Wonderful to be back at this festival, having been forced to miss last year due to work commitments. Indeed similar work commitments loomed this year but once Sigur Ros were announced as headliners this became a must-attend event.
As ever, we had intended to do a bit of 'other stuff' (ie not just the bands) but this didn’t turn out to be the case. Testament to the strong band line-up.
THURSDAY;
FRIDAY;
Mark Mulcahy - singer songwriter. Some of his songs with drum and guitar accompaniment sounded Lou Reed-y. His best numbers were the ones he did unaccompanied
Filthy Boy - Excellent 40 minute set. Excellent bass player (actually all the band were good). Very young guitar band, good tunes, very rude lyrics!
Braids - we were running late for this set so only heard three songs. There are only
King Khan & The Shrines - precisely why we come to festivals. 9 of em on stage. didn't take themselves too seriously. Mash up of jazz, punk, indie guitar,
Money - superb. great sound. Great songs, Pink Floydy in places
Parquet Courts - What a band! Played a 50 minute set. Downside of this was a couple of very iffy filler tracks in the early part of the set. But good thing was they extended some of their songs off their great album with fantastic guitar jammin’.
David Byrne &
Savages - This band have truly come of age over the last 12 months. From their "girl punk" beginnings 18 months ago they now present a very sophisticated show, leveraging on the superb showwoman skills of lead Jehnny Beth. I think the drummer is still with the band (didn't see her once through the smoke).
SATURDAY;
East India Youth - Took us all a million miles away from a
Indians - another one-man act. Beautifully crafted songs from this Danish lad who was really grateful to be playing at the fest.
Night Beds - lo-fi indie tunes. Perfect for the
Ed Harourt - "secret show" on the Piano Stage in the woods. I love this man. I had commented earlier that Ed v Sigur Ros as clashing headliners would be like giving one of my children away, so delighted we caught him. He played 3 songs: Lustre, Back Into The Woods,
[Watching Ed meant we missed the wonderful Teleman. a great shame, another wonderful band. ..... there's too much good rock n roll in this world!]
The Leisure Society - with afternoon real-ales starting to kick in, this became one of my most enjoyable sets of the weekend. This collective are not prolific in terms of material but their records go from strength to strength. They're playing a tour of small venues in latter part of the year, not to be missed.
Anna van Hausswolf - cutting a diminutive figure, this lady from
Sigur Ros - I'll simply quote fellow Rock-Clubber, Reg who has attended a few festivals in his time..... "Best band I’ve ever seen here. I've seen loads of other great stuff this weekend but these guys are a class apart". Says it all. Superb set across two hours, covering songs from across their albums.
Polica - Brilliant in a full tent. She is an excellent performer. A perfect way to round off the bands for the evening
Silent Disco - always good fun. We always say we're gonna do a quick 20 minutes but end up staying for a full hour. Had a festival highlight: ended up playing air guitar with Will Doyle (aka East India Youth) to Ca Plane Pour Moi.
SUNDAY;
Charlie Boyer And The Voyeurs - another great guitar band. In all honesty they probably need a few more songs
Merchandise - provided a wonderful soundscape in the tent, but I must confess this was my moment for catching up on sleep sounds didn't really appreciate them as much as I should have.
Papy's - our one venture to the Comedy Stage. But was it worth it....! Papy's are the three guys from TV Show 'Badults'. They did 40 minutes of sketches, many of which were inter-linked. Hilarious. They made good comedy look very easy.
The Staves - perfect harmonies on the Garden Stage
The Walkmen - This band ooze quality. Lead Singer
Belle & Sebastian - only saw 20 minutes from the back. The crowd was rapt.
Barr Bros - a bonus set in the Tipi Tent. Are these the band to replace The Low Anthem in our lives?
Caitlin Rose - another 'late- night extra' as we tried to squeeze out a bit more excellent music from the weekend. She had lost her voice but still delivered 6-7 great songs.
Great to be back at this festival. It's not lost its charm or its magic and with a line-up as strong as this, the weather kind most of the time, couldn't really fail to have an awesome weekend.
Si
