It's my favourite time of year again, Standon Calling is back and better than ever. I was lucky enough to attend last year’s festival, and after having an incredible time, I knew it would be hard to top it this year. However, it did not disappoint, with a bustling atmosphere rivalling much larger events. Kicking off on the Friday, despite having its largest number of attendees ever, it still managed to retain its charm and original ethos of championing emerging artists. Standon Calling had an excellent set list this year, with Little Dragon, Dandy Warhols and Basement Jaxx headlining the festival. Basement Jaxx was my personal favourite, drawing the largest crowd on Sunday night with all ages singing along. Other musical highlights came from Prides, Saint Raymond and the incredible Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, who came all the way from Chicago to blow the audience away with their musical talent spanning all genres from hip-hop to jazz and rock. Ella Eyre was incredible, her vocals and perfromace really brought the whole of Standon together. The Cuban Brothers returned for another year, with hilariously crude jokes kicking off their energy filled performance, proving a crowd favourite. The BBC Introducing staged also hosted lots of musical talent, my particular favourite being Amber Run, who closed the show on Saturday night. They proved extremely popular, after their highly anticipated album '5am' released earlier this year.
However, Standon Calling offered up much more than just music, making this a festival that really does provide for all. Kids and adults alike participated in the annual dog show, with the usual humorous classes including 'waggy-est tail' and 'owner most like it's dog'. With over 30 participants, The Clock Tower became a bustling hive of activity filled with laughter and plenty of barking! The theme this year being 'Day and Night' provided festival goers with the perfect excuse to dress up, finalised by a parade out of which two lucky winners won tickets for next year. As always, the design team had done an amazing job to transform the fields into a set that resonated the theme. The trapeze proved extremely popular with adults and children alike, as did the swimming pool which was a perfect accompaniment to the hot weather. One of my highlights was the petting zoo, you could literally go and pick up a bearded dragon, learn all about them and then pick up a snake. It was fascinating and provided very popular over the weekend! For the revellers who wanted to dance the night away, the Cowshed with its incredible decoration stayed open until the early hours.
Food and drink weren't in short supply, with my personal favourite being the Mac and Cheese stand serving up 'The Kanye Western', their twist on the traditional recipe featuring smoked sausages, BBQ sauce and crispy onions. Barnaby Sykes Pie Maker's returned this year with their incredible goods; the chicken and ham pie with mash and gravy was phenomenal. Sweet treats were readily available at Kitty’s Cake Emporium, from blueberry, lemon and poppyseed cake to the gluten free orange sponge, all equally delicious. Refreshing cold ciders were plentiful at the Old Mout Cider bar, at which you could also sing karaoke and bounce on a trampoline whilst trying different flavours of cider; what a perfect combination! Ice cold cocktails and beers were also available, and with the cash free payment system, it made queuing and buying drinks much easier and faster.
Overall, I had an amazing time and cannot wait to return next year. I have never been to a festival like it, it's atmosphere is truly unique. I will be first in line for the early bird tickets when they become available, it is worth every penny.
Y Not Festival partied with the right people for its tenth birthday, celebrating with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Basement Jaxx, Primal Scream, Jonny Marr and a further eclectic mix of smaller music providing something for everyone.
The festival saw a mixture of people attending, all of different age groups with a designated camping area on site for families, catering for young and old, with an atmosphere of hippy and care-free vibes running throughout the whole weekend. Situated in rural Pikehall, Derbyshire across a vast amount of fields, in comparison to previous years it had definitely expanded. However, it wouldn’t be a challenge to walk from one end of the festival to the other within the space of fifteen minutes, so I’d still class it as a ‘small festival’. There was a dress up theme on the Saturday of ‘What I wanted to be when I grew up’ with plenty of super hero costumes, neon ravers and strangely animals.
FRIDAY
Reverend and the makers were an afternoon treat on the Friday, where they played both a mix of old and new material-which echoed an electronic feel throughout their set featuring some songs which some had been written in Jamaica. They did well interacting with the audience to get the crowd moving, especially to their catchy older tunes Heavyweight Champion of the World and He Said He Loved Me.
After a warm and sunny first day, Friday’s headliner Snoop Dogg closed the day full of live acts, and got the crowd going wild (even to the point where firecrackers were set off) to his set including tunes Gin and Juice, Drop it like it’s hot and Young wild and free. It sounded very surreal when Snoop was bouncing off the audience addressing them “Matlock” as it seemed hard to believe that the rapper was actually there, in this small place in the Peak District performing to a huge crowd.
Although the all the live music had finished by 11pm, there were small tents dotted around the festival grounds where DJs including George Walford performed to party people until the early hours of the morning which deemed very popular as the tents were packed with not much room to move about.
SATURDAY
Saint Raymond, a Nottingham based artist performed late afternoon on the Saturday, giving the audience a full hours-worth of indie pop tunes, which were really catchy numbers. Although the songs were quite samey you would probably dance to them even if you didn’t know them or hadn’t heard of them, especially their newer stuff. Young Blood and Bonfires were two stand out tunes that were enjoyable to listen to.
After a showery afternoon with ponchos galore, it managed to stay dry for one of the bands that were a main reason why Y Not was the place to be; Basment Jaxx. They didn’t fail to pull a great performance of the bag which included some of their absolute classics also mixed with their new songs, getting everyone dancing and singing to Romeo, Raindrops and closing with Where’s Your Head At. The end of their performance finished with a literal bang, full of confetti and fireworks which made the crowd want more.
SUNDAY
Rhodes played on the Sunday at the main stage where the majority of the audience were chilled out on the grass. Coming to see Rhodes was a choice well made. He lulled the audience into a soothing state with his distinct folk sound, which would be much needed for most people on the Sunday, after two or three massive days of music, giving people some ear TLC with his music.
Another artist who was an easy listen was Nick Mulvey who played at the Quarry Stage in the evening. He had crowds swaying during his performance as his guitar playing was pretty impressive, creating sounds that wouldn’t seem possible on the guitar and accompanied by his voice gave a calming act to the audience, a gem for a Sunday evening.
Primal Scream were the closing act on the Sunday where everyone old and young squeezed into the crowd to see the rock band with the all-time classics perform. The highlight was definitely Moving On Up, which got everyone singing. Although they put on an impressive show to close the festival, I would have preferred Basement Jaxx as the final act.
On the Sunday night there was a silent disco, which was a fun way to finish the festival off and is always hilarious when you take off your headphones to see everyone dancing and lip-syncing in silence.
Y Not offered festival-goers big names in music at a small scale venue. Pikehall, Derbyshire is a cosy location which seems to have expanded itself throughout its ten years of existence. It is a place where emerging artists are given the chance to perform alongside many local and up and coming artists who also take slots on the main stage. The atmosphere and set up of the place reminded me of a smaller scale Glastonbury festival with plenty to see and do. Including small tents with things to do before the music started, somewhere to go and get glitter on your face and your hair braided or even pick yourself up some off the hook outfit. Y Not provided an impressive selection of food ranging from noodle bars to beef burgers and also catered for the vegan and vegetarian festival goers. I’m excited to see what next year will bring, as I can only imagine even bigger and better. Y Not get yourself there next year, I definitely will be.
Festival No.6 announces Long Table Banquets with award-winning chefs Aiden Byrne, James Lowe and Mary-Ellen McTague
Multi award-winning Festival No.6 has announced that festival goers will have the chance to join its famous long table banquets along the beautiful White Horses promenade on the banks of the River Dwyryd estuary at this year’s festival.An intimate, bespoke banquet of music, arts and culture, Festival No.6 takes place over the weekend of the 4-6 September in the magical Italianate village of Portmeirion, Wales, home of the cult TV series The Prisoner.
Billed as ‘Dinner at Clough’s’, a tribute to Clough Williams-Ellis, the inspirational architect who created Portmeirion, the banquets will cost £65 per head (plus booking fee) and will include a sumptuous three-course meal cooked by one of the festival’s internationally renowned chefs. The banquets take place every lunch (1.30pm) and dinner (7.30pm) and will seat up to 200 guests who will experience an elegant water-side feast, sharing a mixture of communal dishes and individually plated delights in truly stunning surroundings.
Mary-Ellen McTague opens with Friday’s banquet and following rave reviews from her High Tea in Wonderland at the Manchester International Festival diners are definitely in for a treat. Mary-Ellen worked for four years at The Fat Duck before heading north as a pastry chef at Ramsons in Ramsbottom. She then opened her own restaurant, Aumbry. Drawing on a love of traditional and historical British Food, it was named 8th Best Restaurant in the UK by voters on Toptable. Mary Ellen also won Chef of the Year award at the Manchester Food and Drink Festival 2013 and is currently readying herself for the re-launch of legendary Manchester venue, Roadhouse, after the closure of Aumbry last year.
The creative force behind Lyle’s – James Lowe – takes over on Saturday with what is sure to be a masterclass in British food.James opened his first restaurant Lyle’s in Shoreditch, east London, in April 2014, and it was recently voted the 6th best restaurant in the UK. The food is modern-British, produce-led and driven by a common sense philosophy. He was previously head chef at St John Bread & Wine for 4 years and started the London based chef collective the Young Turks in 2011, which saw him start on his journey to redefine what British food is. He draws inspiration from a network of farmers and fishermen that he has been working with over the last seven years. His desire is to show people, both at home and abroad, what's possible with British ingredients through his fresh approach.
Sunday’s finale is created by a man who needs no introduction, the industry legend that is Aiden Byrne. Former head chef at The Grill, London Dorchester, at the age of 22 Aiden became the youngest chef ever to win a Michelin star. Previously mentored by Tom Aitkens at Pied à Terre and developing his style at Michelin-starred establishments such as The Oak Room and Orangery and The Commons Restaurant he now holds the helm at the iconic Manchester House as well as at his British grill pub, The Church Green in Lymm. Guests lucky enough to get tickets for Aiden’s banquet will secure bragging-rights for years to come having dined with the maestro.
As well as the banquets, Festival No.6 has brought together a selection of the UK’s finest food and drink pop-ups, serving food in the Street Food village located in the Castell Park. Guests can sample food from around the globe with stalls including Bel Air serving up Californian-style feel good fast food, Patty & Bun’s incredible burgers, Anna Mae’s bringing the finest mac & cheese available to mankind, a delicious taste of the Orient in the form of Dorshi’s Japanese dumplings, pizza to die for from Voodoo Rays or mouth-watering steak sandwiches and homemade relishes from Stakehaus. Festival No.6 has also created an independent food market on site – the beating heart of the festival. Guests will find locally sourced, fresh produce at the Welsh Producers Market from renowned traders Little Jack Horner, Village Deli, Nurse’s Cottage and The Whole Cheese.
Drinks pop-ups include the ever-popular Real Ale Bar, the Pop-Up Bubbles Bar and Bloody Meirion serving fabulous Bloody Mary’s with a twist. Champagne will flow from the Laurent Perrier pop-up in the Castell Gardens and Barcelona returns to Portmeirion as Estrella Damn will again be the official beer of Festival No.6
JUST SO FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES INTRIGUING ADVENTURES FOR ITS 2015 EXPEDITION – THREE WEEKS TO GO
The award-winning Just So Festival (21 – 23 August), produced by Wild Rumpus announces its brilliantly bonkers programme based on the golden age of travel for 2015, the largest programme in its six year history.
An annual, intimate, weekend-long camping festival for children and their families the Just So Festival provides an imaginative outdoor adventure like no other, showcasing the best art, music, literature, comedy and theatre for families all embedded and entwined in a wondrous landscape of woodland clearings, rolling parkland, arboreal amphitheatres and lakeside spots in the Rode Hall Estate, Cheshire.
With an incredible mix of regional, national and international artists and performers, it promises to take you on an expedition of mischief and mayhem, to lands full of magical midnight feasts, raucous pillow fights, tribal tournaments, curious creatures and breathtaking beauty.
The eagerly anticipated Tribal Tournament will once more be headed up by that motley crew from immersive theatre specialists LAS Theatre. The Fox, Frog, Owl, Fish, Stag and Lion tribes will compete in ridiculous games and all manner of unexpected shenanigans. Find your tribe on festival Sunday and round off the festival in style with the Tribal Parade. Inquisitive and adventure driven family explorers can expect to tour the most curious of lands and encounter creatures and characters beyond your wildest dreams.
A visit to Grand Central complete with Passport Office, Bureau de Change and mischievous luggage porters is advice worth heeding, before venturing into the uncharted territory that is Just So Festival 2015. Head to our new eccentric Village Green to encounter ridiculous knitting, toddler jousting, pillow fighting and a nonsensical, outrageous game of Consequences.
Roll up, roll up at Head over Heels for the most spectacular and flamboyant area of Just So yet. Expect tumblers and somersaults, aerial mastery and juggling galore. Gasp and faint at amazing shows, and try your hand yourself at all manner of circus amazement.
Step into the Spellbound Forest to a place quite extraordinary. Woodland theatre, dancing and exploring by day, bonfire bands, stories and songs as dusk falls and the woodland magic really begins
Whispers have reached our ears of a Fairy City and Fairy Ball found within Away With The Fairies, an enchanting woodland, home of the Fairy Queen.
Make your way into the perilous High Seas supported by SunSense. Maps will be needed, encounter massive battleships, pirate training camp and watch out for the kraken.
At Footlights and Jitterbug we will see foot stomping, wild whirling and swirling, and unmissable family music and theatre performances including poet John Hegley, comedian James Campbell and authors Emma Carroll and Paul Stickland. When evening comes, dance the night away here.
At Silver Screen take part in BFI slapstick workshops, delve into the Picture Palace, encounter eccentric producers from the turn of the century, or bring a blanket while night falls and snuggle up to watch family classics.
Peekaboo, supported by Weleda, is where to find the best arts (and right royal facilities) for the tiniest visitors. Music, paint, clay, dens and bubbles, listening to stories and songs and baby bath time will ensure the littlies doze off to the sound of our choral lullabies as dusk falls.
Don’t miss The Marie Celestial. A co-commission between the Northern Festivals Network, headed up by Just So, and Glastonbury Festival, this melancholy, mechanical beast will form the incredible beating heart of Just So Festival and other Northern festivals in 2015.
Winners of Festival Kidz Gold Award for three years running Just So Festival aims to create memories treasured by families year-round. Rowan Hoban and Sarah Bird, Directors of Wild Rumpus who produce large scale family arts events in wild natural landscapes set up Just So Festival in 2009 to create a spellbinding weekend where families could play, dance and create together and see the world class breathtaking outdoor arts.
Rowan says “At Just So 2015, audience members will be journeying through the most magical, awe-inspiring landscape for three nights. They must watch carefully the whole journey…as Roald Dahl once said, the best adventures and greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places”.
Sarah says “we immerse families into a world of imagination, letting their creativity run wild. We believe in the power of a wonderful moment to change the way that a family engages in the arts together. If we don’t give you goosebumps we are not doing it right.”
That’s right folks, all tickets to this year’s festival have been snapped up – a full 12 weeks in advance… A gigantic Green Man Diolch to everyone who grabbed them!
First up, we are thrilled to announce ‘Atomic Bomb! The Music of William Onyeabor’ will be bringing the party to the Mountain Stage on the Friday night. Atomic Bomb! celebrates the music of enigmatic Nigerian synth-funk pioneer William Onyeabor and is performed by the Atomic Bomb! band featuring a constantly revolving collective of internationally acclaimed musicians.
Making a welcome return to Green Man this August are Villagers – with the Black Mountains as your backdrop, where better to take in Conor’s poetic and wistful alternative folk?
Plus… Patrick Watson brings his energetic pop, rich orchestration, and spine-tingling lyrical musings to Green Man. Joining him are staggering, multi-layered Brooklyn three-piece The Antlers; the legendary Tom Robinson Band; festival favourites Teleman; trippy danceable falsetto melody makers All We Are and a massive bunch more.
We are also delighted to welcome Meic Stevens, the Welsh singer-songwriter often fondly referred to as the ‘Welsh Dylan’!
Our inimitable festival atmosphere has always left Green Man guests with hazy, happy memories, and this year will be no exception. Experienced vibe-setters Chai Wallahs are delivering the goods with a heady mix of live acts and DJs from around the globe – including afrofunk nine-piece Jungle By Night, Dizraeli & The Small Gods, Birth of Joy and psychedelic jazz quartet Syd Arthur.
Stay tuned for more acts coming very soon (including our yet to be revealed Thursday night headliner) and don’t forget to buy tickets to join us for what’s shaping up to be the party of the summer.
New additions in full: Atomic Bomb! The Music of William Onyeobor, Villagers, Patrick Watson, The Antlers, Teleman, All We Are, Meic Stevens, Black Yaya, Tom Robinson Band, Midland, Colorama, C Duncan, Landshapes, Hannah Lou Clark, Rozi Plain, Vok, Aurora, Anna B Savage, Deep Throat Choir, Chelou, Benedict Benjamin, Declan McKenna, Toby Hay, Emily Davies, Palenco, Jungle By Night, Dizraeli & The Small Gods, Syd Arthur, Birth of Joy, Stuff, Fingathing, Low Leaf, Cocos Lovers, Loyle Carner, The Moulettes, Will Varley, Moneyshot & Cheeba, Sam Brookes, Sola Rosa, Bombs, Gringo Ska, Gypsies of Bohemia
We're sure you agree Green Man just doesn't feel the same without SFA who join us as our Saturday night Mountain Stage headliners. We’ve been waiting for the Furries to reform for years and we can’t wait to welcome them to Wales’ own Green Man in what promises to be a truly amazing homecoming show.
Also joining us in the Black Mountains, are Shoegaze pioneers Slowdive – as well as the mighty Television, who play their seminal 1977 album ‘Marquee Moon’ in full.
We’re super excited to announce London-duo Public Service Broadcasting with their unique blend of electronica influenced music. Jamie XX brings the party to the Beacons, playing out tracks from what we hope might become his first solo record. And we welcome back Temples to Green Man where they made their first ever-festival appearance in 2012.
Last night Fierce Panda hosted their Summer Showcase in The Oak Room at Covent Gardens 'The Hospital Club; comprising of two of their signings, 'LONGFELLOW' and new signing, ''MASAKICHI'.
Having heard their new single, 'Spring' on Soundcloud I was eager to see 'Masakichi' live, to see if they were able to recreate the dynamic range from their released tracks, and put simply- I was not disappointed. The five piece from London played a flawless set from start to finish, combining soft droning verses with shatteringly heavy choruses, laced with tonnes of groove and subtle uses of compound time signatures, the harmonies between Hannah Cartwright and Hattie Williams really polishing off what was a tight, and solid performance.
If you are like me, and you can't really listen to vast amounts of Post-Rock instrumental bands without yearning for vocal melodies and harmonies, I would recommend checking out Masakichi. Their instrumental arrangements have all the epicness and dynamism of atmospheric Post-Rock, while filling the void often left by other bands through their use of melodic vocal lines, and harmonies.
Their Album is out September 18th, and can be pre-ordered from Fierce Panda Here.
LONGFELLOW, an established Fierce Panda act took to the stage shortly after, and cracked straight into a set full of incredibly well written, upbeat pop songs from their latest release. Having been blown away by Masakichi's set, I had high expectations for Longfellow. Although I wasn't disappointed by their performance, I felt that there was a lack of emotion and passion during the first half of their set, their cover of 'Elastic Heart' by Sia not managing to capture the raw emotion of the original and falling into the back of the room, Owen Lloyd's vocals unfortunately getting lost in the arrangement.
New single 'Choose' introduced a welcomed melancholy and emotional track into their set which really stood out and addressed my prior issues, the downbeat song really conveying the pain of emotional stalemate and cyclical relationship routines in a raw pop song. Ending their encore with 'Medic', Longfellow managed to prove themselves as a versatile act, thoroughly dismissing my prior reservations, and providing me with songs stuck in my head while on the train home.
Longfellow's New EP is available to pre-order from Fierce Panda Here.
Whilst many of the big festivals were coping with mud over the weekend we were thankful that our Brummie feet were firmly on solid ground as we arrived for MADE. With a line up that boasts heavyweight names such as MK, Heidi, Claude Von Stroke, Julio Bashmore and David Rodigan, as well as prominent local acts Tom Shorterz and Adam Shelton, there was plenty for everyone in this urban playground.
MADE is a mini Metropolitan festival that brought ravers from all corners into the heart of Birmingham city. Now in its second year, the site had been expanded to include six stages set across the Digbeth triangle and the Rainbow complex. In keeping with the creative melting pot of the area, that ethos was very much evident in the site production from the epic wall mural by Newso & Gent48, live graffiti art and illustrative signage.
First up was veteran DJ and reggae selector David ‘Ram Jam’ Rodigan on the Heavyweight Bass Champion stage, a boxing ring with caliber of booming bass and DnB acts to match. 40 years in the business and David still knows how to rock a crowd. He invited all the ‘young tongue shooters to take a trip to Jamaica’ with him as he spun tunes from reggae, dance hall and DnB. He bounced around with the energy of a teenager, puffing out his chest and rewinding the decks, it was a pure joy to watch.
Next up was Norman Jay MBE playing from a fire exit high above the car park. The Bloc Party stage set up wasn’t a massive success and it was a shame to see Normal play to smaller numbers than expected. The VIP terrace above the Warehouse offered the best views over the main stage and revellers danced with the inflatables in the hazy afternoon sun. We stopped for some much needed respite with a delicious gourmet pizza from Baked-in Brick.
Back on the Heavyweight stage was beat-box extraordinaire Beardyman and friends for the ‘Bass Battle Off’. DJs Pete Graham, Marc Spence and Santero went back to back with only 7 minutes to impress the audience. We darted round the site, catching glimpses of sets from Korupt FM, Stanton Warriors, and Blonde who performed live as confetti cannons launched multi coloured flakes into the sky of the main arena. Julio Bashmore and Dusky were the stars of the Underground stage as they played to hyped punters in dark sweat-box of a room.
A packed out crowed gathered at the main stage anticipation for the headline act. It seemed as if most people had come to see MK (Marc Kinchen) as the other stages emptied out. As his first record dropped confetti cannons boomed, followed by smoke jets and fire streams lighting up the crowd. His set was bursting with techno and club classics including remixes of Rudimental’s ‘Powerless’, Bakermat’s ‘Teach me’, Dumont’s ‘The giver’ to the crowd pleasing anthemic sing-a-long moment ‘My head is a jungle’. MK dived into the crowd at the end of his set and was hoisted up on to shoulders for the fireworks finale whilst Low steppa took up the mantle.
We caught up with Pete Jordan festival organiser about the challenges of delivering 11,000 capacity inner-city festival. “Digbeth is a unbelievable place and we had the opportunity to go bigger. We have had a phenomenal amount of support from the council, police and emergency services.”
“Having the indoor and outdoor spaces created a different vibe and we tried to put a bit of personality into each individual stage. Delivering bass music in a conceptual form such as a boxing ring makes people experience the music in different way. To see some of these stages really come off makes me really proud.”
It was clear the festival was a big hit with the punters too. Carly Banks from Staffs said “I have literally had the best day/night of my life!!! so unexpected and so worth it!!!!!”
Despite the terrible weather on Sunday they still had good numbers through the door for Made by Day. The organisers worked quickly to relocate as much of it indoors at the rainbow complex. There was a great selection of food available from gourmet burgers, pizzas, Caribbean, North African, Thai from Digbeth Dining Club regulars, as well as comedy, music and retro gaming from Dead Pixels.
Made my day was a great success and provided thousands with the best in bass and dance to party through day and night. We’re already looking forward to what 2016 has to offer.
See the full image set here https://www.flickr.com/photos/summerfestivalguide/sets/72157656009069788
Have you heard of Nozstock before? I wouldn't blame you if you haven't. This modest 5000 capacity festival, aptly sub-headed 'The Hidden Valley' is hidden deep within the Herefordshire countryside- near the Hamlet of Bromyard. Now in it's Seventeenth year, Nozstock has established itself a dedicated fanbase of locals, and those from increasingly further afield. Each year has a theme, and this year's- A Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy, saw the site lovingly decorated in everything space. The theming did stop there though, with space related workshops and activities for the younger members of families and the audience, those tired from listening to music could retreat to any of the activities area to participate in Jetpack making, building spaceships, rockets, blacksmithing, to the vaguely advertised 'Space crafting' (at the Enchanted Glade 17:00 Sunday).
In my now seemingly traditional festival journey, a gruelling 8 hour drive down to Bromyard at lunchtime had me pitching my tent in darkness, in the hammering rain, undeterred from enjoying ourselves, we set off to explore the site and listen to some music.
Nozstock festival has an intriguing demographic, due to it's diverse acts -as you will hopefully read throughout this writeup- and as the night draws on, the crowd grows wilder, heading down to the COPPICE, BULLPEN, and CUBICLES stages, all dedicated to different styles of Dance, Electro, Dub, 2 Step, Hip-Hop, Garage, Basscore and Drum 'n' Bass. Admittedly, upon arrival; and without any prior knowledge of the festival I was worried that my only dance move 'Big fish, Little fish, Cardboard box' wouldn't last me throughout the weekend and I would be ousted as an impostor of dance and electro music. Much to my relief, the friendly crowds didn't catch on.
Heading to the Orchard Stage for NEVILLE STAPLE BAND's headline set, we caught a jam packed performance full of crowd skanking in the mud, churning up the sodden floor, kicking the first night of music off with a energetic and tight performance. It has to be noted however- that this festival breaks the tradition of curfew by 11, or half past, with headline sets on the mainstage starting as late as 23:45, with smaller bands playing throughout the site to as late as 2:40, before music stopping around 3:30. The site however is fantastically laid out with sound from each stage not spilling over into over crowds, and bearing in mind that it only takes 10 minutes to complete a circuit of the site, this is a seemingly impossible but well realised feat.
SATURDAY
We kicked off Saturday with HIPICAT, winners of the 'Gigslutz PlayNoz 2015' competition, who brought the new day in with easy to process (for those hungover) Psychedellic rock. Luckily the rain for Saturday had abated, and throughout the day, the churned mess in front of the stage dried out enough to sit down and enjoy the weather. As mentioned earlier, before around 8pm the day had a completely different vibe to the night time, becoming more diverse musically, and more appealing to families with younger children. South African loop pedal artist, JEREMY LOOPS wowed the afternoon crowd with multilayered tunes consisting of massive harmonies, beatboxing, harmonicas and guitar arrangements that have taken him around the world, picking up bits of culturally diverse sounds and mashing them up into a impressive set.
It has to be said about the hospitality of the NozStock press team, which was second to none. Instantly upon arrival, Damo and Nolly were on hand to answer any questions about the site or anything else, and organising a press picnic on Saturday was the icing on the cake. ROZELLE treated an unfortunately modest crowd to an expertly crafted set of Indie Rock tunes, and personally I thought they would have been better suited to a later slot than they were given, or been allocated a place on one of the bigger stages at a similar time. As the evening grew cold, back on the Orchard Stage SKINNY LISTER kept the crowd warm with their pub folk tunes, rallying mass dance offs, swaying, and mass cheers to a highly energetic set.
As are most festivals, NozStock is not just limited to stages for music, with the Wrong Directions Cinema Tent providing short and feature length films throughout the day, the Laughing Stock stage promoting comedy, and Bantam of the Opera & Velveteen Valley offering magic, theatre and late night cabaret to indulge in. Saturday's comedy headline came from Seann Walsh, who through his blend of current topics, anecdotes about living with his girlfriend and stand up comebacks gave the audience 40 minutes of non-stop laughter.
WU-TANG CLAN's set was flawless, apart from the fact that they didn't actually show up. Pulling out of the festival late last week, they had yet to provide a reason for this late and very unprofessional cancellation by Saturday. The disappointment throughout the crowd was noted, with expletives slamming Wu-Tang's to be found scrawled on toilets around the site. Fortunately DE LA SOUL was on hand to provide a heavy and incredibly well received set, expertly encouraging crowd response, easily drawing the biggest crowd of the weekend.
SUNDAY
The clouds burst early Sunday morning, turning the just dried ground back into a sloshy mess. This however didn't dampen spirits, as the crowds were back out in full force come 4pm for TANTZ's high octane Yiddish dance music set. Combining elements of reggae, electro swing, power-klezma, rock, dub and upbeat insanity, Aaran Kent riled the crowd up into a frenzy between -and whilst- on Clarinet duties. TANTZ, despite the miserable weather were able to deliver a hard hitting set that was without fault, and one of my favourite of the day.
The eclectic mixture of artists over the stages was impressive, and NozStock seemingly taking pride in promoting a lot of local and nearby artists, giving the crowds the opportunity to take a punt on many bands that they may not have heard of. This is a great attitude to have when organising a festival, as the promotion of smaller artists is invaluable to those working as musicians.
MR B THE GENTLEMAN RHYMER graced NozStock with two sets on Sunday, one at the Orchard Stage, and a later set on The Bandstand. The well spoken ambassador of rhythmic lyricisms split his catalogue for the event, self notedly playing more of his pop ditties earlier in the day, before giving a more chap-hop set in the evening. MR B's one man quest to 'introduce Hip-hop to the manners of the Queen's English' went down a treat, building a solid rapport with the crowd throughout the duration of his set. We stopped to eat later by the Orchard Stage whilst BROKEN BRASS EMSEMBLE's expertly arranged set of swing tunes drew an active crowd, an act I couldn't have even imagined playing at the same festival as the one I had initially seen upon my arrival on Friday. The brass troupe from Holland would transcend from swing into funk and Hip-hop styling flawlessly, and then come straight back into big band arrangements as though it was nothing, with slick professionalism.
Sunday night drew to a close with Motown legend, MARTHA REEVES AND THE VANDELLAS on the Orchard Stage. Unfortunately getting off to a late and rocky start- Martha Reeves called a abrupt end to her opening number within the first 15 seconds of coming on stage, before complaining to the sound engineers and starting over again. Martha Reeves' voice sounded a bit strained throughout their performance, but held up well regardless. Appealing to an audience of older and younger fans, it's lovely to see that the Motown Veteran's music has crossed the generations and was being sung along to, danced to, and enjoyed by such a diverse audience.
If I had to summarize NozStock 2015 in one word, it would be: Crazy.
Allow me to explain, and since being back for 12 hours (at time of writing) the 2 examples I have used to explain the unprecedented madness of this weekend to friends and family are: Firstly, the penultimate act for me this weekend involved me having to follow a guy dressed as a badger into a small room covered in zigzags where we had to dance to gain access to a secret stage, where I watched a three piece post-rock band who consisted of a Peter Serafinowicz doppelgänger and a mannequin torso on stage. And secondly, whilst out and about I saw a person dressed as a button being chased by a pack of kids with sparkly wooden spoons, attacking him under the command of a woman dressed as what looked like a salt shaker.
This weekend has been fantastic, and I would like to thank the team at NozStock for their hospitality and for such an unexpected experience, which I'd hope to experience again next year!
