night. During a 'crowd participation' moment where Skrillex implores everyone to "…get low! We're going to blow this shit into outer space and colonise mars‎…" the true nature of the night is shown – everyone is joining in, ready to go big on the beat.
 
Skrillex's "Shout out to those twin kids, dudes! Start them young! When I was 9, my dad took me to see Metallica, I loved it. Speaking of Metallica, is anyone going to Glaston-berry?" is met with tumble-weed like silence‎ but his appreciation of the Project "So blessed to be invited to Eden, did you guys see that biodome over there? That shit blew my mind" is met with rapturous applause.
 
'Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites' have people dancing like they aren't being filmed… which they are, you can catch it on Eden's youtube channel… and Skrillex closes out this session with an abrupt but warm departure. Despite the crowd chanting for mo‎re, it's the end of the night, and the mass of sweaty bodies and red grinning faces say it's been a damn good night.

Beverley Folk Festival Review 2014

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With sunshine predicted, headlining acts such as Billy Bragg, Lau, Chaz & Dave and father/daughter folksters Martin and  Eliza Carthy, there was nothing but a good do in-store for this iconic folk festival in it's 30+ year. Last year the festival had successfully moved to Beverley Racecourse to allow for a burgeoning number of people wanting to attend. 

Friday evening was off to great start when the Nick Rooke Band livened up a fairly sedate crowd with their cheery, energetic tunes. The 1500 capacity tent was full and almost entirely seated. The band did a great job of energising everyone.
 
Next up was Billy Bragg. He not only entertained with familiar and new songs, but was making the audience guffaw with anecdotes and observations about 'folkies'. Complete with a cup of herbal tea in hand. Whether or not the tea was staged I didn't really care and neither did the audience, we were loving it.  His style was so relaxed and humorous you had to remind yourself you were listening to a progressive icon. Fantastic stuff.
 
After a few navigation problems, due to no signposts anywhere on site, I made the discovery of extremely talented The Sail Pattern from Halifax. Good fortune as their songs and melodies really livened up another crowd and the mood was good. Something akin to Stornoway, with powerful sea shanties and excellent harmonies. They delivered a diverse set list that really showed off their many talents. 
 
On to the concert and dance marquee to catch French band La Vent Du Nord.  Surprisingly this marquee was also seated which was  odd given it was a called the dance tent. But not to be perturbed by this the band encouraged festival goers to throw their chairs to one side and dance. Some of them got up as a result and a spontaneous ceilidh style dance emerged at the front of the stage.  Things were looking up. By the end of their jolly set even the seated were jiggling or waving their arms or both, but the chairs remained firmly in place. 
 
After a promising start to the weekend with some fantastic entertainment I was looking forward to a more lively Saturday. 
 
However, despite having some excellent bands playing into Saturday afternoon and evening there was a noticeable lack of festival atmosphere around the site itself. This became clear when I made a visit to a crowded Paddock View bar where comedian Shaun Hughes was running through his stand up routine. After lots of laughs and the signing of his poetry books,  (his poetry was actually very good) the crowd simply disappeared. I went on to watch brilliant performances from The Duncan McFarlane Band(main tent), Katie Spencer (emerging talent) and finally Mànran (dance tent), who again got everyone on their feet. Yet, somehow, after each event the audience dissolved into silent and empty fields. Strange. 
 
Despite the perfect weather and spare capacity most entertainment was in three marquees and a handful of scattered about rooms that formed the racecourse buildings. If you wanted to sit and chat, outside, there was very little provision and mostly no entertainment. Enjoying a sunny solstice evening in a typical festival atmosphere between your chosen acts was near on impossible. I thought this was a real shame and for me it cast a gloomy atmosphere over the really good things about the festival. In desperation I even tried to get into an advertised workshop. On finding the room up some stairs and at the end of a corridor there was no one there -not even a workshop facilitator. 
 
The festival organisers sell day tickets, they also sell single event tickets which may explain the quiet if most people are visiting for succinct events. Beverley Folk Festival undoubtedly has a reputation and an excellent line up, but what about the things that don't go on the timetable? What about other activities and things to do? It is a festival after all and potentially festival goers are around for three days 24/7.  It would be a great shame to not give a more rounded festival experience. Having looked at the website again on my return I see they have fringe events in the centre of Beverley, with a free shuttle bus so perhaps this is where I went wrong. Instead of waiting on site I should have taken a break on a bus and back again. Sadly not for me.   
 
The rest of the festival line up was, you guessed it, amazing, but  I borrowed a good book for the waiting times in-between. Perhaps something to think about for next year? I hope so, as this was one of the better smaller festivals I've been to for the line up alone.
 
Enough said, Put t' kettle on, it's time for a cuppa herbal tea.