Having experienced Field Day 2 weeks before at the same venue it was only natural to compare the two and overall Lovebox definitely has the better organisation. The stages are more spread out and each one is not simply a tent, there’s the variety of the Stockade (outdoor dance stage) or the amazing NYC download (indoor gay themed nightclub) to complement the more traditional big top and main stage. Toilets and bars are plentiful and the place seems less crowded – whether that be from better space management or a smaller crowd is difficult to say, let’s call it a bit of both!
Lovebox provides more of a true festival feel with a number of sideshows and unexpected quirks, as well as (for the most part) fewer queues! A good choice of drinks and food was available with some main bars having an organised que which was a refreshing change. Cider and ale were the order of the day with roaming dispensers ensuring all thirsts were quenched. The rotisserie chicken we sampled was also delicious!
So top marks there but what of the Acts? Well the Saturday line up was a mixture of more well known mainstream pop and alternative, niche dance stages. We opted primarily for the intimate and exciting NYC downlow populated by the Warm and Electric Minds stable of Dj’s. Warming up proceedings Gerd Janson was faced with a very thin crowd indeed when he started at 2pm but it was to his credit that the floor was nicely filled coming into his last half hour where he treated us to a cheeky Madonna edit along with Alan Braxe and Fred Falke’s classic ‘Intro’ before Joy Orbison took the reins. With a limited capacity and a darkened room the Downlow made for a much better and more intimate setting than the standard festival tent with outstanding sound and smoke machines going off left, right and centre. The unique setting was complemented by cross-dressing dancers on the bar which was great fun to behold! The theme of the club makes the space an absorbing experience you won’t find elsewhere and the crew deserve a lot of credit for their hard work, especially the guys and girls towering above the entrance striking up playful banter with those entering.
Back to Joy O’s set it began with house flavours to continue the warm up, rather than going straight for the jugular as we’d seen him do just a week before at Parklife. This was reflective of the more intimate space though and made it more rewarding when the inevitable ‘Ellipsis’ was mixed in later on. A personal highlight of mine was the double hit of Blawan’s ‘Getting me Down’ with the edit of Jodeci’s ‘Freakin’ You’ which is doing the rounds. The guilt free R’n’b fuelled fun was finished off with a remix of Brandy and Monica’s ‘The boy is Mine’. Despite the cliche the set really took you on a journey and we stumbled out of the darkness into sunshine (!) something that’s been sorely lacking of late.
After a brief break by the main stage (sampling the vintage wares) we later returned to find Move D showcasing the finest in contemporary house, with the peak coming with Todd Terje’s ‘Inspector Norse’. Surely the track of the year?! His set flew by and it was soon time for Prosumer to take over. The Panorama Bar resident’s set was complemented early on by a full on tranny fashion parade within the downlow itself, making use of the podiums and raised platforms that make up the structure. Again, the production levels and entertainment on offer to complement the music was something exceptional! The slogan on the T shirts on offer read “Vogue, Vogue, Poppers, Vogue” – I think that sums up pretty well what the Downlow is all about!
Admittedly you’ll notice I didn’t venture much across the other venues but I felt the level of quality on offer there wouldn’t be able to match the vibrancy of the Downlow, although I was sad to miss Crazy P. Drum and Bass is not for me so I didn’t get involved with the Hospitality arena, however the lighting looked impressive from afar and there was a good deal of movement going on. Equally the Stockade showcased the Crosstown Rebels crew and I have to say for the most part the sound just doesn’t inspire me – however there were great production levels on the outdoor stage with intense animations on the LED screen complementing the colourful columns. Better that the music not to be to your taste but to admire the production than be disappointed that an act you really wanted to see was let down by organisational issues though.
Which brings us onto the main stage for the headline set of Friendly Fires. Highly anticipated by our group the whole day through I am sad to report the sound was pretty poor throughout the performance. Strangely though this wasn’t for a lack of overall volume, more an issue of questionable sound engineering / mixing. Being down the front you were hit by plenty of bass and bottom end sounds, but the vocals were incredibly low in the mix and the guitars and other top end sounds were difficult to pick out amongst the domination of the bass.
Ok, it didn’t spoil our enjoyment of the set completely however it was only by the final four or five songs that I thought the problem was really resolved. There’s always a chance the sound won’t be top drawer at a festival but it felt like an issue that should really have been resolved earlier. Anyone who’s been witness to a Friendly Fires show (at a festival especially) knows what a party atmosphere they can bring given the right setting (aka Glastonbury Other Stage) but I thought the set fell somewhat flat until the final few tracks (Hawaiian Air, Kiss of Life being big highlights). It was not for a lack of trying, but I felt the band’s efforts were not done the justice that a headliner is usually afforded at such an event.
Pity to end on a sour note but we had a thoroughly enjoyable day and I really wish I could have stayed to witness Chic and James Murphy tear up the Sunday. So then, high praise to Lovebox, but not full marks.
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