Grace Jones headlines Common People 2015, in her undercrackers

Some people just don’t give a solitary shit what you think of them. Those people make the best entertainers. A giant black screen is dropped to reveal Grace Jones slinking out from behind her backing singers who are wearing giant fru-fru net headpieces. Jones herself, never to be outdone in the mad fashion stakes, is sporting nothing more than a waspie, thong, heels and some body paint. Oh, and a giant gold skull mask with feather headdress.

As the chilly crowd look on in awe, Grace says what we’re all thinking “I was planning on it being summer when I came out naked, well, at least spring-time! Don’t tell anyone I’m naked…” much to the awe of the small boy on the front row, who is just dawning on the idea that those are really bare breasts.

Creeping around the elevated stage set wearing what looks like a painted bin-liner is certainly one of the weirder sights we’ve seen this weekend, but Grace just keeps one-upping herself in the style stakes with a host of other outfits throughout the night. ‘Walking in the Rain’ has the crowd dancing along with her but the biggest whoops are reserved for her extremely lithe male pole dancer who shows off his moves and muscles. With a glass of wine held aloft, Grace asks “To love, l’amour. How many of you guys are in love tonight?” before launching into ‘La Vie En Rose’. 

Photo courtesy of Common People

Rowdy favourite ‘Pull up to the Bumper’ goes down well, and Grace, now sporting white plumage in the style of show-horses, dramatically discards her heels yelling “Damn I just nearly broke my ankle, I should not be wearing these high heels!” and hops onto the back of a roadie for a tour around the front row fans.  

Back on stage she sports an incredible mirrored hat which turns into a live disco-ball when lasers are shone onto it, but it is the fact that at 67 years old Jones completes ‘Slave to the Rhythm’ in its entirety whilst hula hooping amid spraying confetti cannons, that really brings it home. Though the younger crowd might have been there for the likes of Clean Bandit and Years and Years, Grace Jones did more than uphold her legacy in front of them tonight. What Common People got was the kind of show you can’t take your eyes away from, and that’s what makes the memories.

Common People – Fatboy Slim Saturday headliner Review

Over the almost two decades of Fatboy Slim, Norman Cook has been leader of the bucket-hatted masses, spaced out neon lovers with glowsticks and an assortment of psychotropic treats. So when Common People festival-goers were faced with a choral arrangement from a very serious looking but talented bunch of vocalists, more than a few confused looks were exchanged. However, the hums and notes gathered momentum into an absolutely brilliant (mad but brilliant) mashup of Norm’s super hits, from ‘Right Here, Right Now’ to ‘Eat Sleep Rave Repeat’.

As the choir wound up to a crescendo, the man himself hit the stage wearing a fairly creepy white mask and hood, looking a bit Detroit clown-gang, but tearing it off theatrically as the bass dropped for his own ‘Eat Sleep Rave Repeat’. Common People might be a brand new festival, but it’s clear some of it’s forefathers’ Bestival/Camp Bestival vibes are present, the glow-paint covered crowd are going absolutely mental already, and Norman throws off his hoody to reveal a loud Hawaiian shirt and some very suggestive hip wiggling.  

Throughout the set Norman mixes tracks from various artists, but it’s Zombie Nation’s ‘Kernkraft 400’ that gets the front row bouncing. The big screen shows computer generated graphics of his face with visable musculature and day of the dead style facepaint and when the well known ‘Samba De Janeiro’ is mixed in, giant acid-smiley inflata-balls are thrown out into the crowd.  

Talking Heads’ ‘Psycho Killer’ rolls into a mashup of ‘Right Here, Right Now’ and Underworld’s ‘Born Slippy’ as rippling blue lasers bathe the site in an otherworldly glow. Salt-N-Pepa ‘Push It’ has the rowdier (drunk) sorts attempting to push each other over. A clip showing Cook being slapped with a wet fish somehow leads us into what is understandably this festival’s herald – Pulp’s ‘Common People’.

Photo courtesy of Common People

For the finale, the choir, now in white gowns float back on stage to help with fan favourite ‘Praise You’ which has the entire crowd, even the guy inexplicably waving his crutches in the air – dancing in the traditional circle formation and singing along. As a massive array of fireworks light up the sky and mark the end of the night, it’s safe to say that Common People festival has picked a pretty epic first ever headliner. It’s amazing that one man behind a mixing desk can be such a presence, but that is exactly what Fatboy Slim does with an ease that says ‘I can do this in my sleep’ or maybe ‘I’d rather do this than sleep’.

Takedown Festival Twenty 14

Takedown Festival 2014 is being held at Southampton University on Saturday March 15th. Its a one day event that offers a alternative style of music to the south coast.

Bands are spread out over 5 stages throughout the day. In the time Takedown festival has been running it has been host to many great bands such as The Blackout, While She Sleeps, Don Bronco, Skindred, and many more, Takedown also been host to many local bands in the area such as, Our Hollow Out Home, Upon The Shore, Saint The Sinner, and lots more.

This years event will be host to Funeral For A Friend, Kids In Glass Houses, Yashin, Lostalone, and also local bands such as Saint The Sinner, Seasons In Wreckage, Our Hollow Our Home.

Bands to keep a look out for Heart In Hand, Feed The Rino, Hacktivst, Our Hollow Our Home and Saint The Sinner!

So if your up for a mosh and head banging this is the festival to be at this March!