Field Day 2015 Review – Sunday

Field Day Sunday catered to a more rock and alternative following with a mix of new up-and-coming bands to legends including Patti Smith and Ride. Although the day did not sell out, it provided much more overall engagement from the artists which led to some stellar standout performances.
 

Brooklyn shoe-gaze group DIIV (named after a Nirvana song) formed in 2011 and have since released a debut LP. Looking like they just rolled out of bed, DIIV debuted some new unheard material on the Eat Your Own Ears Stage that sounded promising but slightly missed the mark. Fortunately, they redeemed themselves with playing older, more well known tracks including ‘How Long Have you Known’ and ‘Doused’, both of which received a warm reception from the crowd.
 

A quick sprint to the Verity stage left some time to catch up-and-coming London alt-rock trio Happyness who lit up the stage with their humble persona and chilled guitar sequences.
 

Mac DeMarco is known to always put on a good show and he definitely did not disappoint on the last date of their tour. The constant banter between the band-mates and the crowd led to lots of laughter and eventually to Mac crowd surfing over most of the Eat Your Own Ears stage to rapturous applause. The set did get awkward at times, especially when the band’s guitarist, Andy, got hit square in the face with an orange but this did not deter the band from delivering standout tracks including ‘Brother’, ‘Salad Days’ and a spur of the moment rendition of The Beatles’ ‘Blackbird’ by bassist Pierce (whilst Andy’s guitar was fixed). Love song ‘Together’ and a guitar solo from Andy finished off the set and left the crowd disappointed that it was over.
 

The former frontman of 90s Britpop favourites Supergrass, Gaz Coombes delivered a stellar solo set at the Shacklewell Arms tent. Having released 2 critically acclaimed LPs since going solo, it was of no surprise that Supergrass seemed like a distant memory. Tracks ‘20/20’ and ‘Break The Silence’ were met with strong appreciation and the meaningful and moving track ‘The Girl Who Fell To Earth’ cemented Gaz Coombes as a musician who is capable of anything.

Photos by Carolina Faruolo

Punk-rock legend Patti Smith was a well-received addition to the Field Day line-up. Performing her 1975 album ‘Horses’, the crowd felt every emotion possible – there were smiles, hugs and even tears by the end of the set. The most tear-jerking moment was towards the end of ‘Horses’ when Patti Smith paid tribute to lost musicians including Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed and Brian Jones amongst others including John Nash. To the crowd’s surprise, more tracks were played including a splendid cover of The Who’s ‘My Generation’ to finish and ultimate crowd pleaser ‘Because the Night’.
 

Another up-and-coming indie group, five-piece Londoners Gengahr filled the Verity tent with a smooth, easy listening sound perfect for the summer weather. Echoing vocals and clever time sequences showed the crowd that they are full of surprises and do not hesitate to push the boundaries, however small or large they might be. Gengahr are definitely a band to watch.
 

London’s Savages caused quite a buzz around Field Day as they had not played a UK show for quite some time but they truly stood out. Tearing up the Shacklewell Arms stage to a packed out crowd, front woman Jehnny Beth oozed confidence and cool, crowd surfing through the audience and fuelling the already rowdy crowd to get even rowdier. ‘City’s Full’ kicked off the set with new material quickly following.  Jehnny informed the crowd of a new record in the works and vented her frustration of the current political climate with a short, snappy track – ‘Fucker’ and ended the set with gritty track ‘Husbands’. From what we saw of today’s set, Savages will only keep getting better and better.
 

Dutch 24-year-old Jacco Gardner sounds (and looks) like something straight from the 60s with his echoing high vocals and psych-pop guitar melodies. Playing the Verity tent to a packed out crowd, Jacco Gardner’s vocals sadly got lost at times and therefore did not have the same effect as on record.
 

Ride’s headline set was a big deal – it was a reunion. Their debut album ‘Nowhere’ still holds the status as one of the best shoe-gaze albums (and one you should listen to before you die!). This was their first gig together as a full band in twenty years, which led to a lot of emotional people in the crowd at the Eat Your Own Ears stage. Ride played so tightly together that you never would have guessed they ever broke up. Career-spanning tracks played included ‘Birdman’ and ‘Leave Them All Behind’, which closed this year’s Field Day. 

Photos by Carolina Faruolo

Field Day 2015 Review – Saturday

Field Day, held in East London’s Victoria Park and now in its eighth year, is a festival that always caters to a wide range of music tastes. This is arguably what puts it ahead of its rivals and cements its status as one of, if not, the best London music festivals of its kind. Saturday’s line up leant slightly towards the electronic but did not fail in providing ticket holders with a first class choice of acts that led to the day selling out.

London’s Benjamin Garrett, who goes by the stage name Fryars, attracted an impressive and attentive crowd during his mid-afternoon set at the Shacklewell Arms stage. A firm favourite with music critics, Fryars set the day’s bar high with his piano pop melodies and sweet, meaningful vocals. Starting his set off slow with tracks including a rather sombre ‘On Your Own’, Fryars finished on a high with ‘Cool Like Me’ – an upbeat track reminiscent of Daft Punk which was the main highlight of the set. It may be true that Fryars sounds better on record and looks like a hipster but the set did not feel out of place on the festival bill.

Photos by Carolina Faruolo

As soon as Kindness hit the stage albeit a bit late, it was clear the crowd were in for a treat, as the whole band seemed in very high spirits. The brainchild of Brit Adam Bainbridge, Kindness were no strangers to the worldwide music scene having played everywhere from South by Southwest (SXSW) in Texas to the Sydney Opera House. What was great about this band was there was no hierarchy – each member of the group had their time to shine. We had impressive melodic vocal solos from the chirpy backing singers, various co-ordinated dance moves and a lot of tambourine shaking. There was even a guest performance and a funk inspired cover of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’, which got the whole crowd going. With the qualities of both Jungle and Primal Scream, it was an impressive set that would no doubt keep you grooving. Kindness were definitely the highlight set of the day and very much screamed funk and soul soundtrack of summer.

Scottish art-rock favourite’s Django Django used their Field Day set to play tracks from their recently released new album ‘Born Under Saturn’ which received a great response from the crowd. The track ‘Reflection’ was a particular crowd pleaser.

A sneak peek into the packed Crack Magazine tent uncovers electronica favourite Chet Faker performing a cover of Backstreet’s ‘No Diggity’ for which the crowd go wild.

One of the most hyped artists of this year, FKA Twigs was unapologetically late to start her set at the Crack Magazine stage. It seemed that the crowd forgave all as she appeared, engulfed in mountains of smoke and began flirting with the audience. Almost ethereal in her presence, it seemed that the crowd were admiring her beauty more than admiring her music and this seemed to translate into a somewhat disconnected performance as she tried to keep the mystery alive. The acoustics in the tent were not great but FKA Twigs’s trip hop beats and whispery vocals still managed to mesmerise the overflowing crowd ready in time for Caribou’s headline set. 

Photos by Carolina Faruolo

It may be surprising to some that Caribou headlined Field Day Saturday but Canadian Dan Snaith’s band has established a huge cult following since its inception in 2005. The career spanning set produced not only the best of the electronic and the psychedelic but also included a spectacular visual display, which truly secured their status as an impressive headline act. Highlights included the lead single from 2010 Album ‘Swim’ – ‘Odessa’ and ‘Our Love’.

deadmau5 Live Earlybird Tickets SOLD OUT

An array of other electronic artistes will be joining deadmau5 and announced over the coming weeks for further info and updates go to www.ledfestival.net/deadmau5 /www.deadmau5.com.
 
General Tickets are on sale now £42+BF and are available from www.ticketmaster.co.uk /Tel: 08444 775 775 (24HR)
 
deadmau5 Live @ Victoria Park
More Acts TBA
Saturday 11th June 2011
Victoria Park, London, Info: www.ledfestival.net/deadmau5 / www.deadmau5.com
 
Tickets On Sale Now
Early Bird Ticket Offer – £39+BF ** SOLD OUT **
General Tickets – £42+BF
VIP Tickets – £90+BF
 
Opening Times:
1:00pm – 10:45pm
Last Admittance into the event – 9.30pm
 
Tickets:-
www.ticketmaster.co.uk / Tel: 08444 775 775 (24hr)
www.seetickets.com  / Tel: 0870 120 2224
www.ticketline.co.uk / Tel: 0844 888 9991
www.stargreen.com / Tel: 0207 734 8932
www.ticketweb.co.uk / Tel: 08444 771 000

L.E.D Festival Review

L.E.DL.E.D Festival held it's inaugural 2 day event at London's Victora Park on Friday 27th August and Saturday 28th August 2010. Brought together by heavyweights Cream, Loudsound and Goldenvoice, the lineup spoke for itself which included friday headliner David Guetta and Saturday headliner Leftfield.

With a bit of rain during the week and on Friday morning, we were happy to see it dry up a little before we arrived there.

Audio Bullys L.E.D We walked in just in time to catch the Audio Bullys with Simon Franks on the mike. As the crowd slowly builds out by the main stage, a massive roar is heard when the Audio Bullys play "Shot You Down".
Afrojack L.E.D FestivalNewcomer Afrojack is one of the hottest talents coming out of Holland at the moment and he took to the decks for the next hour. He took things up a notch with a very energetic performance. As the sun starting to shine out through the clouds, Afrojack dropped his new tune "Take Over Control" featuring the lovely vocals of Eva Simmons and to finish, tune of the moment Swedish House Mafia's "One", to see the crowd run to the main stage to join in made for a great end to a very impressive and enjoyable set.
Calvin Harris L.E.D FestivalCalvin Harris took to the decks next performing a DJ Set. Its been a while since I have seen Calvin DJ however his skills on the decks are second to none. Geting the crowd going with his latest tune "You used to Hold Me" Calvin played a uplifting house set before making way for the exceptional SoulWax.

Soulwax took to the crowd with a full band setup and rocked it like they do. Soulwax are well known for their energetic and non-stop performances and didn't disappoint at L.E.D.

Soulwax L.E.D Festival

Moving to the Planet Turbo tent we catch the end of Zombie Nation just as they drop the always brilliant Kernkraft 400. Headlining the Planet Turbo tent was none other than Turbo Recording label boss Tiga. With a loyal following Tiga kept the tempo up with a typical uplifting Tiga set.

 

David Guetta L.E.D FestivalHeadliner David Guetta takes to the Main Stage with a massive stage setup. Perched high above the crowd in a stage built full of led lighting, he kicked off with his latest successful collaboration with Fergie (from the Black Eyed Peas), Chris Willis and LMFAO "Gettin Over You" Going through his plethora of tunes we also heard his new collaboration with Kelly Rowland "Commander". For me David Guetta was the highlight of the day, closely followed by Afrojack.

Overall we quite enjoyed the first edition of L.E.D Festival in London, we look forward to seeing it back at Victoria Park next year.

Photos for L.E.D Festival can be found here

Tiësto Live @ Victoria Park

TiestoFriday 30th July 2010 saw Tiësto return to Victoria Park in London for his second live show. With a supporting lineup that included The Japanese Popstars, Avicii, and Pendulum on the main stage the afternoon was set to be full of musical madness.

We arrived to catch the last part of The Japanese Popstars, the trio from Northern Ireland lived up to their expectations playing what they call "big room, cool as f**k electronic music built for festivals and staduims", See our interview with the lads here.

AviciiNext to take the helm was Avicii, Tiësto's hand picked supporting artist for his current tour. For those that dont know much about Avicii he is a Swedish DJ and producer who has come up through the ranks of Laidback Luke's online forum. Winner of Pete Tongs Fast Trax, Avicii has taken the industry by storm, DJing all over the world and working with some of the best producers in the game. As the crowds slowly started to gather in the main stage area, Avicii kept their feet moving with a mix of house, electro, and trance infused beats. Dropping the massive Swedish House Mafia single One brought huge applause from the crowd.

Pendulum were set to take to the main stage next and as the stage was setup for their arrival you could feel the excitement in the atmosphere. The Australian rock / drum and bass band have recently released their new album "Immersion" and with two other albums behind them the live set was never going be a let down. By far one of the best live drum and bass acts at the moment their stage presence is immediately felt with MC Ben Mount taking centre stage. Ben's energy levels alone are enough to get any crowd going crazy and as soon as the bass kicks in the crowd are jumping and moshing in all directions. Ben creates a riot as he jumps off stage and mounts security fence and gets in amongst the punters. As a first time witness of seeing Pendulum live, I was very impressed with the amount of energy they put into the live set. If you havent yet seen them live I would highly recommend that you catch them on their Arena Tour of the UK in December 2010. A brilliant production setup completes the live experience.

Pendulum

Tiësto

Dutch DJ legend Tiësto's arrival is highly anticipated and as his intro kicks off, the crowd begin chanting "Tiësto, Tiësto". With thousands of punters piling into the main area to see what they came here for, Tiësto walks out to massive applause. On tour with his 4th studio album Kaleidoscope, which features an array of musicians inculding Nelly Furtado, Kele Okereke (from the Bloc Party), and Calvin Harris to name a few, Tiësto was here to showcase his new tracks.

As always Tiësto is in the party mood, complete with a huge grin on his face and his arms in the air.  The crowd seem to take his lead and as we walk through the masses of fans dancing to one of the worlds most in demand DJ's, we see all types of party people, some with light-sabers, a mexican hat crew and a huge number fans in the traditional dutch orange coloured t-shirts. One thing is consistent though, the smiles on everyone's faces as they jump up and down to Tiësto's beats.

Tiësto never fails in the production department, his show is kitted out with a large backdrop LED Screen and awesome pyrotechnics. As the night begins to fall the lighting really comes into its own. The sound system is loud enough to ensure that you can feel it anywhere from the park! Halfway through his set, Tiësto gets onto the mic and yells out to the crowd that he is about to take us back through his back catalogue and treats us to the likes of "Lethal Industry", "Silence", "Flight 643", "Love Comes Again", "Traffic", "Adagio for Strings" and more. His new tracks also get a great response, especially the Sneaky Sound System collaboration "I Will Be Here". Tiësto shows once again why he is the only DJ ever to host his own show in Victoria Park and we look forward to seeing him agin next year!

Tiësto
 

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